ACBL CONDITIONS OF CONTEST

The General Conditions of Contest for knockout team events will apply to this event, subject to the following special conditions of contest.

These Conditions of Contest may not be changed at any level of play during the course of this event.

Lack of knowledge does not constitute cause for exemption.

The Conditions of Contest for the Women's Team-of-Four consist of these General Conditions and Appendices BW, C, D, E, F, G, and S, as most recently revised as of the date of the event.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

1. Each contestant agrees that all, or portions, of the event may be filmed, recorded or otherwise documented or publicized at the discretion of the ACBL, and that this documentation may be used without charge by any news medium or the ACBL. Contestants may at times be required to play on Vugraph. Each contestant agrees to participate in publicity photo sessions.

2. The event is open to teams of four, five or six women each of whom is an ACBL paid up member.

3. Each team must select a captain, playing or non-playing, who will be responsible for all official representations to the tournament director or committee. The captain or his/her designee must enter the team prior to the official closing time of 8:00 p.m. on the day preceding the start of the event. At that time, the completed entry must include a listing of the names and player numbers, and a notation as to who is captain.

4. Any request for changes to the submitted entry will be resolved by the Director in Charge of the event. Any issue not specifically covered by these conditions will be resolved by the Director in Charge of the event.

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

1. Since the brackets are made up by using the seeding points of all team members, every team member must play at least half the boards of each match in order to continue participating on that team for the remainder of the event. The team captain may submit an application for exemption from the requirements of this paragraph to the director in charge of the event but must do so (other than for emergencies) prior to entering the team.

2. A team member granted an exemption under the previous paragraph must still play at least 40% of the boards, excluding playoff boards, for as long as the team survived to qualify for overall masterpoint awards and other privileges. No contestant may play any match after it has become mathematically impossible to play at least 40% of the boards, excluding playoff boards, played by the team.

3. An ineligible player is disqualified. The ineligible player’s team will be disqualified unless the Director-in-Charge determines that teammates were unknowledgeable about the deficiency of the disqualified member. Any team reduced to fewer than three original members due to disqualification of ineligible players is disqualified.

When a team is disqualified after the correction period for the event has ended because the deficiency was discovered then, the disqualified team’s position remains vacant. If the deficiency is discovered prior to a match starting, the result of the preceding match is changed; or, if discovered during a match, that match may be forfeit. The result of no other match is altered.

THE BRACKET

1. Bracket seeding will be based on the average seeding points of all members of the team. A maximum of 50 seeding points will be credited to any one player. When necessary to break a tie, the players on the tied teams will be credited with their full seeding point totals. Should a tie still exist, players will be awarded additional seeding points per Appendix BW, VIII. Continuing ties will be broken by lot. Seeding points are awarded per Knockout Appendix BW.

2. The teams will be ordered by their average seeding points. In cases where a tie broken by lot involves teams in two groups, the loser(s) of the tie-break will be given the high seed(s) in the next group.

a. The defending champion will be seeded number one provided at least four members are playing together. Otherwise the team with the highest average seeding points will be seeded number one.

b. The next ordered team will be seeded number two.

c. The next two teams will be assigned seed numbers three and four by lot. Then, the next four teams will be assigned seed numbers five through eight by lot. Similarly, seed numbers will be assigned by lot for positions 9-12, 13-16, 17-20, 21-24, 25-28, 29-32, 33-40, 41-48, 49-56, 57-64, 65-80, 81-96, and so on in groups of 16.

3. Any corrections to the bracket must be requested at least two hours before the announced starting time of the event. After that time the bracket will stand as posted.

4. First round pairings, and, when necessary, first round three-way and/or four-way matches are per Appendix C.

CONVENTIONS

Bidding and carding methods permitted, restricted, or not permitted in this event are per Appendix F. Pairs playing SuperChart methods must furnish a description of their methods to the DIC of the event the day prior to the session in which they choose to play them. The DIC of the event must notify the opponents (by indication on the bracket sheet) that these write-ups are available.

SCORING AND PLAY

1. This event is a single elimination knockout with any fraction of an IMP constituting a win. (For three-way and four-way matches, see 5 & 6 following.)

2. Two-way and three-way matches will be divided into 16-board sessions. 32-board matches will consist of one pair of sessions and 64-board matches of two pairs of sessions. In three-way matches, eight boards will be played against each of the other two teams in each session.

3. The time allowed for each 16-board session is two hours and 10 minutes when played without screens, two hours and 30 minutes when played with screens. Screens will be used beginning with the round of sixteen.

4. Should any head-to-head match end in a tie, a play-off will be played as follows:

32 board match: 6-board play-off
48 or 64 board match: 8-board play-off

Should the first play-off end in a tie, continuing 4 board play-offs will be played until the tie is resolved.

5. The team eliminated from a three-way match shall be determined as follows: see General Knockout Conditions if applicable.

6. The team eliminated from a four-way match shall be determined as follows:

(a) Four-way matches with three survivors:
Each four-way match will consist of two 32 board matches in the afternoon, with the highest seeded team in the group (lowest bracket number) playing the lowest seed in the group. The team winning each match advances to the next round of the event (the next day) and does not play in the evening. The losing teams play a 32 board match with the team losing the second match eliminated from the event.
Ties will be resolved by a 6 board play-off.

(b) Four matches with one survivor:
Each four-way match will consist of two 32 board matches in the afternoon, with the highest seeded team in the group (lowest bracket number) playing the lowest seed in the group. The losing teams in the afternoon are eliminated from the event.The teams winning each match will play a 32 board match in the evening the winner of which will advance to the next round of the event (the next day) and the loser is eliminated from the event.
Ties will be resolved by a 6 board play-off.

7. In both three-way and four-way matches, a team surviving to the next round can only improve its seed position if a higher-seeded team is eliminated.

8. Whenever possible, screens will be used from the round of 16 through the finals.

SEEDING

1. There shall be no seeding rights in a round robin or in a play-off. Should a question arise, each captain will submit a geographic line-up for his/her team.

2. In each 32 board head-to-head match, the higher ranked team will decide whether to be seeded for the first or the second half. In 64 board matches, higher ranked teams will decide to exercise their seeding rights in the first and fourth quarters or the second and third.

3. In any segment, the non-seeded team sits down first and the seeded team second.

4. Replays of pairs are permitted throughout.

SUBSTITUTES

Substitutes will be permitted at the discretion of the Director in Charge of the event. No more than two substitutes will be permitted for any team at one time. See appendix D.

REPLACEMENTS

A team reduced to three members will be permitted, for cause, a replacement at the discretion of the Director-in-Charge. A replacement for the finals receives match awards only. No more than one replacement is permitted.

CORRECTION PERIODS

1. The period for an appeal for or of a director's ruling expires 30 minutes after each session or when the auction begins at either table of a play-off whichever is earlier.

2. The correction period for score corrections expires when the auction begins at either table of a play-off, at the announced starting time of the next pair of sessions in an ongoing match, one hour before the announced starting time of the next match for the last pair of sessions of a completed match and 30 minutes after the last session for the last pair of sessions of the final match.

PENALTIES

1. The opposing team may not waive any penalties assessed their opponents for tardiness or slow play.

2. Penalties for failure to seat a complete team at announced game time will be per Appendix D.

3. Penalties for slow play will be per Appendix E(S&W).

CONCESSIONS

Concessions may permitted at any time at the discretion of the Director in Charge of the event. Credit for participation and timely finishes in unplayed sessions will be assigned to players on the winning team at the discretion of the Director in Charge of the event