[skrshawk]

Hello,
I just wanted to take the time to share some of my thoughts about my time with Bridge Base and reflect on some of our more recent accomplishments. I've personally found my work with BBO to be immensely rewarding and seeing its benefits to the bridge community is wonderful.

I forget when exactly I became a yellow but I'm sure my peers will remind me after this . We have a bit of code we use that produces a graph of users logged in over time. For a while we were fairly stagnant, daily peaks of around 300 or so; many of you remember these times I'm sure. Then things started growing and we were excited every time we hit a new milestone: 400, 500, 600, 800, 1000, and now 1200 concurrent users on BBO during our peak hours. 1650 is our current record for concurrent users during a vugraph, with almost half of them watching the show. We've upgraded servers twice and are currently running Bridge Base off three different servers. None of us expected this kind of success and we can only thank you, our users for making the numbers happen.

Aside from the numbers we have passed many other milestones. The BBO client is more robust than ever with the features that our users have asked for. Sometimes we have to tell people "if you think it's that important you write the code" , but for the most part we've been able to get the most requested things added. We still feature one of the most critically-acclaimed practice tools to be found online, the Partnership Bidding room. With the recent addition of Tournaments, while still very much in their infancy, BBO's esteem in the online bridge community grows. The challenges of operating a tournament of 50 concurrent tables over the Internet are much more pronounced when the issue of connectivity is introduced. Players don't up and walk away from the live table in the middle of a game for no apparent reason!

My personal project, these forums, have met with success from all who have come across them. They are still growing; forums take time to mature. In the short time they've existed we've raised a small but dedicated userbase and upgraded them once to what we believe is the most powerful forum software available at any price (being that YaBB and YaBB SE are freely distributable doesn't hurt either ).

Uday's work as our server administrator and programmer has been tremendous to our success. The Myhands application that allows users to review travellers and movies of their previous hands and get statistical analysis is extremely popular. Behind the scenes his development of administrative tools has given the yellows the means to effectively manage the service.

All of the yellows have done tremendous jobs to make sure BBO stays a friendly place to play. Unfortunately the unsavory elements have been around from time to time but with Uday's help and the cautious eyes of the yellows most of the problems are dealt with swiftly. It's the aspect of BBO I like the least, but it's one of the most necessary.

Even more, we've done this all on Fred's dime and with volunteer labor. Thus we've been able to bring this service to the Internet to use free of charge. How much more could you possibly want?

The state of BBO is well... very very well

Take care,
John

[JRG]

I hope John (SkrShawk) will not mind my adding something to his thread. I've seen other people's comments about the social aspects of bridge on BBO and would like to add my own experience.

I lived in Toronto, Canada for most of my life. My wife and I decided to take an early retirement and, for a variety of reasons, decided to move to another country - we chose Costa Rica. We moved here last September. One of the downsides of moving would be that I would be living away from someone who had become a very dear friend and bridge partner. We had played bridge an average of about once a week for about 20 years. I guess you could call us an established partnership!

Well, you don't give up a friendship like that without a fight. So I wanted to find a way of continuing to play bridge with my friend Paul. We are both computer professionals (well, I was) and playing via computer was a natural. Prior to leaving Toronto I investigated OK Bridge and through another friend, Fred, BBO. Well BBO is a clear winner.

However, it's not just the ability to continue playing bridge once a week with Paul that it has given me. I have met some lovely people from all over the world. The game of bridge transcends borders and even language barriers. Objectively I knew bridge was played all over the world, but I am not an expert player and have never participated in international competition. So it was an eye-opener to "meet", kibitz, and play with and against people from Poland, Germany, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, England, Scotland, Brazil, Argentina, Canada, the USA, India,... and a list that goes on and on.

And then top-flight competition on Vugraph. I though I'd died and gone to bridge heaven! It's one thing to have read about the famous Blue Team and about Team Trials and World Championships and quite another to be able to watch such players, especially when there is expert commentary.

There is a small bridge community here in Costa Rica. I'm starting to introduce some of the players to BBO. Hopefully you will start to see a few more Costa Rican flags showing up in profiles!

Fred is truly a great embassador for bridge, and not just because of BBO. I am honestly proud to know him. I have had the good fortune to play against him live as well as on BBO and I know what a gentleman he is. He gives no quarter at the game, but it has always been a pleasure to meet him across the table.

[inquiry]

Ok...

The BBO is a great place, it is full of friendly, helpful players who are willing to offer me and others useful advice. And just as important, this advice is generally only given when sought by the recepieint. The atmosphere here is so different and so refreshing compared to the other online bridge sites. And of course, the software here is the best. Fred has set this site up as a WONDERFUL training/learning tool From the partnership bidding tables, to the vugraphs, to highlighting players worth watching with gold stars, and yes, to allowing kibiitzers to chat with players. It is terrific.

