Tom writes: <<Additional clues in the toss-up may indicate the form the answer will take. A player who buzzes in early in any circumstances assumes an element of risk: that they have heard enough to correctly pinpoint the answer. In this case, the toss-up eliminates "Mad King" as a form of the answer by using it as a clue,>> The way I see it, it's not given as an answer, because it is used as a clue. [Essentially, Tom is arguing, If P, then Q. I'm saying, if Q, then P.] <<and furthermore it contains clues in the final words that, if heard, pretty clearly indicate that this is going to be Ludwig II.>> You mean, "that [the form of the answer the question writer is thinking of] is Ludwig II." <<By buzzing early, you assumed the risk that you had enough information; when prompted, it was clear that you did not. You took a risk, and it did not pay off. I would have ruled against you in this case, an adherent of the other school would not have.>> If a player has exactly identified a concept 'X', and the answer they give cannot also belong to some other *related* concept 'Y', then they should not be punished because of the whim or ignorance of a writer or editor. I remember having this same argument with Peter Keshavan five years ago; *his* arguments prompted my current stance. And this post hasn't given me any reason to change that point of view. And I'm not even going to comment on the implications of this statement: <<A toss-up properly constructed in "pyramidal style" is a series of clues, each of which in succession narrows the Universe of Possible Answers until one is precisely pinpointed.>> If that's the case, then why are there two answers listed for the question? --STI [On a side note, certain answers--such as IUPAC names for pharmaceuticals could only be given in an attempt to grandstand or delay the game. As such, I don't list those answers. But, as a rule, I try to list any answer that could reasonably come up as an alternate.]
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