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Australian Team Selection and Playoff Qualifying Points (PQP) for the Year 2000Updated November 30, 1999
Declaration of Eligibility, July 10, 2000
HISTORICAL | ALLOCATION OF PQP | MISCELLANEOUS
For many years Australian teams were selected by Butler Pairs (the Trials). The first 3 pairs formed the Australian team. An objection to this was that automatic selection sometimes resulted in real or perceived incompatibility within the team.
The next version of the selection procedure involved the use of results from certain ABF teams championships to form a panel of (usually) 4 teams to contest a Playoff. Originally, the events chosen were the NOT/NWT (first and second), the Open and Women's Spring Nationals and the Open and Women's Butlers. A system called Jacob's Ladder was used to determine the format of the Playoff. The main objection to this procedure was the concept of "poisoning". Pairs that had qualified from more than one event with different teammates were, of course, obliged to choose in which team they would contest the Playoff. The remaining members of the team that they had abandoned in exercising that choice were deemed to be "poisoned". This often resulted in the loss of Playoff rights. The most frequent unwitting victims of poisoning were placegetters in the Butler Pairs. This had the effect of diminishing the significance of what was a very important event in the ABF tournament calendar. Moreover, it was found impossible to construct regulations that dealt equitably with the victims of poisoning. It was imperative to find a better method.
After some experimentation, the prototype of the current procedure for determining the composition of teams to contest the Playoff was put in place in 1992 and used for the 1993 Playoffs. It was based on the award of Playoff Qualifying Points (PQP) for high placings in ABF events. The players formed themselves into teams. The 4 teams comprising players who had accumulated the highest total number of points made up the field for the Playoff. At the time, a questionnaire was circulated to 50 leading players. Of the 25 responses, 24 considered the structure to have merit and suggested various amendments. The essential structure that exists today stems from a debate held in 1995. Refinements continue to be made.
For the purpose of awarding PQP, there are 3 categories of qualifying event, viz. major events that are of long duration (which earn the winners about 60 PQP each), sub-major (about 36 PQP) and minor (about 20 PQP). Teams events tend to be worth more than pairs events. Some adjustments are made from time to time as the nature of the qualifying events change.
National Open Teams/National Women's Teams
These are the premier teams events and earn the most PQP: 1st 60 (for each player in the team irrespective of whether the team has 4, 5 or 6 members), 2nd 30, =3rd 15. In addition, the winners of the South-West Pacific Teams (the Swiss component of the NOT) and of the NWT Swiss get 15 PQP or however many they win in the finals of the NOT/NWT, whichever is the higher.
Butler Pairs
These are the premier pairs events: 1st gets 55 PQP, 2nd 50 PQP, 3rd 45 PQP, 4th 30 PQP, 5th 25 PQP, 6th 20 PQP.
Gold Coast Teams/Autumn National Teams/Spring National Open Teams/ Spring National Women's Teams
Each of these is a sub-major event and is worth 36 PQP to the winners and 18 PQP for second.
ANC (Interstate) Teams
This sub-major event has been reduced in value because the field is not as deep as in other sub-major events. Each player at the ANC who represents a State in the Interstate Teams automatically receives 6 PQP. The winners receive a further 24 PQP (making a total of 30) and second gets 9 PQP (15 altogether).
Grand National Teams
This is the other sub-major qualifying event that has been down-graded slightly to take account of the relative unevenness of the final field. Winners get 30 PQP, second place-getters 15 PQP.
Victor Champion Cup
When the present structure of the PQP was initiated in 1995, the VCC was a pairs event that attracted a disappointing field. Thus, it was categorised as a minor event with a low PQP rating. It is now a successful teams event but differs from other teams qualifying events in that the result is determined by a Swiss format without the play of a final. Several changes to the PQP allocation for the VCC have been made since 1995 and awards are now: 1st 30 PQP, 2nd 20 PQP, 3rd 15 PQP. Today, the VCC has a strong field and great depth. Its upgrading to sub-major status equivalent to the ANT etc., with corresponding increase in PQP awards, is imminent.
Hans Rosendorff Memorial Teams
This is an event for women and is categorised as a minor event. It has a relatively small field comprised mainly of Western Australian players. Winners receive 20 PQP, second placegetters 8 PQP.
Australian Swiss Pairs
The ASP is Tasmania's qualifying event and has a considerable interstate entry. The awards are: 1st 20 PQP, 2nd 15PQP, 3rd 10PQP, 4th 5 PQP.
Gold Coast Pairs
This is the most recent addition to the list of minor qualifying events. It is match-pointed pairs. The awards are: 1st 20 PQP, 2nd 15PQP, 3rd 10PQP, 4th 5 PQP.
The Golden West
This match-pointed pairs event was originally included in the list in order to provide an opportunity for male players in Western Australia to win PQP without travelling interstate. The size and quality of the field has fallen away in recent years. The Golden West will be removed from the list of qualifying event as from 2000. In 1999 the awards will be: 1st 15 PQP, 2nd 10 PQP, 3rd 5 PQP.
Bonus Points
Women who win PQP in open events have those points added to PQP that they are allocated for Women's events.
The Selection Panel
Selection panels of at least 48 (Open and Women) are formed from those players who have won 15 or more PQP (Open) or 6 or more PQP (Women). The 15-PQP threshold may be reduced if it is necessary to do so in order to obtain a panel of the required size. Winning an event ensures a player a place on the panel.
Players on the panel may form themselves into teams and submit an entry for the Playoff. The entry must comprise 2 (team of 4) or 3 (team of 6) designated partnerships. To be eligible for the Playoff, players forming a designated partnership must have won PQP together as members of a playing unit, i.e. as a pair in a PQP pairs event or as teammates in a PQP teams event. Players in a team are ranked according to the number of PQP they hold. Points a player has won as a member of a playing unit not including the other member of the player's designated partnership are devalued by 50%. In ranking a team entry for the Playoff, the only points counted are those held by its 4 highest ranked players. The top teams, usually 3 or 4 depending on circumstances, are invited to contest the Playoff.
Other Matters
Members of the Australian team at the Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup and Olympiad (BB/VC/O), or the Pacific Asia Bridge Federation (PABF) championships in non-BB/VC/O years, are included on the panel at the minimum PQP threshold but the allocation is dispensatory and cannot be used to augment PQP awarded to the player in other events. Members of an Australian team that places PABF 1 or BB/VC/O 1, 2, 3 or 4 are included on the panel with 30 PQP; this allocation is absolute and added to other PQP awarded to the players.
An Australian team that places BB/VC/O 1, 2, 3 or 4 has automatic entitlement as a full team to a place in the following Playoff.
Members of the Australian teams at the 1999 BB/VC will be allocated 15 PQP to compensate for their requirement to represent Australia in Bermuda in January 2000 (thus missing the NOT/NWT; this allocation is absolute and added to other PQP awarded to the players.
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