Who is playing the game?

I'm not in Brighton so am not playing in the Swiss Pairs this weekend, but I am following the progress of some the aliens down on the south coast.

The format of the weekend seems fairly rare and I've not seen it in my travels. Peculiarly British perhaps? It is a matchpointed competition over fourteen matches of eight boards. Your percentage in each match is scored across your section and converted to victory points on the 20-0 scale, so 50% will be a 10-10 VP draw and I think you need about 70% for 20-0 VP. After each round you are drawn against opponents who are on a similar VP score.

Even though I don't play matchpoints often, it's not the Swiss format that I prefer. In a long competition I don't see why you are devaluing scores over 70% and overvaluing scores under 30%.  I prefer the format where every board counts and the Swiss element is retaining by playing pairs who have a similar matchpoint score.

Anyhow, everyone has played three matches and I can find the following aliens in the standings (and apologies to anyone I've missed):

• 29=  Sarah Dunn* & David Ewart* - 45 VP
• 29=  Anne Rosen* & Neil Rosen* - 45 VP
• 40=  Brian Spears & Paul Barton - 42 VP
• 66=  Robert Clow & Anthony Bates - 38 VP
• 74=  Tim Rees* & Jenny Cooper - 37 VP
• 74=  106 Lynton Stock* & Victor Silverstone - 37 VP
• 115=  Tim McKay & Andrew Symons - 33 VP
• 154=  James McMahon & Jim Forsyth - 29 VP
• 154=  Anna St Clair & Dee Harley - 29 VP
• 162=  Laura Porro & Luca Marietti*  - 28 VP
• 199=  Fiona Greenwood & Anne Perkins  - 24 VP
• 208=  Janet Barnes & Nigel Guthrie  - 23 VP
• 226=  Helen McEwing & Ivan Bruce - 21 VP

*not currently eligible to play for Scotland

I notice a number of international and Premier League players well below all the Scots at the moment, so there is plenty of time for everyone to stride up the table.

Last year there were 358 pairs (a rise of six on 2010). This year there are 290 pairs. There are a number of valid reasons for the fall. The World Bridge Games in Lille has taken a number of players, both British and foreign, and the final weekend of the Olympics will have kept some away. The economy is not in great shakes but probably no worse than this time last year, but I'm sure the EBU will be disappointed with the numbers and hoping for more to turn up next weekend.

Results are available on the EBU website.