ONLINE SWISS TEAMS - SERIES 10

1. One 16-board match per two week period (Monday-Sunday).
2. Teams must have four members and a designated captain, but may use as many susbtitutes as they wish (including members of other teams).
3. The charge is £12 per team, to be paid by the captain (instructions here).
4. Each fortnight matches for the fortnight will be announced on the GCBA website by Monday morning (but does depends on results being reported to the CTD).
5. Match allocations will be done on Swiss principles; there will be six matches in a series and there is no expectation of repeat matches.
6. Matches should be played in two segments with a change of opponents at the break. If setting up matches proves a problem, the captains are allowed to decide on one longer segment.
7. Matches will be of 16 boards unless both captains have declared (in advance, to me) a preference for 24 board matches.
8. We encourage playing these matches on RealBridge, to build familiarity with that platform, but if either team is not comfortable with that, then BBO is the default. Contact ctd@gcba.org.uk for a RealBridge booking.
9. This game is being organised by the GCBA but teams from neighbouring counties will be accepted.
10. Late entries to the competition are no problem, and such teams will come in with a 50% score.

If you need a partner or team-mates, tell patrick@gcba.org.uk and he might be able to help. Any further queries will be managed by the GCBA CTD.

The VP scale in use FOR 16 BOARD MATCHES is as follows :

The VP scale in use FOR 24 BOARD MATCHES is as follows :

1.  As soon as you get notification please contract the opposing captain to arrange a day and time to play. BBO was once too busy on some evenings but in recent months that problem seems to have gone.

2.  If enough people make the same suggestion, I will declare a preferred time for playing - it would then be up to players to try to keep that slot free, and make life easier for their captains by doing so. Optional.

3.  The name declared first on the line is the home team, and is responsible for identifying someone who is competent to set up the match.  Total newcomers to BBO might not have the permission to do it (BBO needs 100 logins first).  That player needs to be given the BBO names of the eight players - and can set things up as two 8-board stanzas (the default, two independent matches as far as BBO is concerned) or one 16-board stanza as the captains agree.  Try to include GCBA in the title of the match, as it might help me find results - but I also need you to email me (online-swiss@gcba.org.uk) the result once the match is finished. Details -

• First login and go to "Competitive" and then to "Team Matches"
• As long as you've had 100 logins you'll get an option "Create Match" and you click this (if not ask for help from me in advance)
• On this new screen, DO NOT hit "Create Team Match" until you have filled everything in and checked it. You will need all 8 players online to complete, although you can proceed up to the last step in advance of that.
• You have three tabs : first is for description and you can put "something GCBA" in the title and whatever team names you like.
• In the second tab : you can stop kibitzers if either captains wants that (do discuss), but generally allow them but unclick "kibitzers allowed to talk to players".
• In the second tab : leave UNDOs ON and  usually untick Barometer (it gives scoring visible as you go along, which can distract players, but it can be ON if both captains want that - please discuss).
• In the second tab : set the number of boards (16 if one stanza, but 8 if you are swapping oppo at half time)
• In the third tab : put in the players names - noting that the top is the first TEAM, and that BBO will move players to the right table as you start
• ONLY NOW hit the "Create Team Match" button; if you haven't put in all the right names you might find anyone joining your match and that is a real problem!
  • If the setup goes wrong, look for your Director tab (bottom right), click that then on the game, and then take the option to cancel.
• Don't hit "Close" until the match has been created, and if it gives you an error ("Someone refused") then simply pause and press "Create Team Match" again.
  • You can actually leave that pop-up around until the time comes for the second stanza, and then you don't have as much entry to do (just move 4 people).
• At the end of the match, don't worry if it says it cannot deliver the scores - that's just because the servers are overloaded currently, and the results will come, and are accessible later through Hand Records (from the BBO home screen).
• Two videos by Paul Gipson are worth watching : https://youtu.be/5kiuLfsQRIY, showing the proper method is brilliant, and the second https://youtu.be/RJ9SsLN68aA, explains how not to do it,and it explains how to cancel a tournament, which is via the Director tab!

4.  If a match cannot be scheduled within the week (and remember any number of subs is allowed) then it will be declared an 8-8 draw.  Cumulative results will appear on the GCBA website.

5.  Do your best to support the principle of FULL DISCLOSURE, being profuse in your explanation of bids and your carding agreements. You can create a BBO convention card - video showing how is here.   And there is a nice video also available on alerting your own bids.  You are also encouraged to make your profile honest and complete - so that your opponents can tell against whom they are playing.

Any further questions or useful ideas - please email online-swiss@gcba.org.uk

Where we have an odd number of teams, we will run a "long" triple asking a group of three teams to play two matches over two weeks.

The teams can arrange these at any point during the two weeks, and in whatever order is convenient.  Both matches will be the standard format and both will be VP'd in the standard manner.