However, as in any state of the X expression, one must look at the challenges ahead. The biggest challenge to the my personal enjoyment at the BBO is the new feature that ironically I enjoy maybe the most: the new on line tournament play.

Clearly the intensity of the game is raised by the addition of tournments. Like everyone else who plays in these things, when I play I play to win (read tournament play brings out the aggressiveness in me, I hate to lose at anything, but then so do most of us), but not at all cost. Sadly, somepeople confuse the significance of winning as being more important than their actions, or the good will this site generates. Although I am trying my hardest to win, I am not about to be critical of my partner's mistakes or berate my opponents. And I am surely not going to accuse people of cheating during a simple little online bridge tournment everytime they get a good result (or at all really). Life is too short for such behavior. But in the tournments I have played and kibiitzed, I have begun noting an increadible change in players attitude. I have seen boarish behavior, out-right accusations of cheating, and I have observed constant pleas from the directors to push the director button ONLY in specific circumstances. I was kibitizing one table where the director was called three times on a single hand over essentially nothing. And then the person calling the director actually stated that they hate all directors right to Rain's "face". I mean give me a break.

It is up to us, the users of this wonderful site, to keep it from becoming just another place to witness the childish behavior of some players brought on by the pressure of competitition. Let us all try to set examples in the BBO tournments... play hard to win, but do so with class and style rather than rancor, bitterness and suspicion.

[pbleighton]

I especially appreciate this Forum and the Partnership Bidding room.

[lcmdir]

Hi (a few words about BBO),

To put it simply: BBO is 1st class all the way!
--the people
--the programs
--the people
--the tournaments
--the vugraphs
--did I say the people? (they are wonderful!)

I would never have worked up the nerve to try face-to-face bridge without first gaining confidence at BBO. Now, I love both online & offline bridge playing

Thanks to all who work as a part of BBO--your efforts are greatly appreciated!!!!

Anna

[Laird]

Hello All:-))

I would like to say that it is indeed a privilege to play bridge on this site.
To me BBO is like a catalyst for people of goodwill to meet and play this wonderful and fascinating game.
However as Inquiry stated 'play hard to win but do so with class and style'and as my friends from Holland say, 'with a :-))'.
Rancor, bitterness and suspicion may be the poisons which will prevent this Catalyst operating efficiently and for me this should never be allowed to happen on this site.
We can never really know who we are playing bridge with or the personal circumstances that person may be enduring - loneliness, illness, despair, unemployment and this may be a lifeline to a better and more interesting world. However we can all surely try to be civil to each other and practice :-)))).

Kind regards
John:-))

[Rhutobello]

What is said, is well spoken, so that leave me just to applaud,"well done BBO" ;D

[LukeG]

Let me add my voice to the chorus of praise for this wonderful site. Although my primary playing site is OKB, I am continually impressed by the array of services that are provided here. My favorites, in order, are the practice bidding area, vugraphs, forums and the ability to play back saved hands (including OKB hands!) as bridge movies. This site is a great complement to OKB.

Am I about to drop my OKB membership and hang out here all the time? No, I'm not. I've been at OKB for 3.5 years and have lots of friends there. It's easier to locate your friends and it's easier to get an overview of what tables are open.

Regardless of my feelings re: OKB, there is no denying the fact that BBO is doing a superb job!

[uday]

I also noticed the weird intensity of the first few duplicate tournaments. I mean, we're talking test software and results that get archived away in 30 minutes; strange that it brought out all that. I think the future of tourneys is small and intimate as opposed to the large and impersonal , but I'm just guessing. Eventually I hope that any one of us will be able to setup a tourney for (say) his Friends or Friends+Friends-of-friends, or who knows?

[Rhutobello]

Quote

I. Eventually I hope that any one of us will be able to setup a tourney for (say) his Friends or Friends+Friends-of-friends, or who knows?

Sounds like a winner to me : (I think you shall take up Lotto as a proffession with all those winnings ideas : (JK with a smile, but your idea is truly great )

[paulg]

Quote

I think the future of tourneys is small and intimate as opposed to the large and impersonal , but I'm just guessing. Eventually I hope that any one of us will be able to setup a tourney for (say) his Friends or Friends+Friends-of-friends, or who knows?

With the "club" concept already in BBO, this is an environment where running tourneys would be nice.

