Walddk

Here is our schedule for day 7, Saturday the 22nd October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands. Last three rounds of the qualifying. Round 19 Netherlands vs China (BB) USA2 vs Sweden (BB) VOICE Italy vs India (BB) USA1 vs New Zealand (BB) New Zealand vs Canada (VC) Indonesia vs China Hong Kong (SB) Round 20 Australia vs China (BB) VOICE Poland vs Iceland (BB) India vs Sweden (BB) France vs Indonesia (VC) Germany vs Poland (VC) Poland vs Germany (SB) Round 21 Iceland vs USA2 (BB) VOICE Sweden vs New Zealand (BB) Egypt vs Brazil (BB) Italy vs Canada (VC) USA1 vs China (VC) Denmark vs Australia (SB)

Here is our schedule for day 6, Friday the 21st October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands: Round 16 Sweden vs USA1 (BB) VOICE Iceland vs Netherlands (BB) Egypt vs Italy (BB) Indonesia vs Poland (VC) Indonesia vs Germany (SB) Brazil vs Australia (BB) Round 17 USA2 vs Bulgaria (BB) VOICE Italy vs Sweden (BB) USA1 vs Poland (BB) England vs Indonesia (VC) USA1 vs Netherlands (VC) Poland vs Australia (SB) Round 18 Poland vs Italy (BB) VOICE Iceland vs Israel (BB) Egypt vs USA2 (BB) USA2 vs France (VC) Canada vs Germany (VC) USA1 vs Poland (SB)

Here is our schedule for day 5, Thursday the 20th October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands: Round 13 USA2 vs Brazil (BB) Israel vs Sweden (BB) VOICE Japan vs Egypt (BB) Sweden vs USA2 (VC) Germany vs France (VC) USA2 vs Poland (SB) Round 14 USA1 vs Italy (BB) VOICE Brazil vs Netherlands (BB) Egypt vs Iceland (BB) Sweden vs Bulgaria (BB) USA2 vs England (VC) USA1 vs India (SB) Round 15 Poland vs Israel (BB) Bulgaria vs Iceland (BB) VOICE Sweden vs Japan (BB) Canada vs USA1 (VC) Italy vs Poland (VC) USA1 vs Indonesia (SB)

Here is our schedule for day 4, Wednesday the 19th October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands: Round 10 USA1 vs Australia (BB) VOICE Israel vs Bulgaria (BB) Italy vs Brazil (BB) Netherlands vs Egypt (BB) USA1 - Italy (VC) Sweden vs Canada (VC) Round 11 Italy vs Netherlands VOICE USA1 vs Israel (BB) Brazil vs Sweden (BB) New Zealand vs Poland (BB) New Zealand vs England (VC) USA2 vs France (SB) Round 12 Poland vs Brazil (BB) Sweden vs Australia (BB) Israel vs Italy (BB) VOICE Italy vs USA2 (VC) Japan vs USA1 (BB) India vs Indonesia (SB)

Here is our schedule for day 3, Tuesday the 18th October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands: Round 7 China - Iceland (BB) South Africa - USA1 (BB) Egypt - Israel (BB) VOICE New Zealand - USA2(BB) New Zealand - China (VC) USA1 - Italy (SB) Round 8 USA2 - Italy (BB) VOICE Sweden - Poland (BB) Canada - USA1 (BB) England - France (VC) USA1 - Germany (VC) Germany - USA1 (SB) Round 9 Brazil - USA1 (BB) VOICE Poland - USA2 (BB) New Zealand - Italy (BB) Sweden - Canada (BB) Iceland - Japan (BB) USA2 - Germany (VC)

Here is our schedule for day 2, Monday the 17th October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands: Round 4 USA2 - South Africa (BB) Italy - Pakistan (BB) Israel - India (BB) VOICE Japan - Poland (BB) Indonesia - Poland (SB) China - France (VC) Round 5 China - Italy (BB) VOICE Bulgaria - USA1 (BB) Poland - South Africa (BB) Israel - USA2 (BB) England - USA1 (VC) France - Netherlands (SB) Round 6 Bulgaria - Poland (BB) Iceland - Italy (BB) Netherlands - Australia (BB) Israel - Brazil (BB) USA1 - France (VC) VOICE Egypt - Sweden (BB)

