Break in Tempo

[blackshoe]

I'm not suggesting one on one "education" of individual players. I'm suggesting a formal curriculum of classes*, which could be taught before or after a game session, or at some other time and place. At one of the clubs here, they give 'mini-lessons' before the game to those the director/club owner calls her "babies" - the non-Life Masters who don't have the guts to play with the big kids — but while I used to give lessons in that venue on various aspects of the laws (which BTW were very well received) I have not been asked to do so in some time, and the lessons I've seen over the last year or so have all been about play problems.

 

* I realize that a class titled "your legal obligations at bridge" or some such is not likely to be a big draw, but perhaps something along the lines of using appeals books to discuss these things (and giving the course a more palatable name) would work.

[aguahombre]

* I realize that a class titled "your legal obligations at bridge" or some such is not likely to be a big draw, but perhaps something along the lines of using appeals books to discuss these things (and giving the course a more palatable name) would work.

The idea of such a "class" for newer players was mentioned before, on these fora. And, indeed it was not a big draw here.

 

I received exactly one PM request from a BBF'r when I offered to share an entire eleven-installment email class produced by one of our local teachers. It was in the form of a weekly "Email the Director" series and was quite well received by the target group being brought into ACBL from party Bridge. They even practice most of what was presented ---but, more importantly they try to practice the frame of mind about rules and rulings which the teacher instilled.

[Zelandakh]

"How many legs has a sheep?"

"Four."

This reminds me of a joke. An English mathematician, physicist and engineer were travelling together to Wales for the very first time on the train. The engineer the notices a sheep out of the window - it is black. From this he concludes: "All sheep in Wales are black." "Perhaps" says the physicist, "but all we can really say is that there is at least one black sheep in Wales." "Nonsense" says the mathematician. "We can only see half of ths sheep. Correct is to say that there is at least one sheep with at least one black side in Wales." The point is that sometimes it is enough to call a sheep black and let it stand for the matter at hand rather than creating artificial silliness. Oh yes, and the correct answer to your question is that a sheep has between 0 and 4 legs.

 

On a more practical note, I am reminded of many sporting events where unethical behaviour has resulted in a win for the player or team involved. Whether it be allowing a ball to hit you to get an opponent sent off, a handball on the line in the last minute of a game, falling over to win a penalty, or punching the ball into the net through divine intervention. It does not really matter whether you call this - cheating, professional, inspired. What matters is what the end result is. If you allow pausing in such situations for dubious bridge reasons then players will do this even without needing to think. Sometimes the rules of a game need to be practical if you cannot tell the difference between ethical and unethical behaviour. Yes it might be that that sheep is completely black on one side and completely white (or purple for that matter) on the other. On the other hand, practical experience tells us that sheep do not ordinarily look like characters out of Star Trek. Yes, you might allow players to pause to think in tempo-sensitive situations without penalty. On the other hand, practical experience tells us this is a bad idea and opens the door to all sorts of unethical behaviour.

[mycroft]

Unfortunately, in most places in the ACBL, we get the "don't nitpick the stage 1s" so hard that they get to "clearly stage 3" without ever seeing that there are issues. And then when we rule against them they take it really hard (the C word frequently comes out).

 

Yes, "your ethical requirements" is going to be a quiet draw, and will almost certainly show the Dunning-Kruger effect in action - 80% of the people at the discussion wouldn't need to be there, and 80% of those who needed to be there wouldn't think their behaviour is even an issue. But it could be one class out of a "run of classes", near the end - if, of course, the teachers are capable of teaching it themselves.

 

But since I had a GLM pull a "next table over knew you used UI" stunt just yesterday, I don't see all that much hope. Luckily he guessed wrong.

[blackshoe]

The idea of such a "class" for newer players was mentioned before, on these fora. And, indeed it was not a big draw here.

