[blackshoe]

Apparently I should have made it clear that John "Maddog" Probst was the director at the club in question.

[barmar]

That's certainly a reasonable attitude as well, preferring to maintain your integrity over a job.

But I think people need to put things in perspective. I don't think I would commit a crime because my boss asked me to, but tempering bridge rulings doesn't rise to that level.

[mycroft]

I realized when I started directing that I have no interpersonal skills, and can't make the fine judgements involved in tempering my rulings to anything but the law book. Also, I played at a club where the rulings went in favour of the pair the TD thought most likely not to come back if he ruled against them, and I felt insulted (and very happy to get out of there); I wasn't going to be that person.

But I also realized that there are ways and ways of calling the TD and asking for a ruling, and ways and ways of delivering that ruling, and that the places in the Law Book where it says to take into account the ability and experience of the player work both ways. And yes, I tailor my rulings around those three things. And I am more likely than most to point out the players' option to ask the TD to waive the penalty (not at the time explicitly, although I might hint).

I believe I am known as a fair (as opposed to unfair, not in the bad-good continuum) TD. Most accept my rulings even though I am WRONG, WRONG, wrongity WRONG, and clearly have the bidding judgement and playing skills of a TD ("those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Those who can't teach, go into administration"). And maybe I have driven some players out of my game. But I've heard of many more *players* who have done so, either by chewing through partners at a horrendous rate, or "I don't want to play against them", or "if I don't show up with a team, I'll be playing with [incompetent] and whoever Mycroft can scratch up to play with her".

[barmar]

I do wonder whether the fears that rulings against them will drive some players away from the club are overblown.

[blackshoe]

Depends on what you mean by "overblown". Certainly there are some players who will not play at games where certain people direct. I've been on both sides of that. Whether the number of such players is significant is another question. The real problem, IMO, is the director who rules so as to placate one player or pair, and never considers the impact of his ruling on the other pair.