What is a Word Judge? How can I become one?
There is a formal procedure for adjudicating challenges (see What if my opponent plays something that I think is not really a word?). Only the Director, or designated staff, or an authorized computer program may rule on the validity of a challenged play. The guidelines for acting as word judge are detailed in the Official Tournament Rules. If you want to become an authorized word judge, familiarize yourself with the rules regarding Adjudicating Challenges Manually then take the Word Judge test (ask your director). Note: with the advent of Adjudicating Challenges by Computer [a.k.a. “Software Self-Lookups” or SSL], unless there is a power failure the only time you’ll see a human word-judge is to facilitate players with mobility issues who can’t easily get up and go to the computer.