 

I received exactly one PM request from a BBF'r when I offered to share an entire eleven-installment email class produced by one of our local teachers. It was in the form of a weekly "Email the Director" series and was quite well received by the target group being brought into ACBL from party Bridge. They even practice most of what was presented ---but, more importantly they try to practice the frame of mind about rules and rulings which the teacher instilled.

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Are you saying such a class or course is a good idea, or a bad one?

[aguahombre]

I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Are you saying such a class or course is a good idea, or a bad one?

And English is my only language. I guess I don't even have that.

 

1) It is a good idea.

2) I have on my computer 11 installments of just such a class on laws and proprieties for inexperienced players.

3) It was produced and well received by the students of a local teacher.

4) I have mentioned it before, and only Jilly was interested in my sending them to her.

5) It is free of charge, and might be used by teachers/directors elsewhere...either intact or as a source of ideas.

6) Sending them to enmasse players via email has a by-product of not singling out people at the playing site.

[Vampyr]

I never saw your previous offer -- I would be pleased if you would send your class to me.

[blackshoe]

 

4) I have mentioned it before, and only Jilly was interested in my sending them to her.

5) It is free of charge, and might be used by teachers/directors elsewhere...either intact or as a source of ideas.

 

I never saw your previous offer -- I would be pleased if you would send your class to me.

What she said. B-)

[aguahombre]

What she said. B-)

Anyone who wants it ---pls email me direct aguahombre2@yahoo.com so that I can create a contact list and send them all as eleven forwarded emails.

[pran]

This reminds me of a joke. An English mathematician, physicist and engineer were travelling together to Wales for the very first time on the train. The engineer the notices a sheep out of the window - it is black. From this he concludes: "All sheep in Wales are black." "Perhaps" says the physicist, "but all we can really say is that there is at least one black sheep in Wales." "Nonsense" says the mathematician. "We can only see half of ths sheep. Correct is to say that there is at least one sheep with at least one black side in Wales." The point is that sometimes it is enough to call a sheep black and let it stand for the matter at hand rather than creating artificial silliness. Oh yes, and the correct answer to your question is that a sheep has between 0 and 4 legs.

[...]

Ian Stewart in The Concepts of Modern Mathematics:

[...]In Scotland there is at least one field on which there is at least one sheep that is black on at least one side!

 

(My quotation is from Simon Singh: Fermat's last theorem)

[jillybean]

4) I have mentioned it before, and only Jilly was interested in my sending them to her.

 

Yes, thank you very much. I have had much the same response, only 1 club was interested in the material.

As far as I know the material has not been disseminated amongst the players.

 

For the record, this isn't me simply pushing my own barrow. I joined my local unit board and was

given the role of Membership & Education. I guess that allows me to officailly push my own barrow :)

[bluejak]

The problem is that there is very little practical difference between "trying to deceive declarer and playing slowly" (thinking about falsecarding) and "trying to deceive declarer by playing slowly" (undisputably illegal).

True. But the Laws are interested in playing slowly in tempo sensitive situations without worrying abut whether the player is trying to do anything.

 

I never saw your previous offer -- I would be pleased if you would send your class to me.

Ditto - both parts.

 

Anyone who wants it ---pls email me direct aguahombre2@yahoo.com so that I can create a contact list and send them all as eleven forwarded emails.

Oh, ok.

[blackshoe]

In Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein proposed the concept of the Fair Witness — a person trained to give testimony only to facts he or she has observed. He demonstrates the concept by having one of his characters, Jubal Harshaw, ask one of his secretaries, Ann, who happens to be a Fair Witness, "what color is that house on the hill?" She looks up at it and says "it's white on this side". B-)

[Zelandakh]

Ian Stewart in The Concepts of Modern Mathematics:

[...]In Scotland there is at least one field on which there is at least one sheep that is black on at least one side!

 

(My quotation is from Simon Singh: Fermat's last theorem)

Thanks for that pran! I heard this at university and thought it was original. I do notice they changed astronomer to engineer though (the maths department had a long-running rivalry with the engineering department so it makes sense).