[blml] [Fwd: severely limited importance]

[Jeff Easterson]

-------- Original-Nachricht --------
Betreff: severely limited importance
Datum: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 19:17:49 +0200
Von: Jeff Easterson <JffEstrsn at aol.com>
An: blml-owner at amsterdamned.org

"Tolerance is the realisation that it isn't worthwhile to get excited
about something"  Helmut Qualtinger

Duplicate bridge is based on certain fundamental concepts insuring
equality.  Some are: each player/pair is vulnerable or not vulnerable
the (roughly) same amount of hands, each player sits in the 1st position
the same amount of times, and the same amount of times as he is second,
third or fourth to call.  These premises are so fundamental that we
rarely even think about them.

In most of the clubs in which I play or direct the usual movement is a
mitchell with two boards per round.  Either complete (for example 13
tables, 26 bds.) or incomplete (17 tables, 34 bds. but each pair plays
only 26).  I daresay this is valid for the great majority of club games.

In some of these clubs there are a few pairs in which one of the players
is much stronger than the other and definitely the dominant player of
the pair.  These pairs have learned to always play EW.  In a typical
mitchell (example 13 tables) the same player on EW is first hand for the
first seven tables played (even amount of tables slightly changes this
but a clever EW pair can counteract this) and then third hand for the
last six.  It is usually possible for them to change positions after the
seventh round and no one notices.  (Illegal of course, but rarely
noticed or enforced.)
In an incomplete mitchell (17 tables as above) one player is first hand
for the first nine rounds, and third for only four rounds, even if they
don't bother to change positions.
Can this be remedied?  Yes, quite easily.  When placing the bds. on the
tables work with "double-sets" of tables.  That is: table 1, bds. 1 &2;
table 2, bds. 5 & 6; table 3, bds. 3 & 4; table 4, bds. 7 & 8.  And
further in this way.

For what it's worth, JE