This site has been set up to allow players to suggest ways to improve the quality of Bridge Competitions. If you have any ideas that work well for your club, please e-mail them to me and I will post them here. Or, you can post comments on existing ideas.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
PlayBridge UK an idea whose time has come?
A new site to serve ordinary Bridge club players has opened. It is called PlayBridge Uk and is run by Terry Collier.
Born out of dissatisfaction with the perceived focus that the EBU has on the elite rather than the club member it aims to provide services for that market.
I can tell from the numher of people linking to this site from PlayBridgeUK that the site is generating a lot of interest.
Anonymous commented on 6th Aug: This scheme was first announced some 3 or more months ago. Since then little has happened and I fear the steam may be running out. We can but wait a little longer but too much longer I fear.
I imagine most clubs have a handicap system and run competitions using these handicaps. Nationally, there is no real equivalent. The EBU has master points and different gradings of master player. The snag, as I remember it, is that your grading largely depends on the amount you play.
The online club Bridge Club Live (see link in sidebar) has an unusual and interesting system. Players are classified as club, diamonds, hearts or spades according to their average percentage score (spades are highest). It isn't simply based on percentage score: their is an adjustment for the standard of competition i.e if a spade plays with a spade against a pair of clubs. The system does seem complicated and rather difficult to understand but it doesn't seem to matter.
It isn't perfect, it is admitted that regular partnerships have an advantage estimated to be about 2% over 'pick-up' pairs.
Having said all that I found it very interesting, especially when I was graded as a spade. Not quite so impressed to be now barely hanging on to heart status. Could this interesting system be used or adapted for clubs or for national gradings?
I received the e-mail below advertising the Czech Bridge Festival. Please contact the organiser by e-mail if you are interested. Dear Mr. Ridyard,
many greetings from the Czech Republic. We are organizers of CZECH OPEN 2006, 5th International Bridge Festival - part of 17th International Festival of Chess, Bridge and Games which is held on 13.-16.7. 2006 in Pardubice. I saw your interesting web-pages about bridge club ideas,so it is sure that you have many bridge-friends. I would like to kindly ask you to give them the information about our event or give it to your web-calendar. You will find all information in annex. Thank you very much for your cooperation!
With best regards
Petr Pisk AVE-KONTAKT Pardubice http://www.czechopen.net
In the first sequence the simple rebid of the openers major at the three level by responder is forcing and generally shows three card support. In the second sequence the simple rebid of responders first suit over 2NT is non-forcing and shows a six card or longer suit.
