[size=150]We recently had a rated seniors-only quad event, and elected to allow someone to serve as house player (in-case needed), this person was a couple of years below 50, but close enough to mix in with the rest…at least that’s what we were thinking. Also, this house player lived right there in the town where the event was being held, so he did not mind just going home if not needed.
Well, he played, and we received some scrutiny about it later. So, now we are just wondering how important is it to uphold the 50 or older rule, when this kind of event is solicited.
Finally, I have noticed over the years, that TD’s sometimes make minor adjustments in tournaments, so I guess that the notion of rules enforcement seems worthy of review.
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We depend on the honor and honesty of the TD/organizer to abide by the rules. If they do not there is a complaint system in place (as outlined often in other posts).
I don’t think there’s any rule requiring that house players conform to the demographic characteristics of the event.
The underlying theory of house players is that playing a rated game is preferable to sitting out a round with a bye. Most players likely to get stuck with a bye (usually among the lowest rated players in the event) will probably agree with that. High rated players concerned with prizes or norms might not.
Well, you can’t do JTP for a K-3 section with a players too old to qualify, so I use an extra games section if I need to pair the bye with somebody (generally with a fixed schedule as opposed to ASAP).
I can’t think of any saying an extra-games player needed to conform to the demographics. With a demographic limit I’d have preferred an extra games section and left the byes in the main section.
Seems like a legit question that we simply haven’t really considered previously.
Suppose there were a 7 round state scholastic championship, with team prizes. In an early round, would you give a K-3 player a 50 year old 1600 house player to avoid a bye? I don’t think I would, but perhaps YMMV.
That indicates to me that there are situations where the original poster’s sort of solution is appropriate, and there are situations where the OP’s solution is not appropriate.
Given that (and at the risk of sounding like the poster who will not be named), perhaps we need a default rule with an announced variation allowance, just for clarity. Under this circumstance, I would think that the default should be that the house player should conform to the section requirements.
The problem I see is that the original event was described as “a rated seniors-only quad event.” I can see a difference between having a house player in a Swiss tournament who plays a game against an opponent who otherwise would have been stuck with no game and putting a “house player” in a quad. In the latter case, the house player is pretty much on equal footing with the regular entrants. I could envision complaints arising in that case.
I guess it would depend on the age of the house player and other circumstances.
Throwing a 40 year old in might seem reasonable, throwing a 9 year old in might not, especially if he or she is a rapidly improving player likely to be underrated.
If this is an event likely to go to 10PM or later, having a young house player may present other challenges.
But in any event, I might go to the players and offer them two options:
I put in the house player to fill out the bottom quad.
I combine the two bottom quads and run it as a Swiss.
I suspect most players I know would take option 1 most of the time.
Perhaps we need to let organizers do their “thing” and stay out of their hair
as much as possible. And a scholastic is not a scholastic, DUH, with a non
K-12 player participating. Allowing a house player who did not conform would
be inappropriate, but then again, how much should USCF stick its nose into
that which it does not belong??
If the house player isn’t eligible for prizes, I don’t see a problem, as long as the house player doesn’t have a rating that’s radically different from that of the players with whom he or she is matched.
If he has the same result against everybody then that would probably be true. If the results against him make a difference in who wins the event then a player who lost out because of that difference might complain.
Perhaps the best way to handle the situation is to give the bye player a full point for the tournament and also play the house player an extra rated game for the enjoyment of the game and the opportunity to gain rating points. That way the house player does not affect the results of the seniors entered in the tournament.
Regards, Ernie