Deadlines, and what happens when one passes

Every challenge has a deadline, and it does more work than it looks like it does: it is what turns a claim into something that gets settled instead of forgotten.

Set it where the answer is

A good deadline is the first moment the answer is actually knowable — the evening of the match, the day after the delivery was promised, the end of the month you are counting. Too early and neither side can prove anything; too late and nobody cares any more.

Add it to your own calendar

A deadline you have not seen coming is the one you miss. Deadlines can go into your own calendar, which is worth doing for anything further out than a few days.

When a deadline passes without a winner

This is the one outcome nobody should want: if the deadline passes and no winner has been established, both sides lose points — and more than a defeat would cost.

That is deliberate. Losing a challenge is a normal part of the game; letting one quietly expire is walking away from your own claim, and it costs accordingly.

Before it runs out

• Add your proof rather than assuming the other side will concede.
• Confirm the outcome as soon as it is clear — a settled challenge is closed, and closed is what keeps your score clean.
• If you disagree, hand it to the AI referee before the deadline rather than after.

See R-Score, points and leagues for what the points do.