SCOREBRIDGE
BRIDGE SCORER
TRAINING GUIDE
Program Written by Stephen Bligh
Training Guide By J.T.Wilson
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this Training Guide is help new users of Stephen Bligh's SCOREBRIDGE program to set up the program for their own use for the first time. It will take you through the basics of the program, and demonstrate:
a)how to set up a Names Database;
b)methods of defining the movement you may wish to employ;
c)enter scores from travellers; and
d)the procedure you should follow to score the event (Match Point, etc) and print the results.
NB. This exercise is aimed initially at District level Tournament Directors as a means of introducing them to computerised scoring. However, it can easily be adapted by individuals to use it for their own training in what is a very straightforward program to use.
A. SETTING UP A CLUB
When the program opens it will ask you for the Club name. For the purposes of this exercise make it your name/s (eg <Blue Gray.
(You can use the Club / Delete Current Club menu to delete this exercise once you are finished. Alternatively, you an retain the exercise and Make a New Club under the same menu).
A.1NAMES DATABASE
When you set up a new club the first option you have is to set up a Names Database.
A.1.1.In the first instance, you are invited to import a file of names from any other source - the program is very flexible and will import names in a wide variety of formats
For the purposes of this exercise a names file has been created in Word and saved as a text file onto a disc (but only for those on the course – others can use their club lists). (Those who have used Haworth can import the Abbnames.prn file created by printing the Names file to file to transfer names. You will be asked to save this file in a strange place, but just click on OK and the names should import properly.)
A.1.2To load it Click on Other then navigate in the Look In box to get to the 3 ½ Floppy(A) as shown here.
Now double-click on Names (or Names.txt).
A.1.3 When a Names file is imported the program needs to know how the names have been saved - you could have set the file up as Tom Addison, or Addison, Tom or separated them with tabs, AddisonTom.
To tell the program what the format of the names is you have to click on the field heading from the list in the top left and drag it on the blank line immediately above the correct part of the name.
In our example we have imported First and Last Names so we drag this heading down to the box above Tom Addison.
Now click on Proceed with Import and the names will appear miraculously in the proper format in the Database with a message from the program that “59 names have been imported”.
Note that they are now in complete alphabetical order by surname, no matter what order they were in the original file.
A.1.4LINKING PARTNERS
In a Club situation you can link regular partnerships:
a) Click on the name of one player
b) Click in the Regular Partner box (You must do this or the second name’s record will display!)
c) Click on the name of the Regular Partner on the Names Database.
This will help you enter names quickly as you can pick up any player from the database by double-clicking on it. If you click 3 times you will also pick up their regular partner!
Note that in a normal Club situation you can add names at any time simply by typing them in against the table at which they are seated. The program will then automatically add the name/s to the Player Database.
A.1.5One of the Preferences you can set for a Club is Player Preferences where you can set the default about whether the program will ask if the new player is a visitor and also whether the second player is a Regular Partner. The first (Visitor) question can be a nuisance if you are entering a large number of names but can be very useful once the names list has settled down as it is then possible to delete all the Visitor names from the Database at one time when doing routine housekeeping.
A.1.6You will require a Names List of at least 56 names for the exercise. If you are not happy about importing the Names file you may type in the list below or, more constructively, compile a list of the names you would normally employ for your events and use this plus a selection of the given names should your own list be insufficient.
Note that you can access the Player Database for the current club at any time from the Main Menu in the Club menu. You may type the names in any sequence, as the program will automatically sort them into alphabetic order by surname. It can be easier if the partnerships are typed in together as this makes it easier to link them.
This list has two sets of partners:
Surname / First / Surname / First / Surname / First / Surname / FirstAble / Henry / Able / Mary / Macdonald / Thelma / Mackintosh / Thad
Addison / Tom / Smythe / Jackson / Mainwaring / Margaret / MacMillan / Harold
Alexander / Davina / Alexander / Charles / Mitchell / Jane / Myers / Helen
Bacon / Frank / Walpole / Brenda / More / Thomas / Simnel / Libby
Brodie / Jean / Peel / Belle / Park / Mungo / Stevenson / Robert
Callaghan / James / Malone / Molly / Park / Queenie / Stevenson / Sheila
Clayton / Moore / Clayton / Mike / Peel / Robert / Wellington / Phyllis
Davidson / Jack / Davidson / Lena / Redmonds / Susan / Laine / Frankie
Dickson / Harry / Dickson / Brenda / Smythe / Susan / Wilson / Harold
Dobbie / Horst / Goodwin / Fred / Vernon / Betty / Parsons / Robert
Eden / Pat / Thomas / Teresa / Walpole / Bob / Green / Greta
Eden / Tony / Macdonald / Ted / Weir / David / Howie / Hugh
Farquharson / Jean / Charles / Bonnie / Wellington / Phil / Lee / Annie
Jackson / Jane / Heath / Ted / Wright / Ally / Wong / Chiu
Jenkins / Rose / Evans / Barbara / Young / Jean / Watson / Etta
When you have finished, click on OK key to return to the Main Menu.
