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BGonline.org Forums
Why Are TD's So Resistant?
Posted By: Coolrey In Response To: Why Are TD's So Resistant? (Bill Riles)
Date: Thursday, 16 October 2008, at 6:56 p.m.
Bill: Now, Ray, I've heard you bitch unendingly about tournament schedules. Let's say some infirm/aged/handicapped slower-playing person gets on a winning streak and rather than the final, against Ray, being at 1 pm Sunday, as scheduled, it is at 8 pm Sunday -- and you had a 7 pm flight. So, you get to stalk around all day pissed off and irritated, likely consequently play substandardly, miss your flight -- and pay another $100 for the privilege of change, have to spend another night in the city, and miss a day of work because of it. Are you happy? -- and don't bullshit a bullshitter. And, remember, probably half the people in the tournament are, to varying degrees, impacted by that slow half of the bracket. So, you have a whole cadre of frustrated, pissed-off participants; not to mention the staff that ends up being there many hours longer than they had planned.
My reply:
I bitched unendingly about the Florida tournaments, where Elayne arbitrarily changes the time of the finals. Sometimes delays can't be avoided due to one player's multiple successes earlier in the weekend. At her last event, the Last chance was slated for 10 am and got started at 1150. Blitz playoffs scheduled for 1 pm, and I played one of them at 1030 to accomodate THEM. Similarly I started the finals of the Masters at something like 2 pm, when it was scheduled for 3 pm, and held up one round of the Blitz playoffs because I did what they asked me. Elayne Feinstien is a totally incapable, penny pinching, tournament director with no common sense. If she played with a clock she would require a handicap.
Nobody has ever heard me bitch about missing a flight. I normally don't schedule them on Sunday, and I pay another nights hotel room because I expect to play well. Perhaps I have an advantage because I don't have to go to work on Mondays, necessarily. If I did schedule one on Sunday it is not until 8 pm or later. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
Mandatory clocks when either player requests it will eliminate most of the delays. Playing on a clock will speed Larry up, along with the tournament. UBK or anyone who has an early flight on Sunday has no beef if they miss it, but with clocks they won't miss it, even if the lapse time is increased for the elderly or handicapped.
The lack of clocked matches inevitably causes a log jam somewhere on the draw sheet. Maybe it is only because I was up 10-0 and Larry Liebster made a big comeback to DMP... But if I, or Jason or YOU, am allowed to request a clock when we draw Larry, or Harvey, Linda McClean... Then even that match won't unduly delay the whole tournament, even if we allow an extra 5 minutes because LL or Norm have some physical limitations requiring extra time.
The players know who is slow. I don't have to request a clock when I draw Neil or Stick. The players can reliably predict based on experience what matches are likely to go into overtime. Let THEM request a clock, and honor that request. But by all means make allowances when they are warranted. Not because someone has a bad habit
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