Matchpointer Online
(Serving Tournament Bridge players in A.C.B.L. Unit 430:
Greater Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Sunshine Coast)

IMP League Conditions of Contest

Welcome to the 2009-10 Unit 430 IMP League!

Signup is now underway for 2009-10!  Flight A/X signups will close October 3 at the Monthly Unit Game (a team game).  Flight B/C signups will close October 17 at the end of the Fall FUNdraising game.

Dear IMP League Captains and Participants:

Welcome to this year's IMP League!  The Unit 430 IMP League has a long history, and now you're a part of it.  As Commissioner, I wish all teams the best of luck this year.

I am again the IMP League Commissioner (it's me, Bruce McIntyre).  The goal of this letter is to summarize what is expected of every player during the IMP League season.  The Conditions of Contest have only been revised slightly from last season.  I've listed the new rules at the top of the Conditions below, as well as changing the actual text, of course.

The goal of the IMP League is to provide an opportunity to play long IMP team matches in a non-tournament setting, that is, as an occasional alternative to matchpoint games at clubs.  The IMP League is run similar to a sports league—match results accumulate for an entire season, to determine final standings and playoff matchups.  You are free to play matches wherever you like, although if you choose not to play at a bridge club, it is a good idea to borrow bid-boxes and duplicate boards (free from the VBC with a $20 deposit) and arrange a method to call a Director if needed.  Fair play, good sportsmanship and a positive attitude are the top priorities of the IMP League, its Commissioner, and its participants.  As with all Unit 430-run events, the Zero Tolerance Policy for Unacceptable Behavior applies to the IMP League.  Gamesmanship and abusive stretching of the rules are bad sportsmanship.  Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated, and should be documented and reported to the Commissioner immediately.

Your Commissioner wants to eliminate the biggest problems that have made previous years difficult:

1) The entry fee is supposed to be paid during registration, yet every year we have a handful of teams who want in but don't have the cash.  Usually this is just because they want to make sure they get the six bucks from the tightwad member of the team before handing it over.  That's not a valid excuse this year: really folks, it's not right for me to be looking for missing money for months afterward. Pay it now please.  If you get around paying when you hand in an entry, your entry had better be paid when you play the first match of the season, or bad things will happen to your VP total.

2) When year after year the final few matches of the regular season and many playoff matches are dragged well past their deadlines, there can only be one reason: teams are jockeying to get their most favourable dates, instead of foreseeing problems before they occur and prioritizing getting the matches played.  Teams getting behind in their schedule will be penalized if they do not make a full effort to catch up, regardless of the potential for unfamiliar partnerships and pairings.  If necessary, I will ask teams to quickly canvas their players for available dates, and I will impose a date for a late match without regard to which partnerships might be unable to play.  If multiple team members are leaving town for a few weeks, it is up to captains to foresee this and try to get matches in (and sportsmanship dictates that the other captain oblige if possible).

3) Six players on a team is the limit.  "Free substitutions" are still limited (but less than before): to one "emergency player" per match (two if you're really in a bind) and three total per season (two max before and after December 31).  Tread carefully if you want all of your earned Victory Points to count in the standings.

4) Sportsmanship also dictates that you play all your matches, even after you are eliminated from contention.  The nightmare scenario is having the playoff races decided by somebody's forfeit.

5) Kibitzers need to act as though they are in a library.  Law 76B says so.  This is a growing problem that has led to some complaints.

Now, all that makes it sound like the IMP League is a haven for rulings and discord.  For most teams and most matches, especially in the first half of the season, this is not the case, and leniency will prevail.  Team captains should show compromise and tolerance when scheduling difficulties occur.  Remember that eight (or more) busy lives must agree to a single time to play bridge together.  Let's try and keep the IMP League a social event and when in doubt, be considerate.  Above all, I hope you have fun wherever you end up in the standings.  The IMP League has survived for over three decades because it is fun.  There's no better reason to play.  Good luck, good cards, and good fun to all!

