2020 USBF Invitational 2
The 2020 USBF Invitational 2 Tournament (USBF INV2) is an online event open to all Active USBF members. An Active member is one who has paid USBF dues for 2020 and is either a US citizen or a permanent resident whose application to be a resident member has been accepted by the USBF. All players must have paid 2020 dues on or before Aug. 1.
Event Schedule and Format
• USBF INV2 will be held from August 8-10 and 14-16.
• Play each day will start at 1:00 pm EDT and end at about 9:00 pm EDT.
• There will be 16 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 first weekend will be a complete Round Robin. Each match will be 11 boards long.
• The second weekend will be Quarterfinal, Semifinal & Final KO stages, with seeding based on Round Robin performance. The Quarterfinal and Semifial matches will be 56 boards long, played in 4 14 board segments, the Final match will be 60 boards long, played in 4 15 board segments. This foran was based on a poll of the teams entered. Each player on a team must play at least 2 segments.
• The matches will be played on BBO. There will be no real-time kibitzing allowed for any match. We hope that by August BBO will have developed a way for kibitzers to watch a match with a 30 minute delay. If not, we will show 2 or 3 Round Robin matches each round and at least 4 of the KO matches each day on Vugraph with a 30 minute delay.
• This event will be “open notes” - players may consult their bidding notes 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 held to be at fault for the slow play.
• Screen mates will be required to participate in a chat session. The USBF will set up Zoom “breakout rooms” for this and assign screen mates to appropriate rooms, but if both screen mates prefer to use some other video conferencing device (facetime, Google hangouts, Skype, anything else that works), they may do so. Video is optional for these sessions.
How to Enter
• 16 teams have entered, so Entries are now closed. Two teams are on the waiting list.
• Any player who has not paid 2020 USBF dues by Aug. 1 will not be allowed to play.
• Teams may change their roster until August 6th. 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 that is not being played by another pair in the event.
System Regulations & Conditions of Contest
• Normal USBF System regulations apply to this event - you must complete a USBF System Summary form online file an ACBL convention card no later than July 25th. 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. If you have filed an SSF recently and it is 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. To file the ACBL convention card, either share it with Jan on BridgeWinners or email Jan or Al a link to it or a PDF of 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. Special Conditions of Contest will be posted soon.
• 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 Board of Directors, who may place a player on probation, suspend, or expel a player for cause.