Tournament Formats

A number of open tournaments (in which anyone can play) are held by ETwA and NATwA on an approximately annual basis. These fall in a few categories:

Singles' tournaments

Games of two players are contested (players do not have a partner).

Fixed pairs' tournaments

Games of four players are contested (players keep the same partner all tournament).

Individual pairs' tournaments

Games of four players are contested; partnerships change for each game, so the tournament is one by a single player. This format increases the chance to socialise with a larger number of other players, and means that tournament results are not biased by having an exceptionally strong or weak partner - novices can see the difference to their own tournament outcomes, and experts are unlikely to be frustrated by losing repeatedly with the same weaker partner. However, it does mean that a novice is thrust into a crowd of strangers (however friendly) and there's no continuum of teaching.

Team competitions

The players form teams for the duration of the tournament; games are typically of four players.

Non-handicapped competitions

Tournament scores are accumulated by adding the game points scored in each game.

Handicapped competitions

Players are assigned handicaps based on their expertise (typically by World Rating, although the detail varies) and the resulting values are used to compute a handicap-adjusted score. The total of the handicap-adjusted scores then determines the tournament winners.

Regular open tournaments include:

The ETwA National Singles

A prestigious non-handicapped singles' tournament, the winner of which gains a challenge on the World Singles trophy. There are normally qualifying leagues followed by an all-play-all final, meaning that players must commit to attending the entire weekend. See the results page for past winners. The National Singles does not afford much opportunity to give advice during a game, and slow games may delay the tournament, so it is probably the least suitable tournament for new players (also your opponents will be trying, so you'll probably lose every game heavily, which can be a bit dispiriting).

There is a new Geoff Thorpe (ETwA National Novices' Singles) trophy contested alongside the qualifying rounds of the National Singles, deliberately designed to give new players something to do. This has been contested as an individual pairs tournament (without handicapping), and so includes much more opportunity for learning the game, and it was not necessary to play every round. When participants were going to be present in every round, this trophy has also been contested as a singles' tournament in its own right.

There is typically a ("losers'") Plate competition held on the second day of the National Singles, partly for the benefit of those eliminated during qualifying, but open to all comers. This is a handicapped individual pairs, not taken too seriously (at least by experienced players) and a good opportunity to partner experts against other novices. It is not necessary to play in every game.

The ETwA National Pairs

A prestigious non-handicapped fixed pairs' tournament, the winners of which gain a challenge on the World Pairs trophy. Due to the reduced number of games compared with the Singles', this tournament is (in recent years) most commonly played as an all-play-all, so pairs need to be available for the duration of the tournament. Since novices may find an experienced player to partner, this tournament provides a better teaching opportunity than the Singles, and may result in closer matches for a novice - however, it's still fairly serious and has somewhat limited time to accommodate slow games, so those who have never lifted a squidger may not find it suitable. See the results page for past winners.

The NATwA National Singles

A prestigious non-handicapped singles' tournament, the winner of which gains a challenge on the World Singles trophy. Attendance is typically lower than at the ETwA tournament, but the standard of the players who do attend is very high. See the results page for past winners.

The NATwA National Pairs

A prestigious non-handicapped pairs' tournament, the winners of which gain a challenge on the World Pairs trophy. Attendance is typically lower than at the ETwA tournament, but the standard of the players who do attend is very high. See the results page for past winners.

The ETwA Teams of Four

A handicapped teams' competition. Due to the handicapping, expert players typically seek out relative novices as partners, making this very novice-friendly so long as availability for the entire event is possible.

The ETwA National Handicapped Individual Pairs

A handicapped individual pairs' (duh) tournament, designed as a (typically) one-day tournament to be friendly to novices. It's possible to drop out of the tournament part way through without messing up the draw, and to win without playing in every round.

The Cambridge Open

A non-handicapped individual pairs' tournament hosted by Cambridge University early in the calendar year, coinciding with their Club Dinner. It's possible (and common) to miss some games, and to win without playing in every round. This tournament is very novice-friendly, and not usually taken too seriously by the participants.

The London Open

A one-day non-handicapped fixed pairs' tournament typically held in or near London during the summer. This tournament is typically an all-play-all, meaning attendees need to be available for the whole day, but otherwise fairly relaxed.

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