baronreit

2003 Baron Bowl Mission Statement.....The Baron Bowl seeks to become the most prestigious annual Tournament Event played exclusively on the Internet. Although participants have qualified in pairs, the Baron Bowl will crown an individual champion. The tournament is played over 3 days. The events are designed to test a player’s bridge proficiency, endurance, ability to play with unfamiliar partners, and adjust to a wide variety of formats. Every playing and scoring format available at BBO is incorporated into the Tournament. Better than 30% of the field will reach the final event all with an equal chance to be crowned Baron Bowl champion for 2003. The Bowl is a winner take all. Championship event. There are only 3 places to finish: Champion, First Runner-up or Participant Dates: The inaugural Baron Bowl Tournament will be played over three days Oct 17-18-19 Qualifying Events: 2 more qualifying event will be held- Tonite at around 7pm edt and Sunday Nite at approximately 10:15 edt. Tournament Events-All times are eastern daylight or eastern standard (whichever is applicable) October 16: 9 PM EDT-Mandatory meeting to discuss the event-answer questions and for introduction of directors We will discuss substitutions; decorum; engaging the directors; protest procedures and anything else necessary Play begins: October 17 8:30 pm Matches #1 and #2 24 board MP event played in 2 Sections- after a fifteen minute break there will be an individual 16 board IMP event -1 Section (Match #3) October 18 3 pm EDT 24 board IMP pairs event(Match #4 and #5) in 2 sections-top(Match #6)/bottom (Match #7)50% from each section will play as a section in the evening event. 8PM EDT Each Section will Play a 4 match round robin of 8 boards each- in total points format. 15 minutes after conclusion of the round robin a 16 board IMP( Match #8) scoring 1 session event will be held. You have already played 56 boards, but you must now gather your strength. This event is the final qualifying tournament. It will be played in 1 section only and carries the highest scoring value of all of the qualifying events. Final positions are likely to be affected dramatically. Following conclusion of play, the Baron Bowl will make an announcement of the finalists. Finalists will be the 50 individual players with the highest score plus ties, plus up to 6 Baron Bowl selectees and up to 4 replacement players. Points accumulated during qualification do not carry over to the final day of play. October 19 3 PM 20 board MP pairs speed ball -6 minutes per board 1 section Scoring Px2x4+bonus (scoring is used only to determine champion among the winning pair) Top 12 finishers(plus ties) automatically move on to the evening events and are therefore not required to participate in the team matches which conclude the afternoon sessions. Note however failure to participate will likely cost a player the championship. Points are available even if a player loses both team matches. 5 PM -approximate 2 ( match and rematch)-12 board Team Matches IMPS. Pairs will be randomly teamed for this event. Opponents will be switched for rematch. Each team match is scored as follows winning team- total imps scored x10+500 losing team- total imps scored x 7.5 +250 In the event that teams split the 2 matches scoring will determine the winner. Each match is scored and the scores combined to determine the winning team All Winning teams move on to the evening events Points earned during afternoon play DO NOT carryover 8 pm approximate 24 board individual Imps in 1 section only. The top 32 players move on to the final event. The Grand Finale 15 minutes following conclusion of the IMP game players still remaining will play a total Points style individual KO event. Before each round, players will be randomly paired and pairs then matched. Each Round will consist of an 8 board match until the semi-finals. Both the semi final and final matches will be 12 board events. From the winning pair, the player with the highest point total accumulated during the final day of play, will be crowned champion and the other player from the winning pair as First Runner -up Scoring:. Your score for an event is based upon the following formula: P=final position in inverse order MV=match value S= the number of sections in which the event is played scoring formula for pairs/individual IMP and MP matches is Px2xSxMV+bonus Match1/2 has an MV of 1 Match 3 has an MV of 1.5 Match 4/5 has an MV of 1.5 Match 6 (qualified pairs) has an MV of 2 Match 7 has an MV of 1.5 Match 8 has an MV of 3 Bonus- 1st-500 x MV 2nd-250 x MV 3rd-200 