Match length proposal

[Adam Wildavsky]

I propose making all early 2-day matches in the open USBC 96 boards, three sixteen board sets per day, instead of the current 120 boards. This would apply both in one-winner years and repechage years. 96 is surely enough through the round of 8. We could play 108 in the semis and 120 in the finals. 

Advantages:

• More time away from the table.
  
• Longer lunch break.
  
• Earlier dinner break.
  
• Matching the pace for the events we're qualifying for, the Olympiad and Bermuda Bowl.
  
• Playing a full set of dealers and vulnerabilities each set.
  
• Fewer blowouts and early concessions.
  

Disadvantages:

• Slightly less formful matches.

[Greg Humphreys]

For what it's worth, I believe this change would have eliminated the Fireman team in the Round of 16 this year.

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Greg Humphreys

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[steve weinstein]

I don't know if I get a vote, but in case I do, I hate this idea.

[Joe Grue]

I agree with steve ,, no offense Adam

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[Frank Nickell]

Adam,
I have historically found your thoughts to bd well grounded and sound. This suggestion is one with which i disagree, very wholeheartedly.

Sent from my iPhone

[steve weinstein]

Ira,

Taking it from Adam's points of advantage:

Except for each set having a full set of Vul's and dealers(not sure
how to classify fewer blowouts) all the other reasons seem to be about
making it more of a social event. I don't think that should be a part
of the consideration in picking the team to represent the U.S. IMO
change that makes this event "less formful" should be a non-starter.

[William Arlinghaus]

I also disagree with Adam's proposal.

Bill Arlinghaus

On Sun, May 24, 2015 at 8:10 PM, Frank Nickell <FNic...@kelso.com> wrote:

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William C. Arlinghaus, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Mathematics and Computer Science

Lawrence Technological University
Full Curriculum Vitae

ACBL Board of Directors, District 12

http://www.BillArlinghaus.com/

[Howard Weinstein]

Every few years we seem to revisit the issue of number of boards per day or length of the event, and though I don’t recall the previous votes, there never seems to be majority support for shortening either one.  

While my personal preference would be for slightly fewer boards per day, both fewer boards each day & shortening the length of the event seem to be non -starters.  One would think as our average age increases there would be somewhat more support, but even the seniors seem to not support fewer boards each day — and this would seemingly be the place to start.

Howie

[Adam Wildavsky]

I'm happy to hear people disagree. I seldom achieve universal agreement on my suggestions! But it would help to know why. Saying that the Fireman team might have lost in the R8 is neither here nor there. Certainly leads sometimes change in the final 24 boards. I am contending that the extra boards do not make the event significantly more formful.

For what it's worth, we cannot say who would have won the Fireman match had it been shorter since Paul Fireman would have played only three sets in a 96 board match. In Schaumburg he had played four of the first six. And I would be surprised were anyone to claim that the Fireman team was head and shoulder above the field. They will make fine representatives of the USA, but so would several of their opponents.

[Adam Wildavsky]

In those days we assumed that we needed to play the same number of boards in every two day match. I am proposing revisiting that assumption. I have no wish to curtail the number of boards in the final, and no strong preference regarding the semi-final.

On Sun, May 24, 2015 at 9:34 PM, <BPol...@aol.com> wrote:

I recall a prolonged debate before we made the "major" reduction to 15 boards per set.  Going to 48 per day seems quite overreaching (underreaching?).  Much like Howie, I would support one more reduction, to 14 boards per set -- but no less.

 

Bill P

[Jan Martel]

Adam’s suggestion came up in the context of a Technical Committee discussion of the format for 2017 (the year in which we select 2 teams). I have proposed adding 1, 2, or 3 days to the event in that year in order to have the USA1 Round of 16 be 1.5 or 2 days (depending on the Round Robin length) and the USA1 Round of 8 be 2 days, and to eliminate the 1 day matches we had in 2013 in USA2. When the Technical Committee has finished its discussion of that proposal, I hope we’ll be bringing it to the main committee. Adam proposed shortening match lengths in response to one or two comments about the event already being grueling enough without adding days. I thought that a discussion of match length belonged here from the start - it isn’t a technical matter, it’s a question of what the players want - so I asked Adam to make the proposal to the ITTC list instead of the Technical Committee list. But as a result, you got it without the “grueling” context. I don’t know whether 12 or 13 days of 60 boards a day is too grueling and causes the late matches to be less formful because people have become tired, but it is certainly possible, and might be a reason to make the earlier days of the event less grueling.

  Jan Martel

mart...@gmail.com

[BPol...@aol.com]

I recall a prolonged debate before we made the "major" reduction to 15 boards per set.  Going to 48 per day seems quite overreaching (underreaching?).  Much like Howie, I would support one more reduction, to 14 boards per set -- but no less.

 

Bill P

 

In a message dated 5/24/2015 9:30:36 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, howiewe...@gmail.com writes:

Every few years we seem to revisit the issue of number of boards per day or length of the event, and though I don’t recall the previous votes, there never seems to be majority support for shortening either one.  

While my personal preference would be for slightly fewer boards per day, both fewer boards each day & shortening the length of the event seem to be non -starters.  One would think as our average age increases there would be somewhat more support, but even the seniors seem to not support fewer boards each day — and this would seemingly be the place to start.

Howie

On May 24, 2015, at 7:24 PM, William Arlinghaus <warl...@ltu.edu> wrote:

I also disagree with Adam's proposal.

Bill Arlinghaus

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William C. Arlinghaus, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Mathematics and Computer Science

Lawrence Technological University
Full Curriculum Vitae

ACBL Board of Directors, District 12

http://www.BillArlinghaus.com/

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[Mike Passell]

The 60 board a day format is terrific some good hard fought matches the idea of shortening the play to 3 sets a day instead of 4 is in my mind awful are we trying to make halftime leads safer or make the matches more random? I can't fathom the reasoning behind this I dislike shortening to 14 boards but could live with it. Why not just actually enforce slow play penalties ?  Mike 

Sent from my iPhone

[Gavin Wolpert]

I also am very much against the idea of shortening matches. IMO they should be 128 boards long but 120 is ok.

[Kit Woolsey]

Disadvantages:
* Slightly less formful matches.


I think this says it all.

[Michael Kamil]

I'd have to agree with Kit's statement. I guess the only relevant reason to shorten matches would be if one deemed the format unfair to 4 man teams (should that matter?) Perhaps that's really the issue being discussed here.

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 25, 2015, at 8:19 AM, Gavin Wolpert <gavinw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I also am very much against the idea of shortening matches. IMO they should be 128 boards long but 120 is ok.
>

[Adam Wildavsky]

That was not part my rationale. We encourage entry of teams of six rather than four. A squad that competes four handed does so knowing the play schedule.