Play Bridge at Crockfords

We welcome visitors to play at Crockfords. Visitors may attend any grade session and may play up to six times a year before joining.

Crockfords members who need to find a partner for any particular session should contact the grade partner-finder who will provide names of available players.

Directors

Directing a session of bridge is an essential part of the club’s operation. The layout of the playing room, the smooth flow of pairs around the room, and the transfer of the boards to and from the tables are some of the director’s prime responsibilities.

There is administration to do: keeping records of contests, collecting and reconciling the table fees, looking up players’ registration numbers, and, dear to the heart of us all, the calculation and publication of results at the end of a session.

Why we need the director

A director needs skill in a number of areas. In short, the director will keep the bridge session running smoothly and on time, and thereby improve your enjoyment of the game. She or he will clarify the rules where needed, dealing with any slip-ups by players when bidding or playing.

Crockfords directors

Craig Shannahan, Debbie Mallon, Iain Dickason, Luisa McNabb, Peter Van Leeuwen

Director's guidance

As a club player, make good use of your director. The director is there to help when things go awry, be it a spilt card or a bid or lead made out of turn.

Just raise your hand and call out “Director, please!”. S/he will explain things for the benefit of all players at your table.

Conduct and Etiquette

Bridge is a game where the only legal way to pass information to partner is by the bids you make and the cards you play. Information must not be given illegally by bidding hesitations, how you write the bid, how you play a card, or by any mannerism or comment. Strive always to make all bids and plays at an even tempo and without variation in demeanour.

A player should maintain a courteous attitude towards his/her partner and opponents. Avoid any remark or action that might cause annoyance or embarrassment or might interfere with the enjoyment of the game.

Players should refrain from:

Varying the formulae used to make a bid.
Passing or doubling with exceptional haste or reluctance.
Making a call with undue delay which may result in conveying improper information to a partner.
Indicating approval or disapproval of partner’s call or play.
Making a remark or gesture, or asking a question from which an inference may be drawn.
Giving unauthorised information as to an incident of the auction or play.
Volunteering information which should be given only in response to a question.
Requesting, except for their own benefit, a review of the bidding or a review of cards played to a trick.
Attracting attention to the score, except when necessary to do so for their own information.
Calling attention to the number of tricks needed to complete or defeat the contract.
Playing a card with special emphasis.
Playing with undue delay when the play does not need consideration.
Detaching a card from their hand before it is their turn to play.
Arranging the cards in their hand in such a manner that their partner may draw inference from such an arrangement.
Watching the place in a player’s hand from which they draw a card and drawing any inference from this.
Making gratuitous comments during the play as to the auction, the adequacy of the contract or the nature of the hand.

It is reprehensible to profit by information gained as the result of an irregularity made by one’s own side for which no penalty is prescribed.

Alerting procedures

An essential principle of the game of Bridge is that you may not have undisclosed agreements with your partner in respect of your bidding or your card play. Any such agreements must be fully disclosed to your opponents.

Alerting your opponents has three distinct strands:

Announcing: for 1NT state the HCP range (eg 12-14), for 1C state the minimum length and strength if more than 12HCP (eg minimum 0-4 clubs) or 16+HCP.

During the auction: alert all unconventional bids by circling the bid on the bid-pad. Do not alert any Doubles, Redoubles, Cue bids or any bids beyond 3NT as they are all deemed to be self-alerting.

Delayed alerts: when the auction is over, alert any self-alerting bid that may have an unexpected or unusual meaning unless a meaning has already been requested by an opponent.

Recorders

A Recorder is an experienced player who mediates in situations where there is a dispute between members in relation to conduct and etiquette that is outside the responsibility of the session’s Director. It is usually dealt with by counselling /education. Recorders are Philippa Borlase, Jill Crossland and Keith Mabin.

Open Duplicate

Open duplicate matches will be held as set out in the programme.
Members must make themselves conversant with the rules and conditions of play affixed to the club notice board.

Crockfords Grading and Regrading Policy

The grading period is February 1st until September 30th.

Club Grading

Members are graded so that they are able to play with and against other players of similar ability.

Playing Rights

Playing in a higher grade:

Any Intermediate or Senior Reserve member may play up one grade higher at any time, providing their level of bridge is of a comparable standard, and they can keep pace with the grade they are visiting. Senior Reserve sessions allow 7 minutes per board, while Seniors have 6.5 minutes. Members playing above their grade are eligible for the competitions in that higher grade and are also eligible to earn masterpoints.

No Junior member may, of right, play up in a higher grade.

The Match Committee

The Match Committee, a sub-committee of the club Committee, has the responsibility of allocating initial grades to new members and managing the process of regrading. The current convenor is Beverley Parlane, a Senior member of the club.

The Match Committee has responsibility for:

Annually, in October, reviewing the playing history of all members in Junior, Intermediate and Senior Reserve and, using the criteria listed below, recommending the members who have earned the right to promotion to a higher grade.
Placing a member who is new to Crockfords Bridge Club in an appropriate grade, based on the player’s previous experience.
Placing a member who has graduated from a Beginners’ Class in an appropriate grade, based on the member’s previous experience and the advice of the class tutor. If it is evident, after four to six weeks, that a new member would be better suited to a different grade, the Director or Grade Convenor should notify the Match Committee so a grading review can be undertaken.
Throughout the year, reviewing and promoting any player who is clearly too good for their current grade.
Reviewing special cases (e.g. where one person in a long-standing partnership qualifies and the other does not).

Recommendations for regrading will be referred to the main Club Committee for final approval.

Promotion Criteria

The qualifying criteria for a promotion from Junior to Intermediate, Intermediate to Senior Reserve and Senior Reserve to Senior are:

The member has:

Played at least 20 grade sessions (excluding Thursday afternoon and Thursday night mixed sessions), between 1 January and the end of the first full week of play in October.
Achieved an average of at least 55%. If the player has played more than 25 sessions, then the average will be calculated from their best 25 grade sessions.
Played with at least two different partners, in the case of Juniors, and three different partners in the case of Intermediate and Senior Reserve members. These partners should be in the same or a lower grade, during that period.

NOTE: For Intermediate and Senior Reserve Members

Where a player occasionally plays up one grade during the qualifying period, these scores will not be included in their regrading assessment.
Where a player has played up one grade continuously throughout the qualifying period, a regrading to the higher grade requires scores that on average are at the median level or above for that grade.

Regrading Requests

An individual member may make one request for regrading during the year. The request for a review must be made in writing to the Match Committee Convenor. The member’s recent results and other relevant factors will be taken into consideration.

Right of Appeal

A member who does not wish to accept their regrading must appeal the decision in writing to the Match Committee Convenor within one week of notification.

If the appeal is upheld, the member may be given permission to continue playing in their current grade, however they will not be able to win prizes in any of the competitions in that grade.

Master Point Scheme

The NZB grading is completely separate from our own club grading and is used for tournaments only.

The purpose of the Master Point Scheme is:

To stimulate interest in duplicate bridge.
To provide a means of measuring and recording the achievements of players of organised duplicate bridge.

Master Points Awards

A points -
Awarded to players who finish in the top placings of approved tournaments and to all session winners of Pairs Tournaments approved for the award of A Points.

B points -
Awarded to players who finish in the top placings of approved tournaments which do not qualify for the award of A Points and to all session winners of Pairs Tournaments approved for the award of B Points. B Points are not convertible to A Points.

C points -
Awarded to players who are successful in any one session of play in tournaments and club play organised by a licensed club, centre or the NZCBA. 100 C points convert to one B point.

Club Rules