Legality of resigning a team match

[szgyula]

Hi,

 

I was recently confronted with a seemingly simple question: Is it legal to resign a K.O. team match, i.e. to conceed defeat before all boards are played? This is explicitly allowed in some sports (e.g. chess) but it is not allowed in most of the sports. I see this happening in bridge, even in major events but I could not find a legal basis for this. Can someone point me in the right direction? The question strictly focuses on the legality. I can argue forever on practicalities, ethics, but that is a different issue. I did not specify a jurisdiction as I am interested in the general approach, i.e. any jurisdiction is OK for me -- in fact the more the better.

 

See e.g. US Bridge Championship semi final recently -- they did not play the last 15 boards out of 120 as they were 107 IMP behind. The web site has WD for these boards, whatever that means. ACBL tends to be very strict about "rule of law" so they must have some reason behind this action.

 

I also remember a long discussion (without a clear consensus) on a slightly different approach: can the teams practically agree on a tie, i.e. agree to pass out all remaining boards. That is also a different question, altough it is a viable approach to resign a match...

 

Thanks,

 

Gyula

[sfi]

Withdrawals are covered in section IV of the USBF General Conditions of Contest, and I suspect most jurisdictions would have regulations allowing it.

 

For another example, Section 12.14 of the Australian Bridge Federation tournament regulations specifically allow a team to withdraw from a match.

[Bbradley62]

The web site has WD for these boards, whatever that means.

"WD" stands for "withdrew".

[jfnrl]

FFB (règlement national des compétitions) :

 

"Article 13 – Abandon d’une compétition

 

13.1 – Après la fin d’une phase

A condition d’en avertir les organisateurs en temps utile pour leur permettre éventuellement de

convoquer des remplaçants, les joueurs peuvent abandonner une compétition après chaque phase.

 

13.2 – En cours de phase

En revanche, l’abandon au cours d’une phase, non justifié par une raison de force majeure,

est une faute relevant de l’organisme disciplinaire compétent (CRED, CIRED ou CFED) qui peut

notifier l’interdiction de participer à la même compétition la saison suivante sans préjudice d’autres

sanctions.

 

13.3 – En cours de séance

A fortiori, si un joueur abandonne en cours de séance sans raison de force majeure,

l’organisme disciplinaire compétent (CRED, CIRED ou CFED) peut :

- lui interdire de participer la saison suivante à la même compétition ;

- lui interdire de participer à toute compétition fédérale pendant une durée d’au plus six mois, sans

préjudice d’autres sanctions."

 

It's to say : disciplinary procedure

Penalty may be :

interdiction from competiting next year in the the same event

or

interdiction from competiting in FFB's events during 6 months

[aguahombre]

From the ACBL General Conditions of Contest:

 

"Unless prior arrangement has been made with the DIC, upon entry into an event a player

is expected to complete that event.

 

Any pair or team may withdraw between sessions of a multi-session event if it has

the permission of the DIC, who may allow the withdrawal if there is no damage to

the seeding or the movement. Any entry fees paid shall be retained. Such

contestants are allowed to play only in side games (no gold points) until the

completion of the event from which they withdrew."

 

It seems a segment of a knockout match is considered to be a "session" of a mult-session event for the purposes of withdrawing, or at least that seems to be what they are using to permit the practice.

[Bbradley62]

http://www.acbl.org/assets/documents/play/Conditions-of-Contest/Summer-SpinGold.pdf

 

At the very bottom of a document called:

Vanderbilt and Spingold Knockout Teams

Special Conditions of Contest

 

CONCESSIONS

Concessions may be permitted at any time at the discretion of the DIC. Credit for participation and timely finishes in unflawed sessions will be assigned to players on the winning team at the discretion of the DIC.

[Bbradley62]

More to the point: http://usbf.org/docs/COC/General%20CoC.pdf

 

IV. WITHDRAWAL

B. After the Event Starts

 

"A team may withdraw from a USBF event at any time with the permission of the DIC."

[blackshoe]

The ACBL has "General Conditions of Contest" for all events, and for Pairs, Swiss Teams, BAM Teams, KO Teams, and Bracketed Teams. In addition there are Specific CoC for many NABC and NABC+ events, and even for STaCs, Progressive Sectionals, and other events not played at NABCs. I think one should check each applicable CoC to make sure all the conditions are known. I looked at the KO conditions are there isn't really anything in there about under what conditions a team may withdraw (so in this case at least the General CoC stand unchanged) though there is a comment that a player or team who withdraws "for emergency reasons" gets to keep whatever masterpoints they earned before they withdrew.

[PhilKing]

In before somebody mentions the Doctors ...

[barmar]

So we've got several examples of CoC's that permit withdrawing. What Law allows RAs to permit it?

[blackshoe]

Law 80B2{d}.

[barmar]

"conditions of entry" includes "conditions of withdrawing"?

[aguahombre]

"conditions of entry" includes "conditions of withdrawing"?

I believe so. The General CoC talk about what is expected when you enter, with subsections which cover withdrawing as "exceptions" to those expectations.