The third USBF JLall Online Teams event (JLall3) will be held from April 9-12 and April 16-19 on RealBridge. It will be very similar to JLall2, with a few minor changes suggested by the players in JLall2.

Jlall3 is open to all Active USBF members. An Active member is one who has paid USBF dues. All players must have paid 2021 dues on or before April. 1.

 

Event Schedule and Format

• JLall3 will be held from April 9-12 and April 16-19.
• Play each day will start at 1:00 pm EDT and end no later than 9:30 pm EDT.
• There will be no more than 32 teams, each with 4-6 players, all of whom are USBF Active members.
• The entry fee for the event is $300 per team.
• DIC for the event is McKenzie Myers. Tournament Organizer is Jan Martel. Software guru is Al Hollander.
• The event format will be:

Round Robin Stage 1, April 9-11:
Everyone plays 3 days of a “split field” Round Robin with 10 board matches; there are two Round Robin groups, to be named by the winners of JLall2. Teams will be assigned to the two groups based on a "draft" by the top two teams (chosen by  a vote of all  teams). The top 5 teams in each group will qualify for the KO Round of 16. The bottom 5 or 6 teams in each group will be eliminated. The five teams in the middle of each group (“bubble teams”) will play in Stage 2 of the Round Robin. If there are 30 teams in JLall3, each Round Robin division will have 15 teams and each team will have one sit out round during Round Robin 1.

Round Robin Stage 2, April. 12th:
Each bubble team plays a 10 board match against each bubble team from the other group, scored at VPs with carryover from the first 3 days. The top 6 teams qualify for the Round of 16. The bottom 4 teams are eliminated.

Knockouts, April 16-19:
• One match per day. 56 boards per match. If both of the finalists want a longer match (60 or 64 boards), we will have that.
• There will be a short Captains' meeting on April 13th to set the KO bracket. The precise method of setting the bracket is set forth in the Special Conditions of Contest. Summary: the top 4 teams from Round Robin Stage 1 will select their opponents for the Round of 16 from the bottom 8 qualifiers. The remaining qualifiers will be shuffled in groups to fill the bracket.

• The matches will be played on RealBridge. During the bidding & play, each player will see & hear their screenmate - (N&E, S&W). Before and after each match, teammates will be seated at one table, and RealBridge is working on a way to allow the players who were sitting out to join you (players who sat out can see & hear their teammates and be heard but not seen).
• There will be no real-time online kibitzing allowed for any match. Kibitzers will be able to watch after a delay. For the Round Robin, the delay will be until each match is over so kibitzing does not provide “state of the match” information. For the first half of each KO match, each board will be shown when all tables have completed it. For the second half of each KO match, kibitzing will start at the end of the segment. We will try to have voice commentary, and perhaps may limit chat at the tables late in the event to approved commentators.

• RealBridge will archive bidding, play & score information for the event. We will also post scores on this website.
• Players may consult their bidding notes, SSF, and convention card during the bidding only. Other aids to memory (for example, lists of percentages, calculators, notes about carding) are not allowed.

• Play Requirements for teams that qualify after the first 3 days of play: each player must have played 7 of the 14 matches.

• Play Requirements for teams that qualify after the fourth day of play: each player must have played 9 of the 19 matches.

How to Enter

• Entries are now open. Entries will close on the earlier of March 12th or when 32 teams (and 2 alternates) have entered. You must be logged in to this website to enter. After you have logged in, click on "Enter 2021 JLall3" under the User Menu and complete the entry form. There are currently 30 teams entered. We will accept exactly 2 additional entries until March 20, to improve the format. Additional entries will be accepted in the order they are received and if only 1 team enters, the entry will not be accepted (31 teams in the Round Robin is worse than 30).

• Your entry is not complete until you have 4 players. You cannot "save" a place in the event by entering a team with fewer than 4 players.

• Any player who has not paid 2021 USBF dues by April 1 will not be allowed to play. 

• Teams can freely change their rosters until March 17th, when the division of teams into Round Robin groups will start. After March 17th, a team may change its roster only if the change does not substantially strengthen or weaken the team. Roster changes are made by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If an added player or pair is not able to meet the deadlines for system filing, they may not play any unusual method unless it is played by another pair in the event.

System Regulations & Conditions of Contest

• Normal USBF System regulations apply to this event - each pair must complete a USBF System Summary form online and file an ACBL convention card no later than March 26th. To complete the SSF, log in and click on CREATE OR EDIT SSF under the User Menu. Follow instructions and you should be able to create a completely new SSF for this event or copy and edit a prior one. When you have finished filling out the SSF or making changes you must click on submit at the top or bottom of the page to save the changes - otherwise all of your hard work will be lost in cyberspace. To file the ACBL convention card, copy the URL for a BridgeWinners convention card, and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you have filed an SSF &/or convention card recently that is/are completely unchanged for this event, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and he will magically move it forward to this event. 
• This event is governed by the USBF General Conditions of Contest and Special Conditions of Contest for the event.

• ACBL Open+ Convention Chart applies to this event.

Ethics Statement

The provisions of the USBF General Conditions of Contest regarding ethical obligations and possible penalties apply to this event. The USBF has appointed an Ethics Investigation Committee that will review any complaints about ethics violations. If the EIC concludes that a player or pair was acting unethically, they will report to the USBF COO, who may refer it to the USBF Recorder. Either the COO or Recorder may bring a Charge against the player to the Board of Directors, who may place a player on probation, suspend, or expel a player for cause.