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BGonline.org Forums
USBGF rules: insane, or merely overreaching?
Posted By: Rich Munitz In Response To: USBGF rules: insane, or merely overreaching? (Carter Mattig)
Date: Thursday, 17 August 2017, at 7:20 a.m.
The links to all of the documents can be found here:
http://usbgf.org/request-for-membership-vote-on-2018-usbgf-tournament-rules/
The European rules are here: http://eubgf.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Tournament-Rules-EUBGF-Feb16.pdf
The rule in particular is:
1.7 General, recording, streaming, headphones, mobile phones, signalling and other forms of outside help
(iii) HEADPHONES - While a match is in progress, a player is permitted to use headphones if the opponent accepts this, such acceptance not to be unreasonably withheld. The Tournament Director may revoke such acceptance at any time.
Now, this rule guides players not to be unreasonable when telling their opponent that the won't consent to their headphone use. And with or without this statement, most people won't be unreasonable. But what is unreasonable? If any player says they don't want headphones because it interferes with game related communication with their opponent and as such is annoying, is that unreasonable? If they say that they have a general concern about any player they don't know and trust using headphones since in chess and bridge, players have been caught cheating with headphones, is that unreasonable? Really, any player objecting to headphone use can offer a reasonable objection if they wish to do so. In effect, therefore, any player who doesn't want their opponent using headphones can insist that they don't. In the US, under these proposed rules, if the director believes for example that the objecting opponent is simply being a dick to rattle their opponent, they can make an exception to the rule and override the objection. By my reading, both rules are essentially the same and I am sure they can be reconciled into a common rule when the time comes.
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