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BGonline.org Forums
rules/ethics question: consciously playing your best
Posted By: Phil Simborg In Response To: rules/ethics question: consciously playing your best (Chuck Bower)
Date: Wednesday, 4 May 2011, at 7:00 p.m.
Great question. Do whatever you like in a friendly tournament at the club or in a social setting. In a major event, anything less than playing your best to win, within the rules, is not fair to anyone, INCLUDING YOUR OPPONENT who made the bonehead play. And here again, if the rules stated clearly that everyone is responsible to do their best to win within the rules, this would make it easier for everyone to abide by this premise and not feel they have been poor sports or taken advantage of someone.
I strongly believe in good sportsmanship and kindness and fair play, and there are areas where this apply....particularly in policing yourself. There is a rule that both die must be out of the cup before one hits the board. If I roll a great roll and I am sure I violated this rule, I will insist that I roll over...that is my responsibility. Even if it is very close, I will tend to lean the other way and give my opponent the benefit of the doubt. If I stupidly forget to bear off a checker, or leave a blot when I shouldn't, I will make if easy for my opponent and INSIST that he hit it if he can and make sure he doesn't feel bad about doing it. I would even go so far as to make him feel good about it by telling him that if there situation were reversed, I would hit him. That is good sportsmanship....not throwing a match or game or breaking the rules or not giving every match your best efforts.
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