Subject: my thoughts on Pisicchio's matter
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 20:09:31 +0200
From: ilderico.gp@flashnet.it
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Hi...
My name is Guido Pacifici,
I’m a quite dedicated player ( PT Chicago ‘97 and some GP over Europe) and
a II Level judge from
Italy.
After reading, listening (I know him personnally), and thinking upon, I
decided to write my opinion on
the Pisicchio’s matter.
First I want just put it down and harsly against such stupid people who are
only barking offences
without having any real grasp on the matter, as that idiot that arrived to
say that Pisicchio and Cristino
are the same guy.!!!
Well Cristino (whose letter, personnally, I dislike....) and Pisicchio have
been both to the worlds ‘97
and are two distinct people!!!
Anyway, the words of idiots are worthless to the wise....
I wont discuss on the matter if Pisicchio really did mark his lands or not,
because I wasn’t here, and
surely now I can’t add anything new to what as yet been said.
The only thing is that’s impossible to judge what exactly happened there.
The things that for me are to point out are two:
first, after listening to mr. Chiarvesio, one of the rapresentative of WotC
Italy present at the Worlds,
I’ve been confirmed of the fact that the judges who took for a check
Pisicchio’s deck refused to show
him, why and how the cards were marked (I think this is a right of anybody
accused of anything, be
showed what is on charge on him); and refused to show him that the lands
were recognizable too (at
least show me that you effectively can discern lands by other spells....).
And second thing to point out was the length of the disqualify due for this
fact.
One year!!!
till September ‘99!!
I’ve the chance to read the letter that the DcI sent him to justify the
harshness of the sanction given to
him, it said that he wanted INTENTIONALLY mark his cards so committing a
very bad act of
unfairness , and so on...
Now how can they be sure this happened INTENTIONALLY???
How can this be demonstrated???
Why he marked his card INTENTIONALLY while, for example, poor Steven O
Mahoney Schwarz
(which I repute a nice dude, having played against him twice) surely was
unintentional in putting that 4
CLEARLY (words of Chiarvesio..) marked Cursed Scroll ?
Perhaps the judges could read his mind to state that him was bending them
more on purpose??
In conclusion I don’t think that there is a war against Italians as some
people here say, even if the fact
that sometimes the IRC channels on Magic were banning the .it domain is
true; but I think that on the
final decision on the Pisicchio’s matter the judges have been biased by
external factors as precedents
on his player’s carrer (for different matters I want to point), and
expecially by the Monza’s faked
tournament matter (thing that I deplore, and whose He is absolutely
estraneous!! not becuase Monza
is in Italy all Italian players are guilty!!).
As a judge, knowing that a clear code misses (do this thing now!!! it’s
essential!!), I think that being
the dubt of cheating, a disqualify from the tournament was comprehensible,
perhaps even a SHORT
disqualify in time length...; but one year is absolutely out of proportion.
Lots of conclaimed cheaters still play around, or have had very very
shorter measures for much more...

As a personal experience, I can even say that I’m not so sure that there
has been any intention on his
part, because he is a very careless guy for much anything, known for have
carelessly left a full Arabian
Night collection on a table on a convention, and under my eyes (I brought
it back) leaving his deck
and bag on a restaurant table on Chicago..

So I ask if possible to reconsider the length of the disqualify by the DCI,
and meanwhile suggest the
issuing of a clear conduct code in which all the possible effractions are
considered with the related
penalties.

Thanks,
 and excuse me for my bad English

Guido Pacifici
DCI number : 246020