About the Free Acol Robot Individual - Inter-Regional

The Free Acol Robot Individual - Inter-Regional is a new challenge that brings together bridge players from across countries and regions where Acol is a favourite system (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands and a few other). Players are automatically grouped into regional teams based on their location and compete both individually and as part of their regional team.

How Are the Regional Teams Formed?

Players are automatically assigned to a regional team, based on their detected IP address. A region must have at least 10 registered players to form a team. If a region does not meet this threshold, its players will be placed in the "Other" team.

How Is the Regional Score Computed?

Each region's score is calculated using a two-tiered system:

• The average score of the top 10 players in the region.
• The average score of all players from that region.

The final country score is determined by averaging these two values. This method ensures that top-performing players significantly contribute to their team's overall success.

Tournament Format

• The tournament consists of 8 boards and is free to enter.
• You do not need a partner to participate.
• Each table consists of one human player (sitting South) and three robot players.
• Your partner and opponents are advanced robots playing Acol.
• You have up to 24 hours to complete your boards. You can register and play at your own pace, leaving and returning as needed between midnight and midnight GMT.
• After finishing, you receive a provisional result that estimates your standing based on results available at that time.
• Final results will be available the next day in the list of Completed Tournaments on BBO, in your Recent Tournaments under History, and via BBO Mail.

Other Game Features

• Human Declares: If the robot wins the bidding, the human player temporarily switches seats to declare and play the hand.
• Best Hand: The human player (South) is guaranteed to have the most High Card Points (or be tied for most HCP) at the table.
• Deal Pools: Not all players receive the same deals. This is an anti-cheating measure.

About the Robots

The robots play a simple Acol system. You can click on any bid to view its explanation or hover over possible bids to see how your robot partner will interpret them. Understanding these explanations helps prevent bidding misunderstandings.