Re: how to select Mixed Team for Wroclaw 2016 -- Both online and a trials fin...

[BPol...@aol.com]

I understand the timing issues with yet another trial, albeit only a 2 or 3 day one, but disagree re the qualifying.  If it's a proctored online trial, perhaps with a choice of 'heats', it's no big deal to play, even if you're still awaiting other trial results.

 

In a message dated 10/21/2015 7:16:07 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, mart...@gmail.com writes:

I did think of this possibility, but I think the timing makes it impossible. The first stage of selection needs to be after at least the Open and Women’s Trials, and preferably after all 3 (in the questionnaire vote, 64% believed the Mixed Trials should be after the other 3). Surely you need a week or two there for teams to get organized. Then you need at least 3 weeks, maybe more, to allow the semi-finalists to organize going to a face to face Trials. But the Senior Trials ends June 23rd and the World Championship starts Sept. 2nd, with the NABC in between from July 21-31. Maybe it could be squeezed in, but I have serious doubts. And before someone suggests doing it before the NABC, remember that conflicts with the GNT.

On Oct 21, 2015, at 9:22 AM, BPollack via International Team Trials Committee <usbf...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Perhaps the best of both worlds is to qualify, let's say, 12 to16 pairs online (proctored, etc., as we've done before), then we only need 2 or 3 days face-to-face to pick a team, perhaps schedule at the end of the Women's trials.  That should provide the cost and convenience that folks are reasonably talking about, while the finals could weed out the online miscreants.  Certainly not perfect, but nothing seems to be....

 

bp

 

In a message dated 10/21/2015 12:41:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, ud...@bridgebase.com writes:

The cost of an online trial is negligible for both the organizers and the participants, and if it is not, BBO can make it so. 

As Greg H. points out, security can be dealt with. Security at an adequately proctored online trial can be far tighter than security at a physical event. Consider this in the light of recent events. 

One issue that gets inadequate airplay is accessibility of the Trials. Perhaps an online trial, by virtue of convenience, cost, vacation time, ease of entry would inject some fresh blood into the event. 

For a pro, for a sponsor, these events are opportunities. For amateurs, bridge is a pastime. A typical Trial involves  an open return ticket, hotel reservations of indeterminate length, vacation time, being away from home for extended periods.  None of these expenses are tax deductible for amateurs, and no one pays them to show up. 

Perhaps we should consider attempting to service our amateurs to some larger extent than we usually do, by having *one* Trial, in *one* year, for *one* mixed event be somewhat amateur-friendly.  Making the Trials easy and inexpensive would be a step in the right direction.

Not even I dispute that an online Trial would bring with it new some kinks and oddities, and lose some old ones. We're all bridge players, and we breathe both in with every breath at every NABC; surely we can handle the trauma of seriously considering an online venue this one time.  

If and when we do that, we can list any issues and attempt to address them individually. Of course, "I just don't like that online thing" is difficult to address. However, it is possible that cutting loose the players who are unwilling to adapt and embracing the open-minded will lead to a large net gain in attendance, and just perhaps, in quality. 

Uday Ivatury

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  Jan Martel

mart...@gmail.com

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[Jan Martel]

How could people play without knowing if they’ll be available? And if they play and then drop out because they qualified in another Trials, does their team qualify or not? People have to play at a time when they know that they will be available to play in the World Championship.

  Jan Martel

mart...@gmail.com

[BPol...@aol.com]

I assume it's a pairs trials, which simplifies things.  No big deal to play, let's say, a two session online qual and 2 session final, before the various trials, but the 12 to 16 qualifying pairs only play after the last team trial.  Given imperfect options, this seems workable. 

 

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[Jan Martel]

Why would you use a pair trials to select a team? We haven't done that, except once for Juniors.

Sent from my iPad

[Tom Carmichael]

> Why would you use a pair trials to select a team? We haven't done that, except once for Juniors.

Because much like Junior events, there aren't already many teams which regularly play that fit the format.  Even at the nationals, mixed team events (like the BAM) and frequently formed ad hoc.  I think there is merit in considering a pairs trials for this specific format.

Tom

[Jan Martel]

The reason it made sense for the Juniors is that the pairs didn’t know each other, not that there weren’t already set teams. In this case, the pairs all know each other so can form teams. If we ran a pairs trial, our best pairs wouldn’t play, which seems to me to be sufficient reason not to do it, even if it weren’t for the fact that a pairs trials (if you want to use IMPs as the scoring method) needs to be many more boards than a team trials if it’s going to be equally formful.

  Jan Martel

mart...@gmail.com