Oxfordshire Bridge Association

Competition Bylaws

June 2002

Contents

Competitions Sub-Committee

Weekly Duplicate Events

The President’s Cup (Teams of Four Championship)

The Chester Cup (Teams of Four League)

The Wessex League (Inter-Club Teams of Eight Championship)

County Pairs Championship

Tuesday Pairs Championship and Tuesday Ladders

The Beck Cup

National Pairs Heats

OBA Simultaneous Pairs

Ladies, Mens, Mixed, Flitch and Swiss Pairs Championships

Matches and Tournaments Organised by Other Counties

The Tollemache Cup and the Dawes League

General Rules Regarding Competitions

1. Competitions Sub-Committee

(i) The members of the Sub-Committee shall be

(a) The Tournament Director
(b) The League Secretary
(c) The Tournament Secretary

(ii) The responsibilities of the three members with respect to events shall be as follows:

(a) Tournament Director: all tournaments and internal competitions run under his or his delegate’s direction.
(b) League Secretary: the running of the President’s Cup, Chester Cup and Wessex League.
(c) Tournament Secretary: Sunday championship events and the county pairs.

(iii) The Sub-Committee shall be autonomous in the sense that its decisions regarding the interpretation of these by-laws, of the rules of any competition within the scope of these by-laws, or of any question raised by such competitions shall be regarded as final. The Sub-Committee may however decide to refer any matter either to the Management Committee or to a Rules and Ethics Committee appointed for such a purpose by the Management Committee.

(iv) The Sub-Committee shall hear or otherwise receive appeals against decisions of any of its three members, their deputies, or other organising officials, provided that the Sub-Committee has jurisdiction over the competition or event in question as defined in later paragraphs. Should the appeal be against the decision of one of the members of the Sub-Committee then that member will be replaced by a member of the Management Committee for that particular appeal.

(v) The Sub-Committee shall supervise any draw necessary for the preparation of match schedules.

2. Weekly Duplicate Events

(i) A duplicate competition shall be held weekly (except in special circumstances) on the premises of the Oxford Bridge Club. Once a month, on a nominated Tuesday, it will be duplicate teams, otherwise it is duplicate pairs. Similar competitions may be held from time to time on the premises of other affiliated clubs.

(iii) The Sub-Committee shall appoint a director for duplicates held on the premises of the Oxford Bridge Club. For other events the director shall be nominated by the sponsoring club. In all cases the director may be a competitor.

(iv) Final appeals against the decisions of the director at both weekly and additional competitions shall be to the Sub-Committee.

(v) The competition shall be of between 24 and 30 boards, and shall be organised to provide one winning pair.

(vi) Local points shall be awarded by the Association, but no prizes shall be awarded.

(vii) The Tuesday Duplicate at the Oxford Bridge Club shall start by 7.30pm, and all players must take their seats by 7.25pm. Players arriving late shall be allowed to play only at the discretion of the director.

3. The President’s Cup (Teams of Four Championship)

(i) The event shall be a knockout competition with IMP scoring.

(ii) Teams shall consist of not more than six nominated players, all of whom must be members of the Association.

(iii) A draw shall be made to determine the order of play and the home teams for the first round. The League Secretary shall furnish all team captains with details of the draw and closing dates for each round at least four weeks before the date by which the first round is due to be completed.

(iv) The League Secretary shall determine the home teams in advance according to basic equalisation principles, i.e. the team, which has played least times at home, becomes the home team. Where this is equal, it is the team which has played the most away matches (in preceding rounds). Where this is still equal (e.g. in the first round), it is the team higher up the draw.

(v) Where the number of teams entering is not 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc, byes shall be introduced in the first round only. Byes shall be spread through the draw; as far as possible, the same number in each half, each quarter, each eighth, etc.

(vi) The away team captain must offer the home team captain a choice of three dates for play, of which not more than two shall be in the same week or on the same day of the week, and of which none must clash with either an EBU competition or the home captain’s club duplicate. The venue shall be decided by the home captain who shall provide necessary playing equipment.

(vii) The final shall be of 48 boards and all other rounds of 32 boards.

(viii) Each round shall be played in sets of 8 boards, unless the captains agree otherwise. Scoring shall take place at the end of each set, but not until play is complete at both tables. Partnerships may be changed only after each set.

