[TimG]

From the March 9 Bulletin:

Quote

Electronic devices, excluding health-related
equipment, capable of sending or receiving
communication, including but not limited to,
headphones, earphones, cellular phones and minicomputers:
(1) shall not be allowed in the playing
areas, adjacent hallways, restrooms or accessible
break areas; and (2) shall not be used during a
session.

These restrictions shall apply to all pairs, team
members, captains, coaches, recorders and kibitzers
and shall apply throughout any actual playing session
or segment.

A violation of this policy shall result in a
disciplinary penalty of one full board (or 12 IMPs at
that form of scoring) for the first offense. A second
offense shall result in disqualification from the event
for the pair/team.

Kibitzers violating this policy shall be removed
from the playing area for the remainder of the session.

Does this mean no vugraph operators in the playing area?

[PassedOut]

I'm guessing that this does not apply to vugraph operators. (Sure hope I'm right.)

[Rossoneri]

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 10:10 PM, said:

Does this mean no vugraph operators in the playing area?

How grand it would be then

[pclayton]

PassedOut, on Mar 9 2008, 07:36 AM, said:

I'm guessing that this does not apply to vugraph operators. (Sure hope I'm right.)

I doubt it applies to directors too.

Theres that recorder word again....

[Elianna]

If (1) is actually enforced, isn't (2) an impossibility?

[rbforster]

You mean they actually think that no one will carry their cell phones when they're at a big bridge tournament? I don't know who thought up this stuff, but there's no way anyone's going to follow it...

Why don't they just come out and say what they mean - please don't cheat with high-tech stuff either? But of course that was already illegal so this current rule is just stupid/redundant.

[TimG]

Rob F, on Mar 9 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

You mean they actually think that no one will carry their cell phones when they're at a big bridge tournament? I don't know who thought up this stuff, but there's no way anyone's going to follow it...

I don't carry my cellphone at a big (or small) tournament. I'm not sure why anyone would need to.

[JanM]

I asked one of the drafters about Vugraph and was told that the rule was definitely not intended to prevent it . I'm not sure whether the way it is written at the moment exempts Vugraph operators and tournament directors and other people who might need to have a device that could transmit information, but I think that we will see some "fine-tuning" before Las Vegas to deal with those problems.

And yes, I think this means that you will have to leave your cell phone in your hotel room during playing sessions.

[CSGibson]

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 11:44 AM, said:

Rob F, on Mar 9 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

You mean they actually think that no one will carry their cell phones when they're at a big bridge tournament?  I don't know who thought up this stuff, but there's no way anyone's going to follow it...

I don't carry my cellphone at a big (or small) tournament. I'm not sure why anyone would need to.

Call me crazy, but I like to have some way of communicating with a teammate if they are running late. I put my cell phone in my jacket and put the jacket in a non-playing area when the cards start flying, but most of the coat racks are still within the defined area. Do I get penalized for this? Is that reasonable?

[cherdano]

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 01:44 PM, said:

Rob F, on Mar 9 2008, 01:18 PM, said:

You mean they actually think that no one will carry their cell phones when they're at a big bridge tournament?  I don't know who thought up this stuff, but there's no way anyone's going to follow it...

I don't carry my cellphone at a big (or small) tournament. I'm not sure why anyone would need to.

Uhm, at an NABC how else will you find your friends (who might be playing in a different event) for lunch or dinner? [Yeah I know in the 80s there used to be this thing of agreeing a time and place to meet, etc.]
I suppose your notion of "big" doesn't quite match a NABC....

[cherdano]

JanM, on Mar 9 2008, 03:02 PM, said:

And yes, I think this means that you will have to leave your cell phone in your hotel room during playing sessions.

Not everybody is staying at the hotel of the playing venue...

[TimG]

cherdano, on Mar 9 2008, 06:13 PM, said:

I suppose your notion of "big" doesn't quite match a NABC....

What's a NABC?

[han]

What's next, metal detectors and no fluids? (3-1-1!)

[matmat]

han, on Mar 9 2008, 08:14 PM, said:

What's next, metal detectors and no fluids? (3-1-1!)

sequestering. players will be prevented from discussing anything during the event.

