Until the result of a match has been recorded, players may concede or mutually agree to a draw in that game or match.
Players may concede or mutually draw up until the point the match slip has been filed out, or the result submitted electronically. Once the result has been recorded, that is the result. Players are allowed to intentionally draw, as preventing mutually beneficial IDs would result in players trying to fabricate an ID through convoluted play. If players were not allowed to intentionally draw, but a draw would still benefit both players, we would be encouraging players to “intentionally unintentionally draw” by slow playing —or worse— by playing at a reasonable pace but deciding to never attack and eventually just stall the game out, which just wastes everyone’s time.
Players can also agree to draw only a specific game, which must be accurately reported to the Scorekeeper (e.g., 2-1-1) for tiebreaker purposes.
If the conceding player won a game in the match, the match must be reported as 2-1. Intentional draws where no games were played are always reported as 0-0-3 in EventLink.
As players can concede at any time, they can concede up to the conclusion of the match. However, if the conceding player won at least one game, they cannot concede 2-0, and their win must be recorded, as some tournament tiebreakers are dependent on games won and lost. The note for intentional draws codifies and standardizes the scorekeeping practice. Please note that EventLink records intentional draws as 0-0-1, and must be changed after submission as EventLink does not follow this specific tournament rule.
Players may not agree to a concession or draw in exchange for any reward or incentive. Doing so will be considered Bribery (see section 5.2).
Ignorance of this rule is not a defense for having committed it, however there are different penalties on if this was done knowing/not knowing this was illegal (see IPG 4.4: Bribery and Wagering). Typically Judges make announcements stating this is illegal, so it is unlikely that a player can credibly claim ignorance. It is recommended that a player who is offered any reward or incentive alert a judge immediately.
If a player refuses to play, it is assumed that they have conceded the match.
If you aren’t playing, what exactly are you doing?