24 player tournament, player noted to me that it was strange that player was going to bathroom on move.
Later, there had been some gossip that one player broke up with his coach over cheating issues, and that this player was later (after the event was over) accused of going to the bathroom 8 or 9 times during a game.
How can a small organizer prevent the “cellphone in the bathroom scenario”?
There are actually several issues here.
A. The cellphone issue - at what point should a TD demand a player empty their pockets?? There is a line
between proper tournament enforcement and personal privacy.
B. What role can/should a TD have re what happens in the bathroom??
from my point of view, I am not
going in there. I think a TD who does so risks all sorts of other issues. I have proudly served as a
bathroom guard at national scholastics in front of players only bathrooms in an effort to prevent the
entry of adults/coaches.
This issue need not be confined to only cellphones, but ipads, etc. As technology increases, electronic communication devices will become smaller and smaller.
I do believe that the following is pertinent to this point as well:
More and more because of cheating issues, I have seen and heard of adults following their youthful opponents to the rest room, especially when in the adults opinion these visits occur too frequently. Sometimes the adult will accost their youthful opponent with a verbal tirade trying to get at what they
in their own mind, “know to be the truth” - ie, that the youth is cheating in some fashion.
I have heard the opinion of several “command” tournament directors that what occurs outside of the playing hall is not necessarily the prevue of the TD staff. Further, that adult parents of youth players who
launch into verbal tirades at their kids opponents (based on their own kid’s stories) is not an issue for the
tournament staff to deal with.
The problem is, I have seen an increase in these situations. Further, right or wrong their is a belief many parents have that the TD staff should protect their kids outside of the playing hall from such unwanted verbal blasts from adults.
So, yes I have expanded the issue - but what should the role of the TD be in preventing not only cheating,
but unwarranted contact outside the playing hall - and what kind of discretion/protection is due the youthful
chess player??
Rob Jones
Any complaint by an adult opponent over a child’s behavior should go through the TD. In fact, even if two adults are playing, if either has a problem with the other opponent, they are to address the TD to solve it. Certainly, a parent or coach does not want his child confronted at any time without proper supervision and the presence of an appropriate adult to represent the child.
As far as cell phones go, we are getting to the point where if a player has one on him we are going to have to determine whether to do the following: a) have the TD hold the devices during play until the end of the game, b) forfeit players who have the devices on them, c) ban all electronic communication devices - tablets, cells, computers - from the site with penalties for having one during the game. Given the cheating that has already occurred, there is precedent for the TD to request a search and for the device be turned over to him. Failure to comply by the player should result in forfeit and potential expulsion from the event. The TD might even go so far as to file an ethics complaint if he feels it is warranted. Particular details will matter. I don’t think this will require putting it into advance publicity. The players already know the problem exists; it has been widely publicized in the chess media.
Going to the bathroom eight or nine times is a little suspicious. I do recall an incident at a big scholastic tournament concerning a child running to the bathroom several times. His opponent complained. When the kid came back, he explained that he had consumed two large McDonald’s sweet teas his dad bought for him at lunch before the game and just had to go. The opponent said, “Yeah, my dad does dumb things like that, too,” and was satisfied by the explanation. The game went on without further incident.