BBO bridge levels

[zzanders]

Recently played in tournament with a "novice" player who has a large number (BBO points) beside his/her name plus over 5000 times played online. How can they keep this novice status?

[Chas_P]

Recently played in tournament with a "novice" player who has a large number (BBO points) beside his/her name plus over 5000 times played online. How can they keep this novice status?

Never forget that skill levels on BBO are self-assigned, so s/he can keep "novice" as long as s/he wishes. Uday wrote the following years ago under Guidelines for filling out your User Profile; I offer it again fwiw.

 

"There is an area in your user profile where you can enter information about your level of play. It is not important how well you think you play since most bridge players are unable to assess their own skills with any accuracy. What matters is your level of experience and the degree of success that you have had in live competitive clubs and tournaments. Here are some examples of terms that you can use and how they should be interpreted:

 

Novice - Someone who recently learned to play bridge

Beginner - Someone who has played bridge for less than one year

Intermediate - Someone who is comparable in skill to most other members of BBO

Advanced - Someone who has been consistently successful in clubs or minor tournaments

Expert - Someone who has enjoyed success in major national tournaments

World Class - Someone who has represented their country in World Championships

If you disagree with another member's assessment of his or her skills, it is completely inappropriate to mention this to them (via chat for example). All members should strive to give an honest approximation of their skill level. This is very much in the best interest of everyone who plays on BBO.

 

If you would like to join a table to which players of a certain level have been invited, you should follow the above guidelines in order to judge whether or not you would be welcome."

[pilowsky]

Never forget that skill levels on BBO are self-assigned, so s/he can keep "novice" as long as s/he wishes. Uday wrote the following years ago under Guidelines for filling out your User Profile; I offer it again fwiw.

 

"There is an area in your user profile where you can enter information about your level of play. It is not important how well you think you play since most bridge players are unable to assess their own skills with any accuracy. What matters is your level of experience and the degree of success that you have had in live competitive clubs and tournaments. Here are some examples of terms that you can use and how they should be interpreted:

 

Novice - Someone who recently learned to play bridge

Beginner - Someone who has played bridge for less than one year

Intermediate - Someone who is comparable in skill to most other members of BBO

Advanced - Someone who has been consistently successful in clubs or minor tournaments

Expert - Someone who has enjoyed success in major national tournaments

World Class - Someone who has represented their country in World Championships

If you disagree with another member's assessment of his or her skills, it is completely inappropriate to mention this to them (via chat for example). All members should strive to give an honest approximation of their skill level. This is very much in the best interest of everyone who plays on BBO.

 

If you would like to join a table to which players of a certain level have been invited, you should follow the above guidelines in order to judge whether or not you would be welcome."

 

In any event self-calibration of cognitive ability is a nearly impossible task. Zia is a novice when he's asleep, a world expert in his thirties, an intermediate after a few drinks and so on. Ask Shakespeare.

In fact, somebodies expertise is only important in relation to YOUR ability. They aren't playing solitaire.

[spade7]

The only people who describe themselves as novices are true novices or true experts.

[spade7]

Some Vu-graph commentators describe themselves as novices.