CHAPTER IV
General Laws Governing Irregularities 

LAW 12 - DIRECTOR'S DISCRETIONARY POWERS 

A. Right to Award an Adjusted Score

The Director may award an adjusted score (or scores), either on his own initiative or on the application of any player, but only when these Laws empower him to do so, or:

1. Laws Provide No Indemnity

The Director may award an assigned adjusted score when he judges that these Laws do not provide indemnity to the non-offending contestant for the particular type of violation of law committed by an opponent.

2. Normal Play of the Board is Impossible

The Director may award an artificial adjusted score if no rectification can be made that will permit normal play of the board (see Law 88).

3. Incorrect Penalty Has Been Paid

The Director may award an adjusted score if an incorrect penalty has been paid.

B. No Adjustment for Undue Severity of Penalty

The Director may not award an adjusted score on the ground that the penalty provided in these Laws is either unduly severe or advantageous to either side.

C. Awarding an Adjusted Score

1. Artificial Score

When, owing to an irregularity, no result can be obtained, the Director awards an artificial adjusted score according to responsibility for the irregularity: average minus (at most 40% of the available matchpoints in pairs) to a contestant directly at fault; average (50% in pairs) to a contestant only partially at fault; average plus (at least 60% in pairs) to a contestant in no way at fault (see Law 86 for team play or Law 88 for pairs play). The scores awarded to the two sides need not balance.

2. Assigned Score

When the Director awards an assigned adjusted score in place of a result actually obtained after an irregularity, the score is, for a non-offending side, the most favourable result that was likely had the irregularity not occurred, or, for an offending side, the most unfavourable result that was at all probable. The scores awarded to the two sides need not balance, and may be assigned either in matchpoints or by altering the total-point score prior to matchpointing.

3. Powers of Appeals Committee

Unless Zonal Organisations specify otherwise, an appeals committee may vary an assigned adjusted score in order to achieve equity.