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CLOCKtroversy 1

Posted By: Rich Munitz
Date: Sunday, 14 December 2008, at 9:27 p.m.

In Response To: CLOCKtroversy 1 (Coolrey)

I think everyone can agree that the use of a delay based time control is superior for use in backgammon for obvious reasons.

Delay times tend to avoid the no dice shaking issue, but so does a simple "can you shake your dice please" request to the offender. It would not have changed the clock still running after the spill issue.

Bottom line, the player is responsible for being aware of his running clock, regardless of the situation and doing something about it as soon as practical. I've seen baseball games where a player runs into a wall and gets severely injured, even knocked out cold. What happens? Everyone else on the field keeps their head in the game and completes the play. Then they all run out to the guy with the possibly broken neck. That is the cold reality. Certainly, there are exceptions: if you don't immediately jump away from the table or take other action, the drink will wind up on your lap, or damage the equipment, etc. And in those cases, after avoiding the immediate crisis you'd need to stop the clock and perhaps ask for a little time to be credited back. But you can't forget about the clock entirely.

That said, there is "what's the ruling if someone wants to screw their opponent and win at any cost" and there is ethics. I would think anyone posessing a conscience would attempt to determine how much time was really lost due to the mishap (that they caused) and to correct the situation. If I were the drink spiller, I'd feel it was my responsibility to make good on the situation, get the opinions of my opponent, any bystanders, etc. And if I personally witnessed a player not handle the situation in a similar manner, they'd definitely drop a notch on my integrity scale.

Also, while spectators should keep their traps shut, there are a few situations where I believe that spectators should speak up unsolicited (in violation of current rules). Saying "do you realize your clock is still running" after a drink is spilled on the table is certainly one of them. I've also spoken up to inform players that their recorded match scores do not agree. If anyone wants to ban or scold me after such a violation, so be it.

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