x MV 4th -100 x MV 5th-75 x MV 6th through 10th 40 x MV The bonus points are intended to all but insure that an individual event winner or runner up qualifies for the final day of the championship. Alternates: 10 alternates determined by standing in the qualifying events will be maintained in ranked order. The Alternates will have the option to replace 1 out of every 2 openings into the tournament resulting from a qualified player withdrawing prior to commencement of the first event. The chairman has the right to fill the first and every 2nd opening thereafter with an invitee of his choice. Any alternate that does not gain entry prior to commencement of the first event shall be eligible to substitute and will have first priority Substitutes during qualifying events: Any sub who is called into play becomes a permanent participant in the tournament. In a timed event a sub will be called for immediately but if the substituted player is ready to play before commencement of play of the second full board to be played following his/her boot, he/she will be returned to action and the substitute will be on stand bye. Any player who substitutes in will be awarded the higher of the score attained or the median score for the tournament in which he/she subbed. The player is eligible to continue on as a permanent participant. Substitutes during Champions Day are volunteers and not eligible to win the championship. Baron Bowl Selectees- The chairman reserves the right to name six players to participate in Champions Day events and any such invitee is eligible to win the championship. Invitees may be past champions; tournament volunteers, players of high reputation or others which the Chairman determines in his sole discretion are deserving of selection. The Baron Bowl selectees may or may not have participated in qualifying events. Champions Day In all 60 players will compete at the commencement of events on Final Day of the tournament for the Baron Bowl Championship Boot Procedures. If a player loses connection or for any reason is booted from the tournament he/she shall make every effort to return to play as quickly as possible. If the player returns and is not automatically seated it means a substitute has been called in. The booted player shall not go to the table but rather shall immediately inform the director that he/she is back and available to return and thereafter shall await the directors instructions. If the booted player has exceeded the time to return to play he/she may be permitted to re enter the event as a substitute at the discretion of the Director. The booted player’s partner shall note the time of his/her partner’s boot and the board # and inform the director promptly. Removal of Player for chronic bad connection: Poor connections are a source of great frustration for players and directors and in clocked events seriously impair play. Directors have the discretion to remove a player from an event if the Director finds the player to have a chronic bad connection. A chronic bad connection is one which appears in at least two rounds and during the play of a least 3 boards. A player removed for a chronic bad connection has the right to return within the time periods proscribed for a booted player but must certify to the Director that he has rebooted or changed servers such that it is unlikely that the problem will continue if the director permits re entry in the tournament. Re entry of a player removed for a chronic bad connection is at the directors discretion. Code of Conduct: The Baron Bowl adopts the BBO code of conduct and in addition the following rules shall apply: 1. There shall be no collusion or other anti-competitive conduct of any kind. No participant shall intentionally promote the position of another player by bidding/ play which is either intentionally and patently poor or for which, in the Director’s sole discretion there is no reasonable explanation other than a desire to improve the standing of another. Disqualification shall be presumed the appropriate sanction for a violation of the rule; provided however the accused player has the right to appear before the infractions committee and provide mitigating or exonerating information. The committee shall meet and decide the case before the start of the next event` if possible. Each player(including the potentially benefitted player) is charged with the responsibility to report any such collusive conduct. Failure to do so will result in sanction and may result in disqualification from the tournament. 