[EricH]

Originally Posted by TimTheGreat

The update to G21 seems a little too much. It's not a clarification, but an entirely different rule. Why'd they make it regardless of who touches who?

You haven't seen the discussions on this, have you?

Basically, the situation was that if Blueabot was in RedaPassage, and Redabot came along and hit Blueabot, TECHNICALLY (due to the usage of "contact" as a verb), Blueabot didn't contact Redabot, so Blueabot doesn't get a penalty; Redabot is blocked from using RedaPassage (potentially), and Redabot is at risk of a G11 for trying to cause Blueabot to get a penalty (but there's a risk of it going to Blueabot for a strategy aimed at trying to get Redabot a G11 penalty).

By clarifying that it's regardless of who initiates the contact, the GDC ensures that the Passage remains open, the G11 loop doesn't start, and removes any ambiguity. But, they also allow Blueabot (in the above example) to enter, thus ensuring that a different chokehold (hoarding balls in the Passage) doesn't happen.