E*V*I*L -- Electronic Vancouver IMP League, Season Ten

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What, when, where?  It’s E*V*I*L (Electronic Vancouver IMP League) Season Ten (results below, the final Season Nine page, including playoffs, is here), a free event (free of entry fees and masterpoints) of team matches.  Matches are on Tuesday Evenings, at 7:00pm (see schedule below for dates).  Formerly known as the Summer IMP League, but it has outlasted the summer of 2020!

Below you will find standings, match result grids, team rosters, important instructions on how to set up a team match on BBO, and the E*V*I*L rules, and an explanation of the structure of the league.

Season Ten started on January 3, seven Tuesdays ending February 14 with two Tuesdays of playoffs and play-in Swiss qualifiers to follow. We will not be taking any Tuesdays off for outside tournaments this time: let me know if I have forgotten something! Season Eleven will begin on March 7 with eight teams; registration closed March 2 at 4pm.

Playoff Time!

The favorites in the semifinals won and the Season Ten final is set: Yen Liu vs Yue Su, with Yen Liu getting a massive carryover of ... 0.03 IMPs.

And the winner is...Yue Su, by 4.97 IMPs!

Registration for Season Eleven closed at 4pm on March 2, with Season Eleven beginning on March 7 and having within it two breaks, on March 14 for the NABC, and on April 18 for the Victoria Regional. Season Eleven will conclude on May 2 with two weeks of playoffs to follow.

SPECIAL ALERT: NO QUALIFYING GAMES. We have eight teams returning for Season Eleven, so the qualifying games are unneccessary this time and will not happen. The eight teams that have signed up for Season Eleven are: BC Buds, L. Burns, Hong(portions of the Yue Su team), Koblenz, Krywaniuk, McClafferty, Waterman, and Yen Liu. Schedules will appear Friday Afternoon.

COMPETITIVE COURTESY: A few notes on issues that have come up in the past that we all should be aware of:

  1. All correspondance in E*V*I*L is done through BBO messaging, not e-mail. If you are a team captain or are filling in for an absent team captain, sign on and check your BBO messages every few days please. Evil internet bots seize upon e-mail lists from web pages like this one and send unwanted spam, but ignore BBO name lists. Team captains should be agreeing in advance on start times (if 7pm is not convenient), number of boards and segments, and letting one another know if they will be using players not listed in the rosters below as subs. If no response is received from a team captain by Monday at noon, you may try other members of the team through BBO mail and see if you can get a response.
  2. Remember to carefully check ALL of the tabs when you set up team matches: one common error is to forget to change the default of 8 boards when you usually want to play a different number; another is to type in the players as they will appear AFTER the crossover: what you want to do is type all four members of one team at one table and let the software move the E-W pairs. More details on setup are at the bottom of this page.
  3. Issue: misclicks. A page here explaining what has to happen for a score adjustment based on a claimed misclick. Short version: let the opponents know privately (not partner, to minimize the unauthorized information) that there is a misclick problem as soon as you can — agree as best you can at the table about what to do, even if this means agreeing to present the facts to me later — Directors cannot attend team tables — understand that for a misclick to be correctible it must be blatantly obvious that it is unintended.
  4. There is no rule requiring this, but partnerships in E*V*I*L really should have convention cards loaded. It doesn't take long to create one and learn how to use it in play. If you do not have a convention card loaded and you forget to alert or announce an agreement, leading to a ruling, you lose the right to the benefit of any doubt. Make a card; use it. It matters.

Good luck to our Season Ten teams! With eleven teams at the registration deadline, a twelfth was quickly found and we're good to go. Not enough for a second division, so we will play seven weeks and all teams will face most, but not all, of the other teams. I know some will want to play all teams but one of E*V*I*L's founding principles is to stay with seven-week seasons so that nobody has to play out too much of a string if they fall behind, and everyone gets several new chances every calendar year to start at zero and prove their worth. Meanwhile, let me know if there is a problem with your team roster or you'd like a different colour shade or to trade colours with another team.