--McBruce
604/438-9735
ooga@shaw.ca
 

IMP LEAGUE 2009-2010 CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

Before we begin, please note the following changes for this year:

1. Consistent slow play WILL be punished: Three and a half hours is enough time to complete a 28-board match, and the second half must always begin no later than two hours into a match.  Teams that repeatedly need extra time will be liable to lose IMPs or Victory Points.
• Match report slips will have a box to check whenever the match takes more than 3½ hours from scheduled start time to the handing in of the match report slip.  Any player or the Director in charge may insist that this box be checked if appropriate.  If the DIC is convinced that one team is not the cause of the problem, he can indicate this on the match report slip.  Teams concerned about time wasting by the opponents will need to call the Director to point this out or both will be deemed at fault.
• There is no penalty for the first or second overtime match.  A team that has three overtime matches in a season will be penalized in Victory Points, losing 5 VPs for the third overtime match, 10 additional VPs for the fourth overtime match, 15 additional VPs for the sixth, and so on.
• The first board of the second 14-board set must be started at both tables no later than two hours following the scheduled start time of the match.  If this does not happen, the Director removes one board from each table (two if more than 15 minutes late), and if one team is predominantly at fault, they receive a penalty of 3 IMPs for each board removed.  If both teams are equally at fault, the missing boards are scored as no swing.  Removed boards may not be played even if time permits.
2. Kibitzing, which has been getting out of control in some matches, will be regulated as Law 76B demands.  There were some reports last year of some very loud and active kibitzers.  We all want to welcome spectators at IMP League games, but we do not want their presence to have any effect at all on the results.  Law 76B governs the behavior of spectators.  Any player may ask a spectator to stop any action contrary to the Laws; once asked, a second infraction will result in the spectator not being allowed to remain at either table of the match.  This is what Law 76B says:
• A spectator may not look at the hand of more than one player.
• A spectator must not show any reaction to the bidding or play when a deal is in progress.
• During a round, a spectator must refrain from mannerisms or remarks of any kind and must have no conversation with a player.  ["During a round" means no opinions between deals.]
• A spectator must not disturb a player.
• A spectator shall not draw attention to any aspect of the game.
3. Masterpoint limits are still based on team average masterpoints, not the level of the highest member of the team:  This does give players who don't want to play in the top level but who had too many masterpoints to avoid it in the past to play where they wish, provided they find suitable teammates that lower the team average enough.  All masterpoint averages are based on either the September masterpoint levels of all original team members, or the masterpoint levels of added team members when they are added to the team.
4. Flight A will be two strats: Strat A will be for teams over 2000 masterpoints per player.  Strat X will be for teams under that limit.  There will be separate playoffs for Strat X.
5. Flight B will likely be two strats: Strat B will be for teams under 1000 masterpoints per player.  Strat C will be for teams under 300 masterpoints per player.  The two strats will be separate if there are five or more teams in both Strat B and Strat C.  If B and C are stratified together, there will be separate playoffs for Strat C.  Strat C teams will pay a reduced $24.00 entry fee.
   
6. No masterpoints for playoffs: The ACBL has decided that they cannot support a two-stage event with masterpoint awards (at least, not this one).  So, overall masterpoints and match awards will be only awarded for the regular season, but the playoffs in all strats will continue to determine the annual champion and the trophy winners.  This actually means that more of your entry fee will go to the Unit Subsidy Fund, since we will not need to pay sanction fees for playoff matches.

There are no other changes from last year's conditions.

1) Hierarchy of Regulations: The IMP League will be governed by (in order of precedence) the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, ACBL Regulations, the Special Regulations governing each flight, the Conditions of Contest and the IMP League Commissioner.  Where the Commissioner is a participant on a team, a deputy Commissioner will be appointed to handle disputes for that flight only.  Appeals on the rules or on a decision of the Commissioner (or a deputy) may be appealed in writing to the Unit 430 Board of Directors.  No appeal will be considered if more than 30 days have passed since the incident happened or the Commissioner's ruling was announced.  The Unit Board is at liberty to decide such appeals as it sees fit.