2. Any pair who intends to play from the same physical location shall report this circumstance to the chair prior to commencement of play. The chairman may set special conditions for play. 3. Partners shall not communicate with one another during an event nor have the tools in place to do so. No form of instant messaging or speaking software shall be open or opened during play 4. English shall be the only language spoken during a round include any waiting time unless all 4 players agree otherwise. Total Points Events. There are two total points events scheduled. All total points events will be played in the Baron Bowl Public Club area NOT in the tournament area. 1. Round Robin Each Pair will play 4 matches consisting of 8 boards. Each match must start on board 1 and end on board 8 to ensure fairness in vulnerability. Accordingly boards may not be skipped or redealt without the express permission of the director. The director shall assign pairs to play a match. The first player of the first pair announced by the director shall set the table for total points-allowing kibitzers but not allowing them to speak to the table. Each player is responsible to see that the table has been properly set before play begins. At the conclusion of the match the parties will report to the director the NET DIFFERENTIAL in the total score. The team losing a match shall carry a 0 score The net differential shall be carried by each pair from match to match. At the conclusion of all matches the pairs will be ranked in order the winner have the highest positive total net differential. Scoring the Round Robin events: Px2x4xMV plus Bonus 2. Individual KO The Baron Bowl strongly recommends that finalists read the rules for total point tournament play which can be found in the TPT club news section or at their website. Pairs will be randomly assigned and then matched against another randomly assigned pairs. The pair with the highest point total at the conclusion of the match moves on. The loser is eliminated unless the round in play requires 1 additional pair-the LL(least loser). In such case the pair losing by the least number of points also advances. Pairs Events. These are the only events where players can chose their partner. Players may make arrangements with any other participant and are not bound to play with the person with whom they qualified. Players seeking a partner should use the facility of the partnership desk. The failure to pair up by the start of any pairs event during the tournament will result in exclusion-although players are eligible to substitute into the event. The event schedule and list of qualified players is published. There is really no excuse not to be paired up and registered well prior to the start of the pairs events. Disclaimer: Bridgebase Online(BBO) is not the sponsor of, nor has it sanctioned the Baron Bowl or any Baron Bowl Event. The Baron Bowl is the creation of Baronreit and will be produced by BBO players for the BBO community. The Baron Bowl is open to any BBO player. Participants should expect no reward or award of any kind for playing in or winning any particular event including the final event. Baronreit makes no representation that the Baron Bowl will be played according to the information set forth in this release and reserves the right to modify the type and number of events; scoring formulas, method for determining a winner and any other aspect of the proposed event. Indeed no representation is made that the Baron Bowl will be played at all. Intellectual Property Rights. Use of the name Baron Bowl or replication of the Baron Bowl Tournament event for any purposes, without the written consent of Baronreit is expressly prohibited. Trademarks and copyrights are pending. Qualified Players as of October 11, 2003 1. Bjde 2.ouelboul 3.giorhelm 4.tobice 5.dacz 6.ldoofik 7.bakly 8.micoooo 9.chocsdog 10.jackm 11.mesamo 12.gkeswar 13.malafaya 14.ka2810 15.cayis 16.pandoro 17.patrobo* qualified by # 13 18.haggis 19. imaroach 20. billyjef 21. torre39 22.zmej 23. 151 24.ejb007 25. tong1954 26.wdgann 27. 1cSniper 28. Anika 29.Ulrikbro 30.romanQ 31.waldek_jez 32. zibix 33. malomi 34. Ari7 35 ramana_48 36. paperboy 37. annebabe 38. bridgex 39. mrdct 40. tafkah 41. dpman007 42. catherine 43. wibrahim 44. depak6 45. abizonek 46. amaverick 47. strags 48. club333 49. X33 50. Mr Adrian 51. grey ghost 52. sooziel 53 berdem 54 slh48 55 sserra 56 Hasan_52 57 hassel 58 AnneGA 59. abu1 60. cezlat 61, pilsner 62 fernandoF 63 leggygodiv 64 superboy 65 nando227 Alternates 1.dbordsen1 2.guaso 3.garde12 4.guatecham 5.gryflo 6.ginnyg 7. tressa 8. Bagli 9. trtttttt 10. paresh 10a. djk