Match reporting form no longer needed: This is no longer necessary now that most matches appear on the BBO team game results list page. But if you set up a match and do not play it all through to the end but do want to count the results obtained, you need to tell me about it since such matches will not appear in the list. Some time back, a 24-board first half was abandoned after 12 so a second half could be played with a different lineup. That’s fine and the result should certainly count, but I won’t see it in the team game list, unless you pass out the last 12 boards (not reccommended). In that case, or if I should interpret the data wrong (which occasionally happens), or if you have agreed on a transfer of IMPs because of an irregularity, you should let me know by BBO message to McBruce or by e-mail (ooga@shaw.ca).


E*V*I*L (Electronic Vancouver IMP League) Season Ten Playoff Schedule

Starting in Season Ten the playoffs will be a straight knockout with carryovers based on VP total from the regular season. The top team in the regular season may choose #3 instead of the default #4 as their first-round playoff opponent as long as they do so (via BBO message to me; I'll be online) within one hour after the final standings are posted. Carryovers are 1 IMP for each difference of 1 VP in the regular season VP totals, to a maximum carryover of 0.5 IMPs per scheduled board.

If Season Eleven attracts 13 teams or more, we will split once again into two divisions, with the top three teams and the fourth-place team, if they win the playoff, automatically in The Big Show, which will be limited to eight spots. Other spots will be decided in two optional Swiss Team games (details below) on the Tuesday and Thursday before the start of Season Eleven.

Season Eleven will begin on March 7; registration is open until Thursday, March 2 at 4pm.

Match Number Date (other arrangements
before or SHORTLY
after are OK)		 Division Team 1 Carryover Team 2 Result
1 February 21 The Big Show #1 Yen Liu 6.76 IMPs to Yen Liu #4 Jin Mei Yen Liu wins by 30.76 IMPs.
2 February 21 The Big Show #2 Yue Su 1.63 IMPs to Yue Su #3 Waterman Yue Su wins by 23.63 IMPs.
3 February 28 The Big Show Final #1 Yen Liu 0.03 IMPs (!) to Yen Liu #2 Yue Su Yue Su won by 5 minus the carryover!
 
Tuesday February 28, 7:00 - 9:30pm This was to be the first optional qualifying Swiss Teams but has been cancelled since we do not appear to have the teams needed to split into two divisions, based on current signup numbers. Two teams have opted out for Season Eleven but may return next time, and many have still not signed up.
Thursday March 2 at 4pm Registration for Season Ten ends.
Thursday March 2, 7:00 - 9:30pm This was to be the second optional qualifying Swiss Teams but has been cancelled since we do not appear to have the teams needed to split into two divisions, based on current signup numbers. Two teams have opted out for Season Eleven but may return next time, and many have still not signed up.
Friday March 3 at 4pm Season Eleven details and schedule announced! If we have an odd number of teams at this point, I will send invites to players who have been in the league before, and we will accept the first team that applies and no more teams.
Tuesday March 7 at 7pm Season Eleven begins!
Season Eleven has two Tuesdays off: March 14 (NABC in New Orleans), and April 18 (Victoria Regional)

 

E*V*I*L -- Electronic Vancouver IMP League, Season Ten Standings (VP Tables)

