I don’t know if this is the correct forum for this subject, but do people [players & TDs] consider to be the Player’s responsibility?
Certainly there are things that are useful for the player, but is it their responsibility? It is useful to show up early for a round. That allows time to set up, time to dispute a pairing [a problem I ran into at the 2009 US Open, but late arrival did not help me there], and time if you had the start of the round wrong. Also, it is useful for the player to know all the rules. However, I do not think that knowing all the rules is the player’s responsibility.
I have seen where the pre-tournament publicity states that players are to bring equipment, and some do not show up with any! Yes, I do know that in the TLA section of chess life there are paragraphs about what a player should bring to a tournament. Is there something like this posted in the USCF web site, and hopefully in more than one place?
There’s a word missing here. Either “What do people consider to be the player’s responsibility?” or “Do people consider [fill in the blank] to be the player’s responsibility?” Which did you mean?
As far as the rulebook is concerned players aren’t required to supply their own equipment, know the rules, or show up on time. It specifically adresses the situation where the TD provides equipment, or if black can’t immediately provide a standard board or clock, etc. Players are specifically allowed to ask the TD questions regarding the rules. And it also details issues with players showing up late. It is certainly to a player’s advantage to have an in depth knowledge of the rules, show up on time, and to have their own equipment available, but certainly not required.
As far as what’s expected by people in general, not necessarily required by the rules. I wouldn’t consider it abnormal for someone to show up without equipment, or late, or not have a good understanding of the rules. But I’d expect them to have at least a cursory understanding of how chess is played, and if they’ve never played in a tournament before that they’d tell me so I can fill them in on the main rules.
I carry several chess sets in my tournament bag, along with extra clocks, nice pieces, notation pads, pens, etc to loan out. As a side effect, it makes my bag pretty heavy and I frequently leave it in my car hoping to use someone else’s equipment, so I’m the one showing up with nothing. But I can still go get it if needed.
So, IMHO, a player’s absolute responsibilities are pretty minimal both from a rulebook perspective and an etiquette perspective.