Self-Timing at Tournament Tables

Hi all,

As part of the tournament scene's growth, with more players and larger events, a trend has emerged over time: self-timing tables at tournaments.

It's been probably 10+ years since I've seen a tournament with a central timer. When EC2023 (God bless the organizers) tried to implement it, the outcry was apparently so big that it was dropped mid-round or after the first round.

The tournament rules mention timing as follows:

3.3.3 In-game Breaks
Players are not permitted to take breaks in the middle of a game without notifying a judge. Players should take any necessary personal breaks between rounds, but if it is necessary to take a break in the middle of a game, a judge should be called first to ensure that the proper amount of time is given to the game (extending the time limit for that table as needed).

2.8 Length Rulings
If a judge uses more than one minute to make a ruling, he or she may extend the game time appropriately. The extra time must be clearly communicated and recorded immediately by the judge.

I've experienced different scenarios regarding timing:

The timer starts and is never stopped.
This is fine.

The timer starts and is stopped once or twice when a judge was not close by.
This is fine.

The timer starts and:
* Is stopped by the timekeeper because a player needed to read another player's card.
* Is stopped by the timekeeper because a player needed to shuffle due to a dig through their library.
* Is stopped by the timekeeper because a judge was asked a question right next to the table.
* Is stopped for reasons not defined in the tournament rules.
... ...

My issues with this (besides it being hard to know when a round ends as an organizer) are that different tables end up with different amounts of playtime depending on who times the table.

Suddenly, the timekeeper controls whether a table has 2:00 or 2:15 of game time, not the judge.

I have my opinion on what is correct and not, but my main concern is that not all tables are played on equal terms now.

I would very much like to see a central timer return to larger tournaments, with only the judge able to extend the time. I know I'm probably alone, or there are very few of us who feel this way.

What are the alternatives?

Or is it okay that the game length depends on who is timing a table? If that's the case, shouldn't we at least update the best practices for timekeepers so that some kind of uniform code of conduct is applied?

Kind Regards
/Jesper

P.s.
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