Some notes on how to play in Staffs & Shrops Online Bridge Club

On the day, you have will have to pay table money ($3 per person) you can purchase BBO dollars from the BBO site. If you are not familiar with how to do this, click www.bridgewebs.com/staffsshrops and look at Money into BBO Account

Each duplicate session will open for registration 2 hours before the start of play, noon for the No Fears afternoon session and 5 p.m.  for the evening session. Between noon and 1:30 or 5 and 6.30 p.m. both players in a partnership need to log in sequence to BBO for them to register their wish to play in that session. One of the pair finds the session Staffs & Shrops and registers as follows: Click “Competitive” under Pay or Watch Bridge
Log on to BBO:

1. .click “All Tournaments”
2. In the Search box (above where it says “Entries” type Staffs & Shrops for the Wednesday evening online bridge or S&SNoFears for the afternoon club.
3. Click on the event on the list
4. Type the BBO username of your partner
5. Click “Invite”. Your partner must also be logged on to the BBO – so talk to your partner about this, your partner needs to quickly accept your “invite”
6. You can check that you and your are registered by clicking on Entries

YOU CAN THEN LOG OFF if you wish.  You both have to be logged in to the Competitive/All Tournaments area of the site by 1:45 p.m for the afternoon session or 6.45 p.m. for the evening session If you miss the registration deadline or are late logging on you will not be allowed to play.

  
 All you need now is patience.  At 2 p.m. (afternoon no fears) 7 p.m.(evening session) the screen will suddenly change as if by magic (but actually by the Director), and you can start the first hand.

If you have problems logging in, are looking for a partner or miss the start, see below (page 2). This also tells you why you may come across a pair you don’t recognise during the session.   If there is a half table, the EBU will provide a stand-by pair in the event of a half table.

*The BBO website becomes extremely busy at times when  lots of people try to login for games.  This causes website congestion and is a common cause of log-in failures.  For this reason it is suggested that members leave it no later than 1:30 p.m. (afternoon no fear session)  6:30 pm (main evening session) at the latest to sign in/re-join the site.

Results will be available on the County Website www.bridgewebs.com/staffsshrops shortly after the event finishes or the next day.
 
  

PROBLEMS?  (http://www.ebu.co.uk/ebuscore-wiki/virtualclubfaq)
  
 Whoops! If –during login -you receive the message “This tournament is private - only select usernames are allowed to participate” then you need to contact your club to be added to the list. Possibly your username is in the list but has been misspelt.
  
Is there a partnership desk?  There is a partnership desk to help you find a partner which is available from the time when registration opens i.e. 2 hours before the start time. Follow the instructions above to go the event. Click on the event and then there is a Partnership Desk tab. Here you will be able to see anyone else who has already registered as looking for a partner. If you wish to add yourself to the list then click the button for 'I will pay for only myself'.
  
What happens if there is a half table? BBO can start a game with a half table but cannot move to round 2 with a half table. BBO has a list of people who have indicated they are willing to act as substitutes for any tournament, the usual procedure is to use two people from the list to make up the half table. These people will probably not be from UK and therefore will probably not play Acol but it avoids the need for the club to have a designated standby pair. If the club has a designated standby pair then they can be brought in if the game the game starts with a half table. In this case they would not pay an entry fee. Whichever substitutes option is used the club will be charged UMS (P2P) for the substitutes. Robots cannot be used as substitutes.   
 If a pair have registered but then miss the start will their entry fee be refunded?   It is very unlikely that the Director will allow a pair to start late and latecomers have no right of appeal against the Director’s decision on this.  On the more positive side, they will not be debited for the session..