Movement between public pools will be cut off at 30 Jul 23:00. Private pools will be unaffected.

Public pools are automatic pools created by the game to accommodate players as they join up. If your pool's name is Pool followed by a number, e.g. Pool 077, then chances are it's a public pool.

Unless you enter a code for a private pool when joining the game, you'll be allocated to a public pool. Up until the end of the first round of games, you are free to move between public pools (go to my pools to join a pool). However, after the lockdown date, existing players will not be able to join other public pools, and you will not be able to invite someone new to join your public pool.

Players joining after the end of Round 1 will continue to be added to the automatic public pools, but in batches based on round so that they are playing on an equal footing with the other players in the pool. So, for example, anyone joining in Round 2 will play only with other players who've joined in Round 2.

To keep everyone on an equal footing

In the past, players were permitted to move freely between public pools, and to invite friends into them. Now, you'll be able to do this only up until the end of the first round. After that, nobody will move into your public pool (though some players may leave). This means that you'll be playing on an equal footing with everyone else in your pool, making it a fair contest.

To reduce confusion

In the old system, as people moved in and out of pools, your leaderboard would constantly change. One day you might be at the top; the next someone with a higher score might have moved in. With the lockdown, this can't happen: who's there stays there. The only change can be people resigning from pools.

To make the game fun for late joiners

Many people only find the game after the first or second rounds. In the old system, this would always put them at a disadvantage, both in their pool and globally, because their competitors had had more chance to score points. Now, late joiners will play only with people who've joined in the same round as them. They'll still find it hard to catch up on the global leaderboard but can have a fair contest in their public pool.

To combat honours sharks

In the old system, a minority of players exploited the rules by hopping between pools over the course of the game to ensure that they would finish the game in a pool which they could win easily (by virtue of having joined earlier than the others in that pool, or getting relatively better scores). We didn't feel this was in the spirit of the game.

Private pools are unaffected. Who joins a private pool is totally at the discretion of the captain who set up the pool. Invitations into and movement between private pools will be permitted until late in the game.

If you find these rules around the public pools restrictive, why not create your own pool? You'll have control over who you invite and who joins, and you'll be able to make changes until late in the tournament.