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Bridge Base Online Instructions

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Freddie Wilkie’s Register on BBO Tutorial

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BBO Tips and Tricks #1

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Club Special Tournaments

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General Information

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• Develop a positive mental attitude. Show optimism and confidence.
• Always bid and play it an even tempo.
• Show poise and keep focused at all times.
• Don’t lose interest when holding uninteresting cards, especially against astute declarers.
• Show no emotion when dummy appears, as inferences may be taken from your expression. Thank your partner.
• Think and plan at trick one. Any plan is better than no plan.
• Don’t dwell on previous hands. The past is history.
• Analyse play objectively and leave any teaching until the end of a session.
• As 50% of your results come from defending, it is wise to have a discard system with your partner.
• Develop a bridge sense of humour. Accept injustices and partner’s foibles.
• Strive to improve. Ask better players, read books, and compete against higher ranked or more experienced players when possible.

All competitions are for club members only and scores with non-members do not count. Specific rules may apply for competitions on Tuesday evenings, which will be available in writing before play starts for the first session.

Qualification for Pairs Events

To qualify for a competition, you must play at least 2/3 + 1 of the sessions. At least 2/3 of the event must be with your main partner. Therefore, the score for one substitute only can be allowed, the first score with a substitute. 

For a six-night event you must enter at least five scores to qualify, at least four of these with your main partner. For a twelve-night event you must enter at least nine scores to qualify, at least eight of these with your main partner. For a 15-night event, at least 11 of these with main partner.

If playing more than the minimum number of nights, the best scores will count. If playing 15 from 15, the worst four scores are dropped.

The two six-night ladder events for each night/session must be played with two different partners to qualify.

Substitutes

Any substitutes must be of the same or a lower grade to the player being substituted and be a financial member of the club.

The purpose of substitution is to replace a member who is unable to attend a session. Hence substitution will not be allowed for any session in which the substituted member is playing with a different partner. If two partnerships (A+B and C+D) each require a substitute, and A or B plays with C or D, the score will count for only one partnership, not both.

Notifying the Director of a Substitution

Players must obtain a yellow substitute slip, to be completed and handed to the Director before the start of play on that night.

Teams Events

Teams should play as a team of four. For a six-night teams event, up to six substitute players are allowed. Once entered in a team event, the team will be responsible for ensuring substitutes are arranged.

Butler and Cross-IMP Pairs

It is the responsibility of the pair to arrange any substitutes.

Back to the Future Teams, Multiple Teams and IMP Pairs: scored as IMPs but with Mitchell or Howell movement with 2/3 boards per table. May require rotating partnerships.

Cross IMP Pairs. 2 or 3 matches/night scored as IMPs against each other pair/table, with no conversion to victory points

Winners’ Trophy: 2 or 3 matches/night scored against a datum, with top and bottom scores dropped and converted to victory points. Exact format and possible final to suit entries.

Individual Competitions

Match Point Ladder. Two table-fee tickets will be given to winners of each Match Point Ladder. It is possible for one player to be an individual winner of a three/four-night round, if he/she has played with more than one partner.

Restricted Pairs. Players must play each of the three nights with a different partner to be eligible.

Mixed Grade Teams Events

This requires a maximum of one pair of the highest grade per team and is aimed at mixing the grades.

Note: For the Lion Foundation Cup, Championship Pairs, Thursday S/R Pairs and Senior Pairs events, directors shall seed and seat a minimum of the top 8 seeded pairs based on ladder placings.

Club alerting rules

The Christchurch Bridge Club has not consistently applied the national rules for alerting. These Club practices apply at club sessions only, based on what players are doing. Specifically, 1NT does not have to be announced if it is in the 12-14 point range and 1C does not need to be announced if it shows 3+ Clubs and you play ACOL. Any other meanings of these opening bids do require announcing or alerting as per the national alerting requirements. 

It is not a fault to announce the 12-14 point 1NT range or the number of clubs for the 1C opening. Players are, in fact, encouraged to adopt the national practice. Tournament players and visitors will likely announce these bids.

Before the auction begins

You must inform you opponents if you are not playing ACOL (this is called pre-alerting. This includes 5-card Majors, Precision, 2/1 Game Forcing or any other systems, or any significantly modified versions of ACOL. You may wish to write the main points on a card or system card to show your opponents.