A.1.7When you leave the Player Database screen you are returned to the Main Menu.
This should open the Events Menu. (If the screen is blank then go to the Club Menu and click on the Club name.)
The Main Menu is the hub of the program where you can access a variety of program facilities:
The Events List is where you define your sections and where you pick up sections for scoring.
The Club Menu (see A.1.4) offers a variety of default settings specific to your Club, and it is essential to establish the “Country Settings” as this will allow you to automatically pick up the SBU Master Points allocations and numbers.
“Scoring Preferences” can also be set to suit your own requirements – it makes sense to Omit the last Zero, while I regularly have to enter scores from tear-offs. I would normally also tick Neuberg Match Point Calculation for important events as it is much fairer when there are averages and/or adjusted scores. However, it has been left off for this event, though it does produce a slightly different result when sessions with unequal tops are combined.
The Movements Menu allows you to access existing movements or create your own movements through the Movements Composer.
Scorebridge allows you to maintain a direct Master Points record and print MP slips automatically through the Masterpoints Menu.
Stephen Bligh, the author, is also very accessible if you encounter difficulties or wish specific facilities. Contact him through
B. THE SCORING EXERCISE
Introduction
The exercise is in 2 parts, with 3 separate sections:
a) Session 1 is a 14 table skip Mitchell playing 13 rounds of Match Pointed Pairs as part of a combined Mitchell-Howell event. The last two rounds should be Arrow-switched.
b)Session 2 is the Howell movements: 2x7-table 26 board Full Howells which are scored separately then combined into one session.
c)The 3rd part of the exercise involves combining the two sessions into one to provide an overall result
If doing this exercise on your own you may choose to do all of these exercises or cherry-pick 1 or more of the 3 separate events, as you feel necessary. Each event attempts to provide you with practice in setting up the movement, entering the names and basic score inputting.
Note that the full SBU exercise is based on the use of computer scoresheets and the scores are therefore in ROUND ORDER as compared to the normal club situation where scores would be entered against the N/S pair number (PAIR ORDER). This makes no difference to the final scoring.
EXERCISE 1 : MITCHELL MOVEMENT.
B.1.1Start Scorebridge and set up a new club called <Your name/s> if not already done.
B.1.2Load in the Names File as described in Section A or type in your own.
B.1.3Return to the Main Menu and set your Club preferences as shown in A.1.7.
B.1.4Click on “Input New event” (Top right corner) and complete the information boxes with Mitchell and 14 in the Number of Tables box.
Check that the date is correct and that Pairs is ticked.
Click on OK.
B.1.5Defining the Movement
Scorebridge comes with a large selection of movements already defined – those appropriate for the number of tables are displayed. (If you define your own movement/s you must tick User(selected) to display those for the number of tables.
Begin by clicking to select the required movement and the specific details for this will appear down the left.
We want the Mitchell Skip 13 Rounds and when you click on this the default of 2boards per round, 28boards in play and 0Rounds not played at end (The 28 is greyed because it is a calculated from the number of Tables x Boards per Round).
You must:
a)type “12,13” into the box for Arrow Switches.
b)type “20” into E/W numbered as Table plus box. (Otherwise it will assume 2 winners.)
B.1.6When you click on OK you are given a preview of the Movement to check that it is correct.
This view shows the movements as they would appear on a standard scoresheet with the North numbers already printed.
However, our exercise is based on a computer triplicate so we need to click on the “Re-sequence Score Sheets to Order Played” button. The screen display will now change to show the table sequence
Now click on “Yes” to agree the movement and you will be taken to the Names Entry screen.
B.2.1ENTERING NAMES
It is not essential that the names be entered before the scores, but it is good practice to do so.
Entering names is very straightforward – double click on the name and it appears on the names panel.
If the partnerships have been entered then a third click will also transfer the partner.
When a name has been entered it is highlighted on the database.
B.2.2 The Start List for this event is included as Appendix A.1. Use this to enter the names.
B.2.3 Note that Phyllis Wellington’s name has been spelt wrongly, with an “m” at the end instead of an “n”.
To amend it, right-click on the name to bring up its database entry. Now click on “Change name?” and you will see the box above.
Click on OK then amend the name in the Change name box. You will be asked to confirm this so OK again.
Then OK to return to the Names entry screen.
B.2.4.When you have completed all the names you should check them for accuracy – as long as the pairs are correct they do not have to be in the same order – by clicking on “Print”.
