11 – In the Zone

Publisher Summary Microsoft Corporation has sponsored a gaming website—www.zone.com—where one could play games, such as backgammon, chess, and checkers. According to the rules of play on the website, each player has four minutes to make a move. If a player takes longer than that, the Web server terminates the match and awards the opponent the victory. Four minutes per move is longer than what tournaments allow, and it's longer than most people's patience. Amateur players make move quickly, and they expect their opponents to do the same. Unlike them, professionals take more time, and they don't mind when their opponents do the same. As per the rules on the website, if a player leaves 10 incomplete games, then the player's rating will fall by one hundred points. But, even this penalty didn't seem to discourage some individuals from exhibiting poor sportsmanship.