Here is our schedule for day 1, Sunday the 16th October, at the World Championships in the Netherlands: Round 1 BBO 1 (A) BB South Africa - Netherlands BBO 2 (B) BB USA 1 - USA 2 (voice) BBO 3 © BB Poland - Egypt BBO 4 (D) BB Australia - Israel BBO 5 (E) VC USA 1 - USA 2 BBO 6 (F) BB Sweden - Iceland Round 2 BBO 1 (A) BB USA 1 - China BBO 2 (B) BB Italy - Japan BBO 3 © VC Germany - Netherlands (voice) BBO 4 (D) SB Indonesia - France BBO 5 (E) BB Brazil - India BBO 6 (F) VC Sweden - England Round 3 BBO 1 (A) BB Italy - Bulgaria (voice) BBO 2 (B) BB Canada - Israel BBO 3 © BB USA 1 - Egypt BBO 4 (D) VC France - Italy BBO 5 (E) BB Pakistan - Sweden BBO 6 (F) SB Denmark - USA 2 BB = Bermuda Bowl VC = Venice Cup (women) SB = Senior Bowl Session times (all local to everyone) at http://www.bridgebase.com/vugraph/schedule.php?order_by=event

The latter I'm afraid.

http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=743 for instructions. If that's not good enough, diana_eva, georgi and rain will be happy to assist you.

If all goes according to plan we are having voice commentary for the following events in September and October: French Interclubs Teams Championships Sept 17 and 18. Open room. USA1 vs USA2 (Main Bridge Club) Sept 18 at 3:00 pm EDT. Table 1. Italian Club Teams Championships Sept 22, 23, 24, 25. Closed room. English Premier League Oct 1 and 2. Open room. World Teams Championship Oct 16-29. ?? rooms. We believe that we are getting better in all areas, but we also realise that there is plenty of room for improvement. Roland

We will be having our next test with voice commentary this upcoming weekend, 3rd and 4th September, from the TGRs Auction Teams in London. Big money prizes. All 11 sessions are covered with 2-3 speakers at a time in the open room. Read about it here ... http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=780 Roland

Dave wrote: The somewhat counter-intuitive "B" vs "O" designation remains, so remember to select "O" if two tables are being broadcast and "B" if you are only doing single table coverage. I can understand the logic from Fred's point of view when he wrote the programme. O = I am in charge of the Open room, so I open an O broadcast (two table broadcast). B = I am in charge of Both rooms, so I open a B broadcast (single table broadcast). Having said that, I must agree with Dave that it, 10 years on, still creates confusion among many operators. The wrong setup is seen virtually every week, but that is not Fred's fault, and likely not the fault of the operator either. All organisers have Nick Fahrer's manual, so it is their responsibility that the operators are instructed. It does not always happen, but that is beyond our control. Roland

No difference to operators other than you must use a specific vugraph account in the open room. Brian McGuire knows which.

We will be testing voice commentary again Sunday August 7 when we are broadcasting from the final of Young Chelsea Knockout Teams in London. Speakers (commentators) will be David Greenwood, Bill Frisby, David Burn and yours truly, maximum 2-3 at a time. Hopefully this will be as successfull as the inaugural voice broadcast was at the Spingold a week ago, but this software is very much still in its beta phase, and may contain bugs. If you experience any after having tried everything you can (explained in the lobby news http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=754), please send an e-mail to support(at)bridgebase.com Commentators have received 'Quick Guide to Voice Commentary', and from their end they will do their best to make the sound be as good as possible. Roland

http://online.bridgebase.com/doc/vugraphoperator/ is a useful link in case you have questions. Written by NickF and up-to-date although it's a few years old.

Undecided. We need the nod from uday first.

Thanks for the kind words. It was great fun, and given that it was our debut I think it went pretty well. Sure there is room for improvement, technically as well as how to get around this when you are a commentator, but there is a first time for everything. Number of commentators is also an issue. I think 2-3 would be ideal, 4 perhaps too many as this runs the risk that too many talk at the same time. We experienced that in the evening session, whereas it rarely happened in the afternoon when Larry Cohen and I were alone. Any views? I am convinced that voice commentary is here to stay and that it will be 'routine' in the not too distant future. Certainly when the Bermuda Bowl, etc., is due in October. Roland

Rounds 7, 8 and 9 Thursday are also up now. With times in your area, as usual. 2010-10-07 14:30 Rosenblum Teams, Round 7 2010-10-07 18:00 Rosenblum Teams, Round 8 2010-10-07 21:00 Rosenblum Teams, Round 9 Remember that times are approximate. Delays can't be ruled out. Roland

Here is what we have for you Tuesday and Wednesday. Times are GMT. Our schedule page will be updated as soon as possible. 2010-10-05 18:00 Rosenblum Teams, Round 2 2010-10-05 21:00 Rosenblum Teams, Round 3 2010-10-06 14:30 Rosenblum Teams, Round 4 2010-10-06 18:00 Rosenblum Teams, Round 5 2010-10-06 21:00 Rosenblum Teams, Round 6 http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ for time conversion. http://www.worldbridge.org/bulletin/10_1%2.../pdf/Bul_04.pdf page 7 for the round-robin groupings. Roland

This has been on our vugraph schedule web page since September 27: 2010-10-14 14:30 Patino Cup (U26), SF-1 2010-10-14 16:45 Patino Cup (U26), SF-2 2010-10-14 19:30 Patino Cup (U26), SF-3 2010-10-15 14:30 Patino Cup (U26), Final 1 2010-10-15 16:45 Patino Cup (U26), Final 2 2010-10-15 19:30 Patino Cup (U26), Final 3 2010-10-16 14:30 Patino Cup (U26), Final 4 Times are GMT.