2) Dates and Schedule: IMP League play will normally begin in October and the regular season will conclude in mid-April, or earlier if the number of teams warrants fewer matches.  Teams will play 8-12 matches in Flight A/X and 5-11 matches in Flight B/C.  The schedule will normally be a complete round-robin in each flight, but if the required number of matches is undesirable, a flight may be split into divisions.  A flight without enough teams to make a reasonable league may be combined with the flight above or below (after consultation with the team captains in that flight).
Approximately half of the teams in each flight will make the playoffs. All playoff matches will be 32 boards; all other matches will be 28 boards.  The playoff schedule will be decided separately for each flight.  The number of playoff teams in each flight will be decided before the end of December, based on the final number of teams in each flight.

3) Team Rosters: No team may use more than six players in a match.  Additional substitutes or "spares" are not allowed to play.  No player may play on more than one team, even if the two teams are in different flights.  A team's eligibility for strats is based on the team average of masterpoints.  A team with more than 2000 masterpoints per player must play in strat A.  Any team signing up for Flight A/X with less than 2000 masterpoints per player will be placed in strat X.  No team with more than 1000 masterpoints per player may play in strat B or C.  A team in Flight B/C with less than 300 masterpoints per player will be placed in strat C.  Team averages will be based on the September 1, 2009 masterpoint holdings of all original roster players, and the masterpoint holdings of added players at the time they joined the team.  Teams in limited strats must be careful not to add players to their teams that will make them ineligible for the strat.  The Commissioner can set an artificial masterpoint holding for experienced players who are new or non ACBL members.
Teams must start the season with at least four players and no more than six.  One of the players must be designated as "match arranger" (not necessarily the captain) and is responsible for contacting other match arrangers to arrange matches, and for contacting the Commissioner when problems arise.  Each team must also designate an alternate contact and all teams should have at least one member with e-mail access who checks fairly regularly (at least every 48 hours).  Teams whose contacts prove impossible to contact in a scheduling dispute will be deemed at fault.  After the initial rosters have been submitted, roster moves will be limited to the following:
   a) Deleting a player: A player who has not yet played in any match but appears on a team's roster may be deleted from the roster at any time.  A player who has played but is unable to continue playing due to an emergency or a residence move may be deleted.
   b) Adding a player: A player who has not yet played in any match for any other team may be added, so long as the addition does not cause the team to have more than six players.  No player may be added after the conclusion of the regular season.  It is a courtesy to inform your next opponents if you plan to add or have added players to your roster.
   c) Using an non-roster player: If a captain is unable to field a team because an expected player has not arrived, or there are not enough available players on the team, and there is an available player who has not played in any match for any team, that player may be used as an emergency player, unless the other team feels that the emergency player materially strengthens the team.  Each team is permitted to use an emergency player three times during the regular season.  Only one emergency player may normally be used by a team in a regular-season match, but in dire circumstances two may be used (if so, only one more for the season is allowed).  Teams are limited to three per season and two before and two after December 31.  No emergency players are allowed to play in the playoffs.
No player may play for his team in playoff matches unless he has played in at least 40% of his team's regular season matches.  Participation is counted according to the number of half-matches in which the player has competed.  In the rare case that a playoff-bound team has less than four players playoff-eligible, the Commissioner may declare a player that has played less than 40% of his team's regular season matches eligible for the playoffs.  The Commissioner will penalize teams that stretch the roster rules.  Please be sure to stay in-bounds.

