[awm]

The big difference here is whether to view a bridge "team" as a team, or as a collection of pairs. Based on the way bridge competition works, there's no obvious reason that having a team which has played as a unit a lot would be better than having the three strongest pairs available, but the modern conventional wisdom seems to be that the team concept is very important.

From the viewpoint of other sports, the team sports (i.e. basketball, football/soccer, etc) generally have teams for international competition selected by some committee. This is because it is very difficult to comparatively evaluate individuals in a team sport, and because the team concept is important (a team consisting of all forwards, for example, would not tend to do well in the world cup even if they're all very good forwards -- the lack of a goaltender or defensemen would tend to hurt their chances). On the other hand, the individual sports normally pick a national "team" consisting of the best individuals determined by trials. So for example the national swimming team is picked based on actual races, the national ice skating team is picked via actual competition.

So if you view a bridge team as simply a collection of pairs, it is easy enough to hold a competition which objectively judges the best pairs (yes, as with the swimming team, it could be that a particular pair happens to perform well on the day of the trials). If you view a bridge team as somehow fundamentally a team, it makes sense to pick "all stars" subject to criteria based on "playing well as a unit" rather than picking six via a trials (this is part of why the team germany sends to the world cup for example isn't the champions of the german football league).

[mike777]

Well we know picking the best pairs was very often a fiasco for the USA.

There does seem to be a strong argument for just sending the winning trials, playoff team even in Football (soccer), basketball or any team sport. I do wonder why they pick players and then try and form a cohesive team in other team sports.

Studies show that social cohesion is not nealy as important as task cohesion for a team's success. At times it may even have a negative impact. In those teams with a sponsor everyone has a well defined role. There is a well thought out strategy for when to play the sponsor. How else explain so many world championships won with a weaker paying sponsor playing?

[kfgauss]

mike777, on May 8 2006, 06:19 PM, said:

Studies show that social cohesion is not nealy as important as task cohesion for a team's success. At times it may even have a negative impact. In those teams with a sponsor everyone has a well defined role. There is a well thought out strategy for when to play the sponsor. How else explain so many world championships won with a weaker paying sponsor playing?

What do you mean by "task cohesion"?

Andy

[mike777]

One where every member has a role, and more importantly, accepts that role and does everything to fulfill it as well as possible. Every team member understanding and accepting his or her role within the structure of the team.

[Aberlour10]

For clarity in the discussion...

We cannot compare polish trials with this one takes place
in the USA (for example),where fix teams facing others and
the winning team has right to represent the country in the international
events.
On the last stage of polish trials in 2005, 10 qualified pairs fighted across
the field ( in special mode). Finally,three best pairs in this
competition represented Poland in Estoril (Team Open)

[cherdano]

Aberlour10, on May 8 2006, 01:47 AM, said:

The managing committee of the Polish Bridge Union analyzed the rather poor performance of team Poland in the last Bermuda Bowl, and decided to change the system of team building.
The "democratic system" of trials (postulated by the players) for the most important international events is abolished (for team open). The performance showed during a few days of trials could not allowed to send the "really" strongest team to these events.
Team Poland for Warsaw will be nominated by the NPC Wojciech Siwiec,
who intensively observed the play of the leading polish partnerships
in the last half a year.

Robert

I hope this will work out! Poland deserves a better performance in the BB, and the BB will be more attractive with a strong polish team.

[mike777]

Aberlour10, on May 8 2006, 02:48 PM, said:

For clarity in the discussion...

We cannot compare polish trials with this one takes place
in the USA (for example),where fix teams facing others and
the winning team has right to represent the country in the international
events.
On the last stage of polish trials in 2005, 10 qualified pairs fighted across
the field ( in special mode). Finally,three best pairs in this
competition represented Poland in Estoril (Team Open)

Yes, that was my point you let the 3 best pairs form the team rather than fixed teams and let the fixed teams fight it out to go to Bermuda Bowl. This 3 best pairs who win trials method has often been a fiasco for the USA.

[Aberlour10]

mike777, on May 8 2006, 03:11 PM, said:

Aberlour10, on May 8 2006, 02:48 PM, said:

For clarity in the discussion...

We cannot compare polish trials with this one takes place
in the USA (for example),where fix teams facing others and
the winning team has right to represent the country in the international
events.
On the last stage of polish trials in 2005, 10 qualified pairs fighted across
the field ( in special mode). Finally,three best pairs in this
competition represented Poland in Estoril (Team Open)

Yes, that was my point you let the 3 best pairs form the team rather than fixed teams and let the fixed teams fight it out to go to Bermuda Bowl. This 3 best pairs who win trials method has often been a fiasco for the USA.

The Polish Bridge Union has come to the same conclusion, the management publicated a new proposal for a trials (Team Open) to discuss it with the members.

In January will take place open trials in "US style",but with only 2 pairs/team.
The winning team will not automatically represent Poland in the world major tournaments, they have to play every 2 months one (long) match vs a "challanger team". (if there are more teams which want to challange team A, they will play a special tournament, the winner will get the right to meet team A)

This procedure will end in summer 2007, the winnig team + third pair ( nominated by PBU) has the right to play in the next Bermuda Bowl.

Robert