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the problem with requiring everybody to play at least one game is that you may be forcing people to play games that are so bad as to be nearly unplayable. these are less likely to be submitted as large variants, but it's possible; i had several in the 40-square contest and i admit i either didn't play them or didn't finish a game. <P> but i still stand by claim i made about judging to 40 square contest - the number one thing i learned from that experience is that you have to play the games. i am highly skeptical of any claim from anybody that they can completely, accurately, and consistently judge games in an objective-as-possible fashion without playing them. not only do you have to play them, you have to play them a lot. playing one game is like doing a national survey of one person - it's often not very meangingful. when i did the 40 square contest i had 'black holes' on 2nd place in my list for a long time; it was only by playing many times - i probably played about 30 games - that i was able to determine that the game was too likely to end in a draw. and realizing that, i then had to give the other games that i had in the top 5 the same treatment to make sure they held up as well.