ProAm 2.0

ATTENTION – AUCTION WILL NOW CLOSE ON 24th OCT AT A RANDOM POINT                                       BETWEEN 9:30 PM and 10:30 PM.

The resounding success of first online ProAm event simply left us overwhelmed. The kind of interest that it generated was way beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you all of you.

But when it ended, and the void that it left behind – the silence was deafening. And here we are, to fill that void. In the loudest possible way.

Bridgeduniya is proud to bring to you the BIGGEST, the BRASHEST, the MEANEST online event on Indian bridge calendar. The event that rates to involve biggest prize money in an online Indian Bridge event to date. That gives every single player in the country an opportunity to participate, directly or indirectly, and to be a part of the carnival worth remembering to end of time. Presenting HCL PROAM 2.0 

What’s this about

Put simply -this is an opportunity to partner those stars that you like to watch. That seem like a myth and mystery. This is the opportunity to showcase your skills, without having to worry if partner understands you. If he will return the right card, find the right bid.

This is the opportunity to swim with the sharks and come out a victor.

The big change – you choose the Pros

In the previous edition, you were offered to choose from a set of Pros who had agreed to participate. Obviously, such a selection is by definition limited. Its possible that some of you might have enjoyed playing with a reputed player who is not on the list.

So this time around, you have the freedom to decide who should be on the pro list. Not everyone, we have to have certain filtering criteria. Certain minimum skill requirement.

Here’s the criteria we came up with – any one satisfying any of these requirements:

• Grand master or Senior Life Master as per BFI MP database
• Scored 100+ points in the open category in BFI National Ranking List 2019
• Participated as Pro in ProAm 1.0

Based on these criteria, we came up with a list of eligible players who can be a candidate to be a pro. You can decide to back any of the players in the list, by making a minimum bid (Rs 10,000/-) for that Pro. Before the bidding opens.

We’ll reach out to the pro you selected, and if they agree to participate, your bid will be accepted.

Please note that making a minimum does not give you the right to play with that Pro. It only ensures that your chosen player is available to be bid by everyone, if he/she agrees to participate.

Also please note that we will be reaching out to a number of players, so not every player will have a minimum bid when the auction opens. But you will not be able to request for a pro to be added once the auction opens. So only way to be sure that your chosen player is available to play with you is to check with them beforehand, and make a min bid for them.

Eligible Pros – Check here

Pros Invitation – Process

a) x no of players will be invited whether there’s a proposal or not
b) any pros whose names are proposed will be invited – without disclosing who has proposed the name
c) all pros who are invited will be informed of the condition and requested to provide consent with full knowledge of their obligations and awards
d) if any of the invited pros decline the invite, the proposer will be duly informed

Who can bid

Its simple. If you are not in the list of eligible Pros, you are free to bid. If you are on the list, you are not eligible to bid. A minimum proficiency with the game is expected. We may ask you for a few references if you are not known to us.  It is advisable that you ask for pre-approval for yourself or your nominated players Here

Important Dates

Propose a Pro – Oct 16 11:00 AM- Oct 19 11:59 PM

Auction opens – Oct 21 – 1:00 pm

Auction Closes – Oct 26 – between 11:00 pm and 12:00 midnight at a random point.

Auction Closes – Oct 24 between 9:30 pm and 10:30 pm

Discuss Methods – Oct 27-Oct 29

Dates of Play – Oct 30, Oct 31, Nov 1

How do I propose a Pro

Visit Eligible Pro list and click on the propose button. You must be logged on to propose a player. Please register here if you don’t already have an account with bridgeduniya.com. Alternately, you can click here, or look at the tournament menu. These links will be available when proposal period starts.

Please note that every proposal comes with an obligation of a minimum bid. If there are no further bids on the player you propose, your bid will be the winning bid. 

The proposal period opens Oct 16 11:00 am, ends Oct 19, mid night.

How do I bid

By visiting the bidding page.  

The minimum bid amount is Rs 10,000/- All new bids must be in increment of Rs 2000/- Max allowable bid amount is Rs 50,000/-

Playing environment

All matches will be played at RealBridge. Audio and Video will need to be enabled and kept on through out the play period. Please ensure you have a laptop/desktop with camera, speakers, mike/tablet PC/ipad. Phones are not advisable, and should be used only in emergency as a backup. Please ensure you have a good and stable internet connection with sufficient data, and preferably a backup.

What about Prizes

We are expecting the prize pool will be substantially larger than previous edition. Thanks to HCL and Mrs Nadar, we are starting off with a pool and set of trophies. There will be some surprise prizes too. Atleast 8 ranks will win prizes.

Pros and Ams will be entitled to 50% of the prize each awarded to their pair.

Infact we are so confident that we are going to ahead and guarantee a pool that’s bigger than previous edition. We guarantee that the prize pool will be a minimum of Rs 3,50,000/- We will make up any shortfalls if required.

TDS will be deducted as applicable. All prize winners will be required to provide relevant information prior to disbursement.

Can I bid for/propose more than one player

Sure you can. Please do note though that all bids are binding. If you happen to win more than one bid, you’ll need to pay for all winning bids. You can nominate partners for all the players you have winning bids for – subject to approval. You can bid for all pros who have consented to participate, irrespective of who proposed them. 

