Virtual Club Games on BBO This Week, September 28-October 3

Monday open game at 10:35, Mike Savage, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:35

             Registration closes at 10:30

Monday Evening open game at 6:30, Laura Gastelum, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 18:30

            Registration closes between 6:20-6:25, depending on table count

Tuesday open game at 10:35, Sheryl Kohlhoff, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:35

             Registration closes at 10:30

Wednesday 499er game at 10:10, Sheryl Kohlhoff, director

            BBO title is 499er SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:10

            Registration closes at 10:00

Wednesday open game at 10:35, Sheryl Kohlhoff, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:35

             Registration closes at 10:30

Thursday 499er game at 10:10, Laura Gastelum, director

            BBO title is 499er SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:10

            Registration closes at 10:00

Thursday open game at 10:35, Laura Gastelum, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:35

             Registration closes at 10:30

Friday open game at 10:35, Laura Gastelum, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:35

             Registration closes at 10:30

Saturday 499er game at 10:10, Mike Savage, director

            BBO title is 499er SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:10

            Registration closes at 10:00

Saturday open game at 10:35, Mike Savage, director

            BBO title is Open SOUTH BAY BRIDGE CLUB 10:35

             Registration closes at 10:30

For the Monday and Tuesday games this week, the ACBL is charging us larger table fees for these games; our table fees for the week will be $7.00. 

If there is a half table when registration closes, one pair will be able to register.  If there are even tables, no new pairs will be able to register.

If you want to play in a game but don’t have a partner, you can contact Sheryl or Laura and we will try to find someone for you.  But if we can’t find someone and you still want to play, sign up on the partnership desk.  Log on to BBO, find our game, click register, and then click on partnership desk and add your name.  We will bring you in as a sub if we have a half table, and we will find a sub that we think matches your playing level.  We want everyone to have a chance to play.

For our smaller games, you may have noticed that more pairs are earning points.  In fact, in our 3-table open game this morning, 5 of the 6 pairs earned points.  This is because BBO has changed its policy on stratifying games.  Under the old policy, smaller games were not stratified.  Now BBO is stratifying all games.  So more pairs now have a chance to earn points in the smaller games.  Good news!

What happens when rounds time out?  If you haven’t finished your last board when the round times out, the computer looks at how many tricks you have played.  If you haven’t completed six tricks, the computer usually assigns an average.  The director will not change the score from average unless it is 100% clear in purely high cards what the result would be.  If 6 or more tricks have been completed, the computer usually assigns a score.  If you think the computer is wrong, you may request a review by the director. 

What if opponents fail to alert or fail to explain their bids?  All pairs need to post a convention card so that opponents can see what conventions they are playing and what carding they are playing (standard, upside down, odd/even, etc.)  Particularly in the open game, most pairs are playing 2/1 and certain conventions are common.  For example, if an opponent fails to alert 1NT forcing by an unpassed hand, the bid is so common that the director is not likely to find damage from the failure to alert.  Opponents can check the bidder’s convention card in a matter of seconds to make sure that 1NT is forcing.  Same reasoning for transfers over a 1NT opening.  The bid should be alerted, but a director is not likely to find damage because everyone is playing transfers over 1NT opening in an uncontested auction.  If a call is likely or somewhat likely to be conventional, a player should click the bid and ask for an explanation before calling the director for failure to alert.  If a player fails to ask about a call that is likely to be conventional, it weakens the ability to claim damage.

If a player asks for an explanation, and the opponent fails to respond, this is more serious.  If there is any realistic possibility of damage to the opponents, a score adjustment is warranted.  A likely adjustment is AV+ for the opponents and AV- to the side that didn’t give an explanation if there is possible damage from the refusal to explain.  An opponent should not have to ask about the meaning of bids in private chat.  It should be done by clicking on the bid and the player must give a response.

For registration issues, help with convention cards or other questions, you can contact Sheryl Kohlhoff at sbbc.club.manager@gmail.com, or 310-544-5741; or Laura Gastelum at 310-738-5960 phone or text.

The ACBL has notified us that the BBO computer will no longer be posting a Standard American convention card as a default for pairs who have not prepared their own card.  The tournament directors are becoming stricter about pairs without a posted convention card.  At the club, if you have not yet made a convention card with your partner, please do it now.  If you don’t know how, call Sheryl or Laura and we will walk you through it; the contact information is listed below.  In the September ACBL magazine on page 20, there is an illustrated guide on how to complete a convention card.  But the most important part is to TYPE YOUR PARTNER’S BBO NAME IN THE WHITE BOX AT THE VERY TOP next to the word Partner.  You must do this for the card to automatically post at the table when you are playing with the named partner.

Need help?  Send an email to sbbc.club.manager@gmail.com and we will help you with the process.  Once you have filled out the card, all players at the table can see the opponents’ card and their own card by clicking on the blue box with 3 lines in it.  Two of the choices in the box are NS Convention Card and EW Convention Card.  Click on them and the convention card will appear.

Please remember the self-alert system.  Alert or announce your own bids.  Please don’t forget to alert such bids as a forcing no trump, new minor forcing, fourth suit forcing, transfers, inverted minors, Drury and other commonly-used conventions.  Don’t assume that “everyone knows that”.  The bids need to be alerted and a score adjustment can be made for failures to alert, just like in a face-to-face game.  We want you to enjoy the game while at the same time playing by the rules.