There will be no major alteration in E.Tw.A Rules for this year. However the following minor modifications have been made, together with clarification of one or two points not expressly covered in the Rules, but on which a ruling is desired simply so that there may be uniformity of view on the occasions when “odd situations” arise.

1. Rule 8 on “Bounds” now reads:— “If, at any time, a player squidges his own wink off the mat, he replaces it immediately on the edge where it went off (or, if he wishes, up to one squidger’s width into the field of play) and misses his next turn. A wink may be counted as ‘off’ if the player deems it so near the edge of the mat as to be unplayable, and prefers to miss a turn.”(This means that a wink is still in play even when it has been squidged off the mat, and can thus be counted in reckoning up free turns, or in scoring after the time-limit. Likewise, being in play, it can be squopped.)(If a player sends two of his own winks off the mat, he misses two turns etc.)(The starting-line in the, corner of the table where players place their winks at the beginning of the game sometimes causes a little confusion. If a wink comes to rest in the small triangular space-behind the base-line, it is still in the field of play but cannot be squopped by a wink on the base-line being played backwards away from the pot!)
2. Match Procedure. In the adjudication after the time-limit has expired, winks in the pot now score 3 points (whereas they used to score 2). This amendment is also to be taken in conjunction with the sometimes neglected sentence in Rule One:— “The aim of the game is to flick the winks into the pot.”
3. Rule 10 Paragraph 2. This is an unsatisfactory rule, since it is often very difficult to apply, and in fact most people ignore it and take the common-sense way out by placing a wink (which has accidentally touched a player) in the position in which it would have landed. This does admittedly call for a fairly high standard of honesty and sportsmanship but seems to be a preferable way out of this little problem. In general, it is a good idea for all players other than the one actually playing the shot to stand back from the table so as to avoid being touched by a wink in flight.
4. Order of colours. For the sake of convenience, many people have adopted the practice bf playing the colours in alphabetical order, i.e. Blue, Green, Red, Yellow in that order clockwise round the table. This seems to be a sensible idea and helps to prevent people accidentally playing out of turn.
5. General Comment on the Use and Misuse, of Rules

   The purpose of playing Tiddlywinks is enjoyment. There is no financial gain to be had by winning and the “prestige” and “honour” of a Tiddlywinks Champion is indeed limited. Accordingly, if people do not enjoy playing, they will soon give uo the game and before long it will die out.

   The pleasure to be derived from Tiddlywinks is greatly reduced if anybody, through over-anxiety to win at all costs, resorts to “gamesmanship” of the worst sort, for instance by time-wasting, by continuously negative play, or by a narrow-minded and ungentlemanly interpretation of the Rules. It is impossible and undesirable to lay down legislation to cover every eventuality in the game. Inevitably a great deal must be left to the good sense of the players.

   The game of Tiddlywinks is thought of by the vast majority of people as being petty and childish. Only if we who openly profess to be Tiddlywinks enthusiasts, make every effort to ensure that Tiddlywinks matches and tournaments are occasions noted for their friendliness and good humour, can this game survive, let alone expand.