2021 USBC Formats and Schedules
In the event the WBF cancels or postpones the 2021 World Teams Championships at any time before the commencement of the USBCs, all USBF Selection Trials will be canceled or postponed.
Overview of Formats and Schedules
For all of the events, the Round Robin and Round of 16 stages will be played online;
The Women’s (if more than 4 teams enter) will start on May 5th; the Open will start on May 7th; The Mixed will start on May 15th; the Seniors will start on May 23rd. Each event will be played on consecutive days. Click here for the full online schedules (note there are two possibilities, depending on the number of teams entered in each event; the schedules might change if there is a surprisingly large or small entry in any event, but the starting dates will remain the same).
Any team that does not qualify for the Quarterfinal stage will be eliminated.
The face-to-face format of USA1 and USA2 events will be (click here for the full calendar):
Entry fee will be $500 per team for the online stage of each event. Online play will be on RealBridge, using virtual screens and self-alerts. For online play only, players will be allowed to consult their notes during the bidding.
The Hyatt Regency in Schaumburg, IL. is host to all the face to face stages, where the entry fee will be $400 per team per day. Playing will be on individual tablets assigned to each player using the LoveBridge software.
There will be 2 players (normal screenmates) in each playing room.
When available, playing rooms will have outdoor access.
The USBF will take precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 which may include taking temperatures, wearing masks and sanitizing surfaces.
We will be unable to offer our usual hospitality due to CoVid restrictions.
Teams that play only 3 days online will receive a credit of $200 for future 2021 JLall entry fees; teams that play only 4 days online will receive a credit of $100 for future 2021 JLall entry fees.
Entering more than one event
A player may enter as many events as the player is eligible for (so a woman who is at least 62 can enter all 4 events if she wants to; a man who is at least 62 can enter all but the Women's; women under 62 can enter the Open, Women's & Mixed; men under 62 can enter the Open and the Mixed). If a player enters more than one event, the player must notify the USBF Secretary no later than May 1 which World Championship event s/he will enter if s/he qualifies for more than one (players in the Open must designate the Bermuda Bowl as the World Championship event in which they will compete). A player who qualifies for the Bermuda Bowl is not eligible to compete in the face-to-face stages of any other USBC.
Entries are now open for all of the events and will close as follows:
Women's - March 31, 2021
Open - April 2, 2021
Mixed - April 10, 2021
Seniors - April 18, 2021
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USBF Board Vacates Invitational 1 Title
At its meeting on February 3, the USBF Board of Directors voted unanimously to vacate the Invitational 1 Title because of the finding that Huub Bertens, a player on the winning team, had illegally possessed and used information about other players’ hands.
The positions of other teams in the event remain unchanged.
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USBF Adjudicatory Committee Decision Regarding Huub Bertens
In accordance with the USBF Guidelines for Conduction Adjudicatory Proceedings, the USBF Board appointed an Adjudicatory Committee to hear charges against Huub Bertens relating to the USBF Invitational 1 Tournament in May & June of 2020. The conclusion of the Adjudicatory Committee's Report is:
"The USBF Adjudicatory Committee, after full and careful consideration of all the subject USBF Invitational hands and all of the other evidence, arguments, and testimony presented by the Parties and their Attorney-Advocates, unanimously finds, to its comfortable satisfaction, that Mr. Bertens is guilty as charged.
DISCIPLINE
The Adjudicatory Committee of the USBF imposes the following sanctions.
Effective immediately, Mr. Huub Bertens is:
1. Barred from membership in the USBF until January 1, 2028, at which time he may re-apply for membership in the USBF;
2. On probation for a three-year period commencing on the date, if any, that he is re-admitted as a member of the USBF; and
3. Barred for life from serving on the Board of Directors of the USBF."
Click here for the full decision, in PDF format.
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