How to Create a Team Match

How to Create a Team Match
How to Create a Team Match
The excitement of team play! There’s nothing like combining the love of bridge with the fun
of jousting with friends. In a two-table Team Match, you have three partners, not one—a
four-member team. While you are playing N/S, your teammates are playing E/W. The same
boards are being played at both tables. Double the fun!
Team matches involve two teams and two tables. Please note: There is no concept of a
three or four-team match on BBO.
A Team Match is illustrated below. Both teams are shown. The blue-highlighted players are
one team and the turquoise-highlighted players are the other team. The blue-highlighted
team is playing N/S at one table and E/W at the other table. The host is odda1. The scoring
is IMPs. Undos are allowed. The tables will play 10 boards. And they are playing “just for
fun!”
On a more formal basis, the BIL hosts BIL Ladder matches. Teams are allowed 4 to 12
members; however, only 4 members of the team can play at any one match. Lower-ranking
teams challenge higher-ranking teams. All the teammates on the BIL Ladder teams may
kibitz during a match to watch the excitement of the play! See BIL Ladder under the
Tournaments diamond symbol in the BIL Library. Grab your bridge friends and form a BIL
Ladder Team!
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How to Create a Team Match
On the other hand, should you find yourself and some friends on BBO and can pull together
eight players, it is great fun to create an informal team match. Here’s how to do it.
Identify eight players for the match and find out with whom they wish to partner (or you may
assign partnerships). From the BBO Main Lobby, Click to Play or Watch Bridge!
BBO Main Lobby
Click to Play or Watch Bridge!
When the Play Bridge! window comes up, click Team Matches.
Play Bridge!
Click “Team Matches.”
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How to Create a Team Match
You will see the team matches that are being played as well as matches listed that have been
completed. Click “Create Team Match” at the bottom of the window.
Team Matches Window
To create a Team Match, click “Create Team
Match” at the bottom of the window.
Now we are on our way! The following window will come up, requesting the necessary
information to create a new team match.
Information Window to
create a new team match.
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How to Create a Team Match
Please complete the following information to create your team match.
1. Type the “name of match” in the box provided, such as “Tina’s Friends” or “A Hard
Day’s Night.” Use your imagination!
2. Describe the match, such as “Just for Fun” or “We Love to Play Bridge.” … surely
you can come up with something more original!
3. Type in the BBO user name of the match director. Usually it will be you!
4. The standard number of boards to play in an informal match is 8 but you may select
more boards or fewer boards—figure about 10 to 12 minutes per board and consider
the amount of time your players have available to play in the match.
Create Team Match Information Window
Scoring Box
Number of Boards
Kibitzers Box
Barometer
5. In the Scoring box, you may select IMPs (see Tournament Scoring), Board-AMatch (BAM), or Total Points. Most matches are based on IMPs but, when you want
to focus on the scores of individual players, you may want to select Total Points.
BAM is another means to score team matches, similar to MPs. BBO software
automatically scores the match and posts the scores at the end of the match.
6. When you check “barometer,” you will be able to see how the points are racking up
as you play in the match—a good feature to keep you on your bidding and playing
toes that also adds another exciting element to the game.
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How to Create a Team Match
7. In the Kibitzers box, you may check 1) Allow kibitzers, 2) allow them but do not
allow them to chat to the players (Allow silent), or you may check 3) Do not allow.
8. Below the Kibitzers box, you may check “Allow Undos” and “Kibitz partner when
dummy.” Kibitz partner when dummy means a player may see his or her partner’s
hand when partner is declarer.
Example of a “Create Team Match” Window
Team 1 Box
Team 2 Box
Allow Undos
Kibitz partner
when dummy
Click “Create Match”
as the final step.
9. On the right side of the Create Team Match window are boxes for Team 1 and
Team 2. Please type the name of each team in the Team name boxes. In this example
above, the Stooges will play against the Dream Team.
10. Enter the four BBO user names of Team 1 in the Team 1 box, with partners facing
partners. Please do the same with Team 2.
Team 1 (Stooges): Curly + Moe = partners; Larry + Sandy = partners.
Team 2 (Dream Team): Jacoby + Goren = partners; Garozzo + Forquet = partners.
When the match starts, BBO software will automatically switch the E/W partners and
color-code their names the same color as their teammates. Refer to the illustration on
page 1 of these directions to view how BBO software will position the players.
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How to Create a Team Match
The important thing to remember is to enter the BBO user names of one fourmember team in one Team box. Do not place the players who are competing
against one another in the same Team box. BBO will do the positioning for
you.
11. Now you may click “Create Match.” When you click “Create Match,” BBO software
will identify the match; give it a number; and send out the invitations. It’s always wise to
confirm—before you start setting up a match—that each player will participate. DO
NOT CLOSE the Create Team Match window at any point - leaving it open makes it
quick and simple to replace players who decline.
12. You will be notified as each player accepts. Again, DO NOT CLOSE THE
WINDOW OR LEAVE THE AREA. If you do and there happens to be a problem, rather
than just fixing the problem, you will have to start all over again. When all the players
have accepted, everyone—including you, if you are playing—will be taken to the tables
and the window will close itself. If you are not playing, just go to the tables identified by
your match number and description.
When the match is complete, the final score will be posted. Ah… the thrill of victory and the
agony of defeat! Congratulate your opponents and your partners on a game well played.
A frequent problem encountered is a notice that one or more of the players is not online.
This usually happens when you have misspelled a BBO user name, have a space missing,
etc. Very troublesome is typing an I (capital i) instead of a 1 (the number one) and vice
versa. Just double-click on the incorrect name in the Create Team Match window, delete it,
and then type it correctly. Now, click again on Create Match.
If one of the players in your match is invisible, the BBO software will tell you they are not
online—BBO knows they are online but won't blow their cover. The player will have to
log off and log on again as visible. Please remember, every time you click “Create Match,”
BBO software only gives you two minutes to get it right; then, you have to start over.
If a player has gone for coffee and the invitation gets “timed out” but you KNOW the
player will be back immediately—mutter under your breath, rewrite the name, and click
“create match” again. Invitations to the players are sent again whenever you click “create
match.”
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How to Create a Team Match
See Tournament Movie Reviews and Travelers on how to
review the bidding and board play. How to bid the correct
contract, what was the best opening lead, how declarer could
have set up a suit—are all questions important to improving
your game.
One-on-one help with Creating a Team Match is available from our BIL
Friends who generously volunteer their time. Please contact PeterB at
[email protected].
Good Bridging!
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