Fact-Checking Policy

Different claims require different evidence. We check every category against its own bar before the article ships.

• Rule claims are tested against the live game engine running on the network. Whenever a rules page says “the ace auto-moves to the foundation,” we run the engine and confirm that it does. We also cross-check Hoyle’s, Pagat.com, and primary rulebooks so the canonical rule on the page reflects the wider tradition and not just our implementation.
• Historical claims are traced to a primary source — period rulebooks, letters, newspapers, game manuals, archives — or marked as disputed or legendary. When we cannot verify a claim, we do not assert it. If the earliest printed record of a game is from 1907, we say 1907, not “nineteenth century.”
• Probability and win-rate claims are backed by simulation. Every number carries its methodology: sample size, solver configuration, how auto-moves are handled, and the confidence interval. “Win rate around 70 percent” is not good enough on its own — we show the run.
• Strategy claims are tested empirically or derived from first principles. When we say a FreeCell opening move is suboptimal, we can show the win-rate delta from the alternative. When we recommend a line, we explain why, and we show our work.

Every article goes through the same four-step check before it is published.

1. Research. The assigning desk gathers sources for every factual claim on the planned page and keeps a source list.
2. Draft with citations. The writer drafts with inline source notes. If a claim has no source, it is flagged for resolution before submission.
3. Research Desk verification. The Research Desk independently checks every numerical claim on the page and re-derives figures where appropriate. They are looking for methodology mismatches, not just typos.
4. Rules Desk verification. The Rules Desk checks every rule claim against the live game engine and the canonical reference set. Discrepancies block publication until they are resolved.

Only after all four steps close does the article move to publication. The byline identifies the owning desk, and the updated date records when the article last cleared the check.

We make mistakes. When a reader, a researcher, or an internal review turns up an error, we correct the article and record the change. Significant factual corrections carry a visible note above the affected section. See our correction policy for the full procedure, including retractions.