Am I outbid / what are the current bids

On the Bidding page you’ll see the current highest bid for each player. If you have made that bid, you’ll see it. 

How do I know my bid has won

There are two ways to know a winning bid. The first bid for max amount for any player is certainly a winner. For other amounts the winning bid will be known at the end of the bidding. 

What happens to money

40% of the highest bid amount for any given player goes to that player as a fee. The remainder goes to prize pool, after expense deduction. There will be an additional purse added to the prize pool thanks to HCL and Mrs Kiran Nadar. Additionally there will be attractive trophies for winners, runner up, and 2nd runner up.

Systems and conventions

You will get three days to discuss systems and conventions if you win a bid. The pros will make themselves available for a sufficient time for system discussion. Only standard based and precision/strong club (or club diamond) based systems will be permitted. Artificial systems will not be permitted. No multi bids, no psyches.

Laws & Policy

The event will be conducted as per WBF laws 2017, will follow BFI System and alert policy except for the restrictions cited above. In addition we’ll be following EBU Sky blue Book  for guidelines for online environment. All participants are requested make themselves familiar with the governing laws and policies

Alerts

Please note that all bids need to be self alerted and explained. Please explain the bid using the text area in the bidding box. Not doing this forces opponents to pause and wait for explanation, causing unnecessary UI scenarios.

 If for any reason you think that explanation is incomplete, call the director.

Please understand that you are entitled to the opponents’ agreement, not their hand. So, if you are told no agreement, and you have a reason to believe that agreement may exist, call the director. Do not ask questions like “what did you mean by the bid”. You may ask if there are any meta rules that may apply in case of no specific agreement.

Undo, Director Calls, Reviews

Undos are available for genuine misclicks, not for change of mind. By and large Undo for play will not be awarded unless extremely obvious. Players should endeavor to request an undo at the earliest possible. At the very least they should inform their screenmate verbally and/or type undo or stop in play area if they are not sure where undo button is located. All players are seriously advised to make themselves thoroughly familiar with playing environment before the tournament commences

Whenever an undo is requested, a director must be called. If for any reason call director button is disabled, an alternative method will be provided. Undos must be given only on directors assent. 

Any Undos given without director’s assent, both parties lose the right of adjustment, appeal, or UI based on UNDO.

Even if director allows an undo, there may be implications related to UI because of the bid taken back. Please note that bid or play that is allowed to be undone is unauthorized information to the partner of offender but authorized information to opponents.

The directors consult each other, the reviewer, and if needed other senior players before giving a ruling. So please ask for a review only and only if you believe certain facts didn’t come to director’s notice, or a law has been applied incorrectly. All review requests will attract a fee, which will be refunded unless the review request is found to be baseless and/or frivolous. 

The reviewer’s decision is final and binding. There will be no further appeal against reviewer’s decision

Format and Schedule

The dates for the event are 30th Oct to 1st Nov 2020.  The exact format will be announced later. We expect it will be 16-18 rounds of 6 board matches over a period of 2.5 days. Please keep visiting this page for updates. It will be a swiss draw, IMPs converted to VPs.

Behaviour, presentation and other related

We expect all participants to adhere to the highest standards of ethical behavior during the play of this tournament. Please maintain a courteous attitude towards your partner, teammates, directors, game hosts etc. Repeated misbehavior will lead to ban from any further bridgeduniya events.

Please be suitably attired. You are on camera, and may be on a telecast to the world. Smart casuals are suggested, bare torsos and undershirts etc are a strict No.

Please refrain from using foul language, even as a joke.

Its strictly non-smoking on camera. Penalties will apply.

Sharing Information PostFacto

No one may use deals played in our events to accuse anyone else of impropriety in public fora. If one wants to report or question an action, use a hand diagram or ensure all identifiers removed from BBO screenshot, like user IDs, Match number and other Results etc, before posting publicly. Players may report suspect actions to the TDs of the tournament. We take these reports very seriously. Any public accusations of unethical practice or impropriety will invite immediate financial sanction and may result in forfeiture of entry and prizes. Any kibitzer sharing such information will not receive further invitation to kibitz any upcoming bridgeduniya events. These sanctions are without appeal.

Kibitzing

Kibitzing and watching are an essential part of the game. We certainly want everyone to be involved. But, given the security considerations in an online environment, the kibitzing will be available through a web meeting rather than directly. You’ll need to ask for access. We’d like to know who is watching. More details soon.

Obligations of Pros

The consent to participate, or to allow their name to be put forward obligates pros to the following:

• They will play with the Am who bids the highest amount for them. There is no veto based on the final bidder. 
• They will provide ample time to discuss systems and methods, and provide written notes if possible
• They will endeavor to play the methods their partner is most comfortable with.
• They will treat their partners with utmost professional courtesy.
• They will arrange appropriate devices and connectivity to enable them to play at their own cost.
• They agree that they are not entitled to any additional benefits other than the fee available to them, and their share of any prizes awarded to the pair.

Stay updated

Request to be added to the whatsapp group dedicated to ProAm 2.0. Whether you are a pro, want to bid, have an insight to offer, or would like to simply watch the action – this group will have the latest update. Send request to Sandeep or Srini.

Have a question

Reach out to help@bridgeduniya.com or whatsapp Sandeep at +919910034918