[glen]

blackshoe, on Sep 21 2008, 11:52 AM, said:

... Maybe I've missed it, but I've never seen advertising for any tournament which says the Superchart is allowed. ...

Try this search:

Google: superchart regional bridge

You missed it

[blackshoe]

I suppose I can spend time searching for midchart games, and perhaps get lucky enough to find one once or twice a year within a reasonable distance, but it certainly seems an awful lot of work for little return.

I stand by my position that the majority of games in my area, and probably in the ACBL as a whole (recognizing that things may be different in particular locales, like california) are GCC, that Midchart games are rare, and Superchart games rarer still.

I did run across a comment by a Canadian poster made about three years ago to the effect that he disliked a particular uncertainty, to wit "with our 7500 MPs, will we be in the top bracket, and able to play our Midchart system, or find ourselves relegated to the second bracket, with five minutes or so to revamp our entire system?" That kind of problem (and I'm sure it exists) does nothing to promote use of any convention not on the GCC.

[TimG]

blackshoe, on Sep 21 2008, 06:15 PM, said:

I stand by my position that the majority of games in my area, and probably in the ACBL as a whole (recognizing that things may be different in particular locales, like california) are GCC, that Midchart games are rare, and Superchart games rarer still.

I did run across a comment by a Canadian poster made about three years ago to the effect that he disliked a particular uncertainty, to wit "with our 7500 MPs, will we be in the top bracket, and able to play our Midchart system, or find ourselves relegated to the second bracket, with five minutes or so to revamp our entire system?" That kind of problem (and I'm sure it exists) does nothing to promote use of any convention not on the GCC.

At New England regionals, there are mid-chart events. Just which events I am not exactly sure.

For the 7500 masterpoint pair who is "relegated" to the second bracket: in some cases a request to play up into the top bracket will be honored. I know that does not fix the problem, but it mitigates it to some extent.

[blackshoe]

I just got a flyer for a sectional in Pennsylvania, some distance from here, but still in my district. One of the events is the district level NAP qualifier. The CoC for the NAP says that districts may elect to allow the Midchart in flight A of this event. There is no mention of the Midchart in the flyer. It seems likely the district did not elect to allow it.

Only one example, I know.

[FrancesHinden]

NickRW, on Sep 20 2008, 08:23 PM, said:

I say again - law makers have no idea what ordinary people think. Certainly don't have any idea what I think anyway.

If you'll excuse me - I need the bathroom.

Nick

In fact, the law makers have a very good idea what ordinary people think. They get told, at length, in person, by email, by letter, and they also ask many 'ordinary people' for their thoughts.

The really surprising thing may be that not everything thinks the same as you. In fact, the 'law makers' are not an abstract body, they are individuals and they don't all think the same as each other.

[NickRW]

FrancesHinden, on Sep 22 2008, 12:23 PM, said:

NickRW, on Sep 20 2008, 08:23 PM, said:

I say again - law makers have no idea what ordinary people think.  Certainly don't have any idea what I think anyway.

If you'll excuse me - I need the bathroom.

Nick

In fact, the law makers have a very good idea what ordinary people think. They get told, at length, in person, by email, by letter, and they also ask many 'ordinary people' for their thoughts.

The really surprising thing may be that not everything thinks the same as you. In fact, the 'law makers' are not an abstract body, they are individuals and they don't all think the same as each other.

Well, look Frances, the original thing that got my dander up was the mention of an apparently level 3 event - at which were playing at least one of the Hackett family and an EBU higher up (and I don't know the standard of all of them - but I know quite a few, at least, are no slouches at the game). The other players had no objection to someone using a two way club system - the single objection came from someone who, one would have thougt, was 1) well capable of dealing with such a system and 2) one of the very people responsible for the rules that nobody else cared about!

Then someone else imagines that it is me who is not in touch with reality - what a joke.

Then we have someone talking about a bid that is, or could be, natural by any plain, easily understandable definition of the term - but the same person who thinks I am not in touch with reality says that this is conventional. Since when did a bid that shows the suit actually called suddenly become conventional by any defintion that makes one bit of sense to most folks that play bridge for a pastime?

I say again that some folks higher up are not in touch with the grass roots of this game - no matter how many emails they receive.

I could write a long essay on what is wrong with the Orange Book - but I won't - I am sure most readers of this forum would fall asleep - but it would probably start with a section entitled, "What is Level 2 - what is it for?" In other words the structure of the thing is flawed to my mind - never mind the detail.

Nick

[Gerben42]

How did the ACBL rules hijack Helene's thread about a simple question on what level she can play her system... in England?

[blackshoe]

It's the internet, Gerben. Stuff happens.

[jdonn]

Because Gerben, if that didn't happen you would be more challenged to engage in your favorite hobby of American-bashing!

[matmat]

jdonn, on Sep 22 2008, 04:23 PM, said:

Because Gerben, if that didn't happen you would be more challenged to engage in your favorite hobby of American-bashing!

though that hobby is a bit like clubbing baby seals.

[mycroft]

Okay, continuing the hijack:

Yep, Flight A in stratiflighted regional games (that would be two of them in the last regional I was at), and the top bracket of KOs (I have 600 MPs. My partner has about half that. Finding a pair with 8000 between them, willing to play with us, to get to Bracket 1 is not exactly automatic).

KingOfPrussia event: S/Flighted games starting Thursday.
Lancaster event: S/Flighted games starting Saturday (but KOs starting all week, that's fine for others, I guess).

I'm going to learn and practise a system I can only play twice a regional (which around here is 5 a year within a reasonable day's drive)? Especially when the penalty for getting it wrong the rest of the year is so high (Precision 2H vs weak 2H, or Precision 2D vs. Maxi-Roman)? Right.

In Ontario, they've moved to Mid-chart in any separate Flight A event, even at sectionals; and they frequently S/Flight Saturday and Sunday at the sectionals. And, at least where I lived, there was a sectional every two or three weekends within a 2-hour drive (sometimes as much as 3 if we had to drive all the way through Toronto). That's more likely.

UnHijack: Nick, in a month is going to be our local "day in the country". Nice day, far enough out of town that the lights don't drown out the start at night, afternoon bridge, convivial dinner, evening bridge, about 30 tables, everybody has fun. Even if the best players in the area were to come (and probably about 16 of the top 20 will), it's going to be "level 3". I wouldn't want it any other way, and neither would the players. The last regional, we had 16 tables in A/X. That was "level 4", and nobody would have that any other way. If I played EHAA in the "level 3" game - which would be legal - I'd expect a lot of complaints, and everybody would notice. If I played Mid-Chart Precision, I'd expect fewer complaints - because people wouldn't know. But I wouldn't do either; that's not the point.

[helene_t]

matmat, on Sep 22 2008, 11:50 PM, said:

jdonn, on Sep 22 2008, 04:23 PM, said:

Because Gerben, if that didn't happen you would be more challenged to engage in your favorite hobby of American-bashing!

though that hobby is a bit like clubbing baby seals.

I thought your national animal used to be a bald eagle. Since when did it change?