Watson the computer beat two of Jeopardy’s all-time champs.

But was it a publicity stunt or was it an honest match?

As any arm-chair player of Jeopardy can tell you, there are two essential skills needed to win:
1. knowledge of facts, history, trivia and wordplay.
2. a quick trigger finger.

Watson knows the answers. Cool. So does Google (or did we forget that there is another computer that can answer questions from humans). But was Watson allowed to click in faster than competitors? If it did, then the human competitors were at a severe disadvantage. If they aren’t allowed to answer the questions, then they can’t possibly win.

Would it be possible to check the code and rule set that allowed for Watson to click in and be allowed to answer the question first?