baronreit Posted February 24, 2003 Report Share Posted February 24, 2003 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keylime Posted February 24, 2003 Report Share Posted February 24, 2003 Count me in as a director, player, the whole shebang - the conditions of contest are excellent :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baronreit Posted February 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2003 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baronreit Posted February 24, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2003 Current tournament schedule- all times are Eastern Standard: Sundays 4:30 PM Tuesdays 8:00 PM Thursdays 8:00 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baronreit Posted February 27, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baronreit Posted February 27, 2003 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2003 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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