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I agree with Jeb...so why not do it right this time?
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: Unified rules: aspiration vs. reality in the USA (TarHeelFan)
Date: Friday, 18 August 2017, at 2:38 p.m.
Okay, so the 2016 document was bad (I completely agree) and now you believe the USBGF committee, with your help, has created something good. So why not do something really good with it and instead of having the USBGF adopt a document that may or may not be used in total or in part by tournaments depending on what the TD does or does not want to use, and a set of rules that really will have no impact on what rules are used. Why not do something really valuable with the rules you have created?
Invite the European Backgammon Federation to form a joint committee of VERY FEW PEOPLE, just one or two at the most from them, and maybe you and Rich at the most from the US, and go through their rules and your rules and talk through what the rule should be, and how it should be written to provide clarity, and agree on a final set of rules. Get the European Federation and USBGF to adopt the final version as the official rules. Once that is done, if people also want a 1 or 2 page summary that doesn't go into detail, that can easily be produced (for those who don't like to read.)
Then when that is done, you have something that can be presented to the entire world as the standard for the game. Tournament directors who decide to make up their own rules will eventually get enough pressure from the players and associations to conform, and they will eventually see the benefits of going with the internationally-accepted rules EVEN IF THEY DON'T LIKE all of the rules.
The USBGF can then decide how they want to deal with TD's that don't use the international rules. That is a separate issue that will eventually take care of itself.
You, and Rich, and the USBGF are at a place where you can do something really great to move this forward, or you can do something that many (including me) feel is a step backward that only creates more division in the world of the rules and doesn't solve any of the problems about having different rules at different events.
I am asking you and the USBGF to "think bigger" and think about what is best for the game worldwide, instead of being locked into a path that just doesn't accomplish much of value for anyone.
What happens to rules like dice on the checkers? Well, maybe the International Rules, with influence from people like Mochy who likes that rule, will adopt it or allow it as an option. Many of us who have problems with that rule have a problem mostly because it is not universal but could live with it if the rule is everywhere.
As we all know, just because there is a set of firm rules doesn't always mean that every tournament must and will use them. Whether that is a good or bad thing is another issue, but there will always be some people who want to run a tournament without clocks, and some who want dice on the checkers, and my guess is that the Federations will not stop a TD from doing that if he wants to SO LONG AS HE NOTES THAT IN HIS BROCHURES IN ADVANCE so that people know when the full, official rules will not be in force.
You guys worked hard and created something superior to any existing rules (incorporating a lot from the work you and Chuck and I did I might add!)...so why not at least try to do something good with it. I am sure you can show Steen and Raj why your version of a proper shake and roll of the dice is better than what they have, and maybe they can show you why one of their rules is written better than yours. At least give this a try before you do something that further confuses and fragments the game.
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