E*V*I*L -- Electronic Vancouver IMP League, Season Ten :: The Big Show
 
Team		 Matches
Played		 Record
(W-L-T)		  
Total VPs		  
VP Average		 Last/Current
Opponent		  
Result		 Next
Opponent
Yen Liu 7 5 - 2 - 0 92.32 13.19 Yue Su -31 IMPs, 20 boards, 3.62 VPs Finished!
Yue Su 7 5 - 1 - 1 92.29 13.18 Yen Liu +31 IMPs, 20 boards, 16.38 VPs Finished!
Waterman 7 5 - 1 - 1 90.66 12.95 Jin Mei +15 IMPs, 20 boards, 13.61 VPs Finished!
Jin Mei 7 4 - 3 - 0 85.56 12.22 Waterman -15 IMPs, 20 boards, 6.39 VPs Finished!
BC Buds 7 5 - 2 - 0 79.93 11.42 Krywaniuk +4 IMPs, 24 boards, 10.99 VPs Finished!
S. Burns 7 3 - 4 - 0 71.23 10.18 Koblenz -21 IMPs, 24 boards, 5.57 VPs Finished!
Koblenz 7 2 - 4 - 1 65.48 9.35 S. Burns +21 IMPs, 24 boards, 14.43 VPs Finished!
McClafferty 7 2 - 5 - 0 61.60 8.80 Adams +41 IMPs, 20 boards, 17.68 VPs Finished!
Adams 7 3 - 4 - 0 58.62 8.37 McClafferty -41 IMPs, 20 boards, 2.32 VPs Finished!
Krywaniuk 7 2 - 4 - 1 56.75 8.11 BC Buds -4 IMPs, 24 boards, 9.01 VPs Finished!
Carr 7 2 - 5 - 0 48.08 6.87 L. Burns -10 IMPs, 24 boards, 7.67 VPs Finished!
L. Burns 7 2 - 5 - 0 37.48 5.35 Carr +10 IMPs, 24 boards, 12.33 VPs Finished!

E*V*I*L -- Electronic Vancouver IMP League, Season Ten Match Grids (VP Tables)

E*V*I*L -- Electronic Vancouver IMP League, Season Ten :: The Big Show
Team vs
Adams		 vs
BC Buds		 vs
L. Burns		 vs
S. Burns		 vs
Carr		 vs
Koblenz		 vs
Krywaniuk		 vs
Yen Liu		 vs
McClaf­ferty		 vs
Jin Mei		 vs
Yue Su		 vs
Waterman
Adams — WON by 5
24 boards
11.23 VP		 WON by 35
24 boards
16.51 VP		 not scheduled lost by 20
20 boards
5.42 VP		 WON by 16
20 boards
13.81 VP		 not scheduled lost by 36
20 boards
2.94 VP		 lost by 41
20 boards
2.32 VP		 not scheduled lost by 15
20 boards
6.39 VP		 not scheduled
BC Buds lost by 5
24 boards
8.77 VP		 — WON by 35
24 boards
16.51 VP		 lost by 55
24 boards
1.35 VP		 not scheduled WON by 24
24 boards
14.92 VP		 WON by 4
24 boards
10.99 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled WON by 2
24 boards
10.50 VP		 WON by 38
24 boards
16.89 VP		 not scheduled
L. Burns lost by 35
24 boards
3.49 VP		 lost by 35
24 boards
3.49 VP		 — not scheduled WON by 10
24 boards
12.33 VP		 lost by 61
20 boards
0.43 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled WON by 15
24 boards
13.34 VP		 lost by 55
20 boards
0.91 VP		 not scheduled lost by 35
24 boards
3.49 VP
S. Burns not scheduled WON by 55
24 boards
18.65 VP		 not scheduled — WON by 46
20 boards
18.23 VP		 lost by 21
24 boards
5.57 VP		 lost by 6
24 boards
8.54 VP		 not scheduled WON by 8
20 boards
12.07 VP		 lost by 39
20 boards
2.56 VP		 lost by 19
20 boards
5.61 VP		 not scheduled
Carr WON by 20
20 boards
14.58 VP		 not scheduled lost by 10
24 boards
7.67 VP		 lost by 46
20 boards
1.77 VP		 — not scheduled lost by 15
20 boards
6.39 VP		 not scheduled WON by 7
24 boards
11.68 VP		 lost by 17
20 boards
5.99 VP		 not scheduled lost by 85
24 boards
0.00 VP
Koblenz lost by 16
20 boards
6.19 VP		 lost by 24
24 boards
5.08 VP		 WON by 61
20 boards
19.57 VP		 WON by 21
24 boards
14.43 VP		 not scheduled — Match Tied
24 boards
10.00		 lost by 36
24 boards
3.36 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled not scheduled lost by 14
24 boards
6.85 VP
Krywaniuk not scheduled lost by 4
24 boards
9.01 VP		 not scheduled WON by 6
24 boards
11.46 VP		 WON by 15
20 boards
13.61 VP		 Match Tied
24 boards
10.00		 — lost by 46
24 boards
2.21 VP		 lost by 20
24 boards
5.74 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled lost by 24
20 boards
4.72 VP
Yen Liu WON by 36
20 boards
17.06 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled not scheduled not scheduled WON by 36
24 boards
16.64 VP		 WON by 46
24 boards
17.79 VP		 — WON by 18
24 boards
13.90 VP		 lost by 20
20 boards
5.42 VP		 lost by 31
20 boards
3.62 VP		 WON by 47
24 boards
17.89 VP
McClaf­ferty WON by 41
20 boards
17.68 VP		 not scheduled lost by 15
24 boards
6.66 VP		 lost by 8
20 boards
7.93 VP		 lost by 7
24 boards
8.32 VP		 not scheduled WON by 20
24 boards
14.26 VP		 lost by 18
24 boards
6.10 VP		 — not scheduled lost by 61
22 boards
0.65 VP		 not scheduled
Jin Mei not scheduled lost by 2
24 boards
9.50 VP		 WON by 55
20 boards
19.09 VP		 WON by 39
20 boards
17.44 VP		 WON by 17
20 boards
14.01 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled WON by 20
20 boards
14.58 VP		 not scheduled — lost by 25
20 boards
4.55 VP		 lost by 15
20 boards
6.39 VP
Yue Su WON by 15
20 boards
13.61 VP		 lost by 38
24 boards
3.11 VP		 not scheduled WON by 19
20 boards
14.39 VP		 not scheduled not scheduled not scheduled WON by 31
20 boards
16.38 VP		 WON by 61
22 boards
19.35 VP		 WON by 25
20 boards
15.45 VP		 — Match Tied
20 boards
10.00
Waterman not scheduled not scheduled WON by 35
24 boards
16.51 VP		 not scheduled WON by 85
24 boards
20.00 VP		 WON by 14
24 boards
13.15 VP		 WON by 24
20 boards
15.28 VP		 lost by 47
24 boards
2.11 VP		 not scheduled WON by 15
20 boards
13.61 VP		 Match Tied
20 boards
10.00		 —

