Tournaments: Skill or Luck?

[elnsie]

In ACBL online tournaments with 18 boards and 15 pairs per section, three boards per round are played. If you’re playing at a tournament in real life, you’ll play most of the pairs in your section and at least 24 boards. Which do you think is a greater test of skill? When you miss playing nine of 15 pairs, your results are totally determined by which pairs you play. If you play four pairs of novices, you’ll win; if you play two world class pairs, you’ll lose. There is no integrity in the contest. Tournaments are supposed to be based on skill. These tournaments are all about luck. To give master points for luck is obscene.

[sarsen]

The only luck factor not eliminated by Duplicate is which pairs you play which boards against. Playing in a 15 table section and only playing 6 of the 15 pairs means you skip 9 pairs turning this into an exercise of luck and impugns the integrity of the contest. To hand out masterpoints for this is a travesty and further devalues the currency. Fast pairs are even worse with 4 rounds of 3 boards.

[AL78]

The only luck factor not eliminated by Duplicate is which pairs you play which boards against.

 

There is at least one other luck factor that isn't eliminated, taking a superior line of play/defence which fails and the majority take an inferior line which works.

 

I remember one hand where my partner played in 6♠ after my RHO had opened a three level pre-empt. To bring the slam in required picking up the ♠Q with a nine card fit. The options were to play for the drop, or finesse through either opponent. My partner played for the drop (cashing the high honor in dummy first) and found Qx with the pre-emptor. If I were playing the hand, I'd have finessed through my LHO and gone off for a bottom.

[akwoo]

The ACBL decided long ago that it is in its best interests for people who can barely follow suit to be able to make Life Master if they play enough.

 

They are right. If the life novices didn't have some chance of winning (albeit a smaller chance than good players), most of them wouldn't play, and we wouldn't have tournaments anymore.

[Vampyr]

The ACBL decided long ago that it is in its best interests for people who can barely follow suit to be able to make Life Master if they play enough.

 

They are right. If the life novices didn't have some chance of winning (albeit a smaller chance than good players), most of them wouldn't play, and we wouldn't have tournaments anymore.

 

The ACBL are probably right, but then maybe they should also offer an option for those who prefer a bridge game to a crap shoot.

[Zelandakh]

The ACBL are probably right, but then maybe they should also offer an option for those who prefer a bridge game to a crap shoot.

Hand pick 7 players...create a team match...job done.