March 2022 - 8

IN Box
Expressly unimpressed
Immediately after the start of the
pandemic, I started to play in BBO
games. While I have enjoyed playing
with my good number of partners, I
have probably played hourly individual
games more. I have achieved some
genuine human contact in many
games, which we all know is important
to mental health and cognitive
functioning. I want to strongly thank
BBO and the ACBL for making these
games available.
Recently, however, BBO started
running " express " individual games
in some hourly slots. I find playing
them to not be satisfying. Here are
my specific objections:
Players can't agree on particular
methods during their two or three
games playing together.
There are no chats. So, when your
partner performs very well, you can't
send a message such as " Vwdp " (Very
well done, partner), followed by " Typ "
(thank you, partner) from her or him.
There are no director calls.
There is punishment of even slightly
slow play. I was a good director
years ago. My understanding is that
the ACBL does not prohibit occasional
slow play. Even top players will
sometimes have significant delay in
live games. I know that ACBL rules
don't prohibit slightly (or genuinely)
slow play occasionally.
I strongly object to express individual
games at BBO.
JOHN M. MEMORY
Columbia SC
Welcome back!
In October, the Michigan Bridge Association
was proud to host the first
face-to-face regional since the ACBL
shut down in-person play in 2020.
Complying with all of the League's
safety requirements, everyone's
8 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2022
vaccination status was checked and
masks were worn at all times by
everyone in the facility. We heard few
complaints as all of us were thrilled
to play in a real live tournament!
While the table count was 47% of
2019, this was towards the upper end
of the range we were hoping for. We
even attracted a few players from as
far away as New York and California.
And with our first-in-the-nation
accomplishment, we were visited by
2020-21 President Georgia Heth,
Executive Director Joe Jones and
Director of Operations Greg Coles.
As we look to the future, this regional
was a great example to show
what our bridge community can do
with a few simple protocols in place,
as opposed to what we can't do!
RICHARD TEMKIN
MBA President
Farmington Hills MI
Legally speaking
The January 2022 Bridge Bulletin
reported that the Scottish Open team
was named the recipient of the 2021
Sidney H. Lazard Jr. Sportsmanship
Award for refusing to play against the
Italian team, which included a player
whom they regarded as a cheater, at
the European Championship qualification
competition. This refusal to
play was also praised in an editorial
in the October 2021 issue.
The ACBL's general Conditions of
Contest state that " The refusal of a
player, pair or team in an ACBL event
to play against another player, pair
or team shall require their disqualification
from further participation
in the event and the forfeiture of any
masterpoints earned by the player,
pairs or team in the event. "
How can the ACBL praise, and even
give an award for, conduct that its
own rules would prohibit? I understand
that many top players believe
that the Italian player in question
shouldn't have been allowed to play.
But many players also think the
ACBL's punishments in some cheating
cases have been too lenient. Does
the ACBL support players making
their own judgments as to who should
be allowed to play? If players in ACBL
events refuse to play against players
whom they regard as cheaters, will
the ACBL disqualify them or give
them an award?
JONATHAN R. SIEGEL
Chevy Chase MD
Too many bot partnerships
At a recent online club game I
played in, 14 of the 39 pairs that entered
the event were bot partnerships
(where a human plays with a BBO
robot).
Stop this! If you want to play with
bots, fine, but you should only get
colorless points. Bridge is meant to be
played with human partners. If you
want a bot, play in an all-bot game
with three bots at your table.
FRED SHUBERT
Andover NJ
Letters to the editor are welcome by regular
mail and email. Brevity is considered a
virtue, as is subject matter with relevance
to a majority of ACBL members. Unsigned
letters are not considered for publication,
so please include your name and
hometown. Letters may be edited. All
letters will receive a response. Send emails
to editor@acbl.org.
March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2022
