[keylime]

Gweny, I didn't think that you had it in you -

I must wholeheartedly agree with Gweny about the logical setup for progression. Total Points is at times a crapshoot, but when I won the Bridge Olympics last year, we called each other and talked about how this would prepare us. What we found was the fact that Total Points forced us to make changes that were needed because we found vulnerabilities we just couldn't live with at all. We decided that at times, we'd come into the fold and try out new things. We rather like Total Points now - it's our test bed and we can stumble all over each other and not worry about who's watching and what not.

I sincerely hope that BBO with the coming of ACBL events hosted here will be able to maintain a truly level playing field. I'm sure that general rules of contest and such will be introduced so everyone can prepare for them. I have a good feeling about the beginning, it's the evening out of irregularities that I'm skiddish about.

[mishovnbg]

Hi all tournament directors! Thank you very much for your efforts, the only way free BBO community to play at tournaments!
Need to say that I really respect Gwen, the way she made total points brave tournaments is charming♥! New fun fishy tournament is logical continuation of her work and is also great . Probably people like Gweny have the merit for most newcomers to Bridge. When somebody love the Game, like Gwen, people feel that and tend to fall in same love .
Marta (Maaa) is one of best directors I met. Even for me was difficult to catch her mistakes, except few times . Need to say I won a lot of bets about the Law even with qualified directors, hehe... I enjoy playing at her tournaments, feel protected by Law equal for all, may be except poles
... Sorry I can't write about all TDs I like and respect, thank you all!

Probably will be surprising for those who read my posts, but I like the idea about restricted tourneys, like SAYC,WJ200,Major francais... events. Why? Because I (and hope you all) love bridge as intellectual game, challenge of minds, battle between egos. How I can do that if I don't know what opps bids/signals means? Alerting and explaining artifical bids is not enough, because lack of knoledge about whole system, can lead to my wrong conclusions, about the opps possibilities to choose between available bids in system. This will be not fair competition by Law.

Is the restrictions are only solution for fair game? Of course not!!! High restrictive environment can lead only to regress, the prove is all human history, as well as lack of new/young players in all world now. The solution is simple, but hard accessible - money, money, money... Instead for cabaret, money for tournaments, where no restrictions for systems, to ensure evolution of bidding process and all game Bridge. I am sure at such tourneys will compete lot of young people and will attract lot of them to thry their skills in strategy, tactic and finding new ways of optimising bidding and marking. Same tournaments will be like research laboratory for Bridge, but like for any research need to find finances. How to explain to sponsor, even bridge player, that if he spend some of that $20000 which he will lose to enjoy roulette for such tournaments regularly, his name will stay forever in history in game, which he also love.

Thanks to Fred and Uday, BBO become of unpaid(yet) field of system experiments. I am sure this site is ticked for them to stay in bridge history as men who allow in dark eges of restrictions bridge evolution to continue, because of free BBO and communication and interchange of ideas between players of all world.

Misho

[bambi1]

I had a dream last night, that when I was directing at our club, a very respected player called "director". When I went to the table, he said, "May I leave please, I do not like my partner!"

Maybe tonight I will dream, that when I direct online, I will be summoned to the table because a player played out of turn!

Anyone know a good therapist?

[hallway]

Thanks Marta for that info - having loaded the Cof C and having checked that it was loaded it would not have occured to me to check it again :-((