@CGC Mike These are great contests and lots of fun for everyone, so this is not a complaint but a suggestion. In the future, it would be nice if the books that were selected for grading didn't have major defects that you can't see in the scans. In round 2 there were 2 books that had spine splits that couldn't be seen in the scans. I realize there was a note about them, but the length makes a big difference in being able to assess the grade accurately.
I would suggest that the notes include the approximate length of the split if there is doubt about whether it can be seen and also whether a staple is completely detached when that is not obvious because that is another defect that can sometimes be very difficult to accurately assess in a scan but has a major impact on the grade.
The other solution would be to just not select books that have major defects that may not be seen clearly in a scan.
I think either of these suggestions would go a long way in making these contests more enjoyable and educational for people.