State conditions of contest in tourney advertisement!!!

[DrTodd13]

To all tournament hosts,

 

Thank you for hosting tournaments but please one favor! Put the conditions of

contest in the tournament advertisement or provide a link to the conditions of

contest in said advertisement. Please do not wait until people are bidding the

first board and then spring conditions of contest, specifically system restrictions,

on them. Played in a tournament last night where 3 bids into the first hand

director informed the tournament that anything not allowed in North American

tournaments was verboten. Unfortunately, the only two systems partner and

I wanted to play were both not allowed in North American tournaments!

 

Todd

[keylime]

This brings up a most valid concern and all directors should address this quickly. For the record, all tourneys I have post the appropriate ACBL chart (WBF equivalent is also posted with exclusions to make it homogenous) with the expected pace of play. Then at the beginning of the first round, I explain to alert all NT ranges, transfers, and any conventional calls. So far, not one problem with system legality or a failure to alert. However, at times the pace of play has been poor and slow penalities have been given.

 

I don't think it's feasible to input buttons into the GUI to automatically select the level of system allowed because frankly what's allowed here in the United States is very different than elsewhere. We as directors should strive to inform and educate our tourney players on what's expected of them, and to provide the medium to play this wonderful game.

 

D.

[the hog]

Suggestion. Is it possible to institute a rating system for tournaments and publish the conditions for this somewhere?

eg

Category 1 Anything goes

Category 2 No Hums

Category 3 - other restrictions as noted

etc

 

etc etc

Fwiw I don't think it is reasonable or fair to say that anything not allowed in North American tournaments was verboten. . In my case, and that of most of my on line pds I don't even know and have absolutely no interest in what is allowed or not allowed in the US.

[DrTodd13]

I have no problem with someone running a tourney and placing any system restrictions they want. They just need to tell people before hand and not after the tourney has already started. There is a button

on the tourney window for conditions of contest and system restrictions should be placed there with a note in the tourney description to say to see conditions of contest. Or...maybe a change to BBO to automatically show the conditions of contest when a pair registers. This would give them a chance to bow out if they choose not to live with the conditions.

[McBruce]

I agree with The_Hog: It seems uneccesarily exclusive, and contra to BBO's goal of being a world-wide site, to run tourneys under the most restrictive of ACBL rules. But if it is popular enough, go for it--as long as it is made clear to those signing up.

 

Is there a spot where directors can post such restrictions other than the tourney description and perhaps a link to a www site you maiintain? My idea is to run a series of round one announcements instead that players can read at their leisure. On the what's allowed and not allowed front, I include these:

 

I understand very little that is not in English...

 

...but I welcome players from everywhere (and their systems) and you should too!

 

Please explain ALL conventional bids, locally alertable or not, as best you can.

 

Online bridge allows us easy Full Disclosure: tell the opps only, by using the <--> button.

 

I wonder if I should add a note about HUMs--seems unreasonable to expect players to cope with Highly Unusual Methods in a 2 or 3 board round. Do players playing HUMs know they are playing a HUM? Would I if someone complained?

 

--McBruce

[hrothgar]

Just so everyone is on the same page:

The meaning of "HUM" is fairly well defined

 

[Please note that MOSCITO is NOT a HUM]

 

Section 2.2 HUM Systems

 

For the purpose of this Policy, a Highly Unusual Method (HUM) means any System that exhibits one or more of the following features, as a matter of partnership agreement:

 

a) A Pass in the opening position shows at least the values generally accepted for an opening bid of one, even if there are alternative weak possibilities

 

:) By partnership agreement an opening bid at the one level may be weaker than pass.

 

c) By partnership agreement an opening bid at the one level may be made with values a king or more below average strength.

 

d) By partnership agreement an opening bid at the one level shows either length or shortage in a specified suit

 

e) By partnership agreement an opening bid at the one level shows either length in one specified suit or length in another. EXCEPTION: one of a minor in a strong club or strong diamond system

[keylime]

One of the best things one can do is to learn some of the other major NBO's (national bridge organization) basic bylaws. When I run a tourney I post both the ACBL chart and the equivalent WBF Level (with the needed exceptions to make it as close as equal as possible). I also make it as explicit as possible to the contestants what is expected of them, from alerting, NT ranges, conventional calls, to zero tolerance and slow play. I am most fortunate that I have to give out so few slow play penalities -- the membership has reacted most favorably to how I run my events. I get many e-mails and messages thanking me profusely for the level of detail and attention I give to the events. To me, it's a profound responsibility to provide as even of playing field as possible.

 

Another thing I do too is to vary the event restrictions. Recently I held my first "open season" game where literally anything went. I saw the Wilkosz 2D opening, a 2S opening showing a minor preempt, and a 2NT opening showing an unspecified preempt. I was hoping to have had a MOSCITO pair or some relay system (where are the Viking Clubbers at?) enter the field but it didn't happen this time around. Maybe with a longer format offered I can acheive this aim. Did I have any complaints? Not hardly -- if anything I got fan mail begging me to host it again because they wanted to compete and succeed against what some would term "destructive"!

 

The continued success of the tourneys not only will be due to the member's continued demand for the events, but on us directors to offer formats and styles that the membership desires. For this single reason I am very hesistant to offer an individual, because contrary to popular belief not everyone knows SAYC or 2/1 or ACOL.

[McBruce]

"When I run a tourney I post both the..." (ACBL & WBF conventions charts)

 

Where do you post these? Seems the tourney description box is not big enough. Is there another place?

 

--McBruce

 

PS: thx hrothgar for HUM definitions.

[DrTodd13]

There is a "conditions of contest" button you can click on and there is plenty of

room there for lots of text. If directors are going to use this (and I think they

should) then the tourney description box should make clear the conditions of

contest have been posted.

 

I've been very happy so far that most tournaments don't seem to place any

restrictions on methods. All that is expected is that full explanations be given

and all unusual bids alerted. I'd also like to thank most players who run into

our forcing pass system and by and large don't complain. Most of the time

they still get to the right contract. Occasionally, the preemptive effect of a

1H fert causes them problems but that is the goal of preemption.

[keylime]

Where were you and our Finnish friends when I held my WBF Level 1 event recently?? I would have loved to have seen a forcing pass in action just to see how people would handle it! I'll just have to host more tourneys that allow this...:)