Manchester County
Bridge Association

CHAPTER 5

      LEAGUE & CUP REGULATIONS

 CONTENTS

CHAPTER 6

1.    Introduction

The League and Cup is run by the Manchester County Bridge Association.

Any enquiries should be sent to the Organiser : manchesterleague@gmail.com

2.    General

All the general EBU regulations will apply unless stated otherwise. 

In the event of any circumstance arising not covered by these regulations  the organiser may add to or amend these regulations as required.

3.    Entry

Entry is open to all members of Manchester CBA  of good standing.  League and cup teams may have up to 8 registered players.

Additional players up to the maximum may be added with permission from the organiser before the final round.

It is assumed the League and the Cup teams will be the same unless specified on the entry form.

Entries should be sent to the Organiser by the end of July.

There are 6 - 7  divisions.

 At the end of the season the 3 winning teams in Division 2 will be promoted to Division 1, and the 3  last teams in Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2.

In the  other divisions the 2 winning teams will be promoted and the 2 lowest teams will be relegated.

However, additional promotions or non-relegations may be necessary in order to balance the divisions.

Non relegation takes precedence over a promotion.

A new team will play in a division allocated by the organiser.

In order to retain their place in a division in the following season, a team must either

     (i) retain at least two players who each played at least half of the matches, or 

     (ii) retain at least four players.

4.    Scoring

League  matches are 24 boards played in two sets of 12.

Scoring is IMPs converted to VPs on a 30-0 scale

Cup matches are straight knock outs until the Finals,  see Chapter 2.

 Master Points will be awarded.

The winning team in each division receives a commemorative glass.

Winners of the Higson Cup and Plate receive a trophy  for one year.

5.  Permissible Systems

Bidding systems licensed by the EBU up to and including Level 3 are allowed in the League, Cup and Plate.

For any ‘unusual’ bidding system the team pair should make available a convention card to the opposing team captain, prior to any match.

 ‘Unusual’ is defined as other than natural or Acol based*.

* Acol based would include 5 card majors / strong NT

Levels 1-3 are permitted for Divisions 4 or lower

Level 4  is allowed  for Divisions 1-3 in the League and Cup Final.

In summary, the Levels are as follows:

1. Simple Systems

2. Level 2:  Natural or strong club methods, only natural pre-empts.

3. Level 3:  A Strong 1C opening and the Multi 2D are allowed; and there is much more freedom to play sophisticated methods later in the auction.

4. Level 4:  Polish club is now permitted, along with a wide range of unusual pre-empts."
 

6.   Substitutions

A substitute for a match is only allowed with the explicit agreement of the Organiser and will be treated as an extra player.

The substitute should not have a higher NGS grade than the team member they are substituting.

There is a charge  for the substitute, payable before the match.

7.     Dealing

Boards are dealt at the table in the presence of at least one player from each team.

 Pre-duplicated boards may be used  as long as both captains agree and are satisfied with the security arrangements.

For securiy, one card should be turned over from each board especially in matches played in private homes.

9.    Seating Rights

The Home team sits.There is a compulsory change of opponents at half time.

Only 4 players may play in each match.

10.    Reporting Results

League results must be posted immediately after the match on the EBU League Page.

Either captain may enter the result but both captains must  tick the names of their players after each match.

The results of Cup matches must be sent to the organiser together with the names of all players in both  teams.

 11.    Irregularities

11.1     Late Arrival and Non-Arrival

 After 30 minutes of unnotified delay  the match may be reduced by 2 boards and for each further complete 15 minute period the match may be again reduced by 2 boards. After 75 minutes of late arrival the match can be abandoned and either replayed or the non -offending teams may ask the organiser for an adjudication.  If both teams are late, the 30 minutes starts from the time all the members of the first team are present.

 The organiser may impose a fine of 3 imps per board removed on the offending side.

 11.2     Fouled or Cancelled Boards

In the event that both pairs in a team sit in the same polarity in one stanza, the score for that set will be zero.

The stanza that has been completed will determine the score according to the VP scale.

Both pairs at the table are equally responsible for making sure that they sit in the correct positions.

 If a board is fouled or cancelled for whatever reason in the first stanza of the match, a substitute board is added to the second half with the same dealer and vulnerability.

 If a board is fouled or cancelled in the second stanza of the match a substitute board may only be played if no player is aware of any of the results from the other table.

 The captains should be aware that Law 86D may apply.

12.  Unplayed or Incomplete Matches and Withdrawal

If a match has to be abandoned due to unforeseen circumstances with neither team at fault, then:

(i)            if at least half of the boards have been played at both tables, the match is considered complete and the VP scale for the number of completed boards is used;

(ii)           if fewer than half of the boards have been completed, the captains should endeavour to replay the match completely.  If this is not possible, the organiser will adjudicate a result.

 If a team is awarded a match, it will receive its average across all the other matches it plays during the season, or the final average of all other teams in matches played against the defaulting team.  Artificial VP scores from other defaulted matches are not included in this calculation.
However the organiser will consider the circumstances of such an award, e.g. if they have cancelled a previous match, the lateness of the season or the effect on other teams who have played all their matches,  in deciding a score.

 In an unplayed match the defaulting team always receives 0  VPs. If it cannot be determinded which team is responsible for the unplayed match, both teams receive  0 VPs.  In extenuating circurmstances a team  might be awarded a score based on the "Mould formula".

 If a team withdraws from the league having played fewer than half its scheduled matches, all results against the team are removed. If the team has played at least half its scheduled matches, results in the remaining matches are calculated using the preceding rule for defaulted matches.

 The organiser may refuse entry  the following season on some or all the members of a team who default on a match or withdraw during the season.

13.  Rulings

 A TD will sometimes be available at a venue to give a ruling. If none is available, a suitably qualified player present but not playing in the match may give a ruling of first instance. 

 The section on ‘Rulings In Matches Played Privately’ in the EBU Regulations for Knock-Out Competitions applies and covers all circumstances not described here. 

If a ruling is required,  a team captain should contact the organiser or an EBU Tournament Director or EBU Referee (contact details are available on the EBU website). In any event please inform the organiser of the incident and  ruling.
 

14.  Ties

Courteous behaviour is an exceptionally important part of the enjoyment of bridge. All players benefit from a pleasurable experience at the bridge table.

Abusive behaviour, whether verbal, written or physical, towards members of our organisation will not be tolerated.

Please do not resort to arguments at the table but let a Tournament Director solve the problem.

Most players naturally follow this code of conduct but there are times when concentration and pressure can take their toll.

This is a reminder:

 Greet others in a friendly manner prior to start of play on each round.
 Be a good "host" or "guest" at the table.
 Fill in your convention card completely and make it readily available to your opponents.
 Make bridge enjoyable for yourself, partner and opponents.
 Give credit when opponents make a good bid or play.
 Take care of your personal grooming.
 Ensure that your mobile phone is turned off.
 Enjoy the company as well as the game.
 Remember that it is rude to criticise your partner or opponents in public, to be less than polite at the tble, to gloat over good results or object to a call for the Tournament Director or to dispute or argue about a director’s ruling.

Mr Bridge has a good article on Bridge Etiquette, with useful hints for us all.

14. Victory Point Scale

Please note the difference of 0-2 imps is 15-15 and 3-7 imps is 16-14