Mohit Singh and Milla Huuskonen – © Heli-Katri Marttila

The team Sweden and East-Sweden (Mohit Singh, Milla Huuskonen; Jönköping/Helsinki) has won the Estonian Open 2019. Out of Opening Opposition, they defeated Toore lehm + kana embrüo (Carl-Martin Keerberg, Erik Haamer; Tartu) in Opening Government, Triin is not funny (Triin Toimetaja, Alexander Chen; Copenhagen) in Closing Government and The Dark Knife Rises (Johan Allen, Meradjuddin Khan Oidermaa; Stockholm) in Closing Opposition on the motion “TH prefers a world in which the prevailing norm is one of serial monogamy rather than monogamy (incl. infoslide)”. The final was judged by a panel of Milos Marjanovic (chair), Klaudia Maciejewska, Marta Vasic, Mateusz Wójtowicz and Przemek Stolarski.

Novice winners: Riya Tagra and Andreas Backman – © Heli-Katri Marttila

In the novice final, Closing Government Spooky Scary Schoolies (Riya Tagra, Andreas Backman) took the victory against the Opening Government ??????? (Anton Granath, Maïlys Anne Raphaëlle de Colnet), Opening Opposition Titillating Utility (Andrew Mabon, Luca Stroppa) and Closing Opposition Let It Be (Rūdolfs Rūdis Ziedonis, Kristiāna Kalniņa). The teams debated the motion “THBT liberal states should sponsor the hacking of infrastructure designed to limit freedom of speech in authoritarian states”. The adjudication panel consisted of Mateusz Wójtowicz (chair), Heleriin Ots, Martin Küüsma, Milos Marjanovic and Pierce Ricketts.

Best speaker of the tournament was Johan Allen with an average of 80.00 speaker points. Andrew Mabon topped the novice category with 76 speaker points on average.

Open Break:
1. The Dark Knife Rises (Johan Allen, Meradjuddin Khan Oidermaa) – 14 pts | 797 spks
2. Toores lehm + kana embrüo (Carl-Martin Keerberg, Erik Haamer) – 12 pts | 785 spks
3. Sweden and East Sweden (Mohit Singh, Milla Huuskonen) – 11 pts | 775 spks
4. Triin is not funny (Triin Toimetaja, Alexander Chen) – 11 pts | 760 spks
5. Iba Shinu (Polina Glatjonok, Vladislav Lushin) – 11 pts | 726 spks
6. Wokeback Mountain (Paidamwoyo Mangondo, Piotr Jóźwik) – 10 pts | 781 spks
7. Do you think tabbie has a maximum number of characters for team na (Jonas No Sjølund, Clara Grønborg Juul) – 10 pts | 777 spks
8. Triin & Jaup (Maarja Tambet, Maria Kull) – 10 pts | 763 spks

Novice Break:
1. Spooky Scary Schoolies (Riya Tagra, Andreas Backman) – 9 pts | 746 spks
2. Titillating Utility (Andrew Mabon, Luca Stroppa) – 8 pts | 748 spks
3. ??????? (Anton Granath, Maïlys Anne Raphaëlle de Colnet) – 7 pts | 729 spks
4. Let It Be (Rūdolfs Rūdis Ziedonis, Kristiāna Kalniņa) – 7 pts | 667 spks

Adjudication Break (in alphabetical order):
Benji Kalman,Heleriin Ots, Huyen Thi Thanh Nguyen, Joona Suhonen, Klaudia Maciejewska, Maciej Lulewicz, Marta Vasic, Mateusz Wójtowicz, Milos Marjanovic, Pierce Ricketts, Przemek Stolarski and Rita Chudnovskaya

The tournament was convened by the University of Tartu Debate Club. The CA team consisted of Milos Marjanovic, Huyen Thi Thanh Nguyen and Benji Kalman. Ronja Soopan was responsible for the tab.

The Motions:

R1: Infoslide: Lay judges’ are members of the public who act as judges in minor legal issues, e.g. petty theft, vandalism, criminal damage and drink driving. They are not required to have any formal legal training but are required to be from the local community, to be of good character, to have good communication skills. and to be reliable.

THS the use of local lay judges in minor legal cases

R2: This House supports the US’s use of economic warfare (eg. tariffs, targeted sanctions, etc.) against China in order to force compliance with the rules of the global economic order (eg. opening up its economy, protecting intellectual property, not engaging in currency manipulation, etc.)

R3: THW ban the research, production and use of lethal autonomous weapons

R4: TH regrets the Westernisation of the elites in post-colonial societies. (e.g. speaking predominantly in English, wearing western clothing, going to schools and/or universities in the West, consuming predominantly Western media)

R5: THBT shrinking cities should be allowed to impose an “exit tax” on leaving businesses

SF: TH, as the UK conservative party, would hold a second Brexit referendum

NF: THBT liberal states should sponsor the hacking of infrastructure designed to limit freedom of speech in authoritarian states

F: Infoslide: Serial monogamy is a mating practice in which individuals may engage in sequential monogamous pairings.

TH prefers a world in which the prevailing norm is one of serial monogamy rather than monogamy

jm.