(ix) At the start of the match the captains shall toss a coin. The winner chooses whether to seat or place the players for the first and fourth sets or for the second and third sets. In the final, the winner chooses whether to seat players for the 1st, 4th and 6th sets, or for the 2nd, 3rd and 5th.

(x) If the result is a tie, four further boards shall be played, and a further four if the tie is not broken (six in the final).

(xi) The captain of the winning team shall notify the League Secretary of the result in writing within seven days of the match being played.

(xiii) Green points and local points shall be issued by the Association to all members of teams that win matches (except in the case of victories secured by default) on the completion of the competition.

(xiv) The winning team shall hold the Presidents Cup for one year and shall receive a team prize equivalent to the value of four times the basic rate.

(xv) The winning team is also expected to represent the county in the Pachabo Cup.

4. The Chester Cup (Teams of Four League)

(i) The event shall be organised in one or more divisions according to the size of the entry. The composition of each division of the league, should there be more than one, shall be determined by the Sub-Committee.

(ii) There will be about six teams in each division, with a maximum of seven and a minimum of four.

(iii) Teams shall consist of not more than six nominated players, all of whom must be members of the Association.

(iv) Once the composition of the leagues has been determined, the League Secretary shall furnish all team captains with the details. He shall also inform each captain in which matches his team is deemed to be the home team.

(v) Divisional winners qualify for the knockout final stages. If there are three divisions, the highest-averaging 2nd place also qualifies and plays against the highest-averaging winners.

(vi) By Christmas, the away captain must offer the home captain a choice of three dates for play before April 30, of which not more than two shall be in the same week or on the same day of the week, and of which none must clash with the home captain’s duplicate. The venue shall be decided by the home captain who shall also provide necessary playing equipment.

(vii) The final shall be of 32 boards and all other matches of 24 boards.

(viii) Each round shall be played in sets of six boards (eight in the final), unless the captains agree otherwise. Scoring shall take place at the end of each set, but not until play is complete at both tables. Partnerships may be changed only after each set.

(ix) At the start of the match the captains shall toss a coin to determine who shall have the right to seat or place the players for the first set. Thereafter the captains shall seat and place their players alternatively.

(x) The captain of the winning team, or in the event of a draw the captains of both teams, shall notify the League Secretary of the result, to reach the League Secretary within ten days of the match being played.

(xi) In the event of a default or an unplayed match, see 14.(xii) below.

(xii) Scoring shall be by IMPs for each board, and the final score shall be converted to show the result for the whole match in VPs according to the following table:

(xiii) If a team withdraws from the league without completing its matches, the following rules shall apply:

(a) if the withdrawal occurs before half the scheduled matches have been played, the result of all its played matches shall be cancelled for both the team and its opponents.
(b) if half or more of the scheduled matches have been played, the results of those matches shall stand, and the results of unplayed matches shall be calculated as in (xi). No withdrawing team may win its division in the league.

(xiv) The team scoring the most VPs in each division shall be deemed to have won the division.

(xv) If there are four divisions the division winners having the highest average VP score shall play the division winners with the lowest in one semi-final, with the other two teams competing in the second.

(xvi) If two or more teams tie on VPs in any division the tie shall be split using the current EBU ruling on the splitting of ties. In all semi-final and final matches, the League Secretary shall determine which team shall be the home team and inform both captains of his decision.

(xvii) If there is a tie in the final a further four boards shall be played, and a further four, should the tie still not be broken.

(xviii) Local points shall be issued by the Association on the completion of the competition.

(xix) The winning team shall hold the Chester Cup for one year and shall receive a team prize equivalent to the value of four times the basic rate.

(xx) Level 3 conventions may be played (formerly called General Licences).

5. The Wessex League (Inter-Club Teams of Eight Championship)

(i) The event shall be organised in one or more divisions according to the size of the entry, as determined by the Tournament Committee and ratified by the Management Committee.

(ii) Entries shall be submitted by affiliated clubs of the Association who may enter one or more teams.

(iii) A team for any match consists of eight club members, all of whom must be members of the Association, and who must not have played in the League for any other club during the current season.

(iv) Any player playing more than twice in a season for a higher ranked team may not subsequently play for a lower ranked team. Ranking will be determined by the positions of teams at the end of the previous season, unless redesignated by a club prior to the start of the current season.