E*V*I*L (Electronic Vancouver IMP League) Season Ten Team Rosters

We have twelve teams in one division. The Big Show is a nearly-complete 7-match round robin; the Big Ticket will be activated in future seasons when we have more than thirteen teams. All communication between E*V*I*L captains should be done using the BBO messaging service. If you hear nothing from your next opponent, a good next step is to contact ALL the other players on the team! (Someone will wake up the captain rather than risk a forfeit....)


E*V*I*L -- Electronic Vancouver IMP League, Season Ten Team Schedules

Matches in progress will be updated live at halftime and again at the end, except for the final week, when matches will be updated at halftime only and not again until all matches are complete.


The Full Schedule:

Week 1 (January 3):

  The Big Show:  Yen Liu vs Adams   Yue Su vs McClafferty   Jin Mei vs L. Burns   Waterman vs Carr   Krywaniuk vs Koblenz   BC Buds vs S. Burns

Week 2 (January 10):

  The Big Show:  Yue Su vs BC Buds   Jin Mei vs Carr   Waterman vs L. Burns   S. Burns vs McClafferty   Koblenz vs Adams   Yen Liu vs Krywaniuk

Week 3 (January 17):

  The Big Show:  Krywaniuk vs McClafferty   BC Buds vs Adams   S. Burns vs Carr   Koblenz vs L. Burns   Yen Liu vs Waterman   Yue Su vs Jin Mei

Week 4 (January 24):

  The Big Show:  BC Buds vs Koblenz   McClafferty vs Carr   Adams vs L. Burns   Yen Liu vs Jin Mei   Yue Su vs Waterman   Krywaniuk vs S. Burns

Week 5 (January 31):

