10-07-2015, 03:57 PM
Ok, so 'staggered' was something of an exaggeration. If the question had been 'would you prefer to know your opponent in advance', I would have expected positive votes. But it wasn't.
Here's the problem I foresee. You announce your team, your opponents prepare, then someone pulls out at the last minute. You get a substitute to play on bottom board and some (perhaps all) of your opponents have wasted their preparation.
So, what's the penalty for playing 'the wrong team'? If there is no penalty, then that's a perfect opportunity for the dodgy behaviour you're afraid of.
If there's a penalty, (e.g. default the board, so that everyone else plays on the board originally announced) then that's grossly unfair to genuine cases. I had to pull out of the last Richardson tie at short notice for an unimpeachable reason and I'm sure similar things will happen a few times every year.
My objection is purely pragmatic, as outlined above.
It's perfectly reasonable that some people prefer to know their opponent in advance. That doesn't promote it to a moral imperative that they must know. To my mind, it isn't a moral issue at all.
Here's the problem I foresee. You announce your team, your opponents prepare, then someone pulls out at the last minute. You get a substitute to play on bottom board and some (perhaps all) of your opponents have wasted their preparation.
So, what's the penalty for playing 'the wrong team'? If there is no penalty, then that's a perfect opportunity for the dodgy behaviour you're afraid of.
If there's a penalty, (e.g. default the board, so that everyone else plays on the board originally announced) then that's grossly unfair to genuine cases. I had to pull out of the last Richardson tie at short notice for an unimpeachable reason and I'm sure similar things will happen a few times every year.
My objection is purely pragmatic, as outlined above.
It's perfectly reasonable that some people prefer to know their opponent in advance. That doesn't promote it to a moral imperative that they must know. To my mind, it isn't a moral issue at all.