Keeping to time

I was pleased to have the opportunity, last weekend, of attending one of the EBU's director training sessions. Whenever you get any number of Tournament Directors gathered together, the conversation invariably turns, at some point, to the subject of slow play. I gleaned a couple of really useful suggestions from the course tutor and it's worth repeating some of the old ones because there is a lot we can all do to keep up to speed without actually having to play bridge any faster. In roughly chronological order, here's the list...

• NEW! When setting out the tables at the start of the session, please always lay one additional table with a cloth and four bidding boxes (opened and bidding cards stacked ready for use). The additional table should ideally be in the middle of the room or in the middle at one end. We need to experiment to find the best place. We'll call this the Spare Table.
• NEW! If two pairs are both ready to play and the only thing preventing you from starting is that your table is still in use, grab the boards you are supposed to be playing (or as many of them as are available) and set up camp on the Spare Table. Dummy on the first board can grab the Bridgemate as soon as it becomes free. Stay on the Spare Table until the end of the round but remember to return the Bridgemate and boards to the appropriate tables at the end of the round.
• When new opponents arrive at your table, or when you arrive at a new table, all discussion of all previous hands should cease. It's not only discourteous to your new opponents but might even give them illicit information about a board they've yet to play.
• Meet and greet by all means, but please get your cards counted and sorted as quickly as possible, especially if you are dealer. You can probably do this and indulge in small talk at the same time. I have found that counting my cards as three packets of three and a four is quicker and simpler than having to count to thirteen.
• If you are on opening lead, please select your lead and make it (face down) before you do anything else. Specifically, you should not be writing anything on your score sheet if you are on lead and haven't chosen your lead yet.
• North, if you are dummy or even if you're not and you have a spare moment, enter the contract details into the Bridgemate at your earliest convenience rather than waiting until play is complete.
• The Bridgemate rules say the Bridgemate should be passed to East or West for verification. If either East or West is dealer on the next board, always pass the Bridgemate to the other one. This allows the next board dealer to get out the next hand, and maybe even think about his bid, whilst the previous board's score is being ratified.
• Please don't let post-mortems delay scoring, putting the cards away or getting out and starting the next hand. Even if you finish the first hand early, the next one might be exceptionally difficult and time consuming.
• Please, please, please do NOT start a hand after the timer has instructed you not to. I cannot stress this enough. You may think you are being deprived of one board's worth of play but if you flout this rule then not just you, but the whole room, may be deprived of two or more board's worth of play if we have to cancel the last round due to lack of time. This is so important that I can, and will, exercise my director's right to apply a procedural penalty to anyone who regularly pushes their luck.
• NEW! If you are still playing a hand when the movement is sounded, it is now dummy's responsibility, immediately and without having to be prompted, to pass any completed boards on to the next table.
• NEW! When the movement is sounded, please cancel any review of previous results on the Bridgemate. Please do not invoke the review screen if the movement has already been sounded.
• After the movement has been sounded, please avoid all delays and further discussions. Get the cards back in the board, get the score agreed and vacate the table as quickly as possible.

Most of that is pretty obvious, but I think it's worth (re-)stating for a complete list.

All of which leads neatly on to the subject of scoring boards not played through lack of time, but now I'm going to open a real can of worms so I think that deserves a dedicated blog post all of its own. Watch this space!

Keith