Rules about illegal plays

NulloPlay · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 11

In a game between myself and a close friend the other day my friend threw a 5-2 but then moved his checkers as if he had thrown a 4-2. He picked up his dice immediately and just after I asked him to correct himself. My friend said that he had thrown a 4-2 and was sure of it. I disagreed saying that it had been a 5-2.

My friend says that if I had wanted to protest the move I should have said something before he picked up the dice but what am I supposed to do against an opponent that picks up the dice immediately?

I want to mention that my friend is honest and I trust that he believed that he had thrown a 4-2. And I guess (although I hate to admit defeat) that I could have been the one to misread the dice and his move could have been correct. Anyways, we were just both curious if there were any rules surrounding this type of situation.

Kleinman · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 14

In a casual, no-witness setting, I usually settle these kinds of disputes with a 50/50 coin toss. Another method is that each player rolls a die and whoever comes up with the highest number wins and the roll that he saw stands. You can also choose evens or odds with a single roll. There are a number of options.

ellyssian · Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 18

Technically speaking, a player hasn’t finished his move until he picks up the dice so you can’t really protest the move until after he’s picked up his dice. The problem is, if the dispute is over the numbers on the dice you have no proof once they have been picked up. In tournament play, witnesses can sometimes help. If nobody saw the roll you should call the tournament director.

If you are playing a friendly game there are several rules that people abide by. The first is that if there is a disagreement then the player must play his turn again, from scratch. Your opponent must move his checkers back to the position they were in before his roll, throw the dice again and replay.

It is also important to point out that if you notice that your player has made an illegal play you are under no obligation to say anything. A player can, for instance, misread his dice to the advantage of his opponent. Lets say you have a blot on a point and your opponent is two points away. He rolls a 5-2 but misreads the roll as a 5-3 and jumps over your blot. You are under no obligation to say anything, as he may go back and hit you.