Looking at the USCF NATIONAL SCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENT REGULATIONS, 26 APPENDIX F
Use of a Handheld Recording Device
Player’s Responsibilities: Item #8: " The player may request the TD to provide security for the Device when the player uses the restroom. "
I am an active local director in New Mexico. As long as the “Devices” (electronic score sheets) are comparatively rare, as an example, because of the $359 expense of a Mon Roi, there should be will be no problem. However, With the advent of the North American Chess Association’s USCF approved program, eNotate, at a current price of $15 (changing to $25 on July 1) it is most probable the devices will soon become common. eNOTATE will run on any pocket PC or smart phone with an operatiing system of Windows Mobile V. 5 through V. 6.xx. Often the basic device is free with a two year cell phone contract contract or provided at a sharply reduced price. This will make the devices affordable to most players. In many respects, they are easier to use than a paper score sheet.
Is it likely that the rule will be part of the new rulebook, 6th edition if/when it is published?? If so, at a tournament with a large number of players, where a player is headed for a rest room almost every few minutes, I can see a really unwelcome burdensome instrusion on the TD. My point is that this rule may well result in an assitant TD doing nothing else other than being the guardian of such devices. If as in many, local tournaments there is only one TD, Will the TD have the authority to waive that rule??
Before commenting on this post, you may want to look at the complete Appendix F. Go to supernationalsiv.com
Choose TMT INFO. When that comes up on your computer screen, look above it to a line of choices in red and click on “scholastic regulations”.
Art Byers, President, The New Mexico Chess Organization
I don’t understand why the rules committee would approve software that runs on a general PDA/cell phone. Is there any way to really make these devices secure? How is the TD supposed to know it’s approved software and not some special chess software that’s been made to mimic the approved software?
The MonRoi is supposed to be dedicated hardware that can’t run chess playing software. That’s hardly true of these other devices.
At the same time, they have proposed rules that would cause you to forfeit a game if you just LOOK at a cell phone.
What’s going on here???
As for the issue that started this thread, these Scholastic Regulations don’t apply to ALL scholastic tournaments. At smaller tournaments, the TD might allow the player to bring the device to a scorer’s table or some place like that to “secure” the device. For the most part, however, I doubt these devices will need any particular degree of security once low priced devices are being used. It’s only while they are very high priced (and rare) that this is a big concern.
The player may REQUEST, but that doesn’t mean the TD HAS to comply.
Yes, in a large tournament, where many of these are being used, it can get overwhelming, though at the SN I never had such a request (maybe some of the other Assitants did, though), and I was in the K-5 u900 (the largest section with 500+). I don’t know how many players were using such a device.
We should always be willing to try and provide the security, given the rule, but of course, we can’t always do so. I would say consider the amount of floor TDs available, and make your decison accordingly. I see no reason why a TD wouldn’t be able to carry the device with him/her if needed at another game.
Now that I’ve searched for it, I can’t find the post. Perhaps it was just a reference to the list of approved devices (which seems to have disappeared) and “ChessPad” only appeared on that other list.
The problem is that this is just SOFTWARE. Without dedicated hardware, it just doesn’t seem that hard to mimic the software (with a hidden chess engine in the software). At least they aren’t allowing the software to be run on a phone – just stand alone pdas.
It just doesn’t seem secure, to me. On the MonRoi, you’d have to break into their supposedly secure hardware. This is a whole order of magnitude different task than just writing standard PDA software that looks the same as Enotate but incorporates a hidden chess engine.
This was very strange after e4e5 said categorically that they wouldn’t ever approve ChessPad. It’s quite a reversal.
Monroi was able to demonstrate their security, although I remain skeptical of allowing electronic scorekeeping (it seems unfair that one player need only tap two squares to record a move, without chance of error, while the other must maintain a standard scoresheet).
These other PDA devices admit several methods of possible rules violation, and they are to be accepted?
This topic is interesting on several fronts:
A. How in the world would a TD examining a non Mon Roi hand held schoresheet and know
the specific software installed is approved. I for one would hate to have to spend the
time scrolling through the device to ensure that it contains no chess instructive
material. Dealing with accusations of cheating could become far more complicated.
B. While it is true that Mon Rois are uncommon at most local scholastics, their
use is rapdily increasing in larger regionals and state events. Often they are suppled
by the organizer so that the games can be instantly broadcast to a viewing audience.
Lastly, it is my hope that USCF refrains from approving any devices that without
100% certainly cannot be used for illegal purposes.
Rob Jones
Denton, Texas
I’d hope I could leave my electronic scoresheet at the board and know it would be safe, but maybe I’m too much of a trusting soul.
