We use the Bridgemate system not only to keep the scores and rank teams but also to direct the  movement of players.

 For the first round only and when the Scorer or TD says so the player who is North  enters the player membership number for each player against their position on the Bridgemate. North may edit these entries as they are made but once accepted an entry can only be changed by the TD.

After the first round players will be directed  to their next table by the Bridgemate,   example E/W go to table 5 or N/S stay here but become E/W.

The Bridgemate  will show your names and positions when you reach your new table.

North is responsible for the operation of the Bridgemate. North must enter the contract (3NT), doubled or redoubled if appropriate, and the position of declarer e.g. W. North must also enter the lead card. These details must be entered correctly. For example. the Bridgemate cannot know if the contract is doubled or not unless North tells it.

When the board is played and the number of tricks made agreed North must enter and OK the number.( Call the TD if it cannot be agreed peaceably)  One of the E/W players must then accept the data if it is correct or question if is not.  The club will not normally change a result once it has been accepted.

THIS PROCESS REQUIRES CARE AND CONCENTRATION. It is the basis of the scoring system and therefore of your score and ranking.

Bridgemates are clever and robust but cannot know if  you are sitting W when you should be N.

Using the image on the left and working from the top.

NS 12 and EW 1 refers to the team numbers which were assigned by the Bridgemate  before the first round.

Board 2 refers to the board to be played. The Bridgemate will  advance boards sequentially, but North can change this by deleting 2 and substituting say 3  which will be queried. However, this may be correct when more than one team are sharing the boards which will not necessarily be played in order. Bridgemate will however tell you if you try to play the same board twice.

3NTX W refers to the contract 3NT, obvious, X the contract is doubled, W is declarer.

The space for the number of tricks made is blank until the board is played, the result agreed  and it is entered and OKed by North when the screen will change and show the top right button above the display will say Accept. The opposition may now query the result (it was doubled for example) or accept it by pressing the Accept key.

The Bridgemate displays the percentage score  e.g. 75% EW.

North may then press OK to move to the next board or  select view results to see the results from other tables

   
  Operating the Bridgemate

   Who Operates the Bridgemate?
   As with the old paper system, the Bridgemate is normally operated by NORTH
   who is responsible for the correct operation.
   East (or West) is responsible for verification of the correct board results.
   To switch on the Bridgemate simply press OK.
   The Bridgemate will automatically switch off after it has been idle for a while.
   To re-activate press OK and it will resume where it left off.
   At the start of a session the Bridgemate will display the “Bridgemate II” main screen.
   Press OK to view the Table and Section settings of the Bridgemate.
   If you get the message “System not activated yet” you will have to wait
   until the system has been activated on the computer before you can continue.
   You will then be asked to enter your Table Number which you will take from
   the Table Movement Card.
   

If you make an incorrect entry at this stage, you will need the assistance of the Tournament Director (TD)
to correct and proceed and enter OK.
The next step will be to enter the Member Numbers for each of the players at the table.
After entering the number of a player you will be required to press OK.
If a member has not been allocated a membership number, you can ask for the number of a guest player
or may leave that designation blank and just press OK.
On completion of these entries, the Names of each player will appear on the screen.
If any name is incorrect and requires correction, you may press the Cancel key and revise the entry.
If completed correctly you may press OK to proceed to the first round.
At the start of each round the screen will display the new round and the expected pairs as well as the direction of play and have the correct boards.
You guessed it, press OK to confirm this screen.

Entering Board Results
Before commencing play, you should enter the Board number and press OK.
The Bridgemate will verify the number.
If the board number is incorrect or already played, the Bridge mate will notify accordingly.
You will be informed if a board is being played out of sequence and you can override by pressing OK.
This will most commonly occur when tables are sharing boards.
Once you have entered the Board Number and confirmed, the cursor will jump to the second line.
 

Bidding may now commence.
Once the bidding has been completed, you may now enter the contract and the
direction of the Declarer.
To enter the contract use the numbers 1 to 7 and the symbols indicating
Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades, or NT keys.
If required, you may add X or XX to indicate double or redouble.
To specify the Declarer, use the N/S or E/W keys.
For North you press N/S once and for South you press N/S twice.
Use the same action in the case of East or West using the E/W key.
Going to the next line on the screen, the Lead Card may also be entered at this point.
The Lead Card is entered as 2 to 9, 10, J, Q, K, or A followed by the suit symbol.

Entering the result.
Once you have finished playing the contract, you may now enter the result. To
enter the result is quite straightforward, using the = key to indicate exactly made,
using the + key and the number of overtricks made, and using the - key and the
number of downtricks.
When these screen entries are completed, press OK and the screen will now
show Verification by East or West together with the number of score points as calculated by the Bridgemate.

Verification by East or West
The Bridgemate must now be passed to East or West for verification. The screen will
show all the data as entered by NORTH and EAST will validate by pressing “Accept”, or press “Cancel” for correction by NORTH.
After agreeing the result, the screen will display “Entry Completed”. The board entry is now saved and sent to the computer server.

Special entries, Pass Out and Board not Played.
In the event of a Passed Out board, enter “Pass” in the CONTRACT and confirm with OK.
It will now go directly to the verification screen.
In the event of a board not being played, usually because of time constraints, “10” key is pressed for the contract and followed by OK.
Showing scores and rankings can be done using the Bridgemate. Your TD will
advise you on how these activities can be achieved.
Any difficulties encountered with the use of the Bridgemate, including incorrect entries already saved and sent to the server, restart procedures or any other difficulties not covered in this explanation of Operating the Bridgemate, must be referred to the TD or the Scorer.