I agree. Slow play seems like an exaggerated nuisance since you can't see your opponent and can't smile a sweetly, clear your throat, and murmur "Did you know you're it?" like one can do in person. So I suggest the following. Don't play in a speedball event. It's pointless to pay money to continue being tortured. [This is my choice.] Do call the director rather than nagging your opponent. The director can do something substantial; you can't. Don't wait too long to summon the director. Just the director call might activate your opponent. Remember who's playing. I used to play in these timed events with partners who were slow due to age. I could tell; the opps couldn't. Finally, nag BBO! If there is one feature that could speed up these events, it would be a "slow on average" score. The computer could automatically record the length of time a declarer or defender takes versus the length of time that is fair, then compute a "slow on average" score. When a consistently slow player exceeds some fair limit for use of time over a meaningful span*, the computer could temporarily disqualify the slow player from signing up for a timed event (indicating why, of course). This prohibition could even age out over time** so that a slow player could rejoin the fray, subject to being disqualified again for more slow play. The computer has all the information it needs to accomplish this: the time it becomes your turn to bid or play; the time you do so, etc. And yes, some smart person somewhere would have to make a policy decision on how much use of time is normal and what "slow on average" looks like. * Example: ten events or three weeks, whichever comes first. ** Example: Play detail records older than 21 days could be deleted and a new "slow on average" score computed.