These Conditions of Contest are the definitive conditions under which the Manchester Contract Bridge Association (MCBA) Online League will run. The League Secretary, Adam Wiseberg has produced a series of YouTube videos showing how to set up and play matches on BBO. It is strongly advised that players look at these videos to help them set up online matches if they are unfamiliar with the procedure. The videos can be found at: bridgewebs.com/manchesterevents/.

1. Definitions
   1. The Conditions of Contest for the Manchester Contract Bridge Association (MCBA) Online League comprise these Conditions of Contest and the general regulations of the EBU concerning matches played privately. In the event of any conflict between the EBU regulations on matches played privately and these regulations, these regulations shall prevail.
   2. For any issues relating to the league, these regulations, arranging league matches, or any other matter relating to the MCBA League, please contact the League Secretary, Adam Wiseberg, at league@manchesterbridge.org.uk

2. Scope of the League
   1. The MCBA Online League is a local league played by teams with MCBA affiliation, either primary or secondary. Other than that all members of the team must be members of MCBA, they are no other restrictions on who can be in a team.
   2. The Online League will initially be 7 Divisions each consisting of 6 teams.
   3. The Online League will run in cycles, whereby a match is played each week until all have played all in the Division. Then promotion and relegation takes place and a new cycle  begins.
   4. The default day for matches to be played will be Thursday.  Teams may play on another day by mutual agreement.  Matches not played on the scheduled match date should be completed by the following Thursday,  In extreme cases such as illness or holidays a match may be postponed beyond the following Thursday but only one such instance will be allowed for each team in each cycle.
   5. Promotion and relegation between divisions at the end of each cycle will be on a 1-up and 1-down or a 2-up and 2-down basis between divisions, depending on the size of divisions, the exact number for promotion and relegation between divisions being decided by the League Secretary before the cycle starts, except that may be varied when Divisions are resized because of new teams or teams dropping out. Additional promotions/non-relegations may be made by the League Secretary (based on the average number of VPs scored per match) to balance the divisions.
   6. If a team withdraws at the end of any cycle, then there will be one less demotion unless the vacancy is filled by a new team (see below).
   7. The Online League position of a team which splits up will be retained by the larger contingent or by the captain if the contingents are equal in size. In order to retain their place in a division in the following cycle, a team must either retain at least four players or retain two or more players who each played at least half of the matches.
   8. Newly formed teams are positioned at the discretion of the League Secretary (normally just below or reasonably appropriate to their perceived ability level).
   9. Ties in terms of Victory Points will be split by the result (in VPs) of the match between the teams, and then by total IMPs over the season.

3. Entry Fee
   1. There will be no entry fee for cycle 1. After that there will be an entry fee, to be determined by the League Secretary in consultation with MCBA Officers.
   2. Entry fees are due by the start of any cycle.
   3. Payment is preferred by BACS (please see the League literature for account details). Please use the team name as the reference when paying.

4. Team Members and Eligibility
   1. A team may have a maximum of eight players.
   2. All players in a team must be current members of the EBU and must have Manchester as their county of primary or secondary allegiance before the start of the first match. School students are exempt from this requirement.

1. 3. Any team fielding a player in a match who does not have Manchester as county of primary or secondary allegiance (except for school students) will forfeit the match and score 0 VPs.
   4. No player may play for more than one team in the League in any one season, except in the case of a substitute agreed with the League Secretary in advance (see section on substitutes). Any team which plays a player who has already played for another team in any division (except for substitutes) will forfeit all matches in which that player played and will score 0 VPs for those matches.
   5. Captains can add players during the season up to a maximum of 8 by contacting the League Secretary by email.  This must be done BEFORE the player plays in a match. 

5. Arranging Matches
   1. The League is meant to be friendly. It is thus assumed that all matches can be arranged amicably between the team captains.
   2. A match is to be played each week, in line with a schedule to be published by the League Secretary. Any captain(s) who have difficulty arranging any match should contact the League Secretary who will advise as far as possible. Given the short nature of the cycles it is imperative that matches are played within the timescales given. If a match cannot be played by the end of the cycle, the League Secretary will award a score as he deems appropriate.
   3. All matches should be arranged by mutual agreement between the captains.
   4. Either captain may initiate the arrangement of matches, though the onus is on the away captain to initiate the contact.
   5. Matches can be played on any agreed online platform, though Bridgebaseonline (BBO), www.bridgebase.com, is the assumed platform, and the default unless both captains agree to a different platform.
   6. When arranging a match, the date, start time and platform should all be clearly specified. It is also useful for captains to exchange phone numbers, in case they need to contact each other on the night.
   7. The home team is responsible for setting up the match online, unless the captains agree that the away team should do so.

1. 8. On occasion, through no fault, a match has to be cancelled, and it will need to be re-arranged. This should be done as soon as possible to avoid delaying the Online League Cycle. If it cannot be arranged by the end of the cycle the League Secretary will award a score to the match as he deems appropriate.