  The Big Show:  Krywaniuk vs Carr   BC Buds vs L. Burns   Yen Liu vs McClafferty   Yue Su vs Adams   Jin Mei vs S. Burns   Waterman vs Koblenz

Week 6 (February 7):

  The Big Show:  Adams vs Carr   Yen Liu vs Koblenz   Yue Su vs S. Burns   Jin Mei vs BC Buds   Waterman vs Krywaniuk   McClafferty vs L. Burns

Week 7 (February 14):

  The Big Show:  S. Burns vs Koblenz   McClafferty vs Adams   Carr vs L. Burns   Yen Liu vs Yue Su   Jin Mei vs Waterman   Krywaniuk vs BC Buds

Deadline, one hour after end of final match on February 14:

    The Big Show: Round Robin Winner Chooses Opponent for first round from 3rd or 4th place team. Carry-overs of 1 IMP of round-robin VP difference (maximum 0.5 IMPs per board played), now apply to ALL playoff matches. If no choice is made by the #1 team before the deadline, the assumption will be that they wish to start against the #4 team.

Week 8 (February 21):

    The Big Show: Playoff Semi-Finals: 1st vs choice, 2nd vs remaining

Week 9 (February 28):

    Big Show: The Final

Tuesday, February 28:

    First of Two Optional Swiss Qualifying Games for Season Eleven (7:00 - 9:30pm, BBO$5 per player).

    (60% score for teams that sign up if the game doesn't go--4 teams minimum). Open to other VVBC players as well.

Thursday, March 2:

    Second of Two Optional Swiss Qualifying Games for Season Eleven (7:00 - 9:30pm, BBO$5 per player).

    Play both and your best VP% score counts!

Sign-Up Deadline (Registration Form) for Season Eleven:

    Thursday, March 2, 4pm

Friday, March 3, 4pm:

    Season Eleven Format Reveal

Tuesday, March 7, 7pm:

    Season Eleven begins!


What We’re Playing For...

Division		 Regular Season
Final Rank		 Benefits Earned
The Big Show First Place/Playoff Winner League/Playoff Champions, added to Dr. E*V*I*L Virtual Trophy Top Tier
The Big Show Top Three plus 4th if playoff winner Automatic Ticket to next season of The Big Show
The Big Show Top Four Playoff matches with carryovers of 1IMP per VP of difference (maximum 0.5 IMPs carryover per board played). The top team chooses their opponent from #3 or #4 within an hour of the end of the final match. Example: a team with 97.08 VPs plays a team of 79.54 VPs; the difference of 17.54 VPs is the carryover, but the maximum carryover is 0.5 IMPs per board played in the playoff match, so the actual carryover would be 12 IMPs for a 24-board match, or 10 IMPs for a 20-board match.
The Big Show 4th or lower Qualified for The Big Show Play-In tournament for next season.
The Big Ticket First Place/Playoff Winner Automatic Ticket to next season of The Big Show, added to Dr. E*V*I*L Virtual Trophy Second Tier
The Big Ticket Top Four Playoff matches with carryovers of 1IMP per VP of difference (maximum 0.5 IMPs carryover per board played). The top team chooses their opponent from #3 or #4 within an hour of the end of the final match. Example: a team with 97.08 VPs plays a team of 79.54 VPs; the difference of 17.54 VPs is the carryover, but the maximum carryover is 0.5 IMPs per board played in the playoff match, so the actual carryover would be 12 IMPs for a 24-board match, or 10 IMPs for a 20-board match.
The Big Ticket Top Half or 70 total VPs Qualified for The Big Show Play-In tournament for next season.
The Big Ticket Bottom Half with fewer than 70 total VPs Qualified for The Big Ticket Play-In tournament for next season.
The Big Deal First Place/Playoff Winner Qualified for The Big Show Play-In tournament for next season, added to Dr. E*V*I*L Virtual Trophy Third Tier
The Big Deal Top Four Playoff matches with carryovers of 1IMP per VP of difference (maximum 0.5 IMPs carryover per board played). The top team chooses their opponent from #3 or #4 within an hour of the end of the final match. Example: a team with 97.08 VPs plays a team of 79.54 VPs; the difference of 17.54 VPs is the carryover, but the maximum carryover is 0.5 IMPs per board played in the playoff match, so the actual carryover would be 12 IMPs for a 24-board match, or 10 IMPs for a 20-board match.
The Big Deal Top Half or 70 total VPs Qualified for The Big Ticket Play-In tournament for next season.
The Big Deal Bottom Half with fewer than 70 total VPs Welcomed encouragingly to play again in The Big Deal next season.
Any team qualified to play in a Play-In tournament may choose to play in a lower division without needing to qualify. A team that qualifies for a higher division or a Play-In tournament but needs to take a single season off retains their qualification when they return as a team in the following season.
Working on the Dr. E*V*I*L trophy....


