naskippy

I have found as BBO has evolved that managing Convention Cards is a nightmare. I have many cards with the same person name on them but they are for other people I play with. Many time when you sign up for games the convention cards do not show up and then you have opps that complain there is no convention card posted when it should have automatic posted. The Convention Card system in BBO is in need of a complete overhaul and needs to be fixed and made more user friendly. Also when trying to print a convention card this is an absolute nightmare and many things cut off. I have tried everything and continue to have ongoing issues as do many of my partners.

I do not totally agree. I am a Director and an adjusted score is a Penalty. If you did not do something wrong I would never give you an Ave-. Thus since you did something wrong and forced me to act as a Director it is in fact a penalty. Also, an Adjusted score can be a penalty. Example: You claim and you give a bogus line of play to make the contract or do not realize there is a trump out etc. An adjusted score can be a penalty. The opps call and explain this is a bogus claim and why and the director should adjust the board. This is a law that must be followed and thus a directors action would be considered a penalty as the declarer did not get their expected result. I can't agree with you and your rebuttal.

We have had several articles in the Bridge Bulletin addressing this topic recently and specifically in regard to BBO. You know, I know, Everyone knows there will be cheaters. They are sometimes hard to identify but BBO and the ACBL have been cracking down on such cases of which they can absolutely identify and have imposed appropriate disciplinary actions. But my guess is, for each they find there are at least a 200 or more they missed. It gets very suspect in example of a husband and wife pair that do terrible at the club and rarely scratch suddenly online in Virtual Club games are some of the top performers...and playing at home in the same household on the same Internet connection. I have always said that pairs should be limited to play together from differing IPS Addresses which would cut out a lot of cheating possibilities. Personally I have a friend that comes to visit me about once a year. I set up a computer about 5 feet away from mine so he can use it while visiting. Sometimes we play on BBO together...but we do not cheat. That is hard for some players to do in the temptation. We also have situations of which you and I both now that a partnership will get on their phones or Skype or Face Book Messenger and cheat the entire time and tell what they have in their hands, what to lead, what they have for support of a contract, etc.. I am not so dumb to think this does not happen with frequency. The question is how to stop it? This again being addressed in multiple issues of the Bridge Bulletin without any kind of possible solution to the issue other than monitoring by BBO and the ACBL. Monitoring is not the answer. I highly suggest one thing that will help, but very little. No two people playing together from the same IPS Address, period. Second, an advisory board that when there is obvious or highly suspect cheating taking place that members of BBO and the ACBL can write to for investigation without having fear of negative recourse. The Cheating did not start at BBO, it started at the Club Games, Tournaments, World Championships etc. long before BBO was though of. This is not new...but with a new environment we have to think outside the box with new forms and ideas of catching these ashwholes that cheat and ruin the game for the rest of us.

A Director does have the right to award an adjusted score for slow play and various other situations. The Director does not lose his power simply by being on BBO. Frequently at clubs the Director can adjust a board to and A+/A- and repeated offences could even be adjusted to the loss of a half board or more. This is simply one example. A Director can also do adjustments of this nature for various infractions of the Laws Of Duplicate Bridge. Their hands are NOT tied.

As I felt this did not apply to just me in the few different area Virtual Club games that I play in and seeing these issues with some Directors that this is most likely taking place in a vast number or other games too. BBO is not always correct and there is still a job to do by our Club Directors. That was the point and my posting was not directed at any certain Club Director or game. I have also seen the things I described in may ACBL games I have played in, not just Virtual Club games. Why do I say nothing directly to these Directors in the ACBL or Virtual Club games when I see these types of issues happen to me or others? Well, very simple. Some are quick on the trigger to ban you from future play...which is another issue for a different forum topic. I recently had an issue with a pair for slow play by the opps and called the Director. This was in a game halfway across the country of which I am a non-member and just a guest due to having friends that play in that club. He literally called me on the phone after the game, a person/Director I do not know nor him me and told me "We have lots of old players in our game, please do not complain again about slow play and BBO adjustments". WTF!!!!! How dare he call me on the phone with such a message. I can only assume he called me by looking me up on some ACBL information. How inappropriate. There should be some kind of sanction for calling ACBL members like that out of the clear blue sky and making such an inappropriate comment to someone.

Since the inception of playing Virtual Club Games on BBO I have seen various different attitudes from Directors in various clubs of which I am allowed to play. On BBO, a lot of the "Director Calls" are eliminated due to the way BBO software is setup. This would be things like there is no more Lead Out Of Turn, Two Cards Played At Same Time, Play Out Of Turn, and various other Laws Of Duplicate Bridge that BBO has build in them of which a Club Director need not be worried about making rulings on. However, BBO does NOT all and encompass all the rules of the Laws Of Duplicate Bridge, thus why we continue to have Directors in our Virtual Club games. I address this issue as since we started having Virtual Club games on BBO many inappropriate rulings imposed on myself and on others/opposing pair. Examples would I have personally seen: Demanding that a player play out a hand after a valid claim with explaination and the opponents refused to accept. Repeated slow play by a pair causing repeated adjusted boards throughout the game. LONG hesitations inconsistent with a players hand. Partner I did not know if I should be Hearts or Spades comment in table chat...they are defending and giving unauthorized information...etc. etc. etc. Just because we are playing a Virtual Club game on BBO does NOT mean the Laws of Duplicate Bridge are somehow just thrown out the window! I have seen on multiple occasions the Club Director come to the table and make a statement to the effect "We are playing on BBO, the rules are different here". WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!? Absolutely no way are the rules different here on BBO in a Virtual Club game. The Club Director should absolutely rule or adjust a board or impose penalty just as if it were in a physical club game situation at their club. This needs to be addressed with Club Directors and they must understand they still have a job to do as the Director of the game and that the Laws of Duplicate Bridge are not thrown out the window just because we are in a different environment on BBO. I would not address this in this forum if I had not seen this repeatedly by various Club Directors and witnesses inappropriate ruling or bad bad board adjustments or the lack there of. I do also want to point out that when BBO makes a board adjustment they are NOT always correct after a slow play hand. The Club Director does need to adjust these board to be equitable in accordance with the play of the hand, and remember BBO is a computer program and BBO does not always get it right when making a board adjustment after a slow play situation. I have seen this many times and have had some Directors that could see the issue make the appropriate adjustment...most won't and that needs to also change.