Investigation Procedure A . Determining an Infraction . Any judge call which lasts longer than 1 minute requires that the Match be given an appropriate time extension , so a judge should take note of the time as they answer a call . Time extensions should only be given for actual time lost during a round . A judge should never “ reverse engineer ” a penalty , by applying the penalty first and then determining the infraction . A judge must first investigate , then determine the infraction , and only then apply the penalty . Both players should explain what happened , and answer truthfully any questions the judge may have . The judge will examine the situation , and determine if an infraction has occurred . If so , the judge will then explain the infraction . If no infraction has occurred , the judge will quickly explain why . Investigations are conducted in private . Some infractions , depending upon severity , might also be explained in private to the player committing the infraction . Not every situation that occurs is appropriate for public knowledge ; so the judge ’ s decision to address the matter in private should be respected by opponents , spectators , uninvolved judges and tournament officials , etc . The Head Judge ’ s decision is final . Just like questions about card rulings , players have the right to appeal to the Head Judge when they are involved in a tournament policy issue . The Head Judge ’ s decision is final . A player may not appeal a floor judge ’ s ruling until the floor judge has completed issuing the ruling . Failure to do so may result in Unsporting Conduct penalties . B . Applying the Penalty . Once an infraction has been identified , the judge will ask the player if they have received any other penalties for this same infraction during the course of the tournament . This helps the judge determine if a penalty might have to be upgraded . Players are expected to answer this question honestly – lying to a tournament official is against tournament policy . If it is a repeat infraction , the judge will notify the Head Judge prior to applying a penalty , as the Head Judge might wish to upgrade it . If this is a first time infraction , the judge will briefly educate the player concerning the infraction and then apply the penalty . The judge will then allow the players to continue play . If the call took longer than a minute , the judge will note the appropriate time extension on the bottom left of the front of the Match Result Slip . The judge will take the Match Result Slip from the table , and fill out the reverse side of the Match Result Slip with the penalty information . The information should be written as follows : < nowiki > [ Player ’ s full name ] – [ Konami Player ID ] – [ Infraction ] – [ Penalty given ] – [ Brief description of infraction ] – [ Judge ’ s full name ] < / nowiki > The judge will then return the slip to the Match . Judges should give written warnings as opposed to verbal warnings . Verbal warnings cannot be tracked , and do not allow the judges to determine if a player is repeating an infraction . Players are also less likely to take a verbal warning seriously , which undermines the point of the penalty . C . Reporting Penalties . All penalties issued by a judge must be reported to the Head Judge and the Scorekeeper , usually by filling out the appropriate information on the reverse side of the player ’ s Match Result Slip . Scorekeepers will enter the details of the penalty in the official Konami Tournament Software so that it may be tracked throughout the course of an event . Konami reserves the right to contact a player who has accumulated an excessive amount of penalties for further investigation . In addition , Konami reserves the right to pursue further actions – such as suspensions from Sanctioned Konami events – based on continued infractions . D . Game State . Whether or not a game state can be repaired can mean the difference between a Warning and a Game Loss . If both players can provide clear information and a judge can determine a way to fix or rewind the game state , the game should be repaired as far as possible and play should resume . A Game Loss is not an appropriate penalty for a repairable game state , unless as an upgrade from previous infractions . An irreparable game state should never result in a double Game Loss , except as an upgrade . If both players share fault in a single game state error that merits a Game Loss , determine which player is most at fault , and award that player with the Game Loss . The player less at fault should receive a Warning . < br > An irreparable game state should never result in restarting a Duel or Match . Irreparable Game States Repairable Game States " Click here to return to Tournament Penalty Guidelines . "