Sanctioned tournaments require the presence of a Head Judge during play to adjudicate disputes, interpret rules, and make other official decisions. The Head Judge is the final judicial authority at any tournament and all tournament participants are expected to follow their interpretations.

The Head Judge’s responsibilities include:

• Issuing the final ruling in all appeals, potentially overturning the ruling of a Non-Head Judge/Tournament Admin
• Coordinating and delegating tasks to judges as needed

If necessary, the Head Judge may temporarily transfer their duties to any judge if they are unable to fulfill them for a period of time. Also, in exceptional circumstances, if the tournament’s integrity would be damaged otherwise, the Tournament Organizer may replace the Head Judge.

Certain Premier tournaments have multiple Head Judges and/or different Head Judges for different portions of the tournament. All Head Judges share the same responsibilities and exercise the same authority while they are serving as a Head Judge.