Devenir ARBITRE

My name is Julia Hedberg, and I am the Judge Manager for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. 
First, let me offer my congratulations on achieving your Rulings Comprehension – Level 1 Certification.  The Rulings Comprehension  -  Level 1 test was designed to evaluate your knowledge of basic game mechanics as outlined in the Official Yu-Gi-Oh! rulebook, both in general gameplay and as they apply to specific card interactions. 
Many people are surprised at how much (or how little) they actually do know about basic game mechanics, and I hope that the test experience was instructive. 
So! Now that you’ve got your RC – 1 certification – where can you go from here?
Most commonly asked questions about the RC -1 Test:
Am I an official KDE judge now?
Passing the RC -1  test does not make you an official judge – only those of you who join the judge program and actively judge, will be considered judges.
If you judge,  passing the test makes you an RC -1 certified judge. If you play instead of judge, passing the test makes you an RC- 1 Certified player. If you don’t play OR judge,  passing the test makes you…RC-1 Certified. Congratulations!
You become an official KDE judge by joining the Judge Program (see below) and actively judging in events.

Will I get a special Judge ID Card or a certificate to prove that I passed this test?
No, you will not receive anything, such as an ID card, a gift, or certificate for passing this test – it is an entry-level test, after all. The Judge Program resources are finite and I prefer to expend them in directions that benefit active judges.
How do I prove that I’m RC -1 Certified?
For the time being, if it is a matter of importance (for example, your local store owner or TO really wants to know if you have passed the test and isn’t willing to take your word for it) he or she may email us-judgesupport@konami.com and request this information.  
 
Now then, the most important thing for you to remember is that passing this test does not instantly make you a judge, or obligate you to become one.  You’ll note it is called a Rulings Comprehension test, it is not called a Judge Test.   If you want to post your shiny new certification in your online signatures, I’d recommend something along the lines of “RC -1 Certified” or “Rulings Comprehension Level 1”, if you want to be accurate.
Many players like to take certification tests for a variety of reasons that do not include an interest in judging.  No arguments from me on that score – I’m not going to force you to judge or list you as a judge just because you passed a certification test.  If playing is what you like best, play! A solid knowledge of game mechanics is an asset to the players and makes the judges’ jobs that much easier.
However, if judging is something you enjoy (or you’d like to give it a try) you’ll want to join the Judge Program.  Joining the program makes me aware of your interest, and gives you access to the program’s resources, including judging opportunities, judge networking, and judge training. 
You do not have to choose one or the other, of course.  Joining the judge program does not prevent you from playing – provided you are not enrolled as a judge for an event, you are welcome to enter as a player. 
If you decide to join the judge program, you will not automatically be registered at a judge at events – you will need to contact store owners and TO’s in order to judge at local and Regional events, and contact myself (Judge Manager) if you are interested in judging at SJCs, National events, and so forth.
Join the Judge Program!
Joining is easy!  All you need to do is reply to this email with some basic information.  I’ll enter your information into my Judge Roster, which will help me get to know you, which makes it easier for me to provide you with the right opportunities and resources. 
If you  have Excel, fill out the attached .xls file (there is a sample entry to show you what to do) and return that with your reply.  You’ll make my life a lot easier if you return the information in the .xls (and get on the Judge Roster much faster), so please use the .xls file if possible.
If you haven’t got access to Excel,  you can copy and paste the following list, then fill it in:
Last Name:
First Name:
COSSY ID:
e-mail:
Phone:
City:
State/Province:
ZIP/Postal Code:
Country:
Date of Birth:
Home Store: (Where you judge and/or play. Give the store name, and the town in which it is located.)
Shirt Size:
Languages You Speak:
Special Skills: (For example, if you are an EMT, have a lot of demo experience, are a notary public, etc.)
Experience: How long you’ve judged, and what kind of events. Be brief!
Several of you have been working with me in the judge program for some time now, and while I do have most of your information, I would greatly appreciate it if you’d send this in as well. I would like to have a more standardized listing, with solid information for everyone.

When you join the Judge Program, you’ll receive periodic emails with the latest in OP news, as well as updates on the Judge Program itself.  There is no set schedule for these emails, so don’t be concerned if you don’t immediately begin to receive information…there is only myself managing the program, and I’m kept very busy.
Judges in the European territories will also receive information directly from the European office, as I will pass their contact information along to the European team. I will be overseeing the general direction of the Judge Program for Europe and its associated territories, but the European office will manage you on the local level.
Judges in North and Latin American territories will be receiving information from me, as well as from Devir (the distributor for Latin America). 
If you have any questions about the Judge Program, feel free to contact me at this address (us-judgesupport@konami.com  ) and I will do my best to get them answered.  I’m looking forward to building a robust, well trained corps of Yu-Gi-Oh! judges, and I invite you to look into our Judge Program if you are interested in being a part of this.

Julia
 
Julia Hedberg
Judge Manager, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
us-judgesupport@konami.com