15A1b Players determined by the director to be unable to keep score for religious reasons may be excused from scorekeeping or permitted to have assistance as in 35F, Rules for visually impaired and disabled players, at the director’s discretion.
What religion or religions do not permitted keeping score on a scoresheet? Do not mind if the player wants to practice their faith, only want to understand the religion(s) that has this as the dogma of the faith. Being blind to the facts, anyone could tell the truth or lie, leaving any director questioning if it is valid.
Some Orthodox Jews consider writing anything on the Sabbath to be ‘work’, and therefore prohibited. At the Marshall Chess Club’s tournaments, I have seen a former Soviet GM (Leonid Yudasin, if I recall correctly) playing occasionally, and he does not keep score during the Saturday games.
There may be other religions with similar prohibitions, but that’s the one that comes to mind.
We have several Orthodox Jews who play in this area that can’t keep score from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday. In addition, they cannot hit their chess clocks. In general, we have docked them 5% of their time for each factor and their opponents have normally agreed to hit the clocks for them (when that is a problem we have been able to find someone to help). They have many other difficulties in playing so not very many are going to be able to play during those hours anyway. For example, they can’t ride in a car during those hours so they would have to walk to the event. Or staying in the hotel, they can’t use the electronic locks so they have to wait at the door to their hotel room until a roommate opens the door for them.
As the director, would not take the percentage from the players’ clock, as it is a free exercise of their religious faith. Taking time from the clock, as the removal of the time off the clock to practice a persons’ faith, is a penalty … not an unfettered exercise into the practice of their faith.
It is not a matter of giving a penalty it is a matter of being fair to the opponent; i.e., if a player does not take notation they have more thinking time than their opponent. Taking time off their clock balances the time scales between the player that “must” take time to notate the game and the one that “cannot” take time to notate a game. Their religious practices should not give them an unfair time advantage over their opponents.