When you are satisfied, click on “OK/Save”. This will save your names list and take you to the score entry screen.
B.3.1ENTERING SCORES
This is the main Score Entry screen. Before starting to enter scores check that the Scoring Method is checked for Match Points and that “Order Played” is also checked.
Since you have set up the preferences to Omit the Trailing zero (A.1.7), score entry is fairly quick and simple:
a)All scores can be entered in the NS column with a Minus sign for EW scores. This is often the easiest method when there are scores on both sides.
b)When you have entered the last score on a sheet and pressed <Enter> or <End> the minus scores will automatically transfer to the EW column, making it easier to check against the scoresheet. Match Points will also be calculated.
c)To repeat a score in normal entry press<Enter> again (but not when a score is amended later!).
d)After the last score is <Enter>ed a further <Enter> will then take you to the next board.
e)A checklist of boards is provided along the bottom so that you can see which boards have been fully scored, partly scored or not scored at all – very useful in keeping track.
f)The program automatically checks scores as they are entered. If the score appears in Yellow it is a proper score but is unusual and therefore worth a double check. A score in Red is not valid – either wrong vulnerability, wrong side or wrongly calculated.
Here we see the completed board 1.
The Match Points are shown, and these are also shown on the Travellers (Appendix A.2) for the exercise as a helpful check to your accuracy of entry.
Note that the “A” in the first column shows that there should be an Arrow Switch in each of the last two rounds. (If someone forgets to Arrow one or more boards all you require to do is delete the “A” thenamend the numbers for that table.)
B.3.2Now complete the scores for the rest of the hands from the details in Appendix A.2
B.3.3Passed Out boards are entered as “0” to N-S.
B.3.4You may stop scoring a board at any time, either because you are interrupted or because you are using computer tear-offs. To enter using tear-offs you should have ticked “Allow Partially Completed Score Sheets” on the Club/Scoring Preferences menu (see page 5). When doing so, the quickest way to move on to the next board is to hit the <End> key after the last score, followed by <Enter>.
B.3.5If you are entering scores with the scoresheets out of sequence the fastest way is to enter the board number in the top-right box as a 3-digit sequence on the number pad. Board 3 is reached by typing “003” <Enter>, board 20 by “020” <Enter>.
B.3.6If you discover an error on the current board, simple click on the cell containing the score and type in the correct score. EG we see that “100” was typed in, becoming 1000 and the program highlighted it in Yellow as unlikely. It should have been “-10” so simply click on the wrong score and type in the correct score.
B.3.7If you discover that a mistake has been made on a previous score (or there is an adjustment to the score) use the method outlined in B.3.4 to negotiate through the boards.
B.3.8To save the scores so far, click on “Close event” on the top menu bar. You can return to scoring this event at any time by double clicking on the event name in the Events Menu. When you have entered the last score, click on the All done button and you will be taken to the results screen (unless you have omitted one or more scores in which case the program will warn you that scores are missing).
B.4PRINTING RESULTS
B.4.1Print off a set of results which includes Results and Pair/Board Matrix. Normally you would also print off the Travellers as well so that you could check the entries for accuracy but you should have been doing this as you go along.
B.4.2 Your scores should coincide with those shown in Appendix A.3. The Pair Board Matrix is in Appendix A.4. If there are any discrepancies then the quickest way of finding the problem is to compare the Pair/Board matrix to see which board/s are scored differently for an affected pair. This is only possible because we already know what the results should be. Normally you would be checking the Travellers against the Scoresheets.
CTHE SCORING EXERCISE – PART 2
You may treat the Mitchell exercise and the 2 Howell exercises that follow as totally separate entities as each is scored as a separate event. The only factor they have in common is the Names File.
However, the exercise has been set up to provide experience in more advanced uses of the program’s strengths –
a)the ability to combine sections into one overall event; and
b)the ability to combine multiple sessions into one overall event.
The most common example of this is the MITCHELL-HOWELL in which the pairs are split into 2 fields that play against one another in an arrow-switched Mitchell then each field plays against its own members in a Howell. The twin Howells are played with duplicated boards and scored across the whole field. The results from both sessions can then be combined to provide an overall winner.
The guidance for setting up the Howell events is based on the instructions provided in Sections B.1.4 –B.1.6 so refer back to these if you encounter difficulties.
In this round there are two separate sections playing the same boards and the same movement. The only instructions given are where the set-up is different from that in the Mitchell Round.
C.1The HOWELLS
Each will be a 7 Table, 26 Board full Howell so that each player plays every other player. In the event Menu identify then as Howell and as Section A and Section B respectively
C.2.1To define the movement, Click on User (selected) so that only 7 Table Pairs events are shown, then select 13R Full Howell F35 SBU.