5b3b would be redundant, because if you put everything back in the exact spot in came from, you would always have a solvable puzzle
It is perfectly possible to put a popped edge piece back in the same spot, but flipped.
Anyway,
I started to re-write article 5, trying to address some of the holes and ambiguous wordings that have been pointed out. Then, in doing so, I stumbled upon even more questions. Here is the start, followed by my thoughts.
5a) The following are considered puzzle defects: popped pieces, pieces twisted in place, and detached screws/caps/stickers.
5b) If a puzzle defect occurs during an attempt, the competitor may choose either to repair the defect and continue the attempt, or to stop the attempt.
5b1) Tools and/or pieces of other puzzles must not be used to repair the original puzzle. Penalty: disqualification of the attempt (DNF).
5b2) Permitted repairs:
5b2a) If any pieces have fallen out of the puzzle or moved out of place, the competitor may place them back on the puzzle in any open gaps. No fully attached pieces may be intentionally moved into a different position during this process.
5b2b) If, as a result of a previous repair, the competitor finds the puzzle to be unsolvable, he may disassemble and reassemble a maximum of 4 pieces to make the puzzle solvable.
5b2c) If the puzzle is unsolvable, and can be made solvable by rotating a single corner piece, the competitor may make the puzzle solvable by twisting any corner in place without disassembling the puzzle.
5b3) If a puzzle defect occurs during a blindfolded event, any repairs must be performed blindfolded. Penalty: disqualification of the attempt (DNF).
5b4) ?? [see below]
5c) If a competitor has a puzzle defect, this does not give him the right to an extra attempt.
In 5a....how the hell do screws get detached in the middle of a solve?
I removed the following: the current 5b2 (any repair must not give competitor any advantage), and the "he must only repair the defective pieces" clause in 5b1, as they seem too ambiguous. I honestly can't figure out what kind of specifics 5b2 would be referring to that weren't addressed elsewhere anyway, and it was pointed out above that that clause in 5b1 is problematic too. The way I understand it, it should suffice to make the Permitted Repairs section specific enough so as to make it clear what is and isn't legal.
In the current 5b3a (my 5b2a), what exactly is meant by "or moved out of place"? What kind of situation is this referring to? I kept it here assuming there was a reason for it to be there, I'm just not sure what that is.
In the current 5b4, what is the purpose of: "a puzzle defect must be repaired during the attempt"? The wording in 5b (either repair the defect and continue the attempt,
or stop the attempt) already addresses the fact that defects must be repaired during the attempt; this clause feels entirely redundant.
For the purpose of handling the current 5b5, I have to ask: what are all the cases and their desired results? Is the following correct as far as the writers' intentions, and is there anything missing?
edge or corner popped or twisted: DNF
No more than one bigcube wing per orbit popped: Solved
Single center cap popped: Solved
2+ center caps popped: DNF
1+ bigcube centers of the same color popped: Solved
2+ bigcube centers of the same type but different colors popped: DNF
Square-1 piece popped: DNF?
That is all for now, until some of the above questions have been addressed.
.
