[hallway]

I do not understand why it is happening >

But I am having my mailbox cluttered up with Advanced players applying for membership of the BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE Lounge.

Non of you could possibly WANT to COMPETE in a tournament for beginner intermediate level players - surely : . You might (should) end up with the top score BUT you would NOT have WON !!

It makes me a tad annoyed having to waste my time with your application
BUT
it makes me angry on behalf of the members who want to join THEIR Club but who may because of the actions of these - yes, I will say it , - selfish people will probably miss out . Because my mail box has only a limited capacity at present their applications can be turned away - they could reapply but many will not. UNFAIR
[glow=red,2,300]
We are truly grateful to the Advanced +++ members who have been given Honorary membership so that they can come and mentor their 'brood' of learners.[/glow]

But I also know that there are a number of Advanced players with no such honorable intentions that have slipped in 'the backdoor' . I might be an Aged Void when it comes to bridge playing ability BUT not when it comes to knowing people !!

So if any of you who have sidled in are reading this I challenge you to do the decent thing and send to the members (you can email me hall@timaru.com ) an apology/resignation. If you promise never to enter a Beg/Int tournament and offer to come to the Lounge with a partner from time to time to play with the members so that they can practice against superior players then I will leave your membership in place.

There is a quantum leap in skill level between an Intermediate player and an Advanced player - we admire your abilities and we aspire to them . Here on BBO we have been given the opportunity that is denied us in ftf bridge to LEARN and improve RAPIDLY - never fear we'll front up to you when we're ready. ;D

so, PLEASE, give the beginners & intermediates a fair go.

[inquiry]

What Hallway is talking about is the Beginner/Intermediate Lounge. This is a private club created to be a place where NOVICES, BEGINNERS, and INTERMEDIATE bridge players can go and play in an atmosphere totally acceptable and accomodating of players of such skill levels....

Undo's allowed, questions can be asked, help offered at the table, no one belittle for a "beginner mistake" (after all the club is FOR BEGINNERS).

The presences of the club should help all the BBO members.. let's break it down...

Beginners/novices/intermediates who want to play against similar skilled opponents have a place to go and find just what they are looking for.

Advanced/experts who want to avoid playing with/against beginners etc have fewer of them playing in the main room (hopefully).

Advanced/experts who want to help out, can find a willing audience and a site where they can go (honorary membership) to help improve their students and others in an atmosphere where table talk in an educational context should be more acceptable.

Finally, the beginners/novices/intermediates can obtain tournment experience in event limited in the level of the opposition (think flight C maybe). This gives them a chance to learn how tournments work, get use to tournment play, have a chance of actually winning, and an opportunity to improve. We initially tried to run Beginner/intermediate tourney's without the aid of private clubs, but more than half the field was "advanced" or "expert". This is one of the reasons for the private club. We can restrict memberships to intermedaite or less, and then only those "pre-screened" players can join the tourney. This is why advanced and expert players will not, as a rule, be allowed to join the club.

I would guess the goal of the B/I Lounge would be to help the players who join improve to a point where, like most of you reading this thread, they will be too good to be a member. Perhaps someone would like to start a private Advance/Expert club and only allow the better players in... that would give the players from the B/I lounge a place to graduate too... :-)

I am a member of the B/I lounge, but I will certainly never play in one of its tourney's, instead I will help direct them, offer advise, help with their newsletter, provide tutorial help where I can. Any of you experts/advanced players who would like to help in this regard, let hallway know... you already know that there are a LOTS of people on the BBO who could use your help at improving their game... Follow Fred's generosity of providing this site, by volunteering to help.... what we need... Tournment directors (can you direct one tourey every month or two? Serving as a trainer in the room at a table with three beginners, where during or after the hand you can comment on the bidding play, taking on a beginner/intermediate player and serving as a one-on-one trainer? anything like that... let hallway know (only she can sign you up).

Ben