[Chris L]

I'm hoping someone can point me to some relevant guidance on this.

Duplimated boards are rapidly becoming the norm in England - and not just for Simultaneous Pairs events, where there are specific regulations about the preparation of the boards and their transportation to the venue.

Law 6 is silent on the specific point, as is the 2011 White Book.

My county participates in the Eastern Counties League with seven others. All of us now produce two or more identical sets of 32 boards with accompanying hand records. Sometimes they are brought to/left at the venue by someone who has "duplimated" them but who isn't playing, but sometimes not. No one (in the dozens of matches I have played) has ever raised Law 6 C (representatives of both pairs to be present etc). What is the position under the Laws if they do? The TD at such matches is invariably a member of the home side, playing in the match.

There was a challenge in a recent county teams of four match where a representative of the home team had duplimated about half the 24 boards on the home club's machine before the first of the oppo arrived - and the oppo captain then objected and they ended up dealing all 24 by hand in the "old" way. No doubt the oppo were within their rights; possibly not within the "spirit" of the Laws (cf the admirable decision of Mr Dhoni at Trent Bridge last weekend).

[gordontd]

Law 6E allows for other arrangements, but as far as I know the EBU's position for EBU knockout matches is that a team who wishes to play pre-duplicated boards needs to get the agreement of their opponents. I know of one prominent team that always chooses to hand-deal boards.

It sounds like your league should make a regulation about it, before you encounter any problems.

[blackshoe]

Our experience here (Rochester, NY) is that the duplimate machine sits in a small, normally locked room at one club venue (which as it happens is a synagogue). The hand records are produced up to a year or so in advance, and the boards duplimated once a week, for the entire week. We have a player here who volunteers to move most of the boards to the various game venues, although sometimes it's another player or club owner. We've been doing this for a few years now, and so far as I know, no one has ever questioned these procedures.

Most clubs here are privately owned, and the owner is also the director. Rarely does the director play, though it does happen.

[jallerton]

gordontd, on 2011-August-05, 11:58, said:

Law 6E allows for other arrangements, but as far as I know the EBU's position for EBU knockout matches is that a team who wishes to play pre-duplicated boards needs to get the agreement of their opponents. I know of one prominent team that always chooses to hand-deal boards.

It sounds like your league should make a regulation about it, before you encounter any problems.

Every part of Law 6E starts with the "Director may". In an EBU knockout match played privately there is no director as such. Does this mean that pre-duplicated boards are not legal in such matches? Or do you think that the two captains, actng together, can be the "director" for this purpose?

[pran]

jallerton, on 2011-August-05, 15:52, said:

Every part of Law 6E starts with the "Director may". In an EBU knockout match played privately there is no director as such. Does this mean that pre-duplicated boards are not legal in such matches? Or do you think that the two captains, actng together, can be the "director" for this purpose?

I have since 1991 been providing pre-duplicated boards each week to several clubs within our region, the legal basis for this is indeed Law 6E. This law obviously assumes that there is someone available as acting director which naturally is not always the case with matches played in private. Still I shall not have any problem with both teams agreeing to play pre-duplicated boards for whatever reason they might have even though this is not directly permitted in the laws.

[Chris L]

gordontd, on 2011-August-05, 11:58, said:

Law 6E allows for other arrangements, but as far as I know the EBU's position for EBU knockout matches is that a team who wishes to play pre-duplicated boards needs to get the agreement of their opponents. I know of one prominent team that always chooses to hand-deal boards.

It sounds like your league should make a regulation about it, before you encounter any problems.

I could certainly amend the rules of the particular county league to cover the point - thank you.

I am now wondering what the legal basis is for the use of multiple sets of pre-duplimated boards in EBU events; in the case of knock-out matches played privately there is this specific provision:

"16. Boards must be shuffled and dealt at the table at the commencement of each set. A player of each side must be present at the dealing of every board. Any player in doubt may require a board to be re-dealt before it is first played. Alternatively, team captains may agree to an alternative means of board dealing (e.g. via a "Duplimate" machine) subject to proper security arrangements being maintained at all times."

But what about congresses or events like the Tollemache Cup? Law 6 E.3. permits the Director to "have his assistants or other appointed agents perform the shuffle and deal in advance" - but with a Duplimate machine there is no "shuffle" as such. Is a computer plus a machine which can read bar codes capable of being an "other appointed agent" of the Director? This is only a semi-serious observation - I am not thinking of pitching up at Brighton next weekend and giving Max Baxin a hard time!

[gordontd]

Chris L, on 2011-August-05, 23:35, said:

I am not thinking of pitching up at Brighton next weekend and giving Max Baxin a hard time!

I hope not - he won't be there, and it would be me who would get the hard time!

[gordontd]

Chris L, on 2011-August-05, 23:35, said:

Law 6 E.3. permits the Director to "have his assistants or other appointed agents perform the shuffle and deal in advance" - but with a Duplimate machine there is no "shuffle" as such. Is a computer plus a machine which can read bar codes capable of being an "other appointed agent" of the Director?

Well, the person who operates the machine is certainly an agent of the Director. And we also have:

Quote

6E4. The Director may require a different method of dealing or pre-dealing to
produce the same wholly random expectations as from A and B above.

and

Quote

6F Duplication of Board
If required by the conditions of play, one or more exact copies of each
original deal may be made under the Director’s instructions.

[bluejak]

jallerton, on 2011-August-05, 15:52, said:

Every part of Law 6E starts with the "Director may". In an EBU knockout match played privately there is no director as such. Does this mean that pre-duplicated boards are not legal in such matches? Or do you think that the two captains, actng together, can be the "director" for this purpose?

The latter, in my view.

[Jeremy69A]

Quote

Law 6 is silent on the specific point, as is the 2011 White Book.

I think that prior to this season in KO matches it was not technically legal to have duplimated boards although if both captains agreed there would never be a problem. There is now a condition written into the regulations for EBU KO matches that specifically authorises this(Regulation 16) if both captains are in agreement. For congress events it is as stated already i.e. Law 6E4 permits it.