A:  Thank you both for these “timely” questions. Funny how different people see the same thing yet have opposite reactions.

Duplicate bridge is a timed event and Nature Coast Bridge Club abides by the ACBL recommendation of 7-8 minutes allotted per board, the standard used throughout the country.  It is not our goal for players to play fast, yet at the same time you need to finish each round on time. So, how can you speed things up without playing faster?

Duplicate bridge is a game with rules of procedure and etiquette. Most of them are simple and following them helps speed up the game which will result in more time for bidding, declarer play and defense.  In other words, we’re speeding it up so you can slow it down.

So how do we speed up the game?  Let’s group the following 8 rules of procedure and etiquette into 2 categories - the Administration and the Play.

The Administration

1. Don't Discuss the Hands

This is one of the most abused rules of bridge etiquette and the one which is most likely to result in slow play. In addition to slowing down play, talking about the bidding, the play, or the result can give information to players who haven't yet played the board.

2. Lead Before Entering information into the Bridgemate

After the auction, the player on lead must make the opening lead before entering information into the Bridgemate or filling out the scoresheet. Why? Because once the lead is made, everyone can concentrate on playing the hand.  It is an unnecessary waste of time to wait for the player to enter information into the Bridgemate and/or scoresheet.

3. Dummy - Cards First, Scoresheet Later

If you're the dummy, put your cards on the table as soon as the opening lead has been made.  The declarer and defenders will then be able to plan their strategy. Once the dummy is displayed, you can return to your administrative duties.

4. North controls the Bridgemate, South controls the boards.

Unless South has a physical issue which would preclude them from doing so, North should never be in charge of both the Bridgemate and the boards (placing them on and returning them from the table).

The Play

5. Be Ready When It's Your Turn to Bid

When the bidding comes around to you, it shouldn't be a surprise. At the start of the bidding process, all 4 players must pick up, count and sort their hands.  Do not wait until it is your turn to bid. The rest of the table does not want to waste time by watching you pick up and sort your cards when you should have already done so.

6. Lead Face Down

When you are on opening lead, remember the magic words: face down first. The face-down lead gives everyone a chance to make sure the right player is on lead before the card is exposed. It is a small step that can prevent a time-consuming problem.

7. Keep Track of the Tricks

Each player is required to keep track of which side won the trick by placing all tricks in front of them in a row (not stacked upon one another).  Place the tricks you win vertically and those you lost horizontally. If there is confusion after the play of all 13 tricks, it becomes easier (and less time consuming) to figure out the correct result.  

8. Pay Attention to the Bidding

Pay attention to the auction, know what has been bid, and be aware when it is your turn. This prevents insufficient bids, repeated questions and unnecessary delays. It also has the added benefit of giving you more time to play the hand.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

These guidelines come down to three attributes:

• Pay attention
• Be prepared
• Be considerate

Nature Coast Bridge Club is serious about Speeding it up so you can slow it down. When a violation of these procedure and etiquette rules is pointed out, do not be offended. It is simply a reminder to help make our bridge club more enjoyable for all players.  But remember, even though we are “slowing it down”, it is still an obligation for all players to abide by the time clock and finish each round on time.

A:  Thanks for asking a very important question. 

Some time ago, 2 married couples were playing bridge at a home in London.  One couple was arguing throughout the evening, each complaining about the other’s bidding and defensive play. On the final hand of the evening, they reached a 6NT contract with the husband as the declarer.  When his wife’s hand was put down as the dummy, he became furious and excused himself to go into his bedroom.  He returned with a pistol and fired at his wife, instantly killing her.

Scotland Yard was called to the home.  The Inspector, who happened to be a very good bridge player, interviewed the 3 players to determine what happened.  Upon learning the details of the final hand’s bidding and then looking at the exposed dummy hand, he jotted into his little notebook “justifiable homicide.” 

Bridge fact or bridge fiction?  Either way, it perfectly illustrates the need for a Zero Tolerance policy.

Simply put, Zero Tolerance Policy is designed to create and maintain an environment for all players to have a fun, enjoyable game of bridge. It’s easy to be “kind” to your partner when all goes well. Nobody becomes upset when your partner makes a great bid or endplays the opponents to make a seemingly unmakeable contract. A Director is never called to the table because one partner has heaped too much praise on the other for brilliant play.

So, what does constitute a violation of the Zero Tolerance Policy?  Perhaps the best authority is the Golden Rule, but the ACBL adds a little detail.

