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

Flight A/X/B IMP League Notes and News

With 14 teams and a late start (sorry), we have a full round-robin of 13 matches, with consistent 2-week deadlines.  As in previous years, I am not concerned if you play matches late, but will be quite concerned if you get to a point where you cannot complete all of your matches.  (Before that happens you'll be warned and possibly penalized.)  Flight C is going to be separate this year, which places the three other strats all in this league.  It looks like there will be playoff races at several different levels:

• six of the fourteen teams in Flight A will make the Flight A playoffs
• four of the eight teams eligible for strat X will make the strat X playoffs
• two of the three teams eligible for strat B will play a strat B final playoff match
• The strat X playoffs will be the usual curling-style system where #1 and #2 play, with the winner of that match advancing to the final and the loser playing the winner of #3 vs #4 for the other place in the final
• The playoff scheme in Flight A is an extended version of the curling-style playoffs.  #1 vs #2: winner to final, loser to semifinal; #3 vs #4: winner to quarter-final, loser plays #5 vs #6 winner.  So the top two spots get the fastest route to the final, with 3rd and 4th the second fastest.
• No carryovers or choosing of opponents in playoff matches.
• The rule regarding seating rights in playoff matches was changed last year.  The highest-ranked team still gets seating rights for both halves, and the lower-ranked team still has the right to know which four of the higher-ranking team's players will be in the lineup before seating their players.  What has changed is the rule which said that any single player on either team may object to the same four players appearing at either table in both halves.  This provision has been deleted in playoff matches: if the higher-ranking team wants to play the same people against the same opponents, this is now allowed.
• Disputes involving the Dietrich team that I am part of may be decided by deputy Commissioner Patti Adams.  We'll figure out something fair if there is a dispute in the Dietrich-Gerrie match...

Allowed Conventions: many non-GCC conventions are allowed, but you must do all of the following:

• Let me know in advance (a week before the match) which Mid-Chart or Super Chart conventions your team wishes to play, along with a link to the approved defense at the ACBL Defense Database at this link (include the number-letter combination, for example, 3b for Multi 2}).  If your method is not on this page, describe it and suggest a reasonable defense to it.  I will alert you if the convention is not acceptable or the defense is insufficient, as long as I have sufficient time to look at it.
• Alert the other team that you are playing a non-GCC convention.
• Print out two legible copies of the defense and bring them to the match.
• Pre-alert your methods before bidding begins on the first board, whenever you have new opponents.  Make certain that they are aware that when the convention comes up, either opponent is allowed to consult the suggested defense, or even a defense of their own, during the auction, but without consultation.  If there is more than one suggested defense, they may consult to choose which one to use the first time it comes up.
• Explain your non-GCC conventions clearly when asked.  Call the Director for assistance if the opponents feel the explanation is insufficient.

• Reminder 1: Play your matches in reasonable time: more than two overtime matches will cost you VPs (unless you have established during play that the other team is solely at fault).  An overtime match is one which goes longer than two hours before the second half starts, or longer than 3½ hours total.  Boards will be removed from slow matches, so keep the discussions and delays within reason.
• Reminder 2: Teams Litwin, Johnson, and Ayukawa have not yet paid their $36 entry fees.  Don’t let this go past your first match, please.
• Reminder 3: If you play a match at a club, a Director's ruling must be followed.  If you disagree with the ruling, you may appeal the ruling with the Director later, or appeal it to the Commissioner.  What you cannot do is agree with the opponents to ignore the ruling.  A story about a Director's claim ruling being ignored by both sides went around a few years ago.  If you do this, or agree to this, you are putting your earned VPs at serious risk.

Flight A/X Rosters

Note: these are the rosters we have as the league begins.  C is the team captain, M is the designated match arranger (in most but not all cases this is also the captain), A is the alternate contact.  When you contact a team for a match your first contact should be with the match arranger.  We don't put contact information online because people have complained that this results in junk e-mails being sent their way.  For the contact information, consult the captain's package or the VBC wall display.

• Diane Ayukawa (CM), Andrew Lee (A), Marylou Varga, James Wu, Gilbert Lambert, John Demeulemeester
• Stuart Carr (CM), Tom Davis, Cathy Miller (A), Gail Heuchert, Lauren Weiler, Mark Eddy
• Ernie Dietrich (C), Chester Michno, Kathryn Shannon (M), Ann Hung, Ewa Gutman, Bruce McIntyre
• Aban Gerrie (CM), Bob Gerrie, Gary Harper, Angela Fenton (A), Patti Adams, Ron Ohmart
• Martin Johnson (CM), Bjarne Christoffersen (A), Eugene Chan, Eurydice Nours
• Katrin Litwin (CM), Aidan Ballantyne (A), Dan Jacob, Larry Hicks, Don Brazeau, Nathan Divinsky
• Gray McMullin (CM), Kelvin Raywood, John Reay, Dennis McMahon, Martin Henneberger, Dianne Isfeld
• Larry Meyer (CM), Rod Coote, Greg Morse, Andy Hellquist, Jim McKenzie, Bob Takishita
• Mike Moffatt (C), Vicki Moffatt (M), Kathy Bye (A), Garry Skoropada, Dee Steil, Gus Axen
• Samantha Nystrom (CM), Ken Lochang, David Breton, Julie Smith (A), Peter Cooper, Susan Peters
• Sid Segal (C), John Anthony (M), Bill Osten (A), Howard Rubin, Jim Lenobel, Neil McAllister
• Yue Su (CM), Larry Pocock, Jeffery Ren, Brian Liu, Kai Zhou, Tao Feng
• Kam Tang (C), Samuel Lai (M), Xiangdong Meng, David Hu
• Stephen Vincent (CM), David Waterman, Ben Takemori, Michael Dimich, Nick Stock

If any of the above information is wrong or changes, contact the Commissioner AND change the information sheet posted at the VBC.

Strats and Seeds: As we begin, these are the seeds (by average masterpoints) and strats:

• Strat A: Litwin (1), Vincent (2), Moffatt (3), Nystrom (4), McMullin (5), Johnson (6)
• Strat X: Su (7), Ayukawa (8), Gerrie (9), Dietrich (10), Segal (11)
• Strat B: Carr (12), Tang (13), Meyer (14)

Teams that change rosters may find they are no longer eligible for their original strat.