I've been playing in tournaments for quite some time now, and make a
practice of getting the latest USCF rulebooks when they come out. I
may not read them all the way through, but like to have them for
reference. I just got the 5th edition, and was going through the
changes listed in the introduction. This led me to 15A1, b. "Players
determined by the director to be unable to keep score for religious
reasons may be excused from scorekeeping or permitted to have
assistance . . ."

This is a new one to me. Certainly, we should try to be accommodating
to people's religious beliefs, but it would never have occurred to me
that there were religions that objected to recording chess games. I
assume that this is because keeping score falls into some broader
category of forbidden actions, but that still doesn't explain much.
For my enlightenment, does anyone know what religions make this
requirement, what their reasoning is, and whether this has come up in
tournaments?

MP

Please respond to newsgroup, if at all.

"MP" wrote in message
...
religious reasons for not keeping score intro snipped

This is a new one to me. Certainly, we should try to be accommodating
to people's religious beliefs, but it would never have occurred to me
that there were religions that objected to recording chess games. I
assume that this is because keeping score falls into some broader
category of forbidden actions, but that still doesn't explain much.
For my enlightenment, does anyone know what religions make this
requirement, what their reasoning is, and whether this has come up in
tournaments?

1) This is not a new rule.

2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David
--
without the block

On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:53:37 GMT, "David"
wrote:


(snip)
2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David

That actually occurred to me, but in those cases, it is also usually
forbidden to play games on the Sabbath at all ( Reshevsky, for
example, used to have to reschedule games because of this) so keeping
score would be a moot point.

"David" wrote in message
t...



"MP" wrote in message
...
religious reasons for not keeping score intro snipped

This is a new one to me. Certainly, we should try to be accommodating
to people's religious beliefs, but it would never have occurred to me
that there were religions that objected to recording chess games. I
assume that this is because keeping score falls into some broader
category of forbidden actions, but that still doesn't explain much.
For my enlightenment, does anyone know what religions make this
requirement, what their reasoning is, and whether this has come up in
tournaments?

1) This is not a new rule.

2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism
and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on
the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David

I don't know if it was intentional but many Christians are offended when you
refer to them a Xtians.

"Bob Garrison" wrote in message
...

I don't know if it was intentional but many Christians are offended when
you
refer to them a Xtians.

I was not intentionally trying to insult anyone. Thanks for the info.

David

I can't remember the exact circumstances but in the 98 US Masters in Hawaii,
GM Boris Gulko requested to play with a mechanical clock, not a digital one.
It had something to do with batteries and avoidance of fire. I don't
remember whether or not he had to have a scorekeeper.


"MP" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:53:37 GMT, "David"
wrote:


(snip)
2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism
and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on
the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David

That actually occurred to me, but in those cases, it is also usually
forbidden to play games on the Sabbath at all ( Reshevsky, for
example, used to have to reschedule games because of this) so keeping
score would be a moot point.

"Bob Garrison" wrote in message
...

"David" wrote in message
t...



"MP" wrote in message
...
religious reasons for not keeping score intro snipped

This is a new one to me. Certainly, we should try to be accommodating
to people's religious beliefs, but it would never have occurred to me
that there were religions that objected to recording chess games. I
assume that this is because keeping score falls into some broader
category of forbidden actions, but that still doesn't explain much.
For my enlightenment, does anyone know what religions make this
requirement, what their reasoning is, and whether this has come up in
tournaments?

1) This is not a new rule.

2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism
and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on
the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David

I don't know if it was intentional but many Christians are offended when
you
refer to them a Xtians.

Yes, it should be 'Xians'. Like 'Xmas'.
Alan

MP wrote:
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:53:37 GMT, "David"
wrote:


(snip)
2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David

That actually occurred to me, but in those cases, it is also usually
forbidden to play games on the Sabbath at all ( Reshevsky, for
example, used to have to reschedule games because of this) so keeping
score would be a moot point.

You can play with a mechanical clock. GM Yudasin is the most known user of
this rule.

--
Roman M. Parparov - NASA EOSDIS project node at TAU technical manager.
Email: http://www.nasa.proj.ac.il
Phone/Fax: +972-(0)3-6405205 (work), +972-(0)51-34-18-34 (home)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The economy depends about as much on economists as the weather does on
weather forecasters.
-- Jean-Paul Kauffmann

"MP" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 01:53:37 GMT, "David"
wrote:
(snip)
2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox Judism
and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work on
the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David
That actually occurred to me, but in those cases, it is also usually
forbidden to play games on the Sabbath at all ( Reshevsky, for
example, used to have to reschedule games because of this) so keeping
score would be a moot point.

Orthodox Jews may not write on the Sabbath. There is no prohibition against
playing games on the Sabbath, but in the case of Reshevsky, playing chess
was the way he made a living, hence, work. I gather Gulko's interpretation
is different. Chess is a game, playing games on the Sabbath is OK, writing
never is.

When electrical devices were introduced in the 19th century, a board of
rabbis reached the conclusion that electricity was sufficiently similar to
fire that it could not be used on the Sabbath. Mechanical clocks are OK.

Bob

"Alan O'Brien" wrote in message
...

"Bob Garrison" wrote in message
...

"David" wrote in message
t...



"MP" wrote in message
...
religious reasons for not keeping score intro snipped

This is a new one to me. Certainly, we should try to be
accommodating
to people's religious beliefs, but it would never have occurred to
me
that there were religions that objected to recording chess games. I
assume that this is because keeping score falls into some broader
category of forbidden actions, but that still doesn't explain much.
For my enlightenment, does anyone know what religions make this
requirement, what their reasoning is, and whether this has come up
in
tournaments?

1) This is not a new rule.

2) I don't know if this specifically is the reason, but orthodox
Judism
and
some highly conservative Xtian sects have prohibitions on doing work
on
the
Sabbath. Writing might be interpretted as work.

David

I don't know if it was intentional but many Christians are offended when
you
refer to them a Xtians.

Yes, it should be 'Xians'. Like 'Xmas'.
Alan


Are you a moron or do you just play one on TV?