The Tonči Radelja ICL is the BBO international online team championship established in 2004 by the late Tonči Radelja, a Croatian lecturer of mathematics at University of Beograd who loved the bridge and used it as a tool to become friends. So wrote Tonči several years ago:
"Think of this as a night in your local club: be friendly and
enjoy meeting old/new friends at the table"
Thereby, being friendly to our partner and opponents is the first and most important victory we can get here.
The first edition was won by Beograd; the most rewarded team is the Italian Ascoli Piceno, eight times winner; the title holder (Spring 2025) is Vienna, who defeated North London in the final.
To play, we need:
The name of the team. It must be the name of a town, no matter how small, but with a town council.
The name of the captain (BBO's and real name), and their email address.
There aren’t entry fees, but there are rich prizes: our fun and the opponents’ esteem for our sportsmanship.
The format is by round-robin and knock-out stages. The teams are divided in groups; the best ones of each group, usually about 50 per cent of the participants, will advance to the knock-out stage.
There aren’t limits to the number of players: each captain can line up as many players as he likes, but players that haven’t played the round robins shouldn't be employed in the knock-out stage, unless the team couldn't complete the foursome.
Matches must be played on Wednesdays at 21:00 Central Europe Time (CET), but captains should enter BBO at 20.45. This translates to 12:00 PM in San Francisco, 3:00 PM in New York, and 8:00 PM in London.
Time Zone Specifics:
CET vs. Non-CET: If one team is in a CET zone and the other is not, the start time remains 21:00 CET (for example, Italy vs. Egypt plays at 21:00 CET).
Different Non-CET Zones: The start time will be 21:00 in the local time zone closer to and later than CET.
Example 1: If Team A is CET+1 and Team B is CET+2 or later, the match starts at 21:00 in Team A's local time.
Example 2: If Team A is CET-1 (UK/Portugal) and Team B is CET+1 or later, the match starts at 21:00 CET.
Same Non-CET Zone: If both teams are in the same non-CET zone, they play at 21:00 in their local time.
Exceptions: Captains can agree to a different time or day, but displacements should be rare.
The matches are self-managed: the home team’s captain will meet the away team’s on BBO, and will set up the match. After the match, the home captain will send the result and the link to the hands to turbinazione@gmail.com. In the round robin the matches must be exactly sixteen boards; in the knock-out stage they must be exactly twenty-four. In the knock-out stage, in case of a tie, the winner will be the team which has won more boards (Board-A-Match criterion).
In case of tie after the BAM, in the knock-out stage before the final:
The teams will play other even number of board (2, 4, 6, etc up to 24, on captains’ agreement). If still tie after the agreed number of boards, the team who first will have won a board, will be winner of the match.
Example: The captains have agreed on, say, 16 more boards. After the 16 boards, the teams are still tie even in BAM criterion, but the team Alpha has won the third board after two ties. Alpha will be the winner of the match.
In case of tie after the BAM , in the final: both teams will be winners of that edition and will be registered as such.
The System Card (SC) isn’t compulsory, but fixed partnerships had better set it. Anyway, with or without SC, a pair might be asked to give information about their agreements, and in case of doubt they might be asked to use the ACBL Standard American Yellow Card (SAYC).
By default, the barometer is off; it can be allowed after captains’ agreement. The undo is on, but ask it only for true misclick; the distraction is a technical mistake which has to be paid for. In doubt, it’s advised to concede the undo, and after the match to inform us of the issue.
The kibitzers must be allowed, but silent. About this matter, read the Anti-cheating Policy after the paragraph Bidding System Policy. Also read the article published on Paul Gipson’s site (it is the official site of the tourney): the title of the article, as you will see on the home page, is, Kibitzers and cheaters, the actual problem.
Whatever system we are playing, it must be never forgotten that the first requisite of a bidding system is not to get better contracts, but to make itself clear to opponents by concise and accurate alerts and a plain System Card. If a system does fail to do this, it is for sure a wrong one, and no tourney in the world could allow it. In particular, systems are not allowed that require that opponents have to study them earlier, such as High Unusual Method (HUM) and Brown Stickers. Are also forbidden systems with conventional one-level openings by less than 11 HCPs or natural one-level openings by less than 8.
Aren't forbidden:
Natural suit opening, that is 1C, 1D, 1H, 1S, in the range 8-10 HCPs by at least four cards in the named suit;
Conventional Strong Club or Strong Diamond and its conventional responses and rebids;
8-10 HCPs 1NT opening (so called mini-1NT) with balanced hand;
Psychics. But frequent psychics are forbidden;
Multicolor and other conventional two-level openings.
Any methods permitted in an EBL Category 3 event (see the EBL System Policy)
During the match, it is strictly forbidden to consult our SC and notes on our system. We know that some big online organisations are allowing it on the ground that “... Being impossible to check it, let’s allow it...”. It is a mistake; there are signs like wrong alerts, suspicious undos, and unduly slowness in bidding, which reveal the violation.
Do not talk to your partner privately or to a kibitzer, but allow kibitzers. The Tŏnci Radelja Memorial should remain what it was intended to be: a competition between friends. An opportunity to play matches with other friendly players. We do not want people to look for possible cheating in every hand. We definitely do not want to limit kibitzing, as it is part of the fun. Furthermore, in IMP team matches, which require far greater technique than MP pair tourneys (Eric Rodwell, Bob Hamman, and many others say it), it is virtually impossible to cheat without being detected; it is only matter of time.
We study many hands even without allegations, and we take any allegations of cheating seriously, and we do analyse all hands. If we find evidence of foul play we will report it to BBO and to the competent national bridge organisation, besides ruling out the team.
For any question contact Turbin (BBO nickname of Paolo Enrico Garrisi), or write to Garrisi at turbinazione@gmail.com
21 July 2025 - Updated for the new season
22 March 2025 - corrected duplication typo
12 April 2025 - minor typo corrections