2004 Conditions of Contest Seattle Round Robin Teams

1. Each team shall consist of 4, 5, or 6 players.
2. Registration is open to all ACBL members in the Seattle general area not restricted to members of #446. The highest masterpoint holder on January 1, 2004 will determine which flight the team is eligible to participate in. Flight A is unlimited, Flight B is 0-1500, and Flight C is 0-500. If there are not enough teams to field a Flight C event at the time registration closes, it may be necessary to combine flights B and C into one flight.
3. Substitutions are allowed as long as they are not registered to any other team, and provided their master point total does not exceed that of the flight to which the team is assigned. The substitute must be agreed to by the opposing team; if there is a serious caliber of play dispute, the substitution may be disallowed by the tournament coordinator.
4. Team members must compete in at least 50% of the total boards played by a team to be eligible for any overall masterpoint awards.
5. Opposing team captains mutually agree upon a date, time, and site for each match. You must play a team that is in the bracket designated by the coordinator, which will be sent to all captains after entries close.
6. All team captains are responsible for scheduling and coordinating their matches. If a team captain cannot get a commitment from an opposing teams captain within a reasonable period of time (2 weeks), forfeiture of the match may be imposed. The unresponsive captain will be considered to be at fault for failing to play the match. This is usually avoidable by seeking alternate dates or sites, but should a conflict still exist, please contact the event coordinator for assistance. The tournament coordinator may declare a match forfeited if, in his opinion, a team has not made a suitable effort to schedule a match.
7. If a team captain knows his or her team will be late, the other team must be told as soon as the delay becomes known. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the match. A match shall be forfeited if a team is not ready to play 30 minutes following the agreed upon time, unless both captains have agreed to a revised starting time.
8. To be eligible to compete in the play-offs for overall awards, teams must complete all of the matches specified in the schedule distributed at the start of the event, within the specified time frame.
9. Each match will consist of 28 boards, scored using IMPs. Teams shall compare results at the half-way point of each match, at which point lineups may be changed. The winning team captain must report the results within 24 hours of the completion of the match to the tournament coordinator, along with lineups of both teams, total score, and where the match was played.
10. There are no seeding rights. Should a seating disagreement arise, each captain will submit a geographic line-up for his/her team.
11. The tournament coordinator will convert the IMP scores to a victory point total, which will then be recorded to determine the standings. The 30 point victory point scale will be used for scoring this event.
12. Forfeitures will be recorded as 18-0 victories for the opposing team (60% of the available victory points). Match awards will be presented for forfeited matches.
13. Matches may be played at any convenient location mutually agreeable to both team captains. The captains should also be sure to identify who is responsible for supplying the boards and private score cards. If teams wish to play a match at a local bridge club, the captain(s) are responsible for making these arrangements on their own with the club proprietor.
14. If a ruling is needed during a match (in either the bidding or play), the players should try to resolve the dispute within the expertise of the players present. If the issue is not resolved to the satisfaction of the two teams, it may be possible to contact a certified ACBL director by phone. If this fails, the match should be completed as expeditiously as possible, recording the results as requested above. The incident should also be recorded and submitted by the winning team captain along with the outcome of the match. The coordinator will then get a ruling for the board(s) in dispute, and inform each captain of the outcome. Further action may become necessary, should either captain wish to appeal a ruling of this kind.
15. The make-up of the 2004 Round Robin tournament is dependent upon the numbers of teams entered by April 15, 2004. 16. At the end of regulation play, there will be a semifinal for each bracket, followed by a final. The winner of the final match will be the winner of the event, one winner per flight.
17. If there are any teams tied at the end of regulation play, results will be recalculated using the win-loss method of scoring. If this method fails to break the tie, a playoff match may be scheduled to determine the advancer(s) into the semifinal.
18. If there is a tie at the end of 28 boards of a semifinal or final match, 7 board playoff segments will be used until a winner emerges. There must be a winner of each semifinal and final match.
19. The ACBL General Convention Chart governs bidding and carding methods permitted, restricted, or not permitted in KO events. For this event, Mid-Chart conventions will also be allowed, following the rules for the use of Mid-Chart conventions (i.e. supplying a defense where appropriate, etc.).