Welcome from the Tournament Chair

On behalf of the Tournament Committee and the District 4 and Unit 141 Boards of Directors, I would like to welcome you to the 2018 Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge. The 2018 Tournament Committee is introducing several new features. There is a new Bracketed Swiss-KO format for all four-session knockouts, where teams are placed in brackets that are more equitable, and each bracket will play a two-session Round Robin or Swiss to qualify four teams for the next day’s KO phase. No more one and done KO sessions – all teams that enter play two-sessions on the qualifying day. There are Mid-Flight and 3-strat Gold Rush events every day. The Philadelphia Regional at Valley Forge also is participating in the ACBL’s PurplePass experiment and will accept credit cards for entry payment (charges will appear on your statement as PurplePass). Additionally, the Philadelphia Regional will sell advance entry vouchers (good only for this Regional) so you can buy your entries for the week at one time. For more details, check out the full Welcome and Information Bulletin on the tournament website.

The tournament’s daytime events will operate on a 10:30PM & 3:00PM schedule with nighttime “speedball” events starting at 7:30PM on Tuesday – Saturday night. There is a free continental breakfast served every morning, and a free lunch on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between sessions. No Philadelphia Regional would be complete without the eponymous Philly Dupli-Swiss (where everyone plays the same hands to create a fairer event) on Thursday and Sunday. The Sweet Hospitality Suite (Room 806) will offer free beer wine, snacks and desserts nightly from 9:00 to 11:00.

There is an extensive I/N program and speaker series including a free lesson and relaxed game for 0 – 20 players on Monday afternoon. As always, full time students play.

The Philadelphia Regional Tournament Committee is committed to providing the best player and playing experience possible. District 4’s Zero Tolerance and Fragrance and Scent policies (found at www.district4.info) will be strictly enforced.

If you need any assistance, have any complaints, suggestions or comments, just want to introduce yourself or discuss your partner’s mistakes with a sympathetic ear, feel free to contact me or any of the Tournament Volunteers who will be wearing big ASK ME signs. Above all, be nice and have fun.

Meyer Kotkin

Tournament Chair