I don’t believe writing down the time is explicitly legal. However, it is legal.
You are paraphrasing what I said incorrectly.
What matters is intent. Note taking is never legal. When it is excessive, it may demonstrate that your intent is to perform analysis with the aid of your scoresheet, rather than the simple recording of your moves. The TD should warn or penalize only if he/she finds the practice is systematic. Unfortunately, it may be hard to judge intent; I think reminding the player about the rules if the opponent complains is always right. It should make the player think about what is fair and what is not, and that’s basically what this rule boils down to.
This is covered in 20C. "The use of notes made during the game as an aid to memory is forbidden, aside from the actual recording of the moves, draw offers and clock times, and the header information normally found on a scoresheet. " (Emphasis mine.)
Rule 20C is a rule that very few directors ever have to deal with. The rule 20C is to only record your moves. Do not read into it for simple and minor notes on the scoresheet. Look at it this way, look at the USCF official score sheets. Is there not a place to put down a note for the opening? If the opening of the game is the English … than I place it down on my scoresheet in the box for the opening … is that not a note?
If I write down the opening as the English, that is a note. If I write down the time on the clock after the move, that is a note. These minor little notes are breaking the spirit of the rules … its not breaking the rules.
What one director finds to be excessive is different to the other director. Finding someone that writes then cross it out is a very disorganized player. The scoresheet will only get more disorganized … the player will only get more disorganized with the scoresheet.
What am I missing? According to 20C, those cases are explicitly allowed. Anything else, such as annotations, are notes and therefore breaking the rules. What do you mean by “the spirit of the rules”?
If I am at your tournament, and I write down the word English because my game is the English Opening … would you explicitly allow it?
If I am at your tournament, and I write down the word English, Keres-Parma Variation because my game is the English Opening in the Keres-Parma Variation … would you explicitly allow it?
If I write it down on the scoresheet is it not a note; if I write it down on some other piece of paper, is it not a note; if my friend writes it down on a piece of paper, is it not a note? Is it a note or is it just the recording of the moves?
What is the spirit of the rule … if I write down the opening on a different piece of paper or my friend give me a note that says English Opening … is it not a note to my memory. Now … if I write down English opening on my scoresheet … it is a note but so what. The USCF does let me write down a note to my memory with the opening box on the scoresheet. The spirit of the rule … yes it is a note … it is allowed.
As a director … do not care when or what type of opening you want to call it. If you want to write down the name of the opening … do not care when you want to write down the name of the opening. If you only write down the name of the opening on your scoresheet. It is a note … as a director I do not care one way or the other … as everyone has or will … even the USCF supports the idea. Follow it to the letter of the rule, then there is to follow it to the spirit of the rule.
Why it is a note, as I put down the name of the opening as a note to myself in the scorebook or scoresheet as a note to one day study the opening I wrote down. In time want to study the opening, looking at the past games it would be a note to myself this game is the type of opening I want to study.
If your opponent makes a 20c claim … because you wrote down this note (note of the opening on your scoresheet). First off, I would be more upset with your opponent because your opponent made this claim. Your opponent has followed the letter of the rule … but … it is not a serious offense … it was not done in malice. The worst you are ever going to get … is a warning not to do it again.
The reason why it is a note to me as a director. Say a coach writes down on a piece of paper, all it says is English opening. The coach could know your opponent does not understand the English opening. If you are talking with players before the start of the tournament, if someone tells you they do not understand the English opening. If you write down the name of the player, than write down play the English opening. Are they not notes?
If you got evidence of these notes, than you have grounds to punish the person(s). If they use the defense, if I place down the name of the opening on the scoresheet as a reason why it is not a note. If it is not a note to write down the name of the opening on a scoresheet. Only a note if it was give from some other person, or a note to play the opening with the person before the pairings are done. How can it be a note to memory in 2/3’s of the time? As only 2/3’s of the time it was done in malice. If the note was a note for malice, than use rule 20c. If the note was not in malice, and your opponent gets upset, just give a warning.
This isn’t really that difficult of an issue you know. Just read rule 20C:
“The use of notes made during the game as an aid to memory is forbidden, aside from the actual recording of the moves, draw offers and clock times, and the header information normally found on a scoresheet.”
There’s your answer; end of story. John Hillery (rfeditor) even mentioned this already, but everyone justs seems to have ignored it.
Doug Forsythe, take a look at the header information on the scoresheet and what do you see? You will see spaces to write the names of both players, a space to write the date, event, location, round #, board #, and the pairing #. You will also see a space to write down the name of the opening. Therefore it is legal to write down the name of the opening. If it is legal, then it must be allowed. The player’s intentions are completely irrelevant. Am I clear enough?
It is a question about malice then being a absolute legal act. Sure you can have some legal notes for memory. I’m looking at the point of the note as and act of malice, you are looking at it as it cannot be a note in the first place.
The point of the issue, rule 20c is very weak and very pointless. You do need the rule, but rule 20c is just like jay walking laws. Every city has jay walking laws, know anyone ever spent a single day in jail for jay walking?
What can the director give you for rule 20c, for the first offense, only a warning. Even if the note was done in malice … only a minor time penalty. When it is a minor time penalty … it is common for it to only be two minutes. Come on, if you make a 20c claim … best your going to get from the director is a warning … so why even spend so much time to get the director in the first place.
Notes on the scoresheet … the majority are not done in malice. If someone walks up to you and you write down their phone number on the scoresheet … the note was not done in malice. If you write down the time of the next round … the note was not done in malice.
The point you bring up about malice is interesting Doug. That’s true, but the intent of the note is irrelevant here because in the case of writing openings, it is allowed. Even if rule 20C is weak, it is still a rule, and it is in the rulebook. No matter how stupid a law is, it is still a law until it is removed or changed.
Like you said yourself, the most a TD can do about it is pretty close to nothing, so there is no reason to dispute it.