[melbob]

Many novice and intermediate players would appreciate limited offered by BBO. Has this been considered? Say 0-300, 0-1000? We all would like to have a good game every now and then!😃

[barmar]

A number of the larger virtual clubs are running limited games.

[melbob]

 barmar, on 2020-May-18, 16:45, said:

A number of the larger virtual clubs are running limited games.

[melbob]

Yes but I have been told that unless we are afffiliated with those clubs, we are not eligible to play in those games. I asked a club owner about his 300 game and I was told no. What are the rules anyway?

[barmar]

 melbob, on 2020-May-25, 18:31, said:

Yes but I have been told that unless we are afffiliated with those clubs, we are not eligible to play in those games. I asked a club owner about his 300 game and I was told no. What are the rules anyway?

That's true for ACBL virtual clubs, AFAIK.

[melbob]

 barmar, on 2020-May-26, 08:12, said:

That's true for ACBL virtual clubs, AFAIK.

[melbob]

So if lower points players can not play in ACBL virtual games because they are not affiliated with the clubs offering limited games, ..my question remains “why doesn’t BBL offer limited point games?

[barmar]

We just added some limited pair games this week. One for players with less than 5 points, another for less than 500.

[melbob]

 barmar, on 2020-June-03, 10:12, said:

We just added some limited pair games this week. One for players with less than 5 points, another for less than 500.

Thank you for doing that. Novices and intermediates shouldn’t be treated like 2nd class ACBL members.

[barmar]

Note that these new games are not ACBL games, they're BBO games. They don't award ACBL masterpoints.

[sharkey123]

Melbob, the rules for playing at a virtual club have recently been relaxed. A bridge partner And I have found an Under 299 game with Alliance and they also have Under 499 games and under 99, every day! I found them through Sagamore Bridge Club. They’ve formed an alliance with 6 other clubs so on BBO are under name Alliance. Check out Sagamore, you can be allowed in as a guest.

[Jim813]

Novice and intermediate players would benefit from playing in the open tournaments so they can compare their actions to those in a wider field (that hopefully includes some stronger players), but it is difficult to find those open tournaments now. It would be easier to find tournaments that are open to everyone if BBO would mark those tournaments with "Open Pairs". More about that in the link below.

https://www.bridgeba...__1#entry998212

[Vampyr]

 Jim813, on 2020-August-27, 06:34, said:

Novice and intermediate players would benefit from playing in the open tournaments so they can compare their actions to those in a wider field (that hopefully includes some stronger players), but it is difficult to find those open tournaments now. It would be easier to find tournaments that are open to everyone if BBO would mark those tournaments with "Open Pairs". More about that in the link below.

https://www.bridgeba...__1#entry998212

The free virtual club games should be open to everyone.

[mycroft]

You keep saying that. I keep explaining why it shouldn't necessarily be so.

As someone who was allowed to guest in a Czech tournament semi-regularly (with my Czech-Canadian partner, of course) as long as I was polite, didn't gripe about "why aren't they speaking English, the Language of World Bridge" or "They're playing all these (weird|illegal (in the ACBL)) systems, and they don't explain them in a way I understand", and all the rest, and knowing for a fact that those "unspoken restrictions" are there for a reason, yeah, no.

Same with "Mycroft's birthday pairs (hosted from México)". "UWaterloo alumni midnight game". Or "Online Crazy Bridge" (not sure how I could either enforce the rules or come up with enough weird hands that BBO would let play, but let's say I could) - sure, absolutely I want random pair who think the world has to bend to suit them in it.

[Vampyr]

 mycroft, on 2020-August-28, 08:55, said:

You keep saying that. I keep explaining why it shouldn't necessarily be so.

As someone who was allowed to guest in a Czech tournament semi-regularly (with my Czech-Canadian partner, of course) as long as I was polite, didn't gripe about "why aren't they speaking English, the Language of World Bridge" or "They're playing all these (weird|illegal (in the ACBL)) systems, and they don't explain them in a way I understand", and all the rest, and knowing for a fact that those "unspoken restrictions" are there for a reason, yeah, no.

Same with "Mycroft's birthday pairs (hosted from México)". "UWaterloo alumni midnight game". Or "Online Crazy Bridge" (not sure how I could either enforce the rules or come up with enough weird hands that BBO would let play, but let's say I could) - sure, absolutely I want random pair who think the world has to bend to suit them in it.

Most players have access only to paid tournaments. It is unfair that others can play in free ones (especially free virtual clubs).

[mycroft]

Then pay a little bit and host your own open tournament, and let everyone in. Or your own "NGS9 and under" tournament, to bring things back to the OP.

Just don't insist I don't get to run a fun little event for my friends without dealing with Shark1 and Shark2 coming in and eating the field (again), or Mr. and Ms. "you don't have any games to play because everyone else leaves when you walk in the door", or Mr "It's Not Fair that I have to play with a pickup against all these weird systems" (in the "end-of-course Precision Tournament", no less).

[Gerardo]

 Vampyr, on 2020-August-28, 15:22, said:

Most players have access only to paid tournaments. It is unfair that others can play in free ones (especially free virtual clubs).

That's the organizer's call. You know, the one(s) putting the work of running the tournament.
As long as they don't have discriminatory clauses (like "no <insert nationality> allowed"; but note "only <insert nationality> allowed" is OK.