[pescetom]

barmar, on 2019-July-12, 08:54, said:

Actually I would expect it to be the opposite. In high level competition it's most important to segregate the players, because security is paramount. It's also more feasible because there are only a few tables.

A bridge club couldn't put everyone in separate spaces -- if you have 10 tables you'd need 40 rooms. A sectional or regional with 50 tables, where would they put hundreds of players? The first day of the LM Pairs, with over 100 tables, forget about it.

Basically, I wouldn't expect to see this except in the kinds of events that currently use screens.

Probably I wasn't clear, as I don't disagree with what you say here. The kinds of events that currently use screens (table dividing screens, not tablet screens) are the ones most likely to continue to require physical presence of the players - so travel to a single venue and some f2f social contact. Clubs might try to simply replace physical cards with tablets, but I doubt it would last for long, both because of the logistic difficulties (how to seat people in the same space as before without visual UI) and because many would prefer to play from home. Of course that would be the beginning of the end for clubs too.

[hrothgar]

barmar, on 2019-July-12, 08:54, said:

A bridge club couldn't put everyone in separate spaces -- if you have 10 tables you'd need 40 rooms. A sectional or regional with 50 tables, where would they put hundreds of players? The first day of the LM Pairs, with over 100 tables, forget about it.

Unless you're worried about people colluding with folks on different teams its probably sufficient to place all the North's in one room, all the South's in another.
Especially if you are running a barometer and waiting till everyone finishes board 1 before advancing to board 2

[sanst]

barmar, on 2019-July-12, 08:54, said:

Actually I would expect it to be the opposite. In high level competition it's most important to segregate the players, because security is paramount. It's also more feasible because there are only a few tables.

A bridge club couldn't put everyone in separate spaces -- if you have 10 tables you'd need 40 rooms. A sectional or regional with 50 tables, where would they put hundreds of players? The first day of the LM Pairs, with over 100 tables, forget about it.

Basically, I wouldn't expect to see this except in the kinds of events that currently use screens.

Once you play electronically at a lower or even low level, there’s no need for the players to go to a venue, since you can stay at home or wherever you want. It’s a cold or rainy day, you don’t go to the club, and the same goes when you’re feeling a bit low etc etc. I foresee the end of the physical bridge club, where you go not only to play but also to meet. My generation (70+) will probably die in the harness, cards in the hand, but younger people, certainly the generation of my grandchildren, are used to play on screen. It’s happening right now, the internet bridge club of the Dutch union, StepBridge, is by far the largest club in the country with thousand if not ten thousands of members and stil growing, whereas the ‘normal’ clubs are struggling and even disappearing.
I don’t want to sound pompous, but I thought it strange already in the nineties that at top level the game was not played on screen. I find it even stranger that it’s still played conventionally with all the precautions necessary to prevent cheating, not always successfully as we have seen the last years. Besides, a digital Bermuda Bowl and Venice Cup would probably be a lot cheaper when it’s played, under strict conditions, without traveling to all the corners of the world.

[StevenG]

Non-EBU bridge is thriving around here. It's because there are a lot of people who are retired and need an excuse to get out of the house for several hours, meet other people and get free tea and biscuits. Of course, they have to play cards as well, but that's not onerous ...