(v) Any player who plays more than three times for a higher ranked team having already played for a lower ranked team may not play in a higher number of matches during the season than that higher ranked team are scheduled to play during that same season.

(vi) Infringements of rule (iii) shall be penalised by reducing the VP total of the offending side by 2 VPs per infringement. Infringements of rules (iv) and (v) shall be penalised by reducing the VP total of the offending side by 2 VPs per infringement and by adding 2 VPs to the total of the non-offending side, except that their adjusted score shall not exceed 20. The score of the offending side may become negative.

(vii) The League Secretary shall furnish club secretaries and team captains with details of the composition of divisions, and match schedules.

(viii) The dates of the fixtures will be agreed at the Wessex League Fixture Meeting held at the beginning of September. The home club must offer the away team a choice of three dates for play, of which not more than two shall be in the same week or on the same day of the week, and of which none shall clash with the away club’s duplicate night. Changes in dates can be made up to the end of September at one team’s request. From October 1st no changes in dates (except for adverse weather conditions) should be made unless agreed by and convenient to both teams. The venue shall be decided by the home team, who shall also provide necessary playing equipment. Should captains agree to a half way venue, both teams shall share expenses.

(ix) The movement employed shall be at the discretion of the home captain, but it must be so designed as to ensure that each pair plays six boards against each pair from the opposing team. There shall be no change of partnerships within either team, although substitutes may be allowed in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the opposing captain.

(x) The away team sits for the first set and remains stationary for the match while the home team circulates every six boards. Normally the match is played in two stanzas of 12 boards. If both captains agree the match can be played in four stanzas of 6 boards or one stanza of 12 boards and two of 6 boards, swapping opponents half way through any 12-board stanza.

(xi) For purposes of scoring the team of eight shall be considered as a single unit. On each board points gained or lost at all four tables shall be aggregated and converted to IMPs.

(xii) Scoring shall take place after a 6-board or 12-board stanza has been played, but only when play has finished at all four tables. The use of travelling score slips is strictly forbidden.

(xiii) The final score shall be converted to show the result for the whole match in VPs according to the following table:

The captain or secretary of the winning team, or in the event of a draw, the captain or club secretary of the home team, shall notify the League Secretary of the result in writing, to reach the League Secretary within 15 days of the match being played. Failure to do so will result in a 2 VP fine to the offending side.

This lies between 3 and 4 IMPs, to be scored as -3 IMPs.
(b) If the board is fouled after being played twice e.g. two hands being transposed, then you have two pairs of comparable scores. All four scores are still added up and IMPed as usual (not as two teams of four).
(c) In all other situations the principles described above can be applied.

(xvi) In the event of a default by one team and an unplayed match, see section 14.(xii) of the Oxfordshire Bridge Association Competition Bye-Laws.

(xvii) If a team withdraws from the league without completing its matches, the following rules are to apply:

(a) If the team represents a club with more than one team in the Wessex League the lower ranking team will be deemed to have defaulted.
(b) If the withdrawal occurs before half the scheduled matches have been played, the results of all the team’s matches shall be cancelled for both the withdrawing team and its opponents. Where these cancelled matches effect the number of matches a player may play during a season it shall be assumed that these cancelled matches were never played and that the withdrawing team had never been entered in that league.
(c) If half or more of the team’s scheduled matches have been played, the results of those matches shall stand and the scores of unplayed matches calculated as provided for in section 14 (xii) of the Competition Bye-Laws. No withdrawing team may win its division of the league.

(xviii) The team scoring the most VPs in each division shall be deemed the winners of the division.

(xix) If two or more teams tie on VPs for the leadership of any division except the first, or if a tie requires splitting to determine which of two or more teams shall be promoted or relegated, the current EBU ruling on the splitting of ties shall be used. To determine the champions of the first division in the event of a tie there shall be a play off match of 24 boards if two teams are involved, or a multiple teams contest of 16 boards against each other team if more than two teams are involved. Scoring shall be by IMPs.

(xx) If both teams tie in a final play-off involving two teams, four further boards shall be played, and a further four should the tie still not be broken. If teams tie in a final play-off involving three or more teams, the contest shall be scored on a league basis using an approved VP scale. If this still results in a tie, the result shall depend on the outcome of the match between the two teams assessed in terms of total IMPs or, if they be equal, in terms of aggregate points.

