[Echognome]

Just an FYI to anyone else that was wondering about this.

It was unclear to me whether this event would be Midchart or GCC, so I emailed Rick Beye about it and was informed it would be a Midchart event. I'm happy about that, but wanted to share the news with others in case they were wondering themselves.

[Mbodell]

It is in the conditions of contest. I believe the 0-1500 is as well. I, too, am pleased.

[matmat]

is there a 0-5 spingold? if so, is it gcc or midchart?

[tbr]

No newcomer game for mini-spingold. Those are usually single sessions, red points only. Hang in there. 0-5000 is what I think you mean.

This post has been edited by tbr: 2008-May-13, 21:11

[paulg]

matmat, on May 14 2008, 01:09 AM, said:

is there a 0-5 spingold? if so, is it gcc or midchart?

LOL.

There is a clear difference between bridge in the ACBL and the UK with respect to flighted events.

In the UK everyone tends to play in the principal event, even when there is a 'B' flight available. In a typical Swiss event, which is the norm for teams, there will be a single large field. Even if you draw a top team you soon find your level to garner those important masterpoints and, you never know, you may even get to play Frances in the first round!

In Scotland, where fields are smaller, even the novices play in the main event although they have their own (modest) prizes. A couple of weeks ago one of my team mate's students' team beat us in a 6-board match - I think it's made their year!

Paul

[Vilgan]

Mbodell, on May 13 2008, 08:05 PM, said:

It is in the conditions of contest. I believe the 0-1500 is as well. I, too, am pleased.

It was last year, so I imagine it would be again this year.

[barmar]

cardsharp, on May 14 2008, 03:14 AM, said:

matmat, on May 14 2008, 01:09 AM, said:

is there a 0-5 spingold? if so, is it gcc or midchart?

LOL.

There is a clear difference between bridge in the ACBL and the UK with respect to flighted events.

ACBL doesn't have many flighted events these days, unless you count the novice games. Pairs events are almost always stratified, and this is also pretty common for Swiss teams (although strati-flighting is also common -- there's an A or A/X flight separate from B/C or B/C/D).

Quote

In the UK everyone tends to play in the principal event, even when there is a 'B' flight available. In a typical Swiss event, which is the norm for teams, there will be a single large field. Even if you draw a top team you soon find your level to garner those important masterpoints and, you never know, you may even get to play Frances in the first round!

That works OK in Swiss Teams, but Spingold is a KO. Before the introduction of the Mini-Spingolds, lots of rabble (i.e. people like myself) would enter this premiere event, with little chance of even making it to the 2nd day, let alone earning any masterpoints. The only reason we'd enter was to be able to play a day of bridge against a championship team, but that frequently didn't work out because the top seeds would often get byes on the first day (although it got better when they started using 4-ways on the first day -- the low seeds would play one session against top seeds).

[mycroft]

All I can say is: "Go Rabble!"

As someone planning on playing (the first day of) all the big events in Boston, provided we can get a pair willing to get hammered in the BAMs...

Michael

[ArtK78]

barmar, on May 14 2008, 02:45 PM, said:

ACBL doesn't have many flighted events these days, unless you count the novice games.

Not true. Bracketed KO events are, for all intents and purposes, flighted events. In the large bracketed KO events at the NABCs, the top 16 teams are in Bracket 1, the next 16 teams are in Bracket 2, and so on, often extending to 12 or more brackets. The brackets are determined by average masterpoint holdings of the players.

If that is not flighted, I don't know what is.

There are many flighted (and strata-flighted) pair games at Sectional and Regional tournaments. I know that in my area, the Saturday pair games at Sectional Tournaments are usually Flighted Pairs followed by Strata-Flighted Pairs. True Open Pair games are almost unheard of (the non-life masters and the low level life masters do not want to play against the experts).

[TimG]

barmar, on May 14 2008, 02:45 PM, said:

ACBL doesn't have many flighted events these days, unless you count the novice games. Pairs events are almost always stratified, and this is also pretty common for Swiss teams (although strati-flighting is also common -- there's an A or A/X flight separate from B/C or B/C/D).

I'm sure this varies from region to region, but the next regional in New England has:

Wed -- stratified pairs
Thurs -- stratified Swiss teams
Fri -- bracketed compact KO, stratified pairs, flighted KO (with Flight B bracketed)
Sat -- bracketed compact KO, stratiflighted pairs
Sun -- bracketed round robin teams

Counting bracketed as a form of flighting, that means 5 flighted and 3 non-flighted events. (I haven't counted side games and senior events.)

One reason for not flighting events is that the events become very small with flighting. This is why the Wednesday and Thursday events in New England tend toward stratified, while on the weekend days when more people show up the events can be flighted without reducing the events to Howells.

I'll admit that the flighted KO on Friday night of all New England regionals is quite unusual. Also, the bracketed round robin teams has a note that "top bracket open upon request", so playing up is an option, making it even more like a flighted event.

[TimG]

ArtK78, on May 14 2008, 04:18 PM, said:

Bracketed KO events are, for all intents and purposes, flighted events. In the large bracketed KO events at the NABCs, the top 16 teams are in Bracket 1, the next 16 teams are in Bracket 2, and so on, often extending to 12 or more brackets. The brackets are determined by average masterpoint holdings of the players.

If that is not flighted, I don't know what is.

The difference is that in a bracketed event teams aren't guaranteed the option of playing up; in a flighted event playing up is always an option.

[JoAnneM]

I was going to say the same thing. I don't believe that in a KO you can "choose" to play up, which is what happens in the UK. So, is that a put down? I really don't see the problem. In the smaller swiss events everyone plays in one pool even if it is stratified and the first round is usually random draw. But I suppose if you were a C team you could insist that you play an A team first. Would that make us look better?

[CSGibson]

JoAnneM, on May 14 2008, 09:54 PM, said:

I was going to say the same thing. I don't believe that in a KO you can "choose" to play up, which is what happens in the UK. So, is that a put down? I really don't see the problem. In the smaller swiss events everyone plays in one pool even if it is stratified and the first round is usually random draw. But I suppose if you were a C team you could insist that you play an A team first. Would that make us look better?

At the Portland Regional in February there is an option to play up in the bracketed knock outs as long as you let the director know when you purchase your entry. There may be some judgement on the director's part if you can compete in a higher bracket, I don't know the exact mechanics, but I know we definitely had the option.

[barmar]

There's lots of controversy regarding allowing teams to play up in bracketed KOs. The problem is that if a team moves up, it affects the bracketing of teams in all the brackets below them.

I think I've read that in events that allow this, they typically only allow you to move up to the top bracket.