RULES AND COMPETITION INFORMATION

Registration:

All participants must be at least 8 years old.
Teams and partners will be registered under a team name.
Registrations will be taken until space is full. Same day registrations MAY be taken if space is available. We have 20 tables available in each division.
Participants accept that their name and photograph/images may appear on the Taliaferro DAR Facebook page or website, or in the local newspaper in connection with this event.
NO REFUNDS FOR ANY REASON. NO REFUNDS FOR NO SHOWS OR TEAMS/PARTNERS THAT DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE PRESENT TO PARTICIPATE. If the event is completely canceled due to Covid 19 government restrictions the entry fees WILL be refunded and the event will be rescheduled.

All participants arrive for check in at least 15 minutes prior to their respective division start time.
Participants that arrive late may be disqualified. Late participants may start late only at the discretion of the competition director.
If a participant as a partner or team member is not able to attend then a sub may be used OR if a sub is not available 4 person teams can consist of 3 people (but not 2 or 1), 3 person teams can consist of 2 people (but not 1). Both partners must be present in the Partners division (no single players). 1000 piece division may have any number of team members up to 4. Teams should make every attempt to have the correct number of people in attendance.

All individuals and teams receive the same new, unopened puzzle that will be concealed in a bag on each table. At the command "go" the puzzle is unwrapped.
Participants race to complete the puzzle first.
No spectators are allowed in the competition area, which shall be designated by yellow caution tape, however, spectators may quietly watch all the action from a marked observation point.
When an individual or team is close to finishing their puzzle they should raise their hand so the floor monitor can approach their table and clock their finishing time.
No one except the participants and floor monitors are allowed to approach the puzzle tables.
Participants are not allowed to approach other participants' tables.
No cell phones or flashlights or any other tools or devices can be used during the competition.
Water bottles are allowed in the competition area but please no food or open ended containers of liquids.
Participants are allowed to leave their table and the competition area to use the restroom, etc. but must immediately return (no lingering outside the puzzle area or disrupting the other tables)

If there are not 3 winners by the end of the time period allowed for each division then unattached pieces are counted to determine a winner. An "unattached piece" is any piece that is not in a group of 2 or more. The team with the LEAST amount of unattached pieces is the winner. If there is still a tie and teams have the exact same number of unattached pieces then a tie will be declared.
All puzzles are in the original package, unopened at the beginning of the competition. In the unlikely event a piece is missing due to a manufacturer error or potentially because the participant(s) lost a piece we will honor a finish with 1-3 pieces missing. If more than 3 pieces are missing then that participant or team will be disqualified from that round. In the case of lost pieces, 10 seconds will be added for each lost piece to the final time. Please indicate missing pieces right away to the floor monitor.