BBO does not work well when there is an odd number of pairs, i.e. sit-outs. At the beginning of any event the Tournament Director must fill any sit-out seats in order for the tournament to progress satisfactorily. The TD can either :-
- Invite two real people from the worldwide BBO subs list.
- This is hit and miss and can result in a random Novice or a National Master being brought into the mix. It can also take time to send out the invites and receive back responses. A lot of subs sometimes leave mid-comp, which can be a nuisance for the TD.
- Invite two real people known to the TD, members or otherwise.
- This is a good option, but if the people aren’t already online and available, they won’t get an invite.
- Insert two Robots.
- This is by far the quickest and simplest solution.
- A combination of the above.
In the absence of a dedicated float, it is at the discretion of the TD to decide which option they choose, depending on the circumstances prevailing on the night.
During a game, the TD can also insert a robot should any player go offline, for whatever reason. This keeps the tournament moving along and allows for the absentee player to re-join the event at a later stage, by simply ditching the robot substitute.
Members who do not have a partner for any particular game can enter a competition with a robot partner. This facility allows for folk to have a game of Bridge when ordinarily they could not. . We would encourage members however, to try and find a human partner first, in keeping with the spirit of the game. We want as many members as possible to get a game.
With no prizes at stake in all our online events, players with robot partners have been left positioned exactly as they finish, when the BBO results are uploaded to the MRBC website. The CBAI however, have dictated that Masterpoints will not be awarded to any affiliated player who partners a Robot, for the vast majority of the boards, in any event. For our "Major" competitions however, only a human partnership will be hailed as the winner, with robotic combinations having to step aside. Double Robot combinations will be relegated to the bottom of the field, following the conclusion of any game.
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