Awards, and Rating Systems

Awards System: A measurement of how many successes a player has had over time.

Rating System: A measurement of how well a player plays the game today.

Purpose of Awards System: Barry Crane 500, Life Master ranks, Player of Year, Ace of Clubs, ect.

Purpose of Rating System: Bracket KO’s and some Swiss. Flighted events like A/X, Gold Rush, Intermediate/Novice. Stratify events. We can also seed, every player, in National events.

By the way, since no one will remember their exact rating, we will need to enter our ACBL player number as well as our partner’s and team mate’s numbers into the bridge mates. No rating will ever be revealed. If you want, you will know where to go to find them.

I have never heard a complaint about the Masterpoint Awards System. Our editor, Paul Linxwiler, in the October, 2017 Bridge Bulletin, wrote a column, “How good are you at bridge”. In it he urges the creation of a rating system as well as keeping Masterpoints. Our CEO, Bahar Gidwani, is promoting “strength based ratings”. Many members have written to the editor detailing the unfair short comings of the Masterpoint Rating System.

Conventional wisdom is that we can not have a Chess like individual rating system. Chess is a game of individuals, and Bridge is a game of partnerships. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I believe that we can have a Chess like individual rating system, but only if we want it.

The biggest supporters of our game are often the biggest victims of our rating system. The players who love the game the most, play as often as they can. Over 20 or 30 years they accumulate thousands of Masterpoints while spending tens of thousands of dollars. Are they among the best players? Maybe. Are their partners and teammates excited about going to tournaments with them? Sometimes.

Chris Champion

Colorado Springs

How did Masterpoints become both an Awards System and a Rating system?