How do I improve as TD?

[jillybean]

Hi,

As a rookie TD by biggest problem is dealing with disputes over bids and alert/explanations.

I do not want to start the well-chewed over alert/not alert debate going again, I need some advice on how I can improve my TD’ing.

 

When a rules state “alert all non standard bids” what are standard bids? When running a tournament on BBO is the standard BBO-B, BBO-A, SAYC, something else?

 

Should I study ACBL laws?

 

:) http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/acbl_alt.htm :o

 

 

tyia

jillybean

[uday]

I think an interesting approach would be to say 'This T runs with ACBL alert regulations' and simply use ACBL rules. This would work equally well with other set of rules (WBF, FIGB, etc).

 

Our local (BBO) rules are not defined well enough for this purpose, imo.

[david_c]

Hi,

As a rookie TD by biggest problem is dealing with disputes over bids and alert/explanations.

If you look elsewhere on David Stevenson's site (the one that is linked to in the original post) you will find a list of Appeals Booklets. You might find it worthwhile to look through these - that's how I learnt the rules on misinformation etc., and I think it's quite a good way to learn. It wouldn't solve the problem about when to alert, of course, but will help you to make better judgements about what should happen when things have gone wrong.

[spwdo]

Hi jillybean,

 

 

A rule that worked for me is "alert every conventional bid", when a bid has a special meaning for a partnership i ask it to be alerted.

This leaves no room for interpretations as to when something is(nt) standard, because a 1♣ beeing a different standard for polish club,precision as it is to sayc ,2/1.

Some players seem to think whats standard to them isnt alertable.

I always was/am /will be rather strict on non alerts, bad explanations (when language causing a prob) have more sympathy cause the will to do it right is there(alert there , explanation is tried to be given), only the "how" needs work then.

When a bid isnt alerted i look for damage, if found i try to adjust properly.When the same player/pair has a bad habbit of non alerts i adjust without looking for damage(i m aware this not beeing the rule) because some think all is ok until damage is done, so never alert until opps complain, td comes to table, looks for damage, a bad habbit isnt changed easy so it needs some help.

 

 

Good luck in your tourneys, sure you will do fine

 

 

Regards Marc

[xx1943]

Good luck in your tourneys, sure you will do fine

100% agree.

 

Don't try to be perfect, state your rules and decide accordingly.

 

In summer 2004, here in this forum we had a great discussion about how to direct a tourney in BBO.

 

Gweny started a thread Adjustment questions here.

 

The last was Nr.13 as I remember.

 

It was very instructive for me to read all the different opinions. The conclusion for me was:

State your rules and try to go with them.

Remain polite even if players are rude and ...................

Tell Uday about every rudeness.

 

Good luck in your tourneys, sure you will do fine

 

 

Regards

 

Al

[mycroft]

When the same player/pair has a bad habbit of non alerts i adjust without looking for damage(i m aware this not beeing the rule) because some think all is ok until damage is done, so never alert until opps complain, td comes to table, looks for damage, a bad habbit isnt changed easy so it needs some help.

 

Adjusting the score if no damage done (to what? is the point) yes, is not a legal option. However, the TD does have other clubs in her bag (to blatantly mix games), which I believe are available in the software (and if they're not, they should be!)

 

LAW 90

PROCEDURAL PENALTIES

 

A. Director's Authority

    The Director, in addition to enforcing the penalty provisions of these Laws, may also assess penalties for any offense that unduly delays or obstructs the game, inconveniences other contestants, violates correct procedure, or requires the award of an adjusted score at another table.

 

B. Offenses Subject to Penalty

    Offenses subject to penalty include but are not limited to:

    7. Errors in Procedure

        errors in procedure (such as failure to count cards in one's hand, playing the wrong board, etc.) that require an adjusted score for any contestant.

    8. Failure to Comply

        failure to comply promptly with tournament regulations or with any instruction of the Director.

 

It doesn't state what those penalties are: usually it's a Procedural Penalty, Warning unless something really blatant or disruptive is done (the classic case in FtF bridge being fouling a board), or multiply-repeat offenders (your "it's okay not to Alert until it causes damage and the opponents both notice and complain"). A couple "quarter-board" or "3 IMP" penalties tend to be effective for the chronic hardcases (and tend to push first-timers and "innocent" offenders away from the game, hence the warnings the first few times).

 

Note: Procedural penalties do not accrue to the non-offending side. So if there was *yet another* failure to Alert, but there was no damage, the NOs get the table result. The offenders get the table result as well (no damage, right?), but their total score is reduced by X MPs or IMPs. If there was damage, there's nothing in the Laws that says that you can't both assign a score *and* a PP, in fact the first sentence of L90A quoted above explicitly allows it. Again, most TDs will just give a warning if they're also adjusting the score, but in certain really obdurate cases...

 

Michael.