Being seen to be clean
So, there's an online match where one side is suspicous of the contracts on a couple of boards. They suspect that the other side may have loaded a PBN file in for the match (giving them advanced knowledge of the hands), but are unable to check this.
Of course the correct approach is to query the bidding / play, but sometimes all it takes to swing a close match is a couple of "lucky" boards.
That's not what this post is about - it's about doing what we can to give players confidence that the playing field is a level one.
It's pefectly possible for the online provider to provide details of whether a PBN file has been loaded, and when a director has been signed in. Should these details be provided as a matter of course for private matches (i.e. not run by a club)?
In the war against cheating we should surely use all tools at our disposal.
Jeremy
Comments
If I arrange a private match on RealBridge, I make sure both captains have the TD link. Not sure about BBO.
On BBO, a message appears at the start which tells you if the boards have been pre-loaded.