I have just been informed that in all likelihood the broadcasts will start Tuesday the 5th (rather than Friday the 8th) with some of the preliminary rounds. Probably three rounds a day Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and hopefully 3-4 matches per round, depending on operator availability. Hervé Lustman is going to send me a revised schedule tomorrow (Saturday) and then I will try to have it up as quickly as possible. Roland

Here is some information you may find useful. --- We are at the Miskin Manor hotel, near Cardiff in Wales, for the 3rd edition of the Warren Buffett Bridge Cup. This contest has the concept of golf’s Ryder Cup and is scheduled to coincide, as closely as possible, with it. The competing teams, from Europe and the United States, consist of 12 players each and include one Womens’ pair and five Open pairs. For Europe, NPC Paul Hackett of England has selected Sabine Auken & Daniela von Arnim, Germany, Boye Brogeland & Erik Saelensminde, Geir Helgemo & Tor Helness, Norway, Giorgio Duboin & Antonio Sementa, Fulvio Fantoni & Claudio Nunes, Italy, and Jason & Justin Hackett, England. For the USA, NPC Donna Compton has chosen David Berkowitz & Alan Sontag, Bob Hamman & Zia Mahmood, Bobby Levin & Steve Weinstein, Jill Levin & Jill Meyers, Jeff Meckstroth & Eric Rodwell, and Geoff Hampson & Fred Gitelman. The competition includes Pairs, Teams and an Individual. All events are scored at Board-A-Match (Point-A-Board). In this form of scoring, there are only 3 scores available: a win, a tie and a loss. Any difference in the score, no matter how small, decides the board. We will have 6 tables in play at all times. Essentially, this becomes Super-Matchpoints: every overtrick, every undertrick, the difference between playing in No Trump versus a Major may decide the board. For simplicity, we are using the European style of 2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and 0 points for a loss. We are starting with the Pairs competition. Each pair has drawn a pair from the other team, with whom their scores will be compared. Each pair will play an 11-board match against each of the remaining five pairs from the opposing team. Next up will be the Teams competition. The captains assign each pair to one of three teams. They will play a double round-robin of 14-board rounds, for a total of six matches. Finally, we will have the Individual. Each player has drawn a player from the other team, with whom their scores will be compared. Each player partners each of the other eleven players on their team for a short set (6 boards) against various partnerships from the other team. Each team has agreed on a standard convention card for this event. The overall competition is scored at "Buffett Points". Each match/set from each event has been assigned a point value, based on the number of boards involved. The Pairs and Teams will have 4 BPs at stake for each match; the Individual will have 2 BPs at stake for each match. This leaves 60 Buffett Points to be contested for the Pairs, 72 for the Teams and 66 for the Individual. With 198 total BPs at stake, the first team to 100 points wins the trophy. If the teams tie with 99 BPs each, Europe, as holders, will retain the Cup. The inaugural event in 2006 in Ireland was won by USA, but Europe equalised two years later in Kentucky, USA. http://www.buffettcup.com/Home/tabid/53/la...GB/Default.aspx for the official website. Please visit the site for Daily Bulletins, Running Scores, the convention cards for the Individual and other information.

The third edition of the Warren Buffett Cup (Europe v USA) next week in Wales. September 13-16, Monday through Thursday. We will be broadcasting from all six tables throughout. Check your bookmarked vugraph schedule page for times in your area, and don't miss it. Arguably, we have the best two teams ever seen in this competition. Unless you are a fanatic Europe supporter, you have the chance to root for fred again. He played in 2006 but not in 2008. Obviously, USA can't do without him. They won in 2006 but lost two years ago :rolleyes: Enjoy! Roland

Indeed it is, nice people, nice bar. Gordon has a special place in my heart. He found my Fulham (FFC) hat! I wish I had seen your "ad" before, then we could have had a game. I live close to the YC, 2-3 miles I believe. Must remember to measure next time I walk. Roland

Either that or a lot of chat about the latest goal that Italy have conceded, and how the Italians are reacting to that news. In my experience watching vugraph it is rare for the operator to be talking about the play of the hand. They sometimes discuss the bidding, more often they are apologising for not seeing an alert, and frequently they are relating the state of the players and any table chat. I don't think the players learn much from lots of typing. I can only speak for myself, but as a player on vugraph I wouldn't even notice if a naked woman walked through the room (does it happen?). I am totally focused on the play, also when dummy, so as far as I am concerned, the operator can type all s/he likes. Roland