[blml] Breaking the Law (was why ask ?)

[Ed Reppert]

On Jun 13, 2006, at 7:34 AM, Tim West-Meads wrote:

> Oops - sorry Ed.  I'm always a little prone to confusion as to the  
> ACBL
> as ZO/NA/SO and the degree of authority it exerts over clubs.

So is most everybody in North America. :-)

> My  understanding was that the prohibition extended to ACBL  
> sanctioned games
> in clubs but maybe, as you say, it doesn't.  Quite possibly clubs are
> free to choose but none have done so!

The election does say "in ACBL sanctioned games", but I have it on  
good authority (Rick Beye, ACBL CTD, among others) that it doesn't  
apply to clubs. I suspect in most cases clubs haven't chosen to allow  
reserving rights because they don't know they can, but I also think  
one could make a case for not doing so because it would confuse  
players who would then find themselves playing under different rules  
in Sectionals, Regionals or the Nationals. The ACBL might have done  
better to use "sponsored" instead of "sanctioned" - although I  
wouldn't be surprised if, back in 1987, the drafters intended the  
election to apply to clubs as well.

> I understood that the ACBL regarded "Reserving my rights!" as
> pompous/antagonistic/intimidatory - I tend to agree - and that is why
> they chose not to allow it.  Few in the UK use that terminology but  
> many
> will happily use the gentler "Can we agree there was a BiT?" believing
> that to be in keeping with the Law.  As a process it seems to work  
> well.

I don't know why the ACBL chose not to allow it. It might well have  
been Not Invented Here syndrome. <shrug> IAC, I like the UK method. :-)