London Trophy Rules
1 ELIGIBILITY
Entries may be from any bridge or non-bridge club. A club may enter as many teams as it wishes. Each team may consist of between four and six players, each of whom must have been a bona-fide member of the club for at least three months. No player may play for more than one team in a single season.
Not more than one National Master or above is allowed in a team. Although all bridge players are welcome, it would not be in the spirit of this competition for a team to contain four good tournament players or one high-class pair. If there could be any doubt about eligibility, please ask before playing. Extra players may be added to a team at the Tournament Organiser’s discretion in exceptional circumstances.
2 MATCH ARRANGEMENTS
In all rounds before the finals, the match venue will be arranged by the teams – usually either in one of the players homes or at the club. One team (normally the first-named in the draw) will be nominated as the home team and they will be expected to host the match, including providing the customary refreshments, eg. coffee/tea, sandwiches, cake/biscuits, etc. In early rounds, the draw will be carefully zoned to keep travel to a minimum, but if there is a sizeable distance involved, a half-way venue should be considered.
On receipt of the draw, each captain should get in touch with his opponent as soon as possible in order to try to agree a suitable date for the match, one of which will be confirmed in due course. If it is necessary to formalize this process, the home team should, within one week of receiving the draw, give the away team three possible dates for the match, not more than two of which should be on the same day of the week. Teams are expected to make every effort to accommodate each other’s needs in arranging matches, however, including considering the possibility of the away team hosting the match at their own expense if necessary.
Both the LONDON TROPHY and the DELLA-PORTA PLATE finals will be held in late May or early June at a central London venue.
3 MATCHES
Matches are of 24 boards duration. Scoring is aggregate, honours not counting. Opponents must switch halfway through the match, ie. normally after twelve boards. Teams of more than four players may also introduce players who sat out during the first half at this time but no-one may play against the same opponent in both stanzas. If the score is tied after 24, extra boards should be played in sets of three until the tie is resolved. The winning team will be awarded EBU Master Points and will proceed to the next round of the competition.
First match losers will automatically be entered in the Della-Porta Plate, the consolation knock-out event which will be played under the same rules as the Trophy itself.
4 LATE ARRIVAL
Should a team arrive more than thirty minutes late, their opponents have the right to curtail each half of the match by one board for each complete fifteen minutes of lateness. A maximum of twelve boards can be so removed from the match. A team that arrives more than two hours late forfeits the match unless their opponents still wish to play.
away team hosting the match at their own expense if necessary.
Both the LONDON TROPHY and the DELLA-PORTA PLATE finals will be held in late May or early June at a central London venue.
5 SYSTEMS & CONVENTIONS
Only natural systems may be played – either Acol (2§ forcing) with weak and/or strong no trump, or Five card Majors with better minor. Opening 2H/2S may be either weak or strong. Permitted conventions are Stayman and transfers over 1NT and 2NT openings, Blackwood or Roman Key-Card Blackwood, the Unusual Two No-Trump and negative doubles. The full set of options is specified on the LMBA Simple System card which may be downloaded from this page.
In the interest of friendly competition, players are asked not to psyche.
6 AUTHORITY – The decision of the Tournament Organiser in all matters is final. (But please note that if you do not have duplicate boards, are unfamiliar with duplicate or have any query, the organiser will be happy to help you).
Entries may be from any bridge or non-bridge club. A club may enter as many teams as it wishes. Each team may consist of between four and six players, each of whom must have been a bona-fide member of the club for at least three months. No player may play for more than one team in a single season.
Not more than one National Master or above is allowed in a team. Although all bridge players are welcome, it would not be in the spirit of this competition for a team to contain four good tournament players or one high-class pair. If there could be any doubt about eligibility, please ask before playing. Extra players may be added to a team at the Tournament Organiser’s discretion in exceptional circumstances.
2 MATCH ARRANGEMENTS
In all rounds before the finals, the match venue will be arranged by the teams – usually either in one of the players homes or at the club. One team (normally the first-named in the draw) will be nominated as the home team and they will be expected to host the match, including providing the customary refreshments, eg. coffee/tea, sandwiches, cake/biscuits, etc. In early rounds, the draw will be carefully zoned to keep travel to a minimum, but if there is a sizeable distance involved, a half-way venue should be considered.
On receipt of the draw, each captain should get in touch with his opponent as soon as possible in order to try to agree a suitable date for the match, one of which will be confirmed in due course. If it is necessary to formalize this process, the home team should, within one week of receiving the draw, give the away team three possible dates for the match, not more than two of which should be on the same day of the week. Teams are expected to make every effort to accommodate each other’s needs in arranging matches, however, including considering the possibility of the away team hosting the match at their own expense if necessary.
Both the LONDON TROPHY and the DELLA-PORTA PLATE finals will be held in late May or early June at a central London venue.
3 MATCHES
Matches are of 24 boards duration. Scoring is aggregate, honours not counting. Opponents must switch halfway through the match, ie. normally after twelve boards. Teams of more than four players may also introduce players who sat out during the first half at this time but no-one may play against the same opponent in both stanzas. If the score is tied after 24, extra boards should be played in sets of three until the tie is resolved. The winning team will be awarded EBU Master Points and will proceed to the next round of the competition.
First match losers will automatically be entered in the Della-Porta Plate, the consolation knock-out event which will be played under the same rules as the Trophy itself.
4 LATE ARRIVAL
Should a team arrive more than thirty minutes late, their opponents have the right to curtail each half of the match by one board for each complete fifteen minutes of lateness. A maximum of twelve boards can be so removed from the match. A team that arrives more than two hours late forfeits the match unless their opponents still wish to play.
away team hosting the match at their own expense if necessary.
Both the LONDON TROPHY and the DELLA-PORTA PLATE finals will be held in late May or early June at a central London venue.
5 SYSTEMS & CONVENTIONS
Only natural systems may be played – either Acol (2§ forcing) with weak and/or strong no trump, or Five card Majors with better minor. Opening 2H/2S may be either weak or strong. Permitted conventions are Stayman and transfers over 1NT and 2NT openings, Blackwood or Roman Key-Card Blackwood, the Unusual Two No-Trump and negative doubles. The full set of options is specified on the LMBA Simple System card which may be downloaded from this page.
In the interest of friendly competition, players are asked not to psyche.
6 AUTHORITY – The decision of the Tournament Organiser in all matters is final. (But please note that if you do not have duplicate boards, are unfamiliar with duplicate or have any query, the organiser will be happy to help you).