2020 JLall Online Teams #1

The 2020 JLall Online Tournament #1 (JLall1) is an online event open to all Active USBF members. An Active member is one who has paid USBF dues for 2020. All players must have paid 2020 dues on or before Nov. 1.

Major changes from USBF INV1 & INV2:

First, as you can see, this event and all future USBF Online Open Team events will be named in honor of Justin Lall, whose untimely death we all mourn.

Second, this event will move from BBO to RealBridge. You can read about RealBridge on the RealBridge website. The main advantage it has over BBO is that the video is integrated with the play, so we won’t have to deal with setting up chat rooms for screenmate chat. It will also have built-in delayed kibitzing.

Event Schedule and Format

• JLall1 will be held from November 6-9 and 13-16
• Play each day will start at 1:00 pm EST and end at about 10:00 pm EST.
• 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 Will Watson. Tournament Organizer is Jan Martel.
• The event format will be:

Round Robin Stage 1, Nov. 6th to 8th:
Everyone plays 3 days of a “split field” Round Robin with 10 board matches; there are two Round Robin groups, the Indians, named for Justin's heritage, and the Cowboys, named for his favorite football team. Teams were 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 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.

Round Robin Stage 2, Nov. 9th:
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, Nov. 13th-16th:
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 Captains' meeting on Nov. 11th to set the KO bracket.

• The matches will be played on RealBridge. During the bidding & play, each player will see & hear their screenmate - (N&E, S&W).
• There will be no real-time kibitzing allowed for any match. RealBridge has a way for kibitzers to watch a match after a delay. For the Round Robin, we will have the delay be until each match is over so kibitzing does not provide “state of the match” information. For the KO, each board will be shown when all tables have completed it. We will try to have some voice commentary, and perhaps may limit chat at the tables late in the event to approved commentators.
• This event will be “open notes” - players may consult their bidding notes, SSF, and convention card during the bidding. Other aids to memory (for example, lists of percentages, calculators, notes about carding) are not allowed. If a table is over the time allowed and one player spent time consulting notes, that player’s team will be initiall deemed at fault for the slow play.

How to Enter

• Entries are now closed. There are 32 teams in the event.
• Any player who has not paid 2020 USBF dues by Nov. 1 will not be allowed to play. Note that dues paid in October cover the remainder of 2020 and all of 2021.

• Teams could freely change their rosters until October 20th, when the division of teams into Round Robin groups started. After October 20th, a team may change its roster only because of unexpected occurrences and 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 October 24th. 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 attach it to your partnership for 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

We’re not trying to provide security for this event, as we do when we sometimes have “real” events online. However, the provisions of the USBF General Conditions of Contest regarding ethical obligations and possible penalties still 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.