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Official Q&A: VEX IQ Robotics Competition 2025-2026: Mix & Match

Usage Guidelines All Questions

2830: "Roughly Vertical" scoring clarification

S T
30-Sep-2025

As per <SC3>

To qualify as Connected, the resulting Stack must be roughly vertical (i.e., the Stack goes ‘up’ and not sideways)

For all examples and questions lets assume they are considered "fully nested"

Q&A 2800 answer provides the useful statement to interpret this rule of (more "up and down" than sideways). However this seems to be in conflict with Scenario 8 in Q&A 2664 in which, by my judgment, is more vertical than horizontal.

  • Q1a) Is the metric of "more 'up and down' than sideways" a valid means of judging if a stack is vertical? (And by extension any stack that has not tipped beyond 45 degrees

  • Q1b) if yes, is Scenario 8 in Q&A 2664 valid, or invalid

There was a recent call i had to make and is why im seeking the above clarity. In that situation, there was a beam leaning with one side on a pin and the other was on the floor with a fully nested pin in the high hole of the beam (see attached image).

  • Q2) Is the nested pin considered mostly vertical and thus valid for scoring (adding the beam for scoring by extension)

[Example Image]

Lastly there was another situation, where a fully nested 2-colour stack was leaning against the triangle goal pole and the ground.

  • Q3) is the scinario above a valid stack for scoring?

[Example Image]

SC3  
Answered by committee
16-Oct-2025

Hello, ST, and thanks for these questions.

The next game manual update will clarify the meaning of "roughly vertical" for the purposes of the Mix & Match rules. The clarifications and changes below are effective immediately. Our answers for Q&A 2800, scenario 3 in Q&A 2664, and scenario 3 in Q&A 2669 will be revised to match this new guidance. The next game manual update may also include new figures to illustrate our intent.

  1. A Stack that is resting on one of the following Field Objects in a way that is more "up and down" than sideways should generally be considered as roughly vertical unless it is leaning on / supported by another Field Element or a Scoring Object that is not part of the Stack:
  • Load Zone
  • The lower portion of the base of the Standoff Goal (as illustrated in Q&A 2800)
  • The VEX IQ pieces that are attached to the Floor around a Square Goal
  1. A Stack that is leaning on / supported by a Scoring Object that is not part of the Stack or a Field Element other than those listed above should not be considered roughly vertical and should not count as Connected or a Stack.

We'll answer your questions based on these revised criteria for "roughly vertical."

Q1a. Only for a Stack that is supported by one of the three Field Objects listed in #1 above. Q1b. The stack in Q&A 2664 scenario 8 still doesn't qualify as roughly vertical. Q2. Because the Stack in this scenario is supported by a Scoring Object that is not part of that Stack, it does not count as roughly vertical. Q3. Because the Stack in this scenario is supported by a Field Objects that isn't listed in #1 above, it does not count as roughly vertical.