How To Set Up An IMP League Team Game On BBO

These instructions come from this May 1 BBO blog post.  They assume that you are using "v3" of BBO and not one of the old Flash versions.  (If you are, it is time to upgrade your app or browser.)  Before you set the game up, you will need to communicate with the other team captain, preferably a few days in advance, to decide all of the following:

ALERT: Both teams setting up a game at the same time can be unrecoverable.  BE SURE you agree beforehand who will set up the game.  Be sure that person has read this guide.

Here are the steps to set up a team game:

  1. Log on to BBO, and click on Competitive, then Team Matches to get to the Team Matches area where all pending and running team matches are listed.
  2. Click on the blue Create Team Game button.  This will bring up the Create Team Match dialog box, which has three tabs: Identification, Options, and Reserve Seats.
  3. Start on the Identification tab.  In the Title box, type E*V*I*L (this should get people to take notice when these matches appear in the list!).  In the Description area, type something descriptive like MatchDay x (x being the week number) but add this string:  +private+  +nokill+  +slow+  , making sure that each directive is surrounded by a space outside the plus signs (inside the plus signs, no spaces and all lower case).  These three directives keep other players from joining, keep the match in the list until all seats are filled, and prevent BBO from deleting the match if there is a delay.  Next, in the Team 1 and Team 2 boxes, type the captains of the teams involved: Team 1 should be the team of the player setting up this segment.  Don’t create the match yet, there are two more tabs to fill.
  4. Switch next to the Options tab, and enter the number of boards (default is 8, which you will almost certainly want to change).  Do not change the defaults of IMPs in Form of Scoring nor Use random deals under Deal Source.  In the Options tab at the bottom, the default is to check the first box, Allow Kibitzers, and uncheck the other three, but captains can agree on a different arrangement (see the details above).  Again, don’t stop here, there is one more tab to complete.
  5. Switch next to the Reserve seats tab.  On this screen, players are placed as they would be before the match begins, all teammates at the same table before the crossover.  You need to know which players on both teams are partners and the other team captain may even provide a preferred seat for each player.  Be sure the spelling is correct for all players.  BBO names are not case-sensitive but spaces are allowed: McBruce is the same as mcbruce but different from Mc Bruce.

    Alert: one difficulty I have been having as I grab scores off of the listed results is in getting things backwards because the person setting up the match enters the other team at table one.  Please avoid this if you can; put your team at table one and the other guys at table two.
  6. With all this done, click the button at the bottom to Create Team Match.  You’re ready to go!   You and the other players should be able to join by clicking on their reserved seats.  Others looking to join will not bother you.
  7. BBO will give this team match a number from 1-9999 (it resets every few weeks).  Write down this number for later, you will need it when you report the results.
  8. If I am online and see your match, I will update this page to indicate that the match is in progress.  Play well!
  9. Remember that once all of your players are seated, you can’t be contacted via chat.  If you wait for a while it might be a good idea to have one person leave and see if they can figure out what is happening...
  10. If it all goes horribly wrong and you need to restart, you must delete the team game via the Director tab, found near History and Account.  Click on Running Tournaments and click on the team game and select Cancel Tournament.  BBO will not let you join another team game if you have one already in progress, so this has to be done!  ALERT: If I find out that someone has killed a VVBC team game in progress with these instructions, that person’s team will be hit with a penalty they are not expecting.  This is for emergencies only; do not misuse.