The following are some (but not inclusive) examples of behavior that will not be tolerated: 

• Negative comments concerning opponents’ or partner’s play or bidding.

• Constant and gratuitous lessons and analyses at the table.

• Loud and disruptive arguing with a director’s ruling.  

• Badgering, rudeness, intimidation, threats, or violence.

• Remark or action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment to another player or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game. 

• Gloating over good results or gloating about winning.

• Providing uninvited lessons or detailed analyses of a hand at the table.

Remember, even if your partner or opponents have bid, defended or played a hand poorly, you may not critique or criticize.  Unlike in London, there is no such thing as “justifiable homicide”.

What happens if there is a violation of the Zero Tolerance policy? On the first infraction, the violator and partner are assessed a one board penalty.  Thattranslates to approximately 4.5 percent reduction on the final score.  For an example, if you had a 54% game, after the penalty is assessed, your final score drops to around 49.5%. The penalty is severe to act as a deterrence.

By enforcing Zero Tolerance, our goal is to ensure that the only drama at the tables come from the cards themselves.

A:  Good question.  The purpose and goal of stratifying games is to provide the best opportunity for the most players to earn masterpoints while making it as fair as possible for all level of players to earn those points.  The directors attempt to have an equal number of players in each stratification category. For example, with 6 tables the goal is to have 4 A players, 4 B players 4 C players.  To achieve this, the stratification limits for the game may be adjusted from previous games.  For Thursday mentor/mentee games, all/only pairs with a mentor are in the A stratification.  The B and C stratification ranges are divided with roughly half Bs and half Cs. On certain days when we play North American Pair (NAP) games, the stratification limits are set by the ACBL which we cannot override.

The A/B/C cards on the tables before the game are for seating purposes only and may not reflect the actual stratifications used in the game. The stratifications can only be determined by the director once the game begins and all the names and corresponding masterpoints are entered into the Director’s computer.

A: Glad you asked.  Remember, the goal of this Board is to increase the number of tables we have each month while providing a fun and friendly atmosphere to play and improve your bridge game.  The mentor/mentee game helps achieve these goals in at least 3 ways.  First is the most obvious. When mentors play, there are more players and thus more tables.  Second, mentors help increase 499 skill levels which should translate into more enthusiasm for those players to play more often.  And third, the presence of mentors assure that a game will be held. Previously we have had to cancel Thursday games due to lack of enough tables or hold the game with as few as 3 tables. Neither was beneficial to the 499s.

What about the question of whether mentors are taking away masterpoints from 499s. Not true, and in fact often it is the exact opposite – 499s who play in the Mentor game often earn more masterpoints than they otherwise would. Both B and C 499s seldom earn fewer masterpoints in a Mentor game than they would otherwise earn if the game was for 499s only.  Why?

Without boring you with the formula that determines how masterpoints are awarded, it’s important to note that more tables create more masterpoints.  And, open games (such as the mentor game) allot 100% masterpoints whereas limited games (such as 499 games) allot only 80% masterpoints. 

And there has famously been another huge advantage to our mentor/mentee game.  STaC games require at least 5 tables for players to be compared against other STaC players throughout the state in order to receive maximum extra silver masterpoints.  Prior to mentor/mentee games, we have not had five tables for 499 STaC games, which greatly limited the extra points being awarded, regardless of how well you did.

A perfect example is the March 12 STaC game.  Since it was a Mentor game, there were 10 pairs that day, including 3 mentor pairs. As a mentor game, we had enough tables to be categorized as an Open game, so all our players’ scores were compared to other Open game scores throughout the state. Larry DeGrandchamp and Thangam Nagarajan - both C players - scored a 71.30% game that day. Yes, competing against 3 mentor-led pairs.  Their score was first throughout the state and they earned more than 18 Silver points!  Let’s repeat that.  Larry and Thangam played in the mentor game and competed against 3 mentor-led pairs, beat them all by a wide margin, scored a 71% game and earned more than 18 silver points.  If there was not a mentor game that Thursday, they would have been placed in a 499 pool for fewer than 5 tables and earned about 3 silver points rather than 18 silver points. Thanks Larry and Thangam for confirming the benefit of our mentor game.

Perhaps most importantly, Board members have spoken with most of the 499 players, and without exception they indicated a preference to have mentor-mentee games with more tables than smaller games with 499s only.