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BGonline.org Forums
yes and yes and a rules question
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Excellent Variation to play for Money and maybe for Match Play (Bob Koca)
Date: Sunday, 4 May 2014, at 3:57 p.m.
Yes, if we made 2away/2away crawford, I would continue with the crawford rule the rest of the match.
Yes, matches would be longer, and this is a negative if match length is a concern. It might well be that the average 5 point match would take as long, or maybe a little longer than a 7 point match (on average).
But the point is, and Neil seems to agree, that this would be a far more intricate and interesting game and a better test of skill than the current rule. At 2away/2away there is little skill with the cube for good players (granted, there is a significant skill difference for players who don't understand how to use the cube at this score).
Longer isn't always worse, particularly if you increase the skill and fun and excitement of the game at the end of the match. It will be a lot harder to play from 2away/2away with the Crawford rule in effect.
Now, I have a rules question, and I really don't know the answer, but I have an opinion.
Suppose I am in a tournament and I get to 2away/2away with an opponent I trust and like, and suppose we agree not do use the cube for the rest of the match because we feel it is a better game. Are we violating the rules? There is no rule that says you have to double.
Now, in tournaments where non-legal moves is the rule, the tournament directors have allowed players to make agreements with each other to play legal moves. The argument is that if you want to correct a mistake of your opponent, even if it is to your disadvantage to do so, there is no rule against that, so you can do it.
Doesn't this fall into the same category?
Personally, I would never do this if we have a clock, as that would put us at a disadvantage over the other players in the tournament. And I believe if we ever did have a rule that at 2away/2away we played crawford, I would suggest that those matches have a little more time on the clock than the current standards, or that 2 minutes be added to the clock when you get to 2away/2away (if that can be done practically).
But I do believe in the overriding rule that players should not make any side agreements without the approval of the TD, so like all the rules and variances we might have now, it it up to the TD to decide. The TD might not allow this change because it might hold up the tournament or because he might think it changes the competition significantly enough from the other players to make the game less fair...whatever. But what if it is the finals and both players like this variation? Why not allow it?
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