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I have similar concerns, and much more....
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Ken Larsen's concerns about the future of tournament backgammon (Ken Larsen)
Date: Wednesday, 16 August 2017, at 12:42 p.m.
I have not weighed in publicly on this current rules debate primarily because there is so much about this whole thing I am not pleased with that I simply didn’t want to have a major distraction in my life by fighting and arguing with so many people.
As I have expressed many times in the past, regardless of what rules we have, I believe it is the wrong approach for each individual federation or tournament group or club to try to establish their own rules. I have always believed rules for Backgammon, like any other major, established game or sport, should be universal, and I have always encouraged the USBGF, from the day it started and I was the first Chairman of the Rules Committee, to establish an international organization to establish rules and standards for the entire game.
I have yet to hear a valid, sensible argument against this, yet the USBGF continues to act on its own to make it’s own rules. How do you think this looks and feels to the folks in other countries, most of whom have worked together, formed a European Federation to bring their groups together, and have had excellent, established rules for many years?
When the USBGF failed to join with other countries to establish consistent rules for the world, and also failed to adopt rules that were far less ambiguous and undefined than the old ABT rules, Jeb and Chuck and I decided that rather than just complain, we would demonstrate that it is possible to write a good set of rules that removes questions about legal rolls, what happens when someone puts their own checker on the bar, what happens when someone fast-rolls, and so many other areas that were completely unclear and confusing in the existing rules. We found that outside of the US, these recommendations were generally received well, and many of our suggestions were incorporated into rules around the world. Even in the US, many tournament directors like Patrick and Jeb and others saw how beneficial it was to have rules that eliminated many of the ambiguities that caused so many arguments and problems at tournaments in the pas. But again, still no unified rules.
Adoption of a firm, separate set of rules for just the US not helpful, as it only further cements that the US believes it is fine for each country to make it’s own rules. How can that be good for the game?
Now, to the specific rules. You can debate dice on the checkers, headphones, legal moves, taking pictures, use of baffle boxes, and clock preferences until you are blue in the face, but no matter what you do, there will be people who will have such strong objections one way or the other it will be IMPOSSIBLE to please everyone. Some people even refuse to play in a tournament if the rule is not stated the way they like it. WE WILL NEVER, EVER have rules that everyone likes. But to make rules that the international, established community thinks is best for the game given the modern technology and considering fair play, marketing of the game, and timing for tournaments is the right thing to do. And then turning around and giving every single tournament director the right to pick and choose which rules he will use in his sanctioned event is anarchy. It is simply saying that we are trying to please everyone, and when you do that, you please no one. And you create confusion and hard feelings as Jim won’t go to Tom’s tournament because Tom allows dice on the checkers, and Bill won’t go to Ralph’s tournament because Ralph insists on clocks. By giving each tournament director the right to pick and choose which rules he will use, you are putting him in a position to alienate and anger people because of the choices he makes. No matter what rules he chooses, someone will be mad at him. No need to put the TD in that position, and silly to have different rules at different tournaments around the country and around the world.
Everyone should go to every tournament and know that it is the Federation, "the ruling body," that sanctions the tournaments and the game that makes the rules and it is only up to the TD to do his best to see that everyone abides by them, WHETHER HE OR EVERYONE ELSE LIKES ALL THE RULES OR NOT.
That is how a legitimate game or sport works. And in time, those people who don’t like a particular rule will simply accept that they must live with the rule of the organization…an organization that is made up of the players, and the rules were set and approve by the majority. That’s life. That’s what we have to live with in our country, in our community, and in our games and sports. If you don’t like it, don’t play.
How many years have we all played Backgammon and enjoyed it in spite of many individual rules and policies we each didn’t like? If you love the game, you will play IN SPITE of dice on the checkers if that becomes the rules, and in spite of having to use clocks or baffle boxes or legal moves or taking pictures or recording or streaming or whatever it is you don’t like. And if a few people quit the game because they don’t like a rule, that’s too bad. You can’t please everybody. If you hate a rule or policy, speak up and try to get the organization to change it, and if you lose, be a good sport and recognize you can’t have everything you want your way if the majority votes against you.
I am NOT saying there isn't room for trying out new rules and innovation. For example, if dice on the checkers is not accepted internationally (and I suspect that will be the case), there is no reason why an individual tournament can't allow that for a side event like speed gammon, where it might well make sense to have that rule. All kinds of things can be done and tried in side events...but in the main events, the "sanctioned" events which affect ratings and are the "official" part of the tournament, we need consistency world-wide. And of course this is also important because we have so many people playing in different parts of the world. There has already been far too much confusion, hard feelings, and even great anger caused by people not understanding the different rules when they travel. This can and should easily be eliminated.
I do think there has been some really good, healthy debate on the specific rules, and I have even changed my opinion on some of the rules as a result of hearing the other arguments. And I do think that with the extended guide, the USBGF committee under Rich Munitz’s leadership has done some excellent work, and I appreciate their efforts.
What I would like to see happen now is instead of the USBGF adopting their own, firm, set of rules that allows each TD to change a bunch of rules, to take what they have done to the European Federation and with them, create a committee that sets a single set of rules for the world, and stop being so focused on the USBGF being a lone, independent actor. We need unity, not fragmentation. Yes, that means the USBGF will have to accept what the rest of the world thinks too. Is that such a bad thing? Are we so myopic and ego-involved in our own little world to ignore the rest of the backgammon community? I hope not.
Lastly I want to say that I have made my feelings on this subject known direcdtly to the USBGF board and leadership for many years, and I am sorry to have to come out and publicly stand against this initiative. I am a strong believer in the USBGF and still very much a supporter of the organization and do what I can to help promote it and the game. But on this issue, and a few others where I believe the USBGF board and leadership has not done what it can and should to promote the game and bring new people into the game, I will continue to speak up and try to influence others to change their thinking and policies. A democratic organization should be able to accept criticism and disagreement and openly debate policy without vindictiveness and anger and personal threat to egos. Unfortunately, that has not always been the case, but for some reason, I am optimistic this will change.
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