A Note to All Players on Fair Play
Fair play is one of the key aspects to the conduct of a successful tournament and it is imperative for us a community to safeguard the same. A quick check with some players who have been on the circuit for several years made SAI realise that there is limited awareness of the technical feature of WESPA scrabble rules. To address this lacuna, we have put together this note for the benefit of players and organising committees alike to apprise them of their responsibilities in this regard – a focus on what does NOT constitute fair play.WESPA has defined 3 levels under General Conduct which amount to unfair play – Cheating & Abusive Behaviour (Level 1 offence), Unethical Behaviour (Level 2 offence) and Poor Etiquette (Level 3 Offence). We are appending the Level 1 Offences under Schedule 1 at the end of this note, which every player ought to be aware of, which seemingly many aren’t at present. You may go through the detailed list at: https://www.wespa.org/wesparulesv4.pdfSAI has put together this note to outline players’ responsibilities, to help create awareness and to invite their participation to both eliminate unfair practices at tournaments and uphold the integrity of the game.Players’ Responsibilities:While games between individuals are self-monitored, a key responsibility of a player is to bring to attention any wrongdoings observed by them in the course of a tournament. If you suspect a player of committing an act that seems inappropriate, you are required to bring it to the attention of:a) The player/s themselves if you feel it is something unintentional and may be easily rectifiedb) The Tournament Directorc) The Tournament organizerNot reporting the act at all even though the suspicion may not be definitive and without proof, is subverting one’s responsibility. The time to report it is ideally the moment it is observed but it may also be done retrospectively at the end of the tourney if it strikes the observer as important and missed to report earlier. The players witness to such an act can also report any such suspicions to any of the 3 representatives on the newly formed SAI Vigilance Sub-Committee which comprises of Ela Ghose, Rajiv Antao and Udayan Grover.Possible Action:The Tournament Organisers and TD in turn have the responsibility of passing on all reports including any notes of their own to the Vigilance Committee so that a history of such offences may be collated. It is also to be noted that the TD has the discretion to take any action during a tournament that he/she deems fit upon a complaint, and his decision is final; this may include direct eviction of an offending player from the tournament, and/or nullifying all games played by him/her. The Vigilance Committee is empowered to take a decision based on TD’s reports and a history of past offences, and can decide on players’ participation in future tournaments. Affected parties would have the right to appeal against such a judgment, and SAI will follow an appeal procedure similar to that outlined by WESPA in the rules.The list of incidents thus reported will be maintained by the Vigilance Sub-Committee and will be kept confidential without access to any third party. There will be a separate list of suspected offenders if any, (of those participating in the event) which will be circulated to TDs and the primary representative of the organisers for extra vigilance at the tournament.Schedule 1: Extract from WESPA Rules on Level 1 Offences6.2.1 Definition of Cheating: Any deliberate bad-faith violation of these Rules or the Standard Rules is an act of cheating. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:(a) collusion;(b) concealing or palming tiles;(c) knowingly announcing or accepting incorrect move scores or cumulative scores;(d) knowingly misreporting game results;(e) using marked tiles;(f) looking inside the bag;(g) using accomplices, objects or materials to obtain an unfair advantage;(h) when a player knowingly misrepresents his or her start/reply record when self-balancing starts are in use.6.2.3 Definition of Abusive Behaviour: Abusive behaviour includes, but is not limited to:(a) making unauthorised physical contact with another player or a tournament official that intimidates, threatens or harms that person;(b) making a statement that intimidates, threatens or insults another player or a tournament official;(c) performing any other antisocial act that intimidates, threatens, insults or harms another player or a tournament official.