(xxi) Local points shall be issued by the Association at the end of the season.

(xxii) The club whose team(s) win any one of League’s Divisions shall receive a trophy to be held for a period of one year.

(xxiii) Divisions shall operate from season to season on a promotion/relegation system. Two teams shall normally be exchanged by adjacent divisions. If in the event of an increase or decrease in the total entry for the competition it should prove impractical to implement this rule, the number of teams to be relegated and promoted shall be determined in accordance with the following principles:

(a) All new entries shall be placed in the lowest division.
(b) The size of divisions shall, where possible, be equal; but when the total entry is not exactly divisible by the number of divisions, the complement of a higher division shall be less than that of a lower one.
(c) In the event of the number of teams in the next year’s league being different from the previous year, resulting in the usual promotion and relegation of two teams not being possible, a minimum of one team shall be promoted and a minimum of one team shall be relegated each season.
(d) If there are 32 or more entries there shall be a fourth division, and, with 41+, a fifth division. If entries subsequently drop to 31 (or 39), the process is reversed. In transition years, rules for promotion/relegation will be determined by the Tournament Committee.

(xxiv) Teams shall be identified by title only, their constitution being a matter for the club concerned

(xxv) Level 4 conventions (formerly called Restricted Licences) may be played in divisions 1&2.Level 3 conventions (formerly called General Licences) will be played in divisions 3 and below.

6. County Pairs Championship

(i) Heats for this competition shall be held in affiliated clubs at least four weeks before the second stage. The organisation of heats shall be the responsibility of the appropriate clubs, subject to the provision contained in section 14.(iii) of these by-laws.

(ii) In the club heats, all players must be paid up members of the Association if they are to qualify for the final stage or stages. No person may play in more than one heat.

(iii) Each heat must include six or more qualifiable pairs.

(iv) The entry fee to be retained by the Association for the heat shall be determined by the Management Committee. The entry fee is based on the number of pairs in the heat, irrespective of OBA membership.

(v) An officer of each club shall send a copy of the result chart from that club’s heat to the Tournament Secretary, stating the names of all competitors, whether they are OBA members, and breaking all ties.

(vi) The Sub-Committee shall decide an appropriate number of qualifiers and base invitations to the final stage or stages solely on the number of original entries in each heat. Normally, there will be 12 tables for the final. There may be a semi-final if the Management Committee deems there should be one.

(vii) The organisation of the final stage or stages shall be the responsibility of the Association.

(viii) There shall be no entry fees (except to cover the cost of refreshments) for the semi-final or the final.

(ix)Any semi-final shall consist of at least 32 boards, and the final of at least 33 boards to be played by each player, each will ideally be 36 boards. If there is only a final it will be an all-play-all event of 46 boards (assuming 12 tables).

(x) Local Points for the heats shall be issued by the clubs organising the heats at a scale notified by the Tournament Secretary. Local points for the semi-final, and Local Points and Green Points for the final shall be issued by the Association.

(xi) The winners shall receive a trophy to be kept for one year, and prizes to the value of twice that of the basic rate. The runners-up shall receive prizes at the basic rate.

(xii) The top three pairs are expected to represent the county in the Corwen Trophy.

7. Tuesday Pairs Championship and Tuesday Ladders

(i) Twenty-eight members of the Association who have competed in the Association’s weekly (Tuesday) duplicate competitions shall be invited to compete in a single session final.

(ii) The twenty-eight players invited shall be those with the highest number of ladder points determined as in (iii), scored in their best ten appearances, between May 1st of one year and April 30th of the next. Ties shall be split by reference to the scores obtained in the ten next best appearances.

(iii) Results during the season shall be assessed in terms of ladder points, which shall be awarded for each appearance in accordance with the following scale:

Fractions shall be resolved to the benefit of the competitor.

(iv) Partnerships shall be formed by the Sub-Committee to best reflect the partnerships that existed during the appropriate season.

(v) There shall be no entry fee for this event.

(vi) The event shall be of at least 27 boards.