E*V*I*L (Electronic Vancouver IMP League) Rules

  1. The League consists of at most three divisions: The Big Show (exactly eight teams unless there is only one division), The Big Ticket (8, 10, 12, or 14 teams depending on registration), and The Big Deal (all the rest).  Each division will play seven matches over seven weeks during a season, following which there will be playoffs for the top four in each division over three weeks, and a signup period for the next season, with the third week consisting of the finals on the Tuesday and the play-in tournaments for the next season on the Thursday.  

    (Exceptions: In a four-team division, teams will play a triple round-robin over nine weeks with one playoff match.  In a six-team division, teams will play a full round robin over five weeks and repeat two opponents in the final two weeks.

    Matches will be played online on BBO and the two captains will organize the setting up of the match and the reporting of the results.  The event will be entirely free and will not be an ACBL event, played for fun and good competition.
  2. Promotion to a new division in the next season: A team which has not added more than one player to a four-player team or added more than two to a team with more than four, is eligible to promote to a higher division, or compete in a play-in tournament, as follows:
    • The top three in The Big Show regular season and the fourth place team, if they win The Big Show playoff, are eligible for automatic qualification to The Big Show.
    • The Big Ticket regular season winner and playoff winner are also eligible for automatic promotion into The Big Show.
    • Other Big Show teams, top-half Big Ticket teams, The Big Deal regular season and playoff winner, and any new team with more than 2000 ACBL masterpoints as a team average, may register to play in the Big Show Play-In, a one evening tournament (format depends on how many teams register and how many spots are available), but MUST play in The Big Ticket if unsuccessful.  Any team qualified may choose instead to play in The Big Ticket instead of attempting to qualify for The Big Show.
    • Bottom half Big Ticket Teams, top half Big Deal teams, and new teams with more than 750 average masterpoints may register to play in the Big Ticket Play-In, which will be held only if needed to keep the Big Ticket to a maximum of 14 teams or to ensure the number of Big Ticket teams is even.  These teams may instead choose to play in The Big Deal without qualifying.
    • Other teams will play in The Big Deal division, which may extend registration until a suitable number of teams have registered.  The Big Deal will be a more casual division welcome to players not as familiar with team play.
  3. It is the clear consensus of the dozens of registered players that matches be played on Tuesday Evening wherever possible, and that when not possible, they be played without significant delay.  Team captains are expected to communicate with the other captain and with the commissioner when they need to reschedule a match, and using a substitute player should always be the first option.  Penalties in VPs will be applied to teams at fault for matches that are unable to be played.  This is a weekly event, not a schedule-when-you-feel-like-it event.  Teams bending the rules repeatedly will lose significant VPs.
  4. Communication between the Comissioner and between the team captains for match arranging will be done using the messaging service on BBO itself.  No lists of e-mails will appear online, only BBO names and the real names of the players.
  5. Match arranging:
    Without prior agreement, matches are pre-set as follows:
    • the captain of the first team mentioned in the pairing sets up the table and invites players
    • start time: Tuesday at 7pm
    • number of boards: 20, in one segment
    • kibitzers allowed, but not allowed to chat with players
    • Undos not allowed
    • No barometer scoring
    Teams may agree, before Monday at noon, to vary some of these as follows:
    • If the designated captain is unable to, or unfamiliar with setting up a team game, or not playing that night, he can have one of his team members do it instead, or ask the other captain to set the game up.
    • If both captains agree by Monday at noon, the match can be played up to 72 hours late, starting before Friday at 7pm.  The commissioner must be informed of the rescheduled start time.  A captain who agrees to a schedule change may change his mind and insist on Tuesday evening if he contacts the commissioner and the other team captain by Monday at noon.