Ken you cannot imagine how gratifying your post is. We are in fact running far more efficiently and without any promotion we are consistently at ten tables and I expect steady growth. For those of you who have not played in a tournament yet come give it a try. For those who tried it out the first week come back we are far quicker in moving rounds and seating players. Thanks again for the kind words

hi all my name is bob-but most call me baron because of my handle-baronreit. The name comes from my former business-a Real Estate Investment Trust-I live in Florida but have been traveling now for almost 2 years-presently in NYC. My passions are golf and bridge in that order. I am always around-like 2/1 but happy to play precision as well-which is the system I first learned to play. I am an easy going guy but take the game seriously. I am always courteous-believe in giving undos always-and hope you bring a smile and good disposition to my table-bring your A game as well. I am the organizer ot tourney play at BBO as an interim step as Fred will bring us duplicate before to long. In the meantime come play with us

where can we read about relaxed rules and how do u anticipate rules changes will attract younger players

and while i am at it-Uday I don't think anyone wants a hassle and thats why most inappropriate behavior goes unreported. I am still suffering for calling in for support to deal with an abusive spectator in one of the tournaments. Now everytime I make a lobby announcement concerning a tournament I get a public reply for the kid or guy as follow: "tournaments suck"-In the end I probably would have been better off not getting involved-but I don't think that way. because I spend a good deal of time in the community I want it to reflect my values not someone elses -so I do hassle-but I am hardly the average bbo member

I can't leave a misimpression-cause i was truly making ajoke-no one on this earth is as lucky as i am to have a wife as wonderful as Lisa. We have been madly in love for gosh knows how long and everyday I give thanks for being so blessed. Only because this is the case can I make a joke like that

The memory is burned like branded cattle. I was 12 and my father invited me to play my 1st round of golf. We reached the first green, amazingly, without incident. As 1 of our foursome began to putt I started walking across the back of the green. Son-my father shouted-stand your ground-This is a game for gentlemen not children-it is a game of rules and etiquette. Respect your fellow player always. Well, I actually thought that was a neat thing to play aman's game as a child and if it meant following the rules and treating people respectfully-I could do that. So I grew up with the notion that etiquette is an integral part of playing adult games. Enter the world of on-line bridge. When I first came on BBO I was foolish enough to ask if I could sit before sitting. The result of course was that I never got a seat that way. OK, live and learn. Just today in a 4 hour session on BBO-4 players left the game in the middle of a hand-in 3 instances they left after bidding absurd contracts and in the 4th case he left because we bid a slam. In two separate instances opponents were speaking furiously in a language my partner and I did not understaND-which of course is fine-except it took 20 minutes to play a hand. I finally asked one of the pair to cut out the chatter and the response I got was "typical american" and 1 or maybe both got up and left. In another instance today 2 people who did not know each other paired against us. After the first hand they began to criticize each others play. By the 4th hand they were hurling epithets. Now keep in mind these are complete strangers-I wonder whether sitting in the chair gives one license to disregard all manner of common decency never mind concern for etiquette. Maybe it was a bad day at the ranch, but bridge is a lot more enjoyable when adults act like adults and remember that courtesy and etiquette are as much a part of the game as conventions. Another day like today and I might have to spend time with my wife.

