During the upcoming Big Apple Winter Regional, there are plenty of prestigious events for the pros. But equally important are games that attract newer players of all skill levels. The grass roots events such as Grand National Teams and North American Pairs cater to advanced and intermediate players. But how about true newcomers with under 100 masterpoints? Come play in the Countess Cup!
The Countess Cup is an all day event held annually during the New York winter regional. Both players in the pair must have under 100 masterpoints, and you play two sessions. Once at 10:30am, then lunch break, then again at 3pm. Winners will obtain red pigmented Masterpoints, signifying a victory at a regionally rated tournament. Last year the winning pair received 2.80 points. They also got a cool trophy!
For new players, this might be the best way to get a taste of 2-session events, meaning your score from the morning carries over to the afternoon. The intention is to reduce some of the luck factor in the game of duplicate bridge. With two sessions, the impact of any single board is lower. It also allows more pairs to face off against each other, reducing the chance of an imbalanced field (you tend to play against different people in the 2nd session). And as we all know, bridge can be very tiring and requires great stamina. Even the best players will see their game degrade after 48 straight boards.