Actually it has no doubt been said before, and even in the post before this. Sometimes people are abusing the expel button in circumstances in which a fair-minded and reasonable person would allow the game to continue normally. Such circumstances would be for example when the game is almost over, or where someone has expended more time earlier, got into time trouble, but is clearly doing their level best to play quicker.
Btw this is not going to be an attempt to protest a moderation. I don't even expect to get much, if any sympathy, for my viewpoint, as some people are just impatient, or rules lawyers and will defend the status quo. 'Why don't you just play faster?' is of course the common refrain.
I'm citing for purely illustrative purposes two expulsion examples which occurred to me recently (without naming names). In one, I was participating in a game which was implementing expanded rules of which I was unfamiliar. Since my opponent seemed quite helpful, I took some time in the game to ask him about the differences, but this naturally left me in some time pressure. However, although I had received no guarantee, I was reassured by my opponent's apparently benign disposition.
However during the game I was helped by my opponent's advice so much that I gained a strong position, and looked like I was in contention to win. Still like many games, the ending often has complications, and on the very last turn, I unfortunately went into the red, due to undoing a move (which often leaves one in difficulties). I hastened to finish. Then, out of the blue, my opponent decided to expel me.
What could the possible motive be here, with almost no time left in the game, than a quite cynical attempt to prevent an opponent winning, in circumstances in which they hadn't really sought to gain an advantage by slow play? Is this really the kind of behaviour that we should encourage? Yet of course the player had done nothing amiss under the rules, so the only honest response would be to red thumb them on a personal basis.
Oddly enough, I decided NOT to do this, but instead send the player a friend request. Perhaps because of the help they had nonetheless rendered, but also with the idea of asking for an explanation for their behaviour. Which, despite the actual rules, I felt was due. I doubted the request would be accepted, but it was, and so perhaps I will eventually get my explanation.
One other brief example. At the end of a fast paced race game, I unusually got into time trouble, since even in these circumstances, one sometimes has to think particularly carefully near the game end. This very briefly exposed me to red time. Unhesitatingly, and with no warning, I was expelled by an opponent who was trailing in the game, and stood to lose a lot of elo. The result given the opponents, was to cause me to lose a huge amount of elo myself, which, at Good level, would be hard to recover. Some may say so what, but if one isn't supposed to care about elo, why have it at all?
Again there was no real issue of very slow and deliberate play, or a long pause. The game was about to finish in one or two brief turns after about an hour's play. This was gamesmanship, not an attempt to enforce the rules against a player taking the mickey by dragging out the time. In such circumstance, the only possible response is to rage either internally or in public in such a way as you will hopefully not be moderated. And then to red thumb the player. This will not however fix your lost elo, or assuage the sense of injustice.
As a sometimes slower player, I am more likely to be subject to these expulsions, but conversely I am also fairly sympathetic to other players who get into time trouble. I would never dream of expelling a player on the final turn so that I won't lose elo. I would consider that very poor sportspersonship. Further if someone is in time trouble, I will first try to send them a message to warn them of possible expulsion. As long as they continue to play at a reasonable speed, I'm not likely to kick them. If there is a long pause, I may try to ascertain if it seems likely its due to disconnection, give them a reasonable time to get back online, and only then reluctantly expel them. This seems to me fair and considerate behaviour.
Well, in the famous words of Lenin, what is to be done? Actually removing the expulsion button is of course unrealistic. How else would we deal with situations in which a player has rage quit or unfortunately become irrevocably disconnected? A different and worst kind of abuse or chaos would occur.
Still I would suggest that to pretend that such situations don't occur, to look away or tut impatiently that such people bring their woes upon themselves, is not entirely adequate. At the very least it would be nice if the BGA authorities acknowledged that this kind of behaviour is less than ideal, and not to be encouraged, even if its technically allowed in the rules. Better still if players had an option to flag their expulsion as unfair, subject to investigation. The point here would not be to moderate the 'offending' kicker, but to give the person kicked a possible break by reducing or setting aside their penalties. Of course the penalty on the latter could be increased if their complaints seemed unjustified. Otherwise the kicker could simply receive a message saying that their actions seemed unjustified, and leave it at that.