Mike-I directed Sunday's game and if that is the game you attempted to play you have my sincere apology for the bad experience. I hope you will give the game another chance-it is intemded to favor the less experienced player but I would say that in most events the better players move deep into the rounds-and indeed win on more occasions than not. As Fred noted, The volunteer directors and assistants have successfully run this type of event for years at another site that is dying-many of those players have come to bbo and wanted not only to continue their game but -because they find it so much fun-offer the BBO community the opportunity to participate. We are running 4 tournaments a week-they run 5 tournaments a day!!so give us the benefit of the doubt as far as our experience with the format goes. Having said that we know full well we have gotten off to a bad start. As I tried to explain it takes a while for the players to learn the game-and this we expected. We did not expect the difficulties with the program. Fo r example-the director if sitting at a table is blind to the tournament room-this is a huge problem which we think we have figured a way to correct by posting assistants in the lobby, The vulnerability on the hands works sometimes and sometimes not-sometimes a table starts with board 1 sometimes board 2-if players don't get 2 hands at each vul in round 1 and 1 at each in succeeding rounds the total points scoring becomes unfair-never mind the luck factor. So we are attemptoing to figure out a solution that does not slow done play-we would be happy for any suggestions. We did not expect the huge turn out at sundays game- I oversold the event -we were fran kly overwhelmed - and when you couple that with the unexpected program difficulties and players complete lack of experience-well it was a recipe for disaster. That of course is our view-we know we can do a much better job and will-in actuality while we know there were some very frustrated players-the number was suprisingly small. Most who played seemed to enhoy it-were patient and understood this was our first experience at BBO I Come back 1 more time and see if we arn't doing a better management job. We are not suggesting the format is an alternative to serioujs bridge-its not intended to be-its a diversion-group party bridge if you will. We agree entirely with Fred-the format will live or die on the basis of how many players want it. I can tell you with al sincereity that the fact that you sat waiting for opponents or assignment for that period of time is personally -but it did not derive from anyone's lack of care-or arrogance or disrespect-it happned because we did not have good control of the event. I can tell you this with absolute assurance-we have corrected that situation and no one is gonna sit at an empty table or be forgotten mor any unreasonable time period in the future

For the Benefit of our Friends Down Under, along the Pacific Rim and others we are adding a 4th tournament Saturdays at 8pm est I would like to accomodate Europe, the Middle East and Western Asia. What time of day would work best on a week-day and same question for week-end. We will implement as soon as we can figure out a good time and date.

For those wishing to volunteer as Directors you must attend 2 training sessions. This week the session are being held as follows Session 1 Thursday (today) at 7p est Saturday March 1 at 7p est Session 1 reviews the format of the tournaments-and covers the details of running the tourney from start to finish Session 2 Thursday (today) at 11 p est Sunday at noon Session 2 is a practical workshop. Participants are challenged with a series of problems which may present themselves during a tournament-rulings are critiqued

Current tournament schedule- all times are Eastern Standard: Sundays 4:30 PM Tuesdays 8:00 PM Thursdays 8:00 PM