4) Matches: Active ethics and good sportsmanship will be the first priority in all matches.  Matches will be scored in Victory Points using the Victory Point Scale shown below.  Matches will normally be played in two halves with comparison of scores at halftime.
   a) Seating rights (the right to have your players take their seats last) will be given to each team for one of the two halves, which half to which team to be decided before the match by the team captains.  Disputes will be resolved by a coin toss.  If the captains do not consult before the match and a dispute arises at halftime, the trailing team has seating rights for the second half.  If the score is tied, seating rights are decided randomly.  Seating rights do not include the right to choose your team's four players only after it is known which four from the opposing team is playing.  If more than four players from either team are available and a dispute results, captains will list their four players for the half simultaneously, reveal the lists, and then seat players.
   b) Timing.  Three and a half hours is enough time to complete a 28-board match, and the second half must always begin no later than two hours into a match.  Teams that repeatedly need extra time will be liable to lose IMPs or Victory Points.
Match report slips will have a box to check whenever the match takes more than 3½ hours from scheduled start time to the handing in of the match report slip.  Any player or the Director in charge may insist that this box be checked if appropriate.  If the DIC is convinced that one team is not the cause of the problem, he can indicate this on the match report slip.  Teams concerned about time wasting by the opponents will need to call the Director to point this out or both will be deemed at fault.
There is no penalty for the first or second overtime match.  A team that has three overtime matches in a season will be penalized in Victory Points, losing 5 VPs for the third overtime match, 10 additional VPs for the fourth overtime match, 15 additional VPs for the sixth, and so on.  The first board of the second 14-board set must be started at both tables no later than two hours following the scheduled start time of the match.  If this does not happen, the Director removes one board from each table (two if more than 15 minutes late), and if one team is predominantly at fault, they receive a penalty of 3 IMPs for each board removed.  If both teams are equally at fault, the missing boards are scored as no swing.  Removed boards may not be played even if time permits.
   c) Match Locations.  Matches may be played at bridge clubs or at any venue agreed by the team captains.  Matches played outside of a bridge club should have a means by which a Director can be called if necessary.  The winning team is responsible for ensuring that the report slip is completely filled out, including a signature from a member of the losing side, and that the report slip (or all data from the report slip) gets to the Commissioner.

5) Match Scheduling: At the beginning of each season, the Commissioner will release a schedule of match periods in which the participants must complete their regular season matches.  The length of each period will depend on the total number of matches, and the calendar schedule of other bridge events and major holidays.  The end date for each period will be referred to as its deadline.  The idea is for things to smoothly proceed from beginning to end without a hitch, but this won't happen, so the following text is necessary:
It is the responsibility of the captains to decide upon a date, a time, and a venue for each match.  The deadline is the last day to hold a match, not the last day to begin arranging one.  Captains should contact the Commissioner when a match has been scheduled, so that there is a record of both team's agreement on the date, time, and place of a match, in case one team does not show.  Best is to send an e-mail to the Commissioner and a copy to the opposing team captain.
Captains should also contact the Commissioner when there is difficulty in arranging a match, whether by insufficient dates available for both teams, or by lack of communication from the other captain.  The Commissioner will attempt to get the match scheduled, but may give warnings or impose penalties on one or both sides if the captains are at fault (by leaving things to the last minute, by having unacceptably few open dates, or by appearing to jockey for dates which favour their side's available lineup).  Warnings and penalties will be more lenient at the beginning of the season, but penalties in Victory Points will be applied, possibly without prior warning, to any team that is for no apparent reason significantly behind by January.
The absolute deadline for all regular season matches is the final end date for that flight.  No match played after that date will be counted under any circumstances.  Similarly, the playoffs (which in some cases have stretched into August in the past, making it difficult to attract new teams) will be under strict deadlines.

6) Late Arrivals: When a match begins later than the agreed time because of late arrivals, the non-offending side receives a penalty bonus of 3 IMPs per five minutes of delay, up to a maximum of 18 IMPs.  The captain of the non-offending side may waive the penalties before the beginning of play.  An emergency player may be used until the late player arrives (unless it is a playoff match).  If thirty minutes have elapsed, the match must be:
   a) rescheduled with the 18 IMP penalty to the non-offending team (the captain may waive the penalties);
   b) forfeited to the non-offending team; or
   c) completed using the emergency player, if permission to complete the match was given by the non-offending team before any further boards are played. (This last option is not available in the playoffs.)  The Director may remove boards from the first half according to the guidelines in Rule 4b when a match starts more than fifteen minutes late, or may choose to give the players a chance to make up the time, removing boards from the second half if necessary.  A late arrival does not automatically make his team at fault if the match takes too long.