    • Teams may agree to play more or fewer boards before the match begins, but must plan to play a minimum of 16 boards, of which at least 12 must be completed to constitute a legal match.  (If a match breaks up before 12 boards are complete and cannot be continued at that time, another segment can be played later, preferably as soon as convenient, to complete the match.)  Matches can be held in two segments of equal numbers of boards, in order to switch players at halftime.  By prior agreement, any scrubbed boards in the first segment may be made up by extra boards in the second segment, if there is one.  Matches are scored on the (discrete VP scale) where every IMP counts for something, VP totals are given to two decimals, and there is a separate scale for any number of boards.  However, the number of total boards to play cannot be changed once a match starts, except to recover for scrubbed boards in a second segment.
    • Allowing kibitzers to chat with players, or allowing undos is a sure-fire method for generating complicated rulings.  By allowing either of these, you have to accept any ruling that may result.  Disallowing kibitzers entirely is an option that should be accepted without rancor if either captain wishes: by far the most common method of online cheating involves setting up a second account with which you kibitz yourself in real time.  Disallowing kibitzers forces cheaters into other methods.
    • If you allow barometer scoring, the slower table will have more information about the state of the match than the faster table.  It is easier to play 20 boards without knowing the exact score than to complete the last four or five when you know you are 75 IMPs down.  This is why it is suggested not to click this option.
    All matches need to be set up on BBO with the following parameters:
    • the Title line should include "E*V*I*L" (to make the match easy to find in the list)
    • the Description line must include " +private+ +nokill+ +slow+ " with spaces around the plus signs.  This ensures that outside players may not fill the seats without being invited, the team match stays in the BBO list until all seats are filled, and the team game is not abandoned by the system if there is a delay.
    • Form of scoring must be IMPs.
    • Deal source must be "Use random deals."
    Seating rights: captains should discuss this when arranging the match.  The first issue is whether one or both teams have more than four to play, or whether either team wishes to switch opponents at halftime.  The person who sets up the match should be given a list of players on the other team to invite, including which players are playing as partners, and those players are seated first.  If there is a second segment with different players, the same player sets up the match and seats his own team’s players first, then confirms in chat where to seat the other team’s players.  If the players have not discussed this, the match is played in one segment but players can be substituted in and out when the match is half done.
  6. Conventions and regulations: The top division of the event will be run under the ACBL Open+ Convention Chart (Multi 2♦ is allowed), the second and third divisions will be run under the ACBL Open Convention Chart (no Multi).  ACBL Alerting and Announcing rules apply, except that players must be aware that in online bridge we alert and pre-explain our own conventional calls and do not alert or explain partner’s.  In fact, partner’s alerts and explanations are unseen until the end of the auction.
  7. Substitutes, team rosters: A substitute cannot obviously stengthen a team, but if one is needed in an emergency, the commissioner will allow it and adjust the score of the match to reflect the fact that one team used a substitute that clearly made them much better.  Do not expect huge handicaps based on this rule: if the lowest-ranked team in the league needs a Grand Life Master for a match, the handicap will probably be about .75 IMPs per board.  We’re going to need subs to keep us going and most of them will not require an adjustment.  Teams may add new players or delete an unused player who wishes to play on another team.  Substitutes should not play in matches where the result will directly affect their regular team.
  8. Commissioner, Director calls: McBruce will be the E*V*I*L commissioner, using his own BBO account "McBruce" (NOT the Virtual Club ID "VABC154971": mail sent there may be missed).  If needed, he may play as a substitute in a match.  If a match requires a Director, the team match setup doesn’t really allow for it, you will have to play the board out to a conclusion and record the details of the problem and let me deal with it later.  Players overusing this option may cost their team IMPs.
  9. Reporting results: The Google Form set up to allow teams to report the results has been discontinued.  If your team match is correctly labelled as part of E*V*I*L I will have no trouble finding in on the list of team matches web page BBO creates automatically, and usually the standings will be updated by me shortly after a match ends.

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Last update: Thursday, March 2, 2023, 04:40 PM.  Information on this page may change frequently.
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