To: USWBC Contestants
From: Charlie MacCracken
Re: Conditions of Play
There is a Captains' Meeting at 10 am on Friday, June 1, 2007 prior to the RR.
Your best course is to be familiar with all the conditions, but if you are not, please take a few minutes to read this as it will protect your rights and make for a smoother event.
Screen rules:
Only N or S move the tray.
No verbal questions or explanations. Claims, calls of cards from dummy, etc should be whispered. This is an absolute requirement in the RR stage because all thehands are the same. In the KO stages all the hands are the same, but you will play in individual sleeping rooms.
The alert card or tab should be put on top of the alertable bid and removed when the bid is made or the alert seen. It is your responsibility to make sure your opponent knows you have alerted.
Prior to the opening lead the opening leader is permitted to ask for clarification, in writing, from her opponent on the other side of the screen.
After the final pass, the declaring side may initiate an exchange of information about their own explanations (if misinformation is discovered, the auction may be reopened).
The opening lead is made face down. Opening leader's screen mate announces the opening lead has been made (or knocks on the screen) and a defender raises the screen.
During play any questions (only in writing) must be asked and answered with the screen closed.
Play requirements:
Important: For the last two matches of the RR on Saturday pairs in Section BB will be sequestered and play straight through. Plan for this when you schedule when each pair is going to play. You will meet the teams in the same order on both days.
Each pair must play at least 8 boards in the RR against all other teams.
In each match of the RR, the team that did not have the seed the first day has the seed the second. Your
guide cards should have an asterisk to designate that you have the seed.
Time penalties:
If you are one minute late the penalty is 1 IMP/VP, so please be prompt. Penalties escalate.
In the RR stage you do not have the right to compare if the next match is starting. If you used up most
of your time in a match and need a smoke/bathroom break, take it before comparing if you have another
match to play. Players should not have to take a break during any RR match.
Systems Allowed and Written Defenses
The USBF General Conditions of Contest provide that only ACBL Midchart methods may be used in the Round Robin. ACBL Superchart methods are allowed for the KO portion of the event. Under current ACBL rules, only methods for which there is an approved defense on the ACBL website qualify as Midchart. Therefore, if you use a method that does not have an ACBL approved defense, you cannot play it in the Round Robin.
The General Conditions of Contest further provide that you are entitled to have written defenses to "unusual methods" and may refer to those defenses during the auction. You may bring your own written defenses or use those supplied by the opponents, which will usually be the ACBL approved defenses but may also be the defenses the opponents submitted in their Advance Submission Form. Unusual methods are defined as:
1) Any artificial opening bid that does not promise above average values
2) Any artificial response that promises neither 4 or more cards in a known suit nor game invitational values, except a response to a Strong, Artificial opening bid.
3) Any artificial overcall that does not promise 9 or more cards in two known suits.
Electronic devices:
No electronic devices (cell phones, etc.), other than health aids, are allowed in the playing area.
Kibitzing:
For security reasons, no kibitzers are allowed at a match being shown on BBO Vugraph, or at a match using the same boards as a match being shown on Vugraph. Unless Vugraph plans change, this means that there will be no kibitzers allowed during the KO phase of the event.