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LONDON TROPHY RULES November 29th 2010 1 ELIGIBILITY - Each match shall be played by teams of four to six players, each of whom must have been a bona-fide member of their club for at least three months. No player may play for more than one team in a single season. An eligible club is one which exists for a primary activity. 2 RANKED PLAYERS - Not more than one National Master or above is allowed in a team. Although all bridge players are welcome, it would not be in the spirit of the LONDON TROPHY for a team to contain four good tournament players or one high-class pair. If there could be any doubt about eligibility, please ask before playing. 3 MATCHES – Shall be of 24 boards duration. If tied, play extra boards in sets of three until the tie is resolved. 4 SCORING - Aggregate, honours not counting. 5 MATCH VENUE - Apart from the finals, the match venue will be arranged by the teams. In most rounds, the draw will be carefully zoned to keep travel to a minimum. If there is a sizeable distance involved, a half-way venue should be considered. 6 MATCH DATES - The home team must, within one week of receiving the draw, give the away team three dates. Not more than two of them shall be on the same day of the week. In the first match, the first team in the draw is at home but away teams are encouraged to make contact. 7 REFRESHMENTS - The home team is expected to provide the customary hospitality, eg. coffee/tea, sandwiches, cake/biscuits, etc. 8 LATE ARRIVAL - Should a team arrive more than thirty minutes late, its opponents have the right to curtail each half of the match by one board for each complete fifteen minutes of lateness. A maximum of twelve boards can be so removed from the match. A team that arrives more than two hours late forfeits the match unless their opponents still wish to play. 9 HALF-TIME SWITCH - Opponents must switch halfway through the match, ie. normally after twelve boards. Teams of more than four players may also introduce players who sat out during the first half at this time but no-one may play against the same opponent in both stanzas. 10 FIRST MATCH LOSERS - Will automatically be entered in the Della-Porta Plate event. 11 MASTER POINTS - Are awarded on the relevant scale to each player in a winning team, so please write names legibly on the result card. 12
SYSTEMS & CONVENTIONS -
Only natural systems such as ACOL (2 Clubs forcing) with weak and/or strong No-Trump, five card majors with better minor, Stayman, Blackwood, the Unusual Two No-Trump and take out or penalty doubles of pre-empts may be played. For guidance, see the full Palmer Bayer simple system card. (Click for Word version or PDF version revised November 2010.) 13 PSYCHES - In the interest of friendly competition, players are asked not to psyche. 14 FINALS - Both the LONDON TROPHY and the DELLA-PORTA PLATE finals will be held in late May or early June. 15 AUTHORITY – The decision of the Tournament Organiser in all matters shall be final. NB. If you do
not have duplicate boards, are unfamiliar with duplicate or have any query, I
will be happy to help you. |