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BG Buddy - Backgammon Scorekeeper, Clock and Dice---the rules are clear/and unclear

Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Thursday, 16 February 2017, at 9:24 p.m.

In Response To: BG Buddy - Backgammon Scorekeeper, Clock and Dice (Colin Owen)

My interpretation of the rules makes it clear that a player has no right to stop the clock to take a picture. That simply gives him more time to make a decision and it holds up the game. Even getting permission from your opponent is probably against the rules, as both players would be "conspiring" to circumvent rules that are intended to keep matches moving for the benefit of all players.

What is not clear is whether a player has a "right" to take a picture at all and whether he is supposed to declare his intention before taking a picture. Many believe that when you take a picture you are getting an additional "aid" to help you make your decision. Others are concerned that in the process of taking the picture, it opens the door to possible cheating (using the picture in some sort of program, or sending the picture to someone who could somehow signal a decision).

So here again, as with many other rules, we have ambiguity as to what the rule is and what the responsibility of the players are. Why not have rules that cover this clearly so that players know what they can and cannot do and what is expected from themselves and their opponents? And so that the decisions are not left up to individual tournament directors who, depending on who they are and their mood, might make arbitrary decisions that are different from other directors, thereby creating possible hard feelings and arguments.

Now what do I think the rules should be? I think anyone should be able to take pictures as much as they want while their clock is running, with or without their opponent's consent, and they should state their play or cube decision before taking the picture so there is no question of getting extra help, either by cheating or by having the advantage of a different view of the board.

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