However I'd like to see team games first

[fred]

Quote

Let me add my voice to the chorus of praise for this wonderful site. Although my primary playing site is OKB, I am continually impressed by the array of services that are provided here. My favorites, in order, are the practice bidding area, vugraphs, forums and the ability to play back saved hands (including OKB hands!) as bridge movies. This site is a great complement to OKB.

Am I about to drop my OKB membership and hang out here all the time? No, I'm not. I've been at OKB for 3.5 years and have lots of friends there. It's easier to locate your friends and it's easier to get an overview of what tables are open.

Regardless of my feelings re: OKB, there is no denying the fact that BBO is doing a superb job!

Thanks for your compliments about the work
that we do Luke (and others).

I understand your reasons for retaining your
OKB subscription, but when your friends are
all BBO converts that reason will go away

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[csdenmark]

I was also encouraged by the polish team-tourney. Around 30 teams will have no more than 1 match - and then what?

I think the general interest is for more! I have therefore set up some web-sites for the administrative handle of team-tournaments. I have proposed 3 leagues.



* Basic league - unexperienced players - keep it simple
* 1st league - experienced players - all systems, all kind of handling
* Exotic league - teams playing all kind of artificial systems against each other


More here - just register and then we start!

http://groups.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=MyPhotos_GetPubPhoto&PhotoID=nFwAAAJgFjTTIcx5eCvevZF9bQq6*OLkej8q*uvY0eooMUhu0WkMLTg Pair- and team- tournaments http://groups.msn.com/isapi/fetch.dll?action=MyPhotos_GetPubPhoto&PhotoID=nFwAAAJgFjTTIcx5eCvevZF9bQq6*OLkej8q*uvY0eooMUhu0WkMLTg

[hrothgar]

WOW!

The Polish team tournament looks to be enormously popular.
Right now, with 30 minutes to go before the final registration deadline there are 64 teams registered with another 6 awaiting confirmation.

I almost hope that the last 6 get bounced, just because it allows a really simple movement.

Speaking of which, I have no idea how the organizers plan to narrow the field down.
With this said and done, I would like to make one suggestion:

If at all possibel, could we increase the number of boards for the last two rounds from 16 to 32??? A 16 board Match seems like too much of a crap shoot. I'd like to feel confident that we were going to field the best team possible to face the Poles, which strong suggests more boards.

[the hog]

Claus has come up with a really excellent idea here. ;D

I would love to see semi permanent teams play in some sort of League. Claus' suggestions are reasonable, but I think in reality you only need two leagues - one for inexperienced and an open league. Is there any chance of getting something like this off the ground?

[hrothgar]

Other sites have implemented a ladder system that ranks the different teams.
Potentially we could use the results of the Polish challenge to develop the seeding for a ladder and let things evolve from there?

[keylime]

Leagues...a most interesting idea for sure. Of course, BBO members would have to come up with a base foundation of rules, procedures, and standards that would be applicable to all to play under. However, it's certainly possible, and I would eagerly participate in what ever manner to make it a success.

[paulg]

Quote

Other sites have implemented a ladder system that ranks the different teams.
Potentially we could use the results of the Polish challenge to develop the seeding for a ladder and let things evolve from there?

I've been captaining a team on the Riko [OKB] ladder for the last four years. No seeding is really required on a ladder, everyone starts at the bottom and finds their natural spot in a small number of matches.

Leagues require more effort to run but I believe than many teams would appreciate the more formal structure.

The big problem is always fixing dates to play, especially across time zones. So leagues would be better zonally run, with perhaps KOs between leagues periodically.

We have already started a team, Funky Gibbons, that will play on BBO. What is needed is a friendly soul who is willing to take on the organisation responsibility, a task that is relatively onerous compared to just playing.

We should really start another thread for this discussion ...

[csdenmark]

Nice to see several assuming this is a good idea. Looks to me like the standard features provided by MSN is an easy way to handle such. Thats why I created so as done.

The rules - see those as proposals - if anybody have better suggestions come with them - but I think those light rules I have proposed will do to make a start. I don't expect much administration but certainly Dwayne you are very welcome. As soon I see you have signed up - I will change you status to be manager - and then you will be able to handle the administration too and create new features.

I agree that an exotic league maybe won't be neccessary, but Søren Debois has in another thread proposed tournaments of that kind.

No problem to make regional leagues - or perhaps 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd league moving up and down depending of results. Looks rather easy to create the options for such. But all depends of how many who wants to participate.

I propose you sign up by the community, register your Team and then we start. If you already have a team - only team captain need to be member of the community. If you are an individual player looking for pair or team you need to sign up yourself and create a record for player.

Lets get started - and then we modify rules - maybe some have better suggestions than mine - then we start with those.


Ready to start? - sign up here please