[pescetom]

[There isn't a forum for non-ruling TD discussion, so this one will have to do]


The end of the year is looming: how often did you as TD hear the following or something similar?

1) "Sorry I am late"
2) "Yes we were slow, it was our fault"
3) "I understand and I will get it right in future"
4) "Can you please explain this in more detail after the tournament so I can get things right in future?"
5) "I can see now we should have called you instead of making our own ruling"
6) "After partner closed her cards and leaned back frowning I guess I had to ask for keycards here?"
7) "I had no right to say that to my partner/opponent, I apologize"
8) "Can I talk to you away from the table? I could not help but overhear Peter at table 5 saying that 6 hearts was called but is down 1"
9) "I feel a bit guilty because our opponents might have achieved a better score without our mistake"
10) "We will discuss this and clarify our agreements here"


Feel free to comment and add your own

[Capt_Ravi]

11. "Director please" instead of "DIRECTORRRRRRRRRR"

pescetom, on 2022-December-22, 16:58, said:

[There isn't a forum only for non-ruling TD discussion, so this one will have to do]


The end of the year is looming: how often did you as TD hear the following or something similar?

1) "Sorry I am late"
2) "Yes we were slow, it was our fault"
3) "I understand and I will get it right in future"
4) "Can you please explain this in more detail after the tournament so I can get things right in future?"
5) "I can see now we should have called you instead of making our own ruling"
6) "After partner closed her cards and leaned back frowning I guess I had to ask for keycards here?"
7) "I had no right to say that to my partner/opponent, I apologize"
8) "Can I talk to you away from the table? I could not help but overhear XX at table 5 saying that 6 hearts was called but is down 1"
9) "I feel a bit guilty because our opponents might have achieved a better score without our mistake, even if legal"
10) "We will discuss this and clarify our agreements here"


Feel free to comment and add your own

[paulg]

pescetom, on 2022-December-22, 16:58, said:

[There isn't a forum for non-ruling TD discussion, so this one will have to do]


2) "Yes we were slow, it was our fault"

It is surprising how often a pair will still blame their opponents for slow play, when we now have a record of every action with timestamps.

[mycroft]

1, 2, many 3s, 5 (well, the first half anyway), 7 (under some duress, in once case, admittedly), 9, 10. More than once, most of them, this year.

I've done 8 myself (many years ago). I also did it even more decades ago, but there I phrased it slightly less politely: "Director, could you please go to the other table and thank my opponents for telling me exactly what to bid on board 6?"

And another one - I have got many, *many* thanks for being a director, for what many tell me at the same time is a thankless job. I feel warmed, and welcomed by that.

Thanks for this - it allowed me to reflect at this reflective time of the year and remember some of the joys that might just have been ignored in passing.

[pescetom]

paulg, on 2022-December-23, 07:34, said:

It is surprising how often a pair will still blame their opponents for slow play, when we now have a record of every action with timestamps.

This was my fourth (?) year as TD and I have yet to hear an admission of either cheating or slow play: I'm not making any bets about which will arrive first.
Yet everyone who is not slow knows who the slow players are, even the slow players know all the slow players but one

[pescetom]

mycroft, on 2022-December-23, 10:14, said:

1, 2, many 3s, 5 (well, the first half anyway), 7 (under some duress, in once case, admittedly), 9, 10. More than once, most of them, this year.

1, many 3s, 4, even a 6 (!), no 7 this year (but last year a "You were quite right to disqualify me and defer me to federal discipline, I don't know what came over me", which is worth more), one 8 and *lots* of 11s (only one SB type here).

mycroft, on 2022-December-23, 10:14, said:

And another one - I have got many, *many* thanks for being a director, for what many tell me at the same time is a thankless job. I feel warmed, and welcomed by that.

I get them from some players (not all, but I'm working on it) and particularly the beginners who need protection and help in understanding how things should go, which is my main motivation in the first place.

[blackshoe]

"I'm not slow, everyone else is too fast!" :-)