The 27th edition of InterCity League (ICL), will start on Wednesday 8th March and will end on Wednesday 24th May. ICL is the BBO international online Team Championship established in 2004 by the late Tonci Radelja, a Croatian professor of mathematics who loved the Bridge and used it as mean to become friends.
So wrote Tonci several years ago:
“Think of this as a night in your local club: be friendly and enjoy meeting old/new friends at the table”.
The first edition was won by Beograd; the most rewarded team is Ascoli Piceno, eight times winner; the title holder is the Danish Team of Copenhagen. The tourney is held twice a year, in spring and fall; the teams have to have the name of a town (that’s why “Intercity”). The tourney develops in two phases: round robin and knock-out. The teams are divided in groups; the best ones (not more than sixteen or 50 per cent of the teams), will forward to the knock-out phase.
There are no limits to the number of players: each captain can line up as many players as he or she likes, but players that haven’t played round robins shouldn’t be employed in the knock-out, unless the team has no other way to complete the foursome. The mandatory playing time is on Wednesday at 20:45-21:00 pm CET (GMT +1; EST +6), unless both captains agree for different time, but displacements only should be done exceptionally.
In the round robin the matches will be by sixteen boards. In the final stage the matches will be by twenty-four, or more if both captains agree to do so, but no more than twenty-eight. The default is barometer off, undo on (but concede it only for true misclick; the distraction is a technical mistake that has to be paid), and silent kibitzers; this too can be changed by captains agreement, but the kibitzers, that cannot be excluded and it’s advisable not allow them to speak at table.
System policy. In general, whatever system we’re playing, it must not be forgotten that the first requisite of a bidding system isn’t to get better contracts, but to make itself clear to opponents by concise and accurate alerts and plain Convention Card. If a system does fail to do this, it’s sure a wrong one and no tourney in the World can allow it. In particular, aren’t allowed systems which require that opponents have to study them earlier, as High Unusual Methods (HUM) and Brown sticker. Also are forbidden systems with conventional one level openings by less than 11 HCPs.
Aren’t forbidden:
– Natural suit opening, that is 1C, 1D, 1H, 1S, in the range 8-10 HCPs by at least four cards in the named suit;
– Conventional Strong Club and its conventional responses and rebidding;
– 8-10 1NT opening (so called mini 1NT), with balanced hand;
– Psychics;
– Multicolor and other conventional 2 level opening.
Against Multicolor, Neapolitan Club suggests the “Difesa Cento Torri” (One Hundred Tower Defence):
http://neapolitanclub.altervista.org/eng/tackling-the-multicolor-the-cento-torri-defence.html
For any question contact Turbin or Willemm (BBO nicknames of Paolo Enrico Garrisi and Willem Mevius), or write to Garrisi at turbinazione@gmail.com
ICL Official Site (by Willem Mevius): http://intercity.cloudapp.net/Default.aspx
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