If it’s such a big scholastic tournament wouldn’t there be a scorekeeper’s table where these devices could be left?
Perhaps for large national scholastics, it’s time to have a dedicated bathroom monitor. Have a pair of designated player bathrooms. A monitor sits at a table outside the bathrooms. Players make sure their name is on their gadget, leave it with the monitor, go to the bathroom, then collect the gadget on the way out. The monitor (who can be a volunteer/non-TD) can also make sure there are no non-players entering the bathroom and help prevent chatting between players and non-contestants en route to the bathroom.
The bathroom thing is a problem with big scholastics. As a TD, what can I do if I get called over to a board, and the one kid who’s sitting there says “my opponent keeps going to the bathroom”? I did (discreetly) follow one kid to the bathroom door and back and found nothing amiss to that point. (I am the wrong gender to follow him in there. ) There can be any number of semi-legitimate reasons for multiple bathroom trips: two-hour time control and the kid has the fidgets, too many cups of water from the water cooler, wants to go look at his buddy’s game in another section. Then again, there are also parents/coaches who hang around by the bathrooms and chat with their players on the way to and from, and kids can whip out the cell phone en route to the bathroom.
The North American Chess Assoc. web site says that eNOTATE has USCF approval. I have been using this program on an Siemens sx66 which is a 2003 version of a smart phone, pocket PC that has been upgraded to Windows Mobile V6. I do not have a SIM in it so it cannot be used as a telephone. I use it solely as a score keeping device.
Once you begin to record moves, you are locked in to the program and cannot leave it until you enter a result - win, lose or draw and have the players sign on the screen. You can power down prior to entering a result, but then you lose your score sheet.
My understanding is that the rule is written with the rules committee having authority to “certify” devices. This isn’t an actual rule change, that had already been passed. The rules change passed, however, with e4e5 having posted that the committee was firmly against approving ChessPad (with the implication that similar software would also not be approved). By the way, I understand that there’s a version of ChessPad available that also “locks out” other software, but it suffers from the same vulnerability, IMHO.
The testing committee [Kuhns, Sloan, and Just] tested the following controls:
When eNotate runs it will lock out the buttons on the PDA and only the touch screen can be used. So you can’t flip between applications and eNotate.
When eNotate runs it disables the wireless card if there is one present.
eNotate will allow you to make illegal moves to meet the requirement that you’re not getting aid from the device.
You can’t exit from eNotate without ending your game. Your opponent will see you tapping away on the screen which would alert something goofy is up.
eNotate will not run on PPC Windows 2002 or 2003. This wasn’t a security issue but an issue with the way the O/S was written and when power is lost, it will lose all installed applications and related data, whereas Mobile 5 and 6 will not lose installed apps and related data.
The electronic scoresheet is to be left at the table, not taken with a player. That’s regardless of whoever’s electronic scoresheet is being used (at least that’s my understanding). Same thing that a player can’t analyze on the electronic scoresheet (looking at it during the game) if I’m not mistaken.
My gut tells me that most of the incidents involving multiple bathroom trips and/or cell phone calls and/or discussions with parents in a foreign language are of the “appearance of impropriety” rather than actual cheating but I do think it creates unnecessary anxiety so I would support the bathroom escort and/or bathroom matron concept.
Ok, going forward, players are not allowed to use their brains while playing as they might be able to use their brains to cheat and cause an illegal action! :mrgreen:
At most tournaments I’ve left it on the table while going to the bathroom. The only time I’ve been concerned about leaving it is when there are almost no games left, or if my opponent is not at the table. There also some places where the “sleaze factor” is higher, so I’m more inclined to give it to one of the floor directors when leaving the room. When I come back I find that director and get the device back from him.
IMHO: A lot of cases can be made for hi-tech ways to cheat; however, it seems to me that if one has that kind of ability then there are many better ways to use that skill to make $$$ cheating than at most chess tournaments (hey, most events are not super swisses with huge $$$). We should not let the “fear of cheating” diminish our enjoyment of the electronic toys we use. Most cheating is still low-tech. Heck, I caught one guy using a Styrofoam coffee cup to write down moves and then spin it to hide/show the move he and his buddies came up with for the player in the game.
) There can be any number of semi-legitimate reasons for multiple bathroom trips: two-hour time control and the kid has the fidgets, too many cups of water from the water cooler, wants to go look at his buddy’s game in another section. Then again, there are also parents/coaches who hang around by the bathrooms and chat with their players on the way to and from, and kids can whip out the cell phone en route to the bathroom.