[blackshoe]

 gordontd, on 2017-August-06, 01:50, said:

Closer to 45 years, at least in England - the procedure at any rate pre-dates bidding boxes.

The skip-bid procedure pre-dates bidding boxes in the US, too.

[barmar]

 sanst, on 2017-August-05, 11:24, said:

But I really don't understand why the ACBL drops the Stop card, because players don't understand the reason for it, but still requires them to wait 10 secs before making a call. That's just as incomprehensible.

While not mentioned specifically in the article I quoted, I think one of the problems they're trying to address is the players who follow the "If I use the STOP card it's preemptive, if I don't it's strong" process.

Also, a frequent anecdote is about players saying to their partner, "Didn't you see me use the STOP card?" They don't understand that the STOP card is for LHO's benefit, not partner's.

So the STOP card wasn't serving its intended purpose (players weren't hesitating even when it was used) and it was being used for inappropriate purposes.

[blackshoe]

Frankly it seems to me the way to react to "players aren't following the rules" is to enforce them, not change them.

[barmar]

 blackshoe, on 2017-August-06, 18:54, said:

Frankly it seems to me the way to react to "players aren't following the rules" is to enforce them, not change them.

In a perfect world.