As the prevailing winds shift the conventional wisdom about the likelihood of an open convention, a great deal of attention has been showered on the rules that might govern such a contest — and rightly so.

Much of the chatter has focused on a previously obscure provision called Rule 40(b), which stipulates the criteria a candidate needs in order to be placed into nomination and therefore be eligible to win. It’s important to understand the context in which these rules arose, the intentions behind them, and their practical effects. And while each campaign will have its own strategy in the rules-committee meeting, the status quo — the current iteration of Rule 40(b) and the language of Rule 16 that governs it — has advantages and liabilities for certain candidates.

First, it’s necessary to note that the rules themselves are a moving target. Strictly speaking, they don’t exist yet. What does exist is a template in the form of the Tampa rules, since amended several times by the standing rules committee of the RNC. But the final terms are at the discretion of the 112-member rules committee at the convention and, ultimately, at the whims of the full delegation on the floor.