6. Playing Conditions and Playing the Match
   1. Matches are of 14 boards.  The default is to play these in two stanzas of 7 boards with a compulsory change of opponents for stanza 2.  By mutual agreement of the captains the match may be played in one stanza of 14 boards with no change of opponents.  The home team has a choice of opponents (seating rights).
   2. All players must provide to the captain setting up the match their BBO names (or other platform as appropriate) so the match can be set up in a timely fashion.
   3. It is strongly advised that all players are on BBO (or other platform) at least 15 minutes before the match is due to start. Any match set up on BBO will fail if any of the players is not on the site and the match will have to be set up again from scratch. To avoid this, players should ensure they are online in good time.  All players must ensure that they are in Competitive and it is recommended that they also click on Team Matches and wait in the Team Match lobby.
   4. All players must abide by the EBU Best Behaviour at Bridge guidelines. Anyone who thinks they have been affected by bad behaviour should report back to the League Secretary as soon as possible.
   5. Players should under no circumstances be watching the match they are playing in on another device or anyone else in the same room watching the match on another device. This is serious cheating and will be treated as such by MCBA if discovered.
   6. Players must self-alert in line with BBO regulations. See the video on this at bridgewebs.com/manchesterevents/. for an explanation of how to do this.
   7. Level 4 conventions as defined in the EBU Blue Book are allowed in all divisions of the league. However, pairs playing methods or conventions that may be unfamiliar to opponents should note that the onus is on them to fully explain their methods to opponents. For methods that may be unknown to opponents, it is considered good practice for a pair to make available a convention card to the opposing team captain prior to any match. This can be done by email. For example, a pair playing Polish Club might wish to do this as their opponents may never have come across this system before. However, there is no requirement to do this.

            Rulings

1. 8. If a ruling is required, please do not stop the match but continue until the end of the match. Then contact the League Secretary with all the details (you will be able to get the full details from BBO), who will arrange for a ruling to be made.
   9. If you wish to appeal the TD ruling, send the full details about the hand to the League Secretary using an Appeal Form which can be downloaded from the EBU site  (https://www.ebu.co.uk/laws-and-ethics/forms). The form should make clear what details are agreed upon by both teams. The League Secretary will consult with suitable players and make a ruling with reference to EBU regulations.
   10. Teams unhappy with the League Secretary’s ruling may appeal to the EBU about the ruling, but unless it is a matter of bridge regulation, they may decline to hear it.

Incorrect Direction of Seating

1. 11. It will be obvious if you are sitting incorrectly, because you will find you are playing your teammates! If this happens cancel the match and set it up again, following the video at bridgewebs.com/manchesterevents/, to make sure you get the match setup correctly

            Abandonment of Match

1. 12. If a match is abandoned due to unforeseen circumstances with neither team at fault, then any remaining boards should be replayed at another date that week. If the match cannot completed by the end of the cycle, then the League Secretary will award a score as he sees fit.

7. Scoring and Reporting Results
   1. Scoring will be by IMPs, converted to VPs on the EBU continuous VP scale for 14 boards matches as given in Appendix A.
   2. Full details of the match including the name of the winning team and the net IMP difference should be noted and uploaded to the EBU website https://www.ebu.co.uk/members/v2/ within 24 hours of a match being played by either captain. To submit a League Result:

• Click My EBU and enter your EBU No and Password
• Click Utilities and EBU League
• Find your team and division corresponding to your Team registered entry
• Click on the specific match and enter the results and tick players accordingly 

8. Substitutes
   1. If fewer than four players are available for a pre-arranged match, then the following options are available:

• Try and re-arrange the match
• Register another player(s) on the team who is available for the match. See Section 4 number 5.  Such a player(s) must not have played for any other team in any match in that season.
• Apply to the League Secretary for a substitute(s) for the match.
  2. The League Secretary is under no obligation to grant a substitute(s) and will only do so if convinced that the other options are not viable. Any substitute must not:

• have played for a team in the same or a higher ranking division in that season
• be materially stronger than the player(s) substituted for. This will be determined by examining the NGS grades of the players involved. If either or both players have their NGS grade hidden, then the substitute will automatically be deemed of higher rank and not be allowed.
  3. There will be a compulsory 5 VP penalty per substitute per match in which a substitute is played, subject to a team scoring a minimum of 0 VPs. The VP score of the opposing team will not be affected by this. So, for example, if a team with a substitute wins 15-5, then the team with the substitute will score 10 VPs and the team without the substitute will score 5 VPs.
  4. Playing a substitute without agreement of the League Secretary will result in the match being forfeited and the team scoring 0 VPs.
  5. The League Secretary will inform the opposing captain that a substitute(s) is being played and who the substitute is, but it is good practice for the captain of the team with the substitute(s) to also inform the opposing team captain.

9. Defaults
   1. All matches must be completed before the announced "End of Cycle" date, to be published by the League Secretary.
   2. Any outstanding matches will be awarded a score as deemed fit by the League Secretary.
   3. If the League Secretary deems that one team is at fault that team will score 0 VPs and the other team will score as in 9.4 below. If the League Secretary deemed that neither team was at fault, then the match will be scored as in 9.4 below. Teams may appeal this decision to the League Secretary who will form a Committee of MCBA Officers to hear the appeal, but the appeal would have to be heard within 1 week.
   4.  If a team is awarded a match as a result of a default by the opposing team or no fault on either side, then:

• The defaulting team receives no VPs.
• The other (or both teams in the case of no fault) team will be awarded 10 +(their VP average – opponent’s VP average) VPs

(subject to a minimum of 10VPs and a maximum 20VPs in the case of a default match and a minimum of 0VPs and a maximum of 20VPs in the case of a no fault match)

Artificial VP scores from other defaulted matches are not included in this calculation.

10. Withdrawals
    1. On occasion a team withdraws from the Online League. In such a case:

• If a team withdraws from the Online League having played fewer than half its matches in a cycle (rounded up in the case of an odd number) in the season, all results against that team will be cancelled.
• If the team has played at least half its matches in the cycle (rounded up in the case of an odd number), results in the remaining matches are calculated using the default match formula above.
  2. The League Secretary reserves the right to refuse entry in the following cycle(s) to some or all the members of a team who consistently default matches or consistently withdraw during the cycle(s). For this purpose, consistent will be withdrawing in two cycles or defaulting two or more matches in two consecutive cycles.

11. Masterpoints
    1. Local points will be awarded in accordance with the EBU Masterpoint Handbook.

Appendix A: Scale of IMPs to VPs For MCBA Online League Matches

14-board continuous scale