[cherdano]

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 07:10 PM, said:

cherdano, on Mar 9 2008, 06:13 PM, said:

I suppose your notion of "big" doesn't quite match a NABC....

What's a NABC?

National American Bridge Championships, i.e. the event of whose bulletin you are quoting, and for which these rules apply. Sorry if I am missing some dry humor here...

[TimG]

cherdano, on Mar 9 2008, 08:41 PM, said:

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 07:10 PM, said:

cherdano, on Mar 9 2008, 06:13 PM, said:

I suppose your notion of "big" doesn't quite match a NABC....

What's a NABC?

National American Bridge Championships, i.e. the event of whose bulletin you are quoting, and for which these rules apply. Sorry if I am missing some dry humor here...

Well, as you say, we were talking about rules that apply to an NABC, so I don't understand why you would suppose my notion of a "big" tournament did not match a NABC. I have been to a few. I have stayed on and off site. I have managed to get along just fine without carrying a cell phone to the playing areas, adjacent hallways, restrooms or accessible break areas.

I understand that we don't live in the same world we did 10-15 years ago. And, I don't necessarily think the new rule as proposed is a good one. But, neither do I think that not being able to carry a cell phone to the game is anything more than a minor inconvenience. Certainly nothing that would amount to Rob F's expected mass protest: "I don't know who thought up this stuff, but there's no way anyone's going to follow it... " I suspect the rule will be modified before it is enforced, but I also think there are plenty of people who will adhere to the rule when it goes into effect on July 1st.

[inquiry]

Now that they have outlawed cell phones, only outlaws will have cell phones.

I plan to go to Vegas. I don't plan to stay at the venue (although i will be there almost all the time). I don't like the idea of not taking my cell phone with me. I can't see why a phone turned off is a problem. I may become a scofflaw because i just can't see how a turned off device is a problem....

[cherdano]

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 08:15 PM, said:

cherdano, on Mar 9 2008, 08:41 PM, said:

TimG, on Mar 9 2008, 07:10 PM, said:

cherdano, on Mar 9 2008, 06:13 PM, said:

I suppose your notion of "big" doesn't quite match a NABC....

What's a NABC?

National American Bridge Championships, i.e. the event of whose bulletin you are quoting, and for which these rules apply. Sorry if I am missing some dry humor here...

Well, as you say, we were talking about rules that apply to an NABC, so I don't understand why you would suppose my notion of a "big" tournament did not match a NABC. I have been to a few. I have stayed on and off site. I have managed to get along just fine without carrying a cell phone to the playing areas, adjacent hallways, restrooms or accessible break areas.

I understand that we don't live in the same world we did 10-15 years ago. And, I don't necessarily think the new rule as proposed is a good one. But, neither do I think that not being able to carry a cell phone to the game is anything more than a minor inconvenience. Certainly nothing that would amount to Rob F's expected mass protest: "I don't know who thought up this stuff, but there's no way anyone's going to follow it... " I suspect the rule will be modified before it is enforced, but I also think there are plenty of people who will adhere to the rule when it goes into effect on July 1st.

Well you wrote "I am not sure why anyone would [carry a cell phone]", I found it hard to understand how someone who has been at an NABC would write that...
And anyway, RobF wasn't asking for a mass protest, just that for a matter of fact people would not follow it. (People don't even follow the rules about cell phones in airplanes.)

[Elianna]

I, for one, cannot imagine what they plan on doing about this. I mean, if they plan on starting to search people, I can see many deciding not to go to NABCs.

Otherwise, how are they going to enforce the "no cell phones in the playing area"? My guess is by when one goes off, orr someone just takes one out, which seems to be a rule "No use of cell phones", not "no bringing cell phones".

I agree with Rob, you're going to see a lot of people ignoring the rule. And not just the under 35s, either.

[finally17]

I actually think it's likely that this kind of rule is/soon will be at least locally illegal. There has been a lot of outcry after school shootings in recent years to allow students to have cell phones...A lot of states have changed their policies regarding this. I don't know that it's too far down the line before at least some states and municipalities start passing bills which guarantee the right to carry a cell phone.

In fact, I haven't heard of any such thing, but I would not be at all surprised if some places didn't already have such a law.