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Paul Kovac	See if you can Stump the Ump... E-mail questions to Paul Kovac - your friendly on-line USATT umpire. Please note: Questions which have answers that are easily found by consulting the rules may not merit a reply.

Q: Excuse me Ump, I was playing table tennis with my friend. Prior to this I was in a slump for a week. I finally got out of the slump and I was playing a very good game. However my friend was playing good that day as well, and was still beating me. To make matters worse, for fun, he switched his pin-hold paddle around and used the side with no rubber and no sponge. There was only a thick coat of paint, and the small letters "Butterfly" written on it. There was no ITTF symbol on that side. When the ball came of his paddle it was very dead. Not encountering this before I lost the last three games that day. He said it was totally legal. I thought otherwise. Can he legally use this side of the paddle or not?

-submitted by Bradley Friend on 26 Feb 97

A: The ITTF rule # 2.4.3 dictates that a side of the blade used for striking the ball has to be covered with a legal covering. You will be a much happier player and observer of table tennis when you know the rules. The newest version, available at the USATT Headquarters (call Margaret Smith at 719-578-4583, if you are interested), costs about $4.00.

- answered by Paul Kovac - your friendly on-line USATT umpire