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A Very Tough Ruling in the Cleveland Finals
Posted By: Phil Simborg
Date: Tuesday, 29 March 2011, at 6:37 p.m.
I was recording the finals between John O’Hagan and Greg Merriman. John had to win two matches to win the tournament, but in the first match they got to a critical point where John had Greg trapped behind a 5 prime. Greg’s only real chance was to roll a 2-6 or he pretty much loses the match, and if he rolls the 2-6 he probably wins the match and the championship.
Greg rolled, but in the process, dropped his dice cup on the table. One die was a 2. The other die was sitting right underneath the upside down dice cup which completely covered the die. Greg lifted the cup. I don’t have to tell you what the roll was.
John immediately said he didn’t think the roll was legal. Greg said that the dice were flat and it was a legal roll. He turned to me, and I appropriately said that this is something for the tournament director to decide, not me. (I did advise the players not to mention whether or not it was a good roll so that no one could think the director’s decision was based on anything other than the appropriate rule.)
Joe Miller came over and immediately said that the roll does not count. He would not allow any possible interference with the dice; the die might have been cocked under the cup or moved in the process of lifting the cup; and the roll should go over. (What if the other die had not been a 2 or a 6? A player could take advantage of this by not just lifting the cube and grabbing everything at once.)
In light of the circumstances and Joe’s arguments, I believe he made a fair and correct decision. To Greg’s credit, he took it very well and was a very good sport about it and re-rolled, losing the game and match and eventually the second match and the championship.
There is no question in anyone’s mind that if the ruling had gone the other way, John would have also taken the ruling with grace—we all know what a gentleman he is at all times.
I am not sure I would have been such a gentleman! I have seen people drop the dice cup on the board many times and the dice were flat and the roll counted. I have never seen one die completely covered by the cup as it was in this case, however.
What would have upset me is that we don’t have anything in the rules that covers this, and my fate, as Greg and John’s, would have been left completely up to the tournament director (or a committee if the ruling was appealed) to decide in an “arbitrary” manner. I have seen many rulings in the past that I did not think were fair or correct.
I spoke with another prominent tournament director who said that he might well have ruled that the roll was valid, as he recalled seeing something written that said that “inadvertent” contact with the dice does not invalidate the roll. For example, if the dice were to hit our opponent’s arm and bounce on to the board, that is clearly a legal roll so long as the dice aren’t cocked.
For over 20 years I have complained to the ABT and anyone who would listen that it is terribly unfair to the players and the tournament directors not to have clear, written rules that cover the many infractions and situations, like this, that are likely to happen. One argument against doing this is that it would make the rules too long and complicated and turn off new players. I agree with that, and I don’t recommend changing the basic rules.
I have always recommended a separate, detailed guide for tournament play that covers what happens if the cup is dropped; what happens if a player intentionally interferes with his or his opponent’s roll; what happens if the clock is set to the wrong time and time runs out; what happens if a player reaches for the cube and then changes his mind; what happens if you verbally said double and decide not to; what happens if you say that you would drop the cube if he cubes, and then he cubes and you take; what happens if you play to the wrong score and the next round match starts and then it is discovered; what happens if my friend walks over to the table and asks me what the score is, and I realize it’s post Crawford and turn the cube; what happens if I write down the pip count and take point while deciding whether to take the cube, etc. Exactly how to handle these and many other situations which are NOT rare but not covered in the rules should be written and clear so that we all know what we can and cannot do and what standards to hold our opponents to, and of course, what ruling to expect when there is an infraction.
The tournament directors who have resisted this idea, more than anyone, should love to have as much of this in writing as it avoids hard feelings and accusations of bias and it helps them avoid making a ruling that is not in line with the agreed precedents. And it helps us all feel more comfortable that we will get the same ruling no matter who the director is (for most typical situations).
One argument I keep hearing against this is that we can’t cover everything. I find that very silly, as we certainly can cover 90 percent, and even then we still allow the discretion of the tournament director to decide what is fair in each case. For example, if the rule said that dropping the dice cup or accidental interference with the dice does not invalidate the roll, the tournament director can still determine to invalidate Greg’s roll because the cup completely covered the dice and he could have changed the roll by removing the cup, or it could have been cocked. From what I heard from Joe, he would have invalidated the roll simply because the cup was on the table along with the dice, and I can assure you that in that case, the other tournament director I talked to (who shall remain unnamed even though he heads up the ABT) probably would have allowed the roll to stand!
In 1981 when I complained to the leaders of the US Racquetball assn. about the same kind of ambiguity and all the fighting and arguments that were occurring at tournaments because of different rule interpretations and disagreements, they commissioned me to write a set of Guidelines. 90% of the arguments and disagreement were eliminated.
I had hoped to do the same thing in Backgammon when I was made Rules Chairman of the USBGF, and I had an excellent committee that was in agreement and eager to do the job. We were shut down by the Board of Directors because they did not want to give the perception to the community that we were trying to make the rules or act like a ruling body. Even though our goal was not to change or dictate the rules but simply to write them down, others who were against the Federation would have accused us of being authoritarian and it would have hurt relationships. ("When you don't want to do something, any excuse will do.") I understand that logic very well, and as a result the Rules Committee was dissolved.
I know of no other major sport or game with professional competition and money involved where so many of the rules, rule applications, penalties, and standards of ethical practice are left unwritten and undefined. It makes NO SENSE to me.
I love this forum…a chance for someone like me to rant and be heard by many of the top players in the world. Don’t you resent paying your money and walking in to a room where the rules are not clear and if something happens you simply have to hope that the staff will make a ruling that is fair? (I won’t even get into a discussion about several specific rules that need to be changed and some that should be added in order to assure we are protected from cheaters, bad actors, and unfair practices, because I don’t want people to start accusing me of telling others what to do with the rules). I’m not saying we should tell the ABT or anyone else what their rules should be—I am saying they should tell us!
What really gets me is that people like Greg, John, and everyone else that may well find their entire tournament decided by some arbitrary decision aren't also complaining about this. Is it too much to ask to know what all the rules are and have them put in writing? I have yet to hear one single, valid argument in defense of this policy. If you have one, I'm all ears.
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