Supplementary Conditions of Contest

1. Preamble

Pesta Sukan Bridge Championships is an annual bridge competition organised by Singapore Contract Bridge Association (SCBA).

The Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge 2017 and the SCBA General Conditions of Contest (GCoC) (available from: www.scba.org.sg) will apply to this competition. These Supplementary Conditions of Contest shall prevail in case of conflict with the SCBA GCoC.

This SCoC will cover the Schedule of Events, specific regulations governing Pairs competitions, specific regulations governing Teams competitions, and other regulations governing all competitions.

English is the official language. During a match the players may converse only in English unless both captains (in team events) or all four players (in pairs events) agree to use some other common language at their own risk. If necessary, each captain is responsible for the provision of an interpreter for translation into English.

The Laws printed in English will be used by the Tournament Directors to adjudicate irregularities. No appeal due to misunderstanding in a language other than English will be heard.

2. Schedule of Events

Organised over the a weekend designated by SCBA, Pesta Sukan comprises seven events:

• Inter Club Socials - a one-session, invite-only event held on Friday afternoon from 1400 to 1740
• Mixed Pairs - a one-session event held on Friday evening from 1900 to 2230
• Open Teams Qualifying - a three-session event held from 0930 to 2200 on Saturday
• Open Teams Finals - a two-session event held from 0930 to 1830 on Sunday, concurrently with the Pairs events
• Open Pairs Qualifying - a one-session event held from 0930 to 1310 on Sunday
• Open Pairs Finals - a one-session event held from 1430 to 1830 on Sunday
• IMP Pairs - a one-session event held on from 1430 to 1830 on Sunday, concurrently with the Open Pairs Finals

3. Registration

Deadline for registration is as follows:

After the deadline, only one more registration can be accepted if only if it forms a full table.

The registration fees are provided in the appendix.

4. Pairs Competition

1. Eligibility

The Open Pairs, Mixed Pairs, and IMP Pairs are generally open-level events and hence open to public participation regardless of age, nationality or club affiliation. For Mixed Pairs, each playing Pair must consist of one man and one woman.

The Inter Club Socials is a closed-event for all clubs. Each eligible club can send any number of pairs to the event.

2. Format

For the Open Pairs, Mixed Pairs and IMP Pairs, each session will last for about 24 to 26 boards, with scoring by matchpoints (except for IMP Pairs). The movement can either be a Howell or a Mitchell. For Open Pairs Qualifying and Open Pairs Finals, Barometer will also be used.

For Inter Club Socials, a Swiss movement will be used. There will be seven rounds of 3 boards each if the number of pairs exceeds 16. Otherwise, it will be six rounds of 4 boards each.

For Open Pairs Finals, the number of tables will depend of the number of tables playing in the Open Pairs Qualifying:

For all pair events, no screens will be used. Interim results will be shown every 5 rounds for the Open Pairs Qualifying and Open Pairs Finals, and every round for Inter Club Socials.

3. Duration of Rounds

The time allowed for completion of a round is based on 8½ minutes per board, including player movement in between rounds. For Swiss pairs, each board will take 7½ minutes with a 5 minute break in between rounds to determine seating lineups for each round.

4. Tie-breaking

Open Pairs Final: Better result in the Open Pairs Qualifying

All other pair events: Most match points against the highest-ranking pair that all tied pairs played against. Should a tie still exist, the foregoing procedure shall be used with the next highest-ranking pair(s) until the tie is broken. If no comparison is available, it will be broken in favor of the pair which scored the most match points against its highest-ranked opponent.

5. Correction of Scores

Players are advised to agree their scores with opponents after each round. An agreed score that is proven erroneous to the TD’s satisfaction can be corrected up to 30 minutes (20 minutes for Open Pairs Finals and IMP Pairs) after posting of the scores at the end of the session, following which the scores will be final.

6. Awards

5. Teams Competition

1. Team Eligibility

The Open Teams is an open-level event and hence open to public participation regardless of their age, nationality or club affiliation. Each Team can register not more than six Players.

All members in their school Team must be students who are currently studying in the school they are representing. Random identification checks may be conducted during the event. Non-compliant school Teams will be disqualified and the incident reported to the school.

2. Overall Format

The general format is 7 rounds of Swiss Qualifying for the combined field. The top 4 teams will qualify for the Open Team Finals. Teams that did not qualify can play in the pair events on Sunday.

Scoring is by IMPs converted to VP in the Qualifying and Consolations, and IMPs in the Finals.

The above assumes a Swiss Qualifying format of ≥ 14 teams. Should this threshold not be reached, the format shall be a full round robin instead, with an updated schedule given to the Team Captains during the captains’ meeting.

3. Duration of Rounds

Qualifying Rounds (Swiss): 1 hour and 15 minutes for 10 boards

Qualifying Rounds (Round Robin): 7.5 minutes for each board

Playoffs:  2 hour and 15 minutes for 16 boards

4. Procedure for Swiss Qualifying and Swiss Consolations

Team numbers will be randomly drawn before the event. No Team has seating rights against one another.

All board results must be keyed into the Bridgemate at most five minutes after the end of each Round. The Tournament Director has the right to scrap boards and award slow play penalties for offending Teams.

