<SG9>

Don’t remove opponents from the Ladder. There are no rules explicitly prohibiting incidental contact between Climbing Robots. However, if contact does occur, the principles behind rules <G13>, <G14>, and <G15> still apply. Intentional or egregious strategies aimed solely at damage or tipping are not allowed (in this context, “tipping” can be equated with “removing an opponent from the Ladder”). Teams cannot negate an opponent’s Climb by contacting their Robot with a Mobile Goal, and an affected Climb will still be Scored. Doing so will result in a Minor Violation for the offending Team, assuming no other rules are broken and no damage is caused to the opponent.
The core intent of this rule is the paragraph above. Everything that follows this red box is meant to provide guidance for interpreting questionable/incidental interactions, similar to how <G14> is used for ground level interactions. These are not explicit/absolute “hard lines” that supersede an obvious Violation. If a Robot has a mechanism designed to violently kick opponents off of the Ladder, none of the factors below can protect them.
If a destructive incident occurs that requires a Head Referee judgment call between two Robots, the following factors may be used to determine “benefit of the doubt”.
  • If the two Robots are not at the same Level, the higher Robot has the “right of way.” Point A especially applies if one Robot is not Climbing, i.e., is still in contact with the Floor. Driving directly into a Climbing Robot will always incur a Minor Violation at a minimum, even if no damage occurs.
  • If a Robot is contacting the horizontal rungs of the Ladder facing their Alliance Station, they should generally be considered in a more “offensive” or “safe” position.
  • Teams are responsible for their own Robots. Climbing mechanisms should be robust. If a Robot is not firmly attached to the Ladder, or has a history of falling without any opponent interaction, it will be difficult to claim that later damage was an opponent’s fault.
  • Teams should expect possible interaction between Robots when engaging with the High Stake. These interactions will be treated similarly as two Robots engaging with the Autonomous Line in <SG8>; other than repeated/egregious cases, this contact/damage is likely to be ruled incidental.
    • Teams can use this rule as a gradient of “risk tolerance” when designing Climbing mechanisms or playing Matches.
  • Low risk = Be the first Robot up, have a robust build, stay on your side of the Ladder, avoid the High Stake. Low chance of interacting with others intentionally or accidentally.
  • High risk = Last-second dash up to de-score the High Stake. Technically possible to accomplish legally, but you’re not allowed to be surprised when an accident is not ruled in your favor.
    • Violation Notes:
  • This rule exists as an application of <G13> that is specific to Climbing. Violations should be treated effectively the same as Violations of <G13>.
  • As with <G13>, Major Violations are not required to be Match Affecting, at the Head Referee’s discretion.
    • Significant Q&As:
  • 2252 - Guidance on Match Affecting calculations for egregious or damaging Violations
  • 2292 - A Robot that Climbs with a Mobile Goal still gets Climbing Protection from SG9