(vii) There shall be a carry forward into the final of the ladder points total obtained by the players in each pair. Ladder points shall also be awarded in the final on the scale 20 to the winners, 18 for second place, 16 for third place, etc. down to 2 for tenth place; points shall be shared between equally placed pairs. The winners of the championship shall be determined by the sum of the carry forward and the points awarded in the final. In the event of a tie for first place the highest placed pair in the final shall be deemed to be the winners.

(viii) Local points shall be issued by the Association, and the winners shall receive prizes at 1 x the basic rate.

(ix) There will also be a prize for the person winning the Ladder (1 x basic rate).

(x) In determining this prize, or entry to the Final, it may be necessary to split ties. This is done by comparing ladder scores and looking for the first difference; e.g.:

Player A 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2

Player B 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

Player A wins because the 4th score is better.

(xi) There will also be a similar teams ladder based on the monthly teams event. This will run from the April teams to the following March teams night. Players are given as ladder points the number of local points they achieve divided by 10. All teams nights are counted and the player who gains the most ladder points in the year is deemed the winner. In the event of a tie, the player coming first most will be deemed the winner. If still tied, the prize will be shared (prize at 1 x basic rate).

(xii) Level 4 conventions may be played (formerly called Restricted Licences).

8. The Beck Cup

(i) An annual two session teams of four competition shall be held, in which a proportion of the teams shall qualify from the County Association on the basis of an earlier heat, and the rest shall be invited teams from selected counties.

(ii) Local teams competing in the heat shall be restricted to members of the Association only.

(iii) The heat shall be held at least three weeks before the final.

(iv) The heat shall be of at least 36 boards.

(v) Scoring in the heat shall be by means of the appropriate VP scale.

(vi) The number of teams qualifying from the heats shall be determined by the Sub-Committee, depending on the number of teams competing in the final, with the proviso that the Association may not enter more than one third of the total number of teams in the final.

(vii) Should an Oxfordshire team be the current cup holders they shall be entitled to an automatic place in the final, provided that no more than one player has changed.

(viii) Selected counties shall be invited to send one team of four to play in the final, an ample period of time before the event.

(ix) Teams shall consist of only four members, but in the final, Oxfordshire teams may substitute one player, for one of the four who played in the heat, provided that person is an Association member and did not play in the heat.

(x) The form of scoring in the final shall be decided by the Sub-Committee in the light of current EBU practice in the scoring of multiple teams of four events.

(xi) A non-playing director shall be appointed for the final of this event.

(xii) Local points shall be issued by the Association.

(xiii) The winning team shall hold the Beck Cup for one year, and members of the winning team and runners-up shall receive prizes to be purchased from the balance of the entry fees, after all expenses have been met.

9. National Pairs Heats

(i) The Association shall authorise its affiliated clubs to hold heats of the National Pairs Championship of the EBU. The organisation of these heats shall be the responsibility of the individual clubs, subject to the EBU rules governing the competition and the provision of section 14.(iii) of these by-laws.

10. OBA Simultaneous Pairs

(i) To hold a heat a club must have at least six pairs competing, and each player must play at least eighteen hands counting towards the Simultaneous Pairs.

(ii) Any one may play in the heat. Competitors need not be members of the OBA or EBU.

(iii) Local points will be awarded by the Association.

(iv) Prizes will be awarded to the winners at the basic rate, and to the runners-up at half the basic rate.

11. Ladies, Mens, Mixed, Flitch and Swiss Pairs Championships

(i) These competitions shall determine the appropriate County Champions.

(ii) At least 34 boards shall be played by each pair competing.

(iii) All entrants must be members of the Association.

(iv) The mixed pairs and flitch are run as one event. In the event of the winning pair being a married couple, they shall be deemed to have won the Mixed Pairs, and the next highest placed married couple shall be deemed to have won the flitch.

(v) Local points shall be issued by the Association and the winners shall receive a trophy for one year. Prizes shall be awarded to the winners at the basic rate.

(vi) Level 3 conventions may be played (formerly called General Licences).

12. Matches and Tournaments Organised by Other Counties

(i) The Association shall enter teams or pairs for the above events when it is deemed desirable by the Sub-Committee, and as required by the schedules of the sponsoring bodies.

(ii) The teams’ members shall be selected by a Selection Committee appointed by the Management Committee for this purpose.