At the moment there seems no recourse or avenue for someone who feels they have been treated unfairly in this way. Since the expellers are operating within the rules, there is no way to query their actions. More than anything there needs to be a change in attitude towards such behaviour, and to send a message its unwelcome. To establish a model of best practice in terms of using the expel button.
Btw this is not going to be an attempt to protest a moderation. I don't even expect to get much, if any sympathy, for my viewpoint, as some people are just impatient, or rules lawyers and will defend the status quo. 'Why don't you just play faster?' is of course the common refrain.
I'm citing for purely illustrative purposes two expulsion examples which occurred to me recently (without naming names). In one, I was participating in a game which was implementing expanded rules of which I was unfamiliar. Since my opponent seemed quite helpful, I took some time in the game to ask him about the differences, but this naturally left me in some time pressure. However, although I had received no guarantee, I was reassured by my opponent's apparently benign disposition.
However during the game I was helped by my opponent's advice so much that I gained a strong position, and looked like I was in contention to win. Still like many games, the ending often has complications, and on the very last turn, I unfortunately went into the red, due to undoing a move (which often leaves one in difficulties). I hastened to finish. Then, out of the blue, my opponent decided to expel me.
What could the possible motive be here, with almost no time left in the game, than a quite cynical attempt to prevent an opponent winning, in circumstances in which they hadn't really sought to gain an advantage by slow play? Is this really the kind of behaviour that we should encourage? Yet of course the player had done nothing amiss under the rules, so the only honest response would be to red thumb them on a personal basis.
Oddly enough, I decided NOT to do this, but instead send the player a friend request. Perhaps because of the help they had nonetheless rendered, but also with the idea of asking for an explanation for their behaviour. Which, despite the actual rules, I felt was due. I doubted the request would be accepted, but it was, and so perhaps I will eventually get my explanation.
One other brief example. At the end of a fast paced race game, I unusually got into time trouble, since even in these circumstances, one sometimes has to think particularly carefully near the game end. This very briefly exposed me to red time. Unhesitatingly, and with no warning, I was expelled by an opponent who was trailing in the game, and stood to lose a lot of elo. The result given the opponents, was to cause me to lose a huge amount of elo myself, which, at Good level, would be hard to recover. Some may say so what, but if one isn't supposed to care about elo, why have it at all?
Again there was no real issue of very slow and deliberate play, or a long pause. The game was about to finish in one or two brief turns after about an hour's play. This was gamesmanship, not an attempt to enforce the rules against a player taking the mickey by dragging out the time. In such circumstance, the only possible response is to rage either internally or in public in such a way as you will hopefully not be moderated. And then to red thumb the player. This will not however fix your lost elo, or assuage the sense of injustice.
As a sometimes slower player, I am more likely to be subject to these expulsions, but conversely I am also fairly sympathetic to other players who get into time trouble. I would never dream of expelling a player on the final turn so that I won't lose elo. I would consider that very poor sportspersonship. Further if someone is in time trouble, I will first try to send them a message to warn them of possible expulsion. As long as they continue to play at a reasonable speed, I'm not likely to kick them. If there is a long pause, I may try to ascertain if it seems likely its due to disconnection, give them a reasonable time to get back online, and only then reluctantly expel them. This seems to me fair and considerate behaviour.
Well, in the famous words of Lenin, what is to be done? Actually removing the expulsion button is of course unrealistic. How else would we deal with situations in which a player has rage quit or unfortunately become irrevocably disconnected? A different and worst kind of abuse or chaos would occur.
Still I would suggest that to pretend that such situations don't occur, to look away or tut impatiently that such people bring their woes upon themselves, is not entirely adequate. At the very least it would be nice if the BGA authorities acknowledged that this kind of behaviour is less than ideal, and not to be encouraged, even if its technically allowed in the rules. Better still if players had an option to flag their expulsion as unfair, subject to investigation. The point here would not be to moderate the 'offending' kicker, but to give the person kicked a possible break by reducing or setting aside their penalties. Of course the penalty on the latter could be increased if their complaints seemed unjustified. Otherwise the kicker could simply receive a message saying that their actions seemed unjustified, and leave it at that.
At the moment there seems no recourse or avenue for someone who feels they have been treated unfairly in this way. Since the expellers are operating within the rules, there is no way to query their actions. More than anything there needs to be a change in attitude towards such behaviour, and to send a message its unwelcome. To establish a model of best practice in terms of using the expel button.
