Card rules · 2026-10-29
Apply a Score Cap Once, at the Right Stage
A score cap limits a particular total. Applying it separately to smaller parts can produce a different answer, even when every addition is correct.
A score cap limits a particular total. Applying it separately to smaller parts can produce a different answer, even when every addition is correct.
Consider a points-only exercise. After all exemptions have been decided, one part of the hand contributes 26 points and another contributes 16. The rule caps the whole hand's penalty at 30.
The calculation
First combine the chargeable values: 26 + 16 = 42. Then apply the hand cap: the recorded penalty is 30. Keep 42 as the uncapped subtotal and 30 as the final figure. They describe different stages of the same calculation.
A tempting but incorrect alternative
Capping each part separately leaves 26 and 16 because neither exceeds 30. Adding them still produces 42, which violates the stated whole-hand cap. The mistake is the location of the cap, not the addition.
Now consider two separate completed hands, each with an uncapped penalty of 42. If the same rule caps each hand at 30, their combined contribution is 60. Applying a single 30-point cap to the whole match would introduce a different rule.
Three totals worth keeping apart
The card subtotal comes from the chargeable cards. The hand result comes after the hand cap. The match total combines completed hand results. The word maximum is incomplete unless it identifies which of these totals it limits.
All figures here belong to the stated exercise. The useful method is to finish the card calculation, apply the limit to its named unit, and only then carry the result into a larger total.