13. The Tollemache Cup and the Dawes League

(i) The Association shall normally enter teams for these inter-county representative events.

(ii) The composition of such teams or pairs shall be determined by the Selection Committee.

(iii) The Association shall pay the entry fee for these events and such other expenses as shall be expressly authorised by the Management Committee (see 14. [xiii] below).

(iv) Local points shall be issued by the Association, but no prizes shall be awarded.

14. General Rules Regarding Competitions

(i) Calendar

Subject to any directions given by the Management Committee, the Sub-Committee shall approve a "Calendar of Events" for the forthcoming season drawn up by the Tournament Director.

(ii) Notice of Entry

In all competitions (other than weekly duplicates) entries shall be made on lists held by affiliated clubs or directly to the organising officer at least three days before the event. Late entries will only be accepted at the discretion of the organising officer, and no entry need be accepted if the member has not yet paid the Association’s annual subscription. Fees for the Wessex League, President’s Cup and Chester Cup must be paid to the Tournament Secretary or League Secretary at the time of entry. Wherever possible payment should be by cheque, payable to the Oxfordshire Bridge Association. The entry must be on the appropriate entry form, and in the case of the Chester and President’s Cups must specify the team captain’s name, address and telephone number. Entries for other events (except the Wessex League) should be to the Tournament Secretary.

(iii) Composition of Heats

In events serving as heats for County, Inter-County or National Championships, all competitors must be OBA members, and shall be required to pay the appropriate entry fee.

(iv) Competition Director

The Director shall have absolute control of the competition, though appeals against his decisions may be made to the Sub-Committee after the competition. The Director may refuse entry to competitors who arrive late. The Director may award necessary penalties either in terms of score adjustment or by disqualification. The Director shall be responsible for maintaining a reasonable speed of play. The Director shall be responsible for producing and displaying a provisional result as soon as possible after the completion of the competition, for making a permanent record of the result and for providing the appropriate officer with the information necessary for the issue of local points. The Director may delegate any of his functions, should he see fit, though the responsibility remains his.

(v) Conduct of Play

Play shall proceed in accordance with the latest edition of "The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge", and with regulations laid down by the EBU. Interpretation of the laws and the implementation of any penalties or bonuses shall be the responsibilities of the Director.

(vi) Curtain Cards.

Curtain cards shall be used in all events covered by sections 7, 9, 12 and 13 of these by-laws. The use of curtain cards in heats held in local clubs, however, shall be at the discretion of the affiliated clubs concerned.

(vii) Penalties.

The Director shall exact penalties provided in the laws. The Director may exact penalties for contravention of the proprieties. The Director shall warn players who play slowly (see (iii) above), and exact penalties from persistent offenders. Penalties may result in an adjusted score, and/or in an award of penalty points. Such penalty points, and the identity of the offender(s) shall be clearly shown in the results. In the event of a disqualification, the offending player(s) shall receive no prize or local points and the facts shall be reported to the Sub-Committee, and to the Management Committee in serious cases. All scores involving the offender(s) shall be ignored.

(viii) Competition Results.

All results announced on the day of the event shall be considered as provisional, even though prizes may be awarded. Seven days shall be allowed for appeal, after which, should there be no appeal, the final result shall be declared. If there is an appeal the final result must be delayed pending its outcome.

(ix) Prizes.

At the beginning of the season, the Management Committee shall decide the basic value of prizes.

(x) Local Points.

The AGM shall appoint a person to be responsible for the awarding and distribution of local points in accordance with the "Handbook of the Master Points Scheme" published by the EBU.

(xi) Entry Fees.

The entry fees for all competitions shall be determined by the Management Committee at the beginning of each season.

(xii) Defaulting Teams

(a) In the Wessex League, Chester Cup and Presidents Cup, a team shall be deemed to have defaulted if:

(xiii) Late Teams Matches.

Where, with the League Secretary's agreement, a Wessex League or Chester Cup match is played after the end of the season (e.g. in May), and neither team is deemed to be at fault for the delay, the scoring table shall now read:

(xiv) Expenses for Representative Events.

Where a team or pair is invited to represent the county in an outside event (e.g. Tollemache, Pachabo) and an overnight stop is required, travelling expenses and B & B accommodation at the event hotel shall be paid for by the county, but not evening meal or other incidental expenses