[blml] Categories of rule-breaker

[Nigel]

[Spin-off from rules poll thread]

Some categories of rule-breaker at Bridge (defining *rules* = *laws* + 
*regulations etc..*)

Those who...

1.  Make a mechanical error (slip of the hand). eg Pull a wrong card or 
wrong bid.

2.  Perceive the situation wrongly (slip of the mind). eg Think that 
they are dealer, or miss-sort their hand.

3.  Are ignorant of the rules. eg As a spectator, imagine that it's OK 
for you to tell the director about an alleged infraction by a player 
that you suspect of cheating.

4.  Misinterpret the rules eg Believe that the law requires you to 
ignore unauthorised information -- rather than to lean over backwards to 
avoid suggested logical alternatives.

5.  Misinterpret law-makers *intentions*. eg Reading...
(i) "If you don't know you mustn't guess" to mean that "you need divulge 
only those agreements of which you are certain"
(ii) "General knowledge and experience" to cover more than the 
law-makers may have intended.

6.  Think that they know the rules but believe rules to be inconsistent 
and so choose the rule that they prefer. eg When a local regulation 
seems to conflict with a law (eg psychs).

7.  Know the rules and try to follow them but find them impossible to 
apply. eg Cannot perform the terrifying feats of imagination necessary 
to expunge from consideration all the unauthorised information available 
from partner's penalty card and the circumstances when it became 
established).

8. Know the rules, but judge them too ridiculous to follow. ie They know 
better.

9. Know the rules, but feel that they must break them to get a fair 
game. eg Because "everybody else does".

10. Know the rules, but feel justified in breaking them because they 
estimate the chances of being ruled against as low; and deem that the 
penalties cannot be intended to deter. ie "Law-makers aren't really 
serious about enforcing them".

11. Know the rules but adopt a cavalier attitude to rules of any kind. 
eg At the extreme, some such people might be designated anarchists.

12. Know the rules, accept that rule-breaking is wrong, but do so, 
anyway, to gain cudos or financial reward. ie True cheats.

Examples 3-10 illustrate that law-makers must shoulder some of the blame 
because they produce fragmented sophisticated subjective rules.