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Rules, Notice and Comment -- request to USBGF

Posted By: joe freedman
Date: Tuesday, 4 December 2012, at 6:17 a.m.

No doubt that I worked for the federal government too long, but it seems to me that the principle of notice and comment, enshrined in the Administrative Procedure Act (5 USC sec. 553) as essential to ensuring fairness in federal rulemaking, should apply to the establishment of rules that will apply to tournaments generally open to the public. If the USBGF (and other BG federations) is to consider the rules drafted by Simborg and co, I would hope and expect the Federation to first make the rules available to its members and the general backgammon public for comment, and to consider that comment carefully before adopting any final rules.

I have not been regularly monitoring this space for some time and apologize if I am going over old ground. I won't comment here on any particular rules, except to agree with other posters that they should be clear, objectively applied, and designed to minimize potential abuse. For example, take the proposed rule:

"5. We have better defined what constitutes a legal roll. The dice must be shaken at least 3 times and dropped from at least 4" above the board. They must be allowed to bounce and roll. The cup must not hit the table when rolling. The dice must not contact the player's hand or fingers after leaving the cup."

So, if the dice are only shaken twice, or are dropped from 3.5" above the board, or if the cup grazes the table (or board) when rolling, or the dice brush the roller's fingers -- then it's not a legal roll? This rule seems particularly vulnerable to abuse, as a player (whether it be the roller or the opponent) may choose not to point out any of these infractions unless it is in his interest to do so. This is a problem with "legal moves" in general, but it seems to be magnified here, especially as there will typically be no umpire to determine the height from which the dice were dropped. The general "principle" of favoring the player who did not cause the problem would aggravate this situation.

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