7) Standings: The order of teams for playoff purposes shall be decided on Victory Points.  Matches that are forfeited are scored as follows.  Offending teams get zero Victory Points.  A non-offending team gets the maximum of: (a) their average Victory Point total in all of their non-forfeited matches; (b) the average Victory Point total of the opponents of the offending side in all of the offending side's non-forfeited matches; or (c) 18 Victory Points.  Any fraction awarded by this rule is sufficient to break a tie in the standings.
IMPORTANT: Teams which have not paid their entry fee by the end of their first match will be assessed a penalty of (their choice): $1 per day since the first deadline added on to the team's entry fee (all IMP League profits go to the Unit Subsidy Fund), or 1 VP for each day the payment is late, deducted from the team's VP total.
In the case of a tie in Victory Points between two teams, or a tie among three or more teams which has been broken by the procedure in the next paragraph to leave two teams tied, the tiebreaking procedure is: most wins (a draw is ½ of a win), most VPs against common opponents (if not playing a round robin), most wins against common opponents (if not playing a round robin).
If there is a tie in Victory Points among three or more teams, the tiebreaking procedure is (in order of precedence): most wins (a draw is ½); highest average VPs against teams in the tied group; best win-loss record against teams in the tied group; most VPs against common opponents (if not playing a round robin).
If teams are still tied after the tiebreaking procedures are used, and a significant playoff ranking is at stake, the teams must play a seven-board playoff to decide the final positions.  If such a playoff ends in a tie, further single boards are played until either team wins a board by 1 IMP or more.
Forfeiting cannot disadvantage other teams.  If a team forfeits a match against another team, and because of the Victory Points received by the forfeit, the non-offending team finishes ahead of any uninvolved team, the Commissioner may, regardless of the Victory Point difference, reclassify the forfeiting team down enough positions so the forfeiting team finishes below the uninvolved team.  This rule could cost an offending team four or five wins and a playoff spot, so don't let it happen to you!  Teams are expected to play all of their matches, whether in contention or not.

8) Allowed Conventions: Conventions on the ACBL General Convention Chart are allowed in all flights of the IMP League.  Other conventions must be disclosed to the opponents at least 48 hours before the match, with a clear explanation and a reasonable suggested defense (which must be supplied by the team using the convention at game time in written form), in order to be used in the match.  The opponents may appeal to the Commissioner any such conventions, and the Commissioner will decide based on the complexity of the convention, the level of the competition, and the quality of the explanation and suggested defense, whether the convention will be approved.  Even previously-approved conventions must be disclosed to the opponents in subsequent matches in order to be used again.  Defenses to many non-GCC conventions can be found in (and printed out from) the ACBL Defense Database at this link.
If a non-GCC convention is approved, the opponents must each be presented at gametime with a written description and defense (or a number of possible defenses).  When the convention is used, the opponents are free to consult the written defense for the remainder of the auction before they make a call.  When there is a choice of defenses, the defenders may choose one in advance, or they may choose to play different options against different forms of the convention, or they may choose to wait until it comes up: the first player to act may choose one of the defenses on the sheet without consultation and may convey this decision to the table before he makes a call.  Thereafter, that pair must use that defense each time it comes up.
Boards on which unapproved conventions are used may be appealed before the match report slip is signed by both teams.  To appeal a board, write down a complete record of the deal on the back of the match report slip: cards held by each player, dealer and vulnerability, the result of the deal (including the contract and result at the other table), and the complete auction, indicating all conventional calls with their explanations.  Indicate the disputed calls without comment and have one player from each team sign the report.  Indicate on the match report slip if one or more boards is under appeal.  NOTE: The proper way to appeal is to inform the opponents that you are doing so and collect the facts quietly—and once this is done to continue playing without comment.
If a disallowed convention is used and the non-offending side wins less than three IMPs on the board, the result of the board will be thrown out and the non-offending side will be awarded three IMPs on the board.
If it is found that the disputed convention was allowed (or the Commissioner judges that its use is not unreasonable), the appealing side will face a penalty from a simple warning to a severe penalty in Victory Points for repeat offenders.  It is well-known to the Commissioner that some players will appeal anything possible.  They are free to try, but they had better be right if they want all their earned Victory Points to count in the standings.

9) Spectators: Any player may disallow any idle member of the opposing team from kibitzing his team's match.  Any player may request that any one spectator be removed from his table without cause.  Spectators are expected to observe the limitations set out in Law 76B, and multiple violations of Law 76B noted by any player will result in the removal of the spectator from either table of a match.  A Law 76B summary: Spectators should be seen and rarely (if ever) heard.