Director Requirements

One club (in NSW, Australia) inquired as to the requirements to use accredited directors for their events.

It is a good question that needs to be addressed at two levels:

• Any formal requirements from the affiliated state and national bridge bodies, including those for masterpointing
• Any common sense reasons beyond the formal requirements

  Read more: Director Requirements

Masterpoint Administration (Australia)

Tha Australian Bridge Federation (ABF) operates a masterpoints scheme in Australia that awards masterpoints to those who do well in bridge events in local clubs and in major events across the country. This is one of the reasons why players have an ABF number - this facilitates the collection of masterpoints in bridge events whereever they are run and scored.

Go to the ABF Masterpoints website to look up and edit your club details and upload masterpoint awards for the sessions your club runs. You will need to log in using the username and password sent to your Masterpoints Secretary by the ABF Masterpoint Centre.

Green masterpoints are generally awarded in normal club sessions, while red masterpoints are awarded in special club, regional and state events, and gold masterpoints in supercongresses and national events. Masterpoint rankings are awarded as players reach threshholds in these different types of masterpoints.

Website Options for Bridge Clubs

On the whole committee-run bridge clubs have been slow to use websites as a means to communicate with their members and the general public. This reflects both the relatively low technological interests and skills of many bridge club members and the volunteer nature of many bridge club management committees. 

This is a pity as websites and related electronic communication is a cheap and effective means of communication - and can significantly improve the information available and reduce the time and costs in making it available.

So what are the alternatives for a bridge club considering its website options:

Read more: Website Options for Bridge Clubs

Player ratings (Australia)

In Australia there is a player rating system in which clubs can choose to participate. It is currently free to do so, and involves only a minor additional monthly task for the club masterpoints secretary.

The Computer Automated Ratings Database System (CARDS) is similar to ratings applied in chess and a range of other sports. It considers the player's recent results and takes into account the ratings of the player's partner and opponents. It generally requires a player to play weekly for a couple of months in a club that particates in the ratings system before an initial rating is calculated.

The CARDS site provides more information. It also allows your players, after logging in with their ABF number, to discover their current rating - as well as the impacts of each of their rated sessions.