OPENING WBF CEREMONY
The World Championship Opening Night featured the introduction on large TV screens of the emblems of all the participating nations by an amusing magician/host who kept the audience entertained. It featured card tricks by the MC plus a fantastic family show orchestrated by his four children who followed in his Houdini-like footsteps. The five living WBF presidents (Patino, D’Orsi, Damiani, Wolff and Rona were honored on stage as they played the theme song of the WBF. Earlier welcomes were given by President Rona and his predecessor, Jose Damiani plus a few local dignitaries. The hour and a half went by quickly and there ensued a delicious buffet with incredible desserts (not recommended for the waistline).
Enough of the frills and sociability. Tomorrow it’s down to business at 10:30 a.m. sharp!! Let the bidding begin.
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Sounded entertaining but nothing in comparison to when the real fireworks start today.
I understand that you can’t pick your opponents– but the captain submits your lineup blindly and approximately fifteen minutes before you arrive at your seats, that is when you learn whom you will be playing and go over their system and card. Blind lineups, in effect, eliminate advantaged seeding. The option of picking your opponents is history. Seeding is gone? Is this rumor or truth?
Ev:
What you say appears accurate. In the old days, the pros could put in their weakest player (sponsor usually) against their opponent’s weakest pair. Now there is no room for fun and games. It is done randomly by the directing staff. What you see is what you get.
Right now Bobby and Dan Morse, his partner, are in the closed room (with no kibitizers) so I chose to watch BBO here in my room while doing a bit of accumulated laundry (this is our fifth day here). TV is no alternative as no sports or news programs are in English (and certainly no soap operas). I won’t know our results until they compare after the 16th board. That’s life!
In a round robin with single sessions, it is only fair that line-ups are done blind. Of course, an astute NPC might notice a pattern in the opposing team line ups if he studies them carefully!
Seating rights come in when the knock-out stages commence.