Any change in the match ups from a score adjustment due to a Tournament Director ruling can only be made up to 10 minutes after the end of each round.

5. Procedure for Open Playoff

The top four Open Teams will qualify for the Open Playoffs. The top-placed Team will select their semi-final opponent from the 3rd or 4th-placed Team, with carryover knowledge for all potential matches. No Team has seating rights over one another. Screens will be used.

6. Tie-breaking

For the knock-out stages, the tie will be broken in favor of the team which placed higher in the Qualifying.

If both Teams are tied in qualifying, the tie-break will be broken using the following order:

• Head-to-head IMP score during qualifying
• IMP Quotient during qualifying
• Head-to-head Total Points during qualifying
• Total Points Quotient during qualifying.

1. Correction of Scores

Players are advised to agree their scores with opponents after each round. An agreed score that is proven erroneous to the complete satisfaction of the Tournament Director, shall be corrected up to 30 minutes (20 minutes for Open Teams Finals) after the posting of the scores at the end of the session, following which the scores will be final. However, any change in the match ups from the correction of wrong scores can only be made up to 10 minutes after the end of each round.

2. Awards

6. Substitutes

Procedure governing substitutes will be handled as per the SCBA GCoC.

7. Punctuality

Any partnership not seated and ready to play at the announced starting time of the

session will be assessed a penalty according to the following scale:

8. Slow Play

Tables are not allowed to start new boards when the timer ends. A slow play penalty will also be assessed automatically, apportioned between both teams/pairs according to their contribution to slow play:

9. Walkover

A walkover will be granted if a Team is unable to play or complete a match or is more than 15 minutes late.

3. Scoring for Walkover in Pairs

The Pair conceding shall score zero match points for that round. Their opponents will receive the best score between: (a) 60% for all the boards in that round, (b) the Pair’s average, or (c) the average score obtained by all the other opponents against the Pair at fault, whichever is greater. If it is, or becomes, necessary also to assign a match point score for tie breaking or carry-over purposes, the pair shall be credited with the average number of match points, rounded up, which earn the assigned % score.

4. Scoring for Walkover in Teams

The Team conceding shall score zero Victory Points and zero IMPs for that match. The Team winning the forfeited match will receive the best score between: (a) 12 VPs using the 20-0 VP scale, (b) the Team’s average, or (c) the average score obtained by all the other opponents against the Team at fault, whichever is greater. If it is, or becomes, necessary also to assign an IMP score for tie breaking or carry-over purposes, the winning Team shall be credited with the average number of IMPs, rounded up, which earn the assigned Victory Points score.

10. Withdrawal from Event

A Pair or Team is deemed to have withdrawn if it concedes more than 1 walkover, whether on consecutive or separate occasions. The offending Team shall provide satisfactory reasons to the Competition Secretary; otherwise, the Team and/or Players may be rejected for participation in the event next year.

All scores of the withdrawn Team/Pair and the complements of these scores shall be cancelled.

11. Systems and conventions policy

1. Permitted Systems

For all events, the World Bridge Federation (WBF) Category 3 Systems Policy shall apply.  HUM (Highly Unusual Methods) and Brown Sticker Conventions as defined by the WBF are not allowed.

2. Full disclosure of System and Convention Cards

Players are required to make a full disclosure of their system, preferably in the form of Convention Cards.  Players must ensure that their Convention Cards are available whenever requested by opponents in any matches.

The onus of disclosure is on the user of the system or convention. Particularly where no convention card is available, players should ensure that opponents are informed of the general system approach and style, strength of 1NT opening, lead and signaling agreements, and special bids that may require defense before the start of play in each segment.

Players are also required to make a full disclosure of the meaning of any call or play in response to a proper question at the table from an opponent.

When there is a claim of damage through inadequate disclosure and no convention card is available, the Tournament Director and the Tournament Appeals Committee will give the benefit of any doubt to the opponents.

3. Alerting policy

WBF Alerting Policy (published in March 2023) shall apply.  In the absence of a written convention card, additional pre-alerting and disclosure obligations apply.

4. Psychic Bidding

Psychic bidding is allowed in all matches, as it is specifically permitted by the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge.  All psyches should be reported to the Director.

Understandings whereby from time to time there may be gross violations of the normal meanings of calls, and where the nature or type of violation can be anticipated, must also be disclosed on the convention cards. The understandings may be explicitly agreed or they may have developed from partnership experience or mutually shared knowledge not available to opponents. They must be pre-alerted to opponents and listed on the card amongst the conventions that may call for special defense and the supplementary sheets must give full detail of situations in which these violations may occur and of the relevant partnership practices and expectations. Subject to satisfactory disclosure methods of this kind are permissible.

Explicit agreements in which psychic calls are expected, or providing systemic protection for them, are classified as Brown Sticker and hence disallowed in the league. An artificial adjusted score (+3 imps/- 3 imps) will be awarded on deals where such illegal conventions/agreements have been used. Further procedural penalties may apply.

12. Review Following a Tournament Director’s Ruling

Procedure governing review will be handled as per the SCBA GCoC.

13. Resolution of Ambiguities

Should any matters which are not covered in this SCoC or the SCBA GCoC arise, the Competitions Secretary’s decision, along with inputs from non-interested parties, shall prevail.

Appendix: Fee Schedule