Alerting During the Auction

Alerting is not optional, and players need to know which parts of their system are alert-able. The purpose of alerts is to tell your opposition that your partner's bid is different from what they would expect. The opposition players may ask when it is their turn to bid. They do not have to ask for an explanation immediately but may do so then, or wait until later. Players are entitled to an accurate description of your agreements. It is illegal to use an undisclosed agreement.

To alert a bid, circle your partner’s bid on the bidding pad and give a clear explanation when asked. Do not offer an explanation if you are not asked.

If an opponent circles a bid and you want to ask, ask what the agreement is, not what the player thinks the bid means.

Alert 1NT if the bid contains additional information, such as the 1NT cannot have a 5-card major or it can have an unusual shape.

Alert 1C if playing Precision or other system where the bid is strong and/or forcing.

Alert all conventional bids except those listed below. A conventional bid is one whose meaning is not immediately obvious to the opposition, for example, 2H to show hearts and another suit.

Alert bids that differ from reasonable expectations, for example a non-forcing jump bid in response to your opening bid, or non-forcing weak jump bids in your suit.

The exceptions

You do not need to alert the following:

A 2C opening bid if it is your system’s strongest bid.

The 2D response to the 2C opening if it is artificial and denies the strength to make another bid.

Natural, single-suited opening bid at the 2 or 3 level, regardless of strength. The opposition can ask about the strength if they want to.

Doubles or redoubles – it is up to the opponents to enquire as to their meanings.

Bids made in your opponents’ suit (cue bids), no matter what the meaning of the bid is (cue bids are known as self-alerting bids). The opposition can ask at their turn to bid if they want to know.

Bids at the 4 level or higher except 4 level conventional opening bids, for example 4C opening showing hearts.

Stayman over 1NT is not alert-able, but Stayman over a 1NT/2NT overcall is alert-able. Do not alert the 2D response to Stayman if it only denies a 4-card major, but alert if 2D shows additional information. If 1NT is doubled and 2C is not Stayman then it must be alerted.

Do not alert if you have no agreement even if you suspect the bid is not natural – in this situation, if asked, say: “no agreement” but 

note regular partnerships can have an implicit agreement without ever actually discussing it, and this should be explained if asked. 

After the bidding is over

Declarer/dummy should mark any bids with a + that they know something about that the opposition could not reasonably infer.

Defenders should not do this unless asked or at the end of the hand.

Any incorrect explanation of a bid by declarer/dummy should be corrected before the opening lead is made, calling the director if appropriate. Again, defenders should not do this unless asked, or at the end of the hand.

Psychic Bidding

Psychic bids are permissible and part of the game. A psychic bid is a bid made which is outside the partnership agreement, without partner's knowledge, and which is a gross misrepresentation of the hand. The director should always be notified, to guard against regular psychic bidding by a player and/or partnership. NOTE: It is illegal to psyche your partnership’s strongest bid (e.g. an ACOL 2C opening).

A copy of the Match Programme booklet containing the Match Programme for each session is available to all financial members of the club.

C Points are awarded in all club sessions. 100C points equal 1B point. These accumulate over time and players can gain a national ranking based on the number of points they hold. Master points never expire. Points accumulate faster when you play tournaments. There are twelve ranks available.

Rank......Aggregate of A & B Points

Junior Master......5

Club Master......20

Local Master......50

Provincial Master......100 total with ≥50 A Points

Master......200 total with ≥100 A Points

National Master......350 total with ≥175 A Points

Life Master......500 total with ≥250 A Points

Grand Master......1000 total with ≥500 A Points

Silver Grand Master......2500 total with ≥1250 A Points

Gold Grand Master......4000 total with ≥2500 A Points

Emerald Grand  Master......8000 total with ≥6000 A Points

Platinum Grand Master......10,000 total with ≥7500 A Points

Lists of master points awarded at all our club sessions and individual records are available on the NZ Bridge website. www.nzbridge.co.nz.

Playing Rights

Members may play in the following evening sessions:

Senior :  Tuesday, Thursday

Senior Reserve :   Monday, Thursday

Intermediate :   Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

Junior :  Wednesday, Sunday

Open to all :  Monday Afternoon, Tuesday Afternoon, Friday, Sunday

Where sections are graded on any night, players must play in their own grade on grading nights. A request to play up or down a grade will require Committee approval.  Players wanting to play ‘down’ a grade, e.g. because of a visitor who can’t play any other night, etc. must clear this with the office prior to attending a session.