Frequently asked Questions: 1. What is the format of the tournaments. Why not duplicate. . The tournament is in the form of pairs knock-out. In each round pairs compete head to head using total points format. The team with the greater number of points advances to the next round. The losing pair is knocked out. At this moment, BBO is not set up for duplicate tournaments. 2. Who is eligible to participate. The tournament is open to everyone. Although the tournament requires the pairing of players for the matches, anyone wishing to play who does not have a partner should come to the tournament room where partners can easily be found. Many partnerships are formed immediately prior to the start of the tournament. Players who sign up for tournaments agree to be bound by the rules of play and code of conduct. Participation in tournament play is a privilege not a right. Directors are empowered to suspend or bar players from future tournaments for conduct which is disruptive or egregious. Players violating the BBO code of conduct are subject to further sanction by the Host site. 3. How can less experienced players compete against the experts? The Total Points format provides all levels of player a fairly equal opportunity to win. The outcome of any given match is highly dependent upon which side gets the better cards and makes good strategic decisions 4. Is the only strategy “luck of the cards” Luck certainly plays a role in the outcome of a match. However the luck factor can be reduced substantially by good bridge and smart strategic thinking. Pairs that play a strategic match are far more likely to win then pairs relying solely upon their bridge expertise or luck of the cards. In 75% of the matches, the outcome of the last hand will determine the winner of the match. If playing from behind it is critical to stay in the match-that is keep the spread below 600 entering the final hand. Likewise, there is a huge advantage to building a lead above 600 entering the final hand. Take bidding risks with this in mind. There is little difference leading by 190 or 590 points entering the last hand. In either case, if opponents score a vulnerable game you will lose the match. Perhaps the single most important strategy is never bid beyond that contract necessary to win. If behind by 130 points, free bidding beyond 2 of a major is fool hardy Conversely, never allow the bidding to end at a point where you have no chance to win. You may as well concede the match and in many cases that is the appropriate action to take. Other winning strategies: In 4 board matches never bid a questionable slam when vulnerable unless the bid is needed to win the match in the last hand. Losing the points awarded for making a vulnerable game will usually hand the match to your opponents. Bid every marginal game when not vulnerable and every reasonable game when vulnerable. Do not allow opponents back in a match if you gain a big lead with an ill advised double. The objective of the first 3 boards is to gain a lead over 600 or to stop a lead from exceeding that total.. . If a pair needs to make a game in the final hand, the first of the pair to bid should not open with less than 14 or 15 hcp. Conversely, a team protecting a lead should open marginal hands In many rounds a team that loses a match will nevertheless advance if their net margin of loss is the lowest among all the matches. Therefore there exist circumstances where it makes more sense to bid for the Least Loser than to attempt a hopeless bid to win the match For example, you are behind by 190 points entering the last hand. It appears that u have a shot to make 2 or 3 hearts but 4 hearts is out of reach. The winning strategy is to pass 2hts. If by chance you make 4 your team will score 170. With a 20 point spread in the loss, you are a favorite to advance as the Least Loser. Even if you score 110, a net difference of less than 100 has a good chance to win the Least Loser and advance. Bidding 4 down 1 eliminates any possibility of advancing. 5. How long does the tournament take: The average tournament takes 2.5 hours to complete. The first round is scheduled for 45 minutes. Each succeeding round is scheduled for 20 minutes. Each tournament runs approximately 6 rounds. 6. What happens if I want to drop out. If you cannot continue for good reason the tournament director will work with your partner to find a substitute. If that is not possible your team will be disqualified. Players habitually dropping out without a good reason will be barred from entering future tournaments. 7. Who are the Tournament Directors. Tournament directors are easily identified by the TD_ member name. Each is a volunteer member of the BBO community giving their time to enhance member’s enjoyment of tournament play. They should be treated with respect at all times. Directors are not compensated and running tournaments is often difficult and stressful. Do not ask a Director to reveal his or her regular playing name if it is not identified in their profile. Td’s have broad discretion to resolve any problem or dispute arising during tournament play. The only circumstances where a Td’s decision may be reviewed is where a player has been suspended for a specific number of future tournaments or has been permanently barred from further play. 8. How can I become a Director Anyone interested in directing should contact Baronreit at rsg1025@aol.com. We anticipate the need for many more directors as the tournaments grow in popularity. We expect that before too long demand will exist for 1 or more tournaments every day. 9. Where do I find the tournament room All tournaments will be held in the Players Tournament Club –which is located in the Public Clubs section of BBO. From the Lobby, enter the room where games are played and click on the Public Clubs button at the bottom of the screen, From there, click on the Players Tournament Club and enter the Directors game as a kibitzer. 10. What do I get if I win. The thrill of winning. The tournaments are simply for fun. There are no entry fees, consequently we do not have the ability to award cash or other prizes. Depending upon the frequency at which tournaments are held, at least four times during a calendar year winners only tournaments will be held to determine grand champions. Players receiving invitations may pair with any other invited player. BBO has indicated a willingness to promote tournaments and recognize winners. 11. What role does BBO play in running of the tournaments. The simple answer is none whatsoever. The tournament organizers are players within the community. BBO has given permission to the organizers to conduct tournaments in a Public Club Room. Our Host has also agreed to publicize the dates and times of tournaments. However BBO has not sanctioned the tournaments; has not commented on the format, rules or regulations and is not responsible in any manner for the conduct of play. BBO has required the all play in tournaments conform to BBO rules and regulations including the site code of conduct, all of which are incorporated in the rules for tournament participation. BBO directors will not be involved in any decision making concerning tournaments nor in any dispute resolution between a member and a tournament director or organizer

Tournaments Begin Sunday March 2, 2003-for schedule, rules and regs and FAQs for tournament play please go to the Players Tourney Club in Public Clubs Section of BBO-click on the club then click on club news. We need volunteers to help with tournaments-We need tourney directors, assistants and players willing to act as substitutes