[inquiry]

Registration will end midnight at the end of July 14th (let's not argue when that time starts, let's say roughly Pacific time or pacific daysaving time). Sometime on July 15th I will post the bracket and play can start anytime after that.

I would like to drag the bidding contest out so we have time to post and comment on the last round before the next round is played, but that is not necessary. If contestants want to speed through the matches, that is ok too. Once a pair is known to have won the last match, they can bid the one if they like.

Open questions are:
In the first round should all contestants have the same hand, and top half moving into a winner's bracket and the lower half moving into a loser bracket (obviously no kibitzers in this case).

Should memory aids be allowed? (some desire them, other's don't care one way or the other. This is for fun, so I guess I don't care either)

The number of boards was originally posted in the draft condition as 16, but there seems to be a swing towards 10-12 and 10-15. Is 16 hands too many?

Nine pairs have registered so far, and Richard is a maybe (espeically if memory aids allowed), and jdonn may register with a surprize partner... he is free to register himself with a "partner to announced" if he likes. Also, for those who are not sure if their partner will play, you can find a replacement if the partner you registered will not play. Once play has started, no more replacements.

Registered pairs:

jlall/hanp
kfay/jchiu
elianna/awm
lobowolf/bkjswan
zasanya/ravia6
gnasher/catch22
j0i/gwnn
kristen33/jillybean
Vampyr/Lamford
tlgoodwin/timg
Hrothgar/Free
jdonn/gib
sallyally/joylson
karlson/threenobob
bluecalm/redds
olegru - driver733
ant590 - crayzeejim
mbodell - javabean
tylere / bid_em_up
Flycycle/Wackojack
Siegmund/MSchmahl
CanadaGrl/Gerardo
East4Evil/sohcahtoa
mohitz/akjq
peachy/lg62
rogerClee/cherdano
Tomi2-JHDW
cascade kermit



[post edited to update registations - now at 28 ]

This post has been edited by inquiry: 2010-July-15, 01:52

[gwnn]

what's wrong with kibitzers? participants should be trusted that they dont kib at boards they haven't bid yet.

[inquiry]

Tentative schedule.... Anyone with huge problems with this schedule either post here or private messsage me here....

0000000000000000000000000000000

First round from July 15 to July 25 (lots of contestants, but everyone should have ttime to complete this in 10 days).

Second round July 26 to Aug 9 (same number of contestants (no one eliminated yet) give extra time because two weeks out people's schedule is not so sure. Also US nationals during this time)

Third round Aug 10 to Aug 16 (one week to complete the next two rounds)

Fourth round Aug 17 to Aug 23

Fifth and sixth round (if necessary) at the pleasure of the two pairs.

[JLOGIC]

Def no to memory aids imo

[Free]

Since Richard and I are digging up MOSCITO, haven't played it in a few years, and we don't have much time to study, I'd definitely like some memory aids.

[Ant590]

Quote

In the first round should all contestants have the same hand, and top half moving into a winner's bracket and the lower half moving into a loser bracket (obviously no kibitzers in this case).

I like the bracket idea, but I think we can operate an honor system in terms of the kibitzing.

Quote

Should memory aids be allowed? (some desire them, other's don't care one way or the other. This is for fun, so I guess I don't care either)

I think it will be tough to regulate, so seems sensible to allow notes.

Quote

The number of boards was originally posted in the draft condition as 16, but there seems to be a swing towards 10-12 and 10-15. Is 16 hands too many?

If they're all tricky hands then 10-12 is plenty. If they're a randomly dealt set (but duplicated), then 16 seems the minimum to get a good sample of a pair's ability on tough hands.

[Ant590]

Also, I'm not sure if this is in the Conditions of Contest, but I'd be happy to `host' a pair's bidding table after I have bid the hands myself.

[inquiry]

Ant590, on Jul 13 2010, 05:04 AM, said:

Also, I'm not sure if this is in the Conditions of Contest, but I'd be happy to `host' a pair's bidding table after I have bid the hands myself.

That is exactly what we will need to make it possible for everyone to bid. If only one or two volunteers can help with the bidding contest, it might be difficult to get them all in (at least the first two rounds where there will be (so far) 22 bidding set of people bidding each round. But obviously once three or four pairs ahve bid, if they could help administer the contest to others, it will make this flow very easily....

There is one day left to sign up.... so if you ahve not signed up.

Sorry, no gib-gib partnership, because gib has failed to make the required 4 post before the start date of the registration here in the forum... rules are rules... No doubt some of you guys will throw gib at the hands once you know them.

[inquiry]

Scheduling problems...

The schedule is etched in stone now. however, if you and your partner are willing to bid two or more events earlier than normal you can participate.

For example. Imagine if you will be travelling the entire time of round two. When you bid the round one hands, you could also bid round two hands for both the winner and loser bracket. That way, if you win round one, we will use your winner round 2 hands. If you lose round one, we would use your loser round two bracket auctions to see if you make it into round 3. That is about as fair as I can see it to help the few of you with travel problems.

