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BGonline.org Forums
Simple Solution
Posted By: phil simborg In Response To: A Vegas ruling situation (TarHeelFan)
Date: Thursday, 1 May 2014, at 11:09 p.m.
If I were the tournament director and someone wanted to record a match, I would give him that right NO MATTER WHAT. The matches are not private games...they are public games in a public tournament. They might be streamed or watched by all. If a player wants to go to the trouble to bring recording equipment so he can review his match later, that is important to him and he is trying to improve and study his game and he should be allowed to do so under all circumstances.
If the other player isn't interested in studying his game (or his opponent) and isn't willing to take the expense, time and trouble to bring recording equipment and then transcribe the match and analyze it, why the hell should he have the right to stop someone else from doing it? How is he in any way helped by preventing someone else from getting this further enjoyment and knowledge of the game if that is what the other person wants to do. Also, the tournament director or organization might want a record of the match for an article, web site, lecture, or whatever. Again, you enter a public tournament, you have lost the right to keep your play private.
Now, as to the sharing of the match with the other player, if that is made a condition of the recording (which I do not favor but obviously others do), then there is a simple solution. If the tournament director says to the recorder: "You are free to record the match but you must send the video file via email to your opponent by the end of the day, with a copy to the tournament director (or a link to the file posted on google docs or someplace as often the file is too large to email).
If the player fails to send the video, then punitive action may be taken, such as future banning of videos by him, or a penalty point on his next match, or, by agreement with other tournament directors, he may be banned from video taping for a year.
Now, notice I am not saying he must send the transcribed XG match, but the video. Nobody can be expected to transcribe that quickly. If the other player doesn't feel like transcribing, or hiring someone to do it, that's his business.
Now, to the bigger issue. If we can stop someone from recording a match, can we stop him from taking a picture, or writing down a position? That is silly. People who take the time and money to go to a tournament who also want to turn it into a learning experience by recording and studying matches should not be prevented from doing so, by his opponent or anyone, UNLESS his equipment is an intrusion. And if we lose a few players, like Nack, who disagree, that is very sad, but you can't please everyone. If Nack were playing today, would he refuse to be streamed? How sad would that be for the game not to have important matches streamed when they are available? Nack and others who may quit because of recording is a great loss, but there is a saying that I believe in: "If you don't want to do something, any excuse will do."
But like EVERY OTHER RULE of backgammon, these decision should be made by the players and/or an organization delegated by the players, and not at the whim of every local tournament director. There should be continuity and good, clear standards, and not ambiguous statements and rulings at every tournament based on the whims of a single tournament director or his committee. Right now, that is what we have to live with. Those who are against having their matches taped, I believe, would find it much easier to accept if they knew it was the opinion of the vast majority of players and not just a single tournament director.
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