Club Competition Rules

The following define the playing conditions and method of awarding the trophies within the Club

Frank White Cup

1.             The competition shall be called the Frank White Cup and is to be for the pair with the best 7 scores from 11.

2.             It will be held on the last Thursday in each month commencing in January. Dates may be changed to avoid clashes with bank holidays and simultaneous pairs events.

3.             The scores to count will be inverse finishing position on the designated dates and the pair scoring the highest total will be the winner. In the event of a tie in the best 7 results, remaining results will be used to split the tie starting with the eighth. If this fails to split the tie then the cup will be awarded jointly to the two partnerships.

4.             Players can play with any partner on the designated days but only the partnerships with 7 results will qualify for the trophy.

5.             In the event of any dispute regarding this competition the decision of the committee will be final.

Gilbert Fry Cup

1.             The competition shall be called the Gilbert Fry Cup and is to be for the partnership with the best 8 scores from 12.

2.             It will be held on the 2^nd Monday in each month commencing in January. These dates may be changed by the committee to avoid clashes with bank holidays and simultaneous pairs events.

3.             The scores to count will be inverse finishing position on the designated dates and the partnership scoring the highest total will be the winner. In the event of a tie in the best 8 results, remaining results will be used to split the tie starting with the ninth. If this fails to split the tie then the cup will be awarded jointly to the two partnerships.

4.             Players can play with any partner on the designated days but only the partnerships with 8 results will qualify for the trophy.

5.             In the event of any dispute regarding this competition the decision of the committee will be final.

                The above reflect changes introduced in the 2011 – 2012 season. The new competition secretary changed the method of scoring for this competition (Rule 3). It was changed to have the word “inverse” inserted between the words “be” and “finishing” in the above statement.

Margaret Briggs Cup

                This is a Pairs competition held over two consecutive Thursdays, the dates to be fixed by the Competition Secretary and approved by the Committee. They should avoid clashing with the already designated dates for the Frank White Cup.

1.             The competition to be held on two consecutive Thursday’s as fixed for the year.

2.             Any pair may play on either of the two nights, but only those pairs who have played on both nights (as a pair) shall be eligible to win the trophy.

3.             The winning pair shall be the pair with the highest percentage over the two nights. This to be calculated by adding the two nights percentages together and then dividing by 2. In the event of this giving a tie the winning pair will be the one with the highest percentage score on one of the two nights.

Wing Cup

                This cup will be awarded to the highest placed pair in the Wednesday heat held at the City of Lincoln Bridge Club for the Children in Need Simultaneous Pairs. This is normally the second Wednesday in November and this would be the date of the competition if no heat was being held. Both members of the winning pair must be fully paid up members of the City of Lincoln Bridge Club and have played at the club on a Wednesday afternoon 8 times in the previous 6 months. In the event of a tie for the cup then it shall be shared between the 2 or more pairs involved in the tie. If a two winner movement is necessary the pair with the highest percentage will be the winning pair.

Margaret Balch Cup

This trophy is a team of 4 event played over one evening usually on a Monday, it is a handicap event with the handicaps being calculated for each occasion as specified by the committee. This is usually done by the Competition Secretary although this is not necessarily the requirement. The handicap shall be in the form of IMP’s for each individual and shall be based on their performances on Mondays at the club. These will be added to the teams IMP score at the end of the session to give the handicap teams result.

Thursday Handicap Shield

This trophy is a team of 4 event played over one evening usually on a Thursday, it is a handicap event with the handicaps being calculated for each occasion as specified by the committee. This is usually done by the Competition Secretary although this is not necessarily the requirement. The handicap shall be in the form of IMP’s for each individual and shall be based on their performances on Thursdays at the club. These will be added to the teams IMP score at the end of the session to give the handicap teams result.

Club Championship Teams

This is a straight multiple team of 4 event held on a Thursday, it is scored by IMP’s.

Ada Mawer Trophy

This trophy is awarded to the individual whose average percentage has improved by the biggest amount over the year. It is currently calculated by the Competition Secretary, but at sometime in the future would need to be calculated using facilities available within the bridge scoring system in use at the time.

Jubilee Trophies

These trophies were introduced to commemorate the club’s Diamond Jubilee, there are 4 trophies in this category, 2 for awarding to Monday night players and 2 for awarding to Thursday night players.

 The main trophy on each night is awarded to the pair with the highest average percentage over the club’s year, provided the pair have played 25 times on the appropriate night during the year. In the event of two pairs having the same percentage over the year the trophy is shared between the two pairs.

The secondary trophy is awarded to the pair with the highest average percentage over the club’s year after addition to their average from the major competition of half of their individual handicap. This is calculated by using the facility within Scorebridge to calculate handicaps and is based on their performance over the previous year. This is calculated and stored immediately following the end of the year.

• The Club Committee acknowledge that there are many different reasons why members have different paces of play. The aim of Club is to ensure all members enjoy their bridge equally.
• However persistently slow play is always to be discouraged.
• Members are reminded that, under EBU recommendations, a 26 board movement should take no more than 3 hours 15 minutes. The evening sessions at City of Lincoln Club are therefore designed that play starts no later than 7.00pm and finishes no later than 10.15pm.
• Tournament Directors (TDs) have the power to:-
• Abandon a hand – taking an average - if bidding has not yet started when the movement is called. (Playing the hand at the end of the session is not an option.)
• Also abandon a hand – taking an average - if the bidding has started, but not the play, when the movement is called. (This may be exercised if the session is already behind time.)
• Hands in play will continue to be allowed to finish as normal.

• There are a number of simple ways all members can help TDs ensure both good timing and good etiquette are maintained. These include:-

1. A prompt start: Knowing the correct number of pairs is the most important part of starting on time. Players should be seated by 6.50pm. If this is not possible for any reason please ensure the TD is aware.
2. Keep play continuous as a priority: This includes when moving tables, returning from sit-outs or the bar, filling in personal scorecards or Bridgemates etc..
3. Discussions about hands\ previous scores: These can only take place (quietly!) if you have finished all hands at that table and the movement has not been called.
4. Scoring errors: Use the correction slips provided rather than calling the TD\ computer scorer.
5. Let the TDs do their job: Disparaging comments about other members pace of play are not encouraged.
6. Be Polite: There are always situations requiring more time and thought. If you do have to think more deeply, in bidding or play, a small apology to your opponents is good manners (and ensures people do not think you’ve nodded off!)