[gnasher]

Ant590, on Jul 13 2010, 11:03 AM, said:

I think it will be tough to regulate, so seems sensible to allow notes.

I think it would be very easy to regulate. You say "No notes", and then people won't use their notes. Players are no more likely to cheat at this form of bridge than at any other.

[JLOGIC]

gnasher, on Jul 14 2010, 09:44 AM, said:

Ant590, on Jul 13 2010, 11:03 AM, said:

I think it will be tough to regulate, so seems sensible to allow notes.

I think it would be very easy to regulate. You say "No notes", and then people won't use their notes. Players are much less likely to cheat at this form of bridge than at any other.

FYP

[inquiry]

There has been growing sentiment against using notes, including several private messages to me as well as comments in the forum. So I think we will have to go back to my original idea and say

... No Memory Aids Allowed....

[hanp]

I probably can't be online during round 3. In the unlikely case that we make it to round 3, perhaps Justin and I could bid the hands live at the nationals, with Ben as live referee? Alternatively we could bid the hands earlier, or Justin could bid with a substitute.

I'd like to participate and hope my travelling plans won't be a problem.

I hope Free and hrothgar will participate, even without memory aids. It would be great to see them and moscito in action, and so what if they forget the system sometimes. And there's still time to study Free!

[JLOGIC]

hanp, on Jul 14 2010, 02:15 PM, said:

I'd like to participate and hope my travelling plans won't be a problem.

We'll figure it out

[Siegmund]

27's kind of a fun number of teams to enter into a contest... 3-ways to trim it to 18->12->8 and then KO's, like it was an ACBL bracket? Or shall we all try and twist some friends' arms and fill it out to an even 32?

[inquiry]

Ok,

Registration has officially ended (of sorts). If you didn't get registered and want to play, just message me or post in this thread and we will see about getting you added.

How this will work.

1.) Early in each rounds (first day to two), find me or Hanoi5 and ask us to set up a bidding table for your partnership. Ideally some one will post in the forum when such a bidding will take place to aid kibitzers.

2.) If you are a contestant, obviously do not kibitz until affter you have bid the hands in that round

3.) After you bid the hands, you will be given a copy of the hands and instructions for NS bidding (if any) on each hand if you are willing to serve as additional table moderators. In that case, we will post your name in these forums so others will know they can contact you to help them bid.

4.) Don't post or discuss the hands in this forum until the round ends.

5.) No memory aids allowed.

You can email me at inquiry at bridgebase dot com with a list of times you would be available to bid the hands, and i will do what i can about fitting them in. Tomorrow morning (later today actually the 15th), I have to run an errand, but after that I should be around most of the day to assist in bidding contest. Look for inquiry or inquiry1. The most tables I can host at one time is two.

After tomorrow, I hope we have several people who have bid the first round hands and will be willing to expand the pool of people who can help others bid their first round.

Good luck all.

[Lobowolf]

Are you going to post brackets, so we know who's up against whom in each round? You can put me down as willing to host, also, assuming I can coordinate with partner to finish early enough to be useful.

[inquiry]

Lobowolf, on Jul 15 2010, 12:52 AM, said:

Are you going to post brackets, so we know who's up against whom in each round?  You can put me down as willing to host, also, assuming I can coordinate with partner to finish early enough to be useful.

Due to the fact that everyone is playing the same hands (see long winded explaination of why somewhere else, I want to thank forum members for this recommendation btw).... the bracket for the first round is

Round 1
Winner Bracket... Everyone (looks like 28 pairs)......
Loser Bracket ..... no one........

Everyone bids hand set 1 in first round. After everyone bids the hands, the top 1/3 of the bidders in teh winner bracket will move to round 2 winner bracket, the rest to the loser bracket.

Round 2
Winner Bracket .... 10 pairs in total, top 1/3 move to round 3 winner bracket
Loser Bracket ...... 18 pairs, bottom 4/5 are eliminated

Round 3.
Winner Bracket, 4 pairs, 1 pair advances to round 4, 3 pairs to loser bracket
Loser Bracket... 6 pairs from round 2 winner bracket plus 4 pairs from loser bracket

In round 3, winners bid hand set 4, losers bid hand set 5

Round 4.
Winner Bracket... bye....
Loser bracket, 3 pairs from rnd 3 winner bracket, plus top tier pairs from loser bracket round 3

Round 5 and round 6 (if necessary)
Top scorer from Round 4 loser bracket versus team with round 4 bye. Round 6 need only if the team with the initial bye loses.


After we declare a champion, it would be nice if we could start a monthly or so "challenge the champ" with one pair going up against the champion. The winner becomes the new champion. Initially it probably should be some of the people who did well but didn't win playign against each other to see who really challenges the champion.

[hanp]

Maybe this was said before, should we assume matchpoints for the bidding?

[Hanoi5]

Yeah, MP's is always better for this sort of contests (and it's almost always done like that). Somewhere I asked and was told the same.