And for the first Monday of August here are a few thoughts that have been bothering me over the weekend (all my own work).
Like all of us were heartbroken at the Under 31 team's loss in the semi finals on Sunday. Heartfelt comisserations to you and hope you win the bronze today.
Like the performance of the Under 26 team in their main event was possibly the most disappointing feature of this edition of the championships. It hurt even more after they qualified for the finals of the BAM.
Like, given the performance of the under 26 participants in open events in India, it probably reflects on the standards of open events in India vis a vis world bridge standards.
Like, to my mind, the Mavericks Premier League was one of the most puzzling events on the Indian bridge circuit. While one is grateful to the sponsor for the event, its objective, other than to give a few top players an opportunity to win some money was not very clear. And this is a strictly personal viewpoint.
Like I would have preferred to see a league where each of the top teams would have had to add 2 junior players and make it mandatory to field one of them in every match (something akin to the IPL cricket league). This would probably help the juniors strengthen their game. This can be fleshed out further if required, but this is just a thought at the top of my mind.
Like I watched a brouhaha about a clash of tournaments between KSBA (Diamond Jubilee Tournament) and Nainital. I have to say that people have lost the habit of checking upcoming events on the bridge calendar on the BFI site. And, to some extent, the fact that is was not available till just before the Summer Nationals has a lot to do with the imbroglio.
Like it is perplexing why the Master Points awarded for the Summer Nationals have not been updated even 5 weeks after the event has been completed. This is going to play an important factor in determining teams for HCL.
And this final thought. I was impressed with the alternative to Bridgemates called IBEScore suggested by Manjit Oberai. Apparently they have been using it with some success. Kudos to the DBA for doing something to make the game less expensive to run.
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.
The IBEScore app was discovered and executed by Uma Relan and I was a part of the first tourney conducted by her at 142 Chimes. It has become the only form of scoring at all tournaments at Chimes. Vasant Vihar Monday group has also used it to get players to use it comfortably till it becomes a normal practice as all you need to do is download an app on your smart phone and use it like a bridge mate.
Manjit or DBA had no role to play.
Secondly, I think the Maverics Premiere League was a very interesting tournament to watch, and must have been even more exciting to participate. What is the harm in getting the best to compete with each other and why put the sponsor under any scrutiny/ pressure? These suggestions should be put forward to BFI for the summer/ winter nationals as a practice to improve bridge in general and not on one person/ tourney. Again, this is my personal opinion.
Hi Savleen, thanks for writing in.
My responses are below.
1. Kudos to Uma who has been performing yeoman service to club bridge for a long long time. Manjit brought it to the attention of the bridge community at large.
2. As l had mentioned in the post, my view on the Mavericks Premier League was strictly personal.
You are entitled to to your view as well.