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Left or Right? Does it matter?

Posted By: Colin Owen
Date: Wednesday, 9 January 2013, at 5:08 a.m.

In Response To: Left or Right? Does it matter? (Michael Crane)

I think it's good that you're considering changing the rule. There seem to be two main scenarios:

1) Clocked Matches

It has always struck me as being wrong that one player enjoys the freedom of rolling into the deserts of the outer boards, whereas the opponent can not. Some might feel that if a player is stupid enough to go along with setting up the chequers this way at the start, then they get what they deserve. Personally, I don't. I also feel that if the players roll for the privelige, then just because that roll may have been fair it doesn't make it a level playing field! And the argument that you deserve to get into time trouble if you can't roll, only has some merit in extremis. Of course, with thick chequers, room for 11, 12 or more chequers across, and smaller dice it may make little difference (though still some). But the opposite set of factors can confer a distinct time advantage to one side.

Therefore, it seems totally fair to me to permit rolling either side in a clocked match. As UBK points out in an older post, a few players may try to roll one die each side so as to cause delay for their opponent when picking the dice up. What lovely people. For this reason, it is probably best that the dice cannot be split boards.

2) Unclocked Matches

Less to concern oneself with here, but it is still desirable to reduce cocked dice. Though problems could arise by one player building a strong board early on, surely the great majority of cocked dice problems will occur in the bear off phase? Therefore, to make it black and white, if there is absolutely no contact at the start of a players turn, open up the board to either side rolling. Before that, perhaps best to stick to the usual rule.

I don't see a big issue with having a different rule for clocked matches. For example, whilst I applaud Phil, Chuck and Jeb's recently published 'Three up and down shakes' proposal, I feel that - in order to try to regulate the time spent shaking whilst on the clock - the minimum such shakes should then be increased to FOUR.

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