Kirwans Leagues Rules - September 2025.
The Kirwans Leagues are Dublin North Region’s major annual event.
They are Teams Competitions played over several months. There are
four independent Leagues, one each for Novices, Intermediate Bs,
Intermediate As and Masters.
Rules
1. All games will be played face to face in accordance with the Laws
of Duplicate Bridge.
2. Entries must be made by the club's secretary, to the relevant
League Coordinator, either directly or via the Regional Secretary.
3. Teams may use up to eight (8) players in a season. All players on
the team must be members of the Club entering the team, must be
affiliated members of the C.B.A.I. and must be of the correct
Grade.
4. It is preferable to name all members of the team, but at least four
(4) Players must be named on the Team application form.
5. No player may play in more than one Kirwans League Team,
either as a substantive member or as a substitute. If an unnamed
substitute is introduced to a team in a League in which there is
more than one section and the sections are seeded, the substitute
must conform to the seeding rules in place for the section in
question
6. At least 24 boards must be played in each match by Intermediate
A and Master Teams. In the Intermediate B & Novice Leagues,
20 boards is the acceptable minimum.
7. In the Masters’ League, all matches are played in a pre-
determined venue on a specified date as determined by the Master
League Co-ordinator. In all other leagues, the Home Captain
should arrange the dates and venues for each match, but both
Captains share responsibility for ensuring the matches are played.
Matches must be played by the dates specified by the League
Coordinator but can be played earlier by mutual agreement.
8. If a match is not played by the specified date and if the
responsibility for this is shared between the teams, both teams
score 0 VPs for that match. Where responsibility lies with one
team, that teams scores 0 VPs and the non-offending team is
awarded 12VPs or their average VP score for the entire league,
whichever is greater.
9. As soon as possible after each match, both Captains must inform
their League Co-ordinator of the results using the official results form.
These results will be independently checked. Captains must
also state exactly who played in each match.
10. If numbers warrant it, a League may be subdivided into 2 or
more sections, which may or may not be seeded. If there is more
than one section, there will be a playoff to determine the overall
winner of the League in question.
11. The overall results will be calculated using the continuous 20
Victory Point scale.
12. The Winners of each League will be awarded the Trophy and
will be invited to a prize giving celebration.
13. Master Points will be awarded to the individual players for all
matches won or drawn in the League. To earn such points, the
player concerned must have played in the match in question.
Additional Master Points will be awarded to the overall
Winning Team and Runners up. To qualify for these points, the
individual player in question must have played in at least one
match.
14. The Organising Committee has the final say in resolving
disputes.
Notes for League Co-Ordinators
a. You must check the results of every match. You may do this
personally or have an experienced Tournament Director do it on
your behalf. Where a discrepancy is discovered, you must call the
two captains involved to resolve the matter.
b. When calculating the number of VPs to award for any match, you
must check that you are using the correct IMP difference to VP
table for the number of boards played and that you use the
continuous scale (not the discrete scale). These scales are
available on the EBU website at: https://www.ebu.co.uk/laws-and-
ethics/vp-scales
c. You must keep a record of who actually played in each match to
allow the correct allocation of Master Points by the Regional
Secretary.
The Kirwans Leagues are Dublin North Region’s major annual event.
They are Teams Competitions played over several months. There are
four independent Leagues, one each for Novices, Intermediate Bs,
Intermediate As and Masters.
Rules
1. All games will be played face to face in accordance with the Laws
of Duplicate Bridge.
2. Entries must be made by the club's secretary, to the relevant
League Coordinator, either directly or via the Regional Secretary.
3. Teams may use up to eight (8) players in a season. All players on
the team must be members of the Club entering the team, must be
affiliated members of the C.B.A.I. and must be of the correct
Grade.
4. It is preferable to name all members of the team, but at least four
(4) Players must be named on the Team application form.
5. No player may play in more than one Kirwans League Team,
either as a substantive member or as a substitute. If an unnamed
substitute is introduced to a team in a League in which there is
more than one section and the sections are seeded, the substitute
must conform to the seeding rules in place for the section in
question
6. At least 24 boards must be played in each match by Intermediate
A and Master Teams. In the Intermediate B & Novice Leagues,
20 boards is the acceptable minimum.
7. In the Masters’ League, all matches are played in a pre-
determined venue on a specified date as determined by the Master
League Co-ordinator. In all other leagues, the Home Captain
should arrange the dates and venues for each match, but both
Captains share responsibility for ensuring the matches are played.
Matches must be played by the dates specified by the League
Coordinator but can be played earlier by mutual agreement.
8. If a match is not played by the specified date and if the
responsibility for this is shared between the teams, both teams
score 0 VPs for that match. Where responsibility lies with one
team, that teams scores 0 VPs and the non-offending team is
awarded 12VPs or their average VP score for the entire league,
whichever is greater.
9. As soon as possible after each match, both Captains must inform
their League Co-ordinator of the results using the official results form.
These results will be independently checked. Captains must
also state exactly who played in each match.
10. If numbers warrant it, a League may be subdivided into 2 or
more sections, which may or may not be seeded. If there is more
than one section, there will be a playoff to determine the overall
winner of the League in question.
11. The overall results will be calculated using the continuous 20
Victory Point scale.
12. The Winners of each League will be awarded the Trophy and
will be invited to a prize giving celebration.
13. Master Points will be awarded to the individual players for all
matches won or drawn in the League. To earn such points, the
player concerned must have played in the match in question.
Additional Master Points will be awarded to the overall
Winning Team and Runners up. To qualify for these points, the
individual player in question must have played in at least one
match.
14. The Organising Committee has the final say in resolving
disputes.
Notes for League Co-Ordinators
a. You must check the results of every match. You may do this
personally or have an experienced Tournament Director do it on
your behalf. Where a discrepancy is discovered, you must call the
two captains involved to resolve the matter.
b. When calculating the number of VPs to award for any match, you
must check that you are using the correct IMP difference to VP
table for the number of boards played and that you use the
continuous scale (not the discrete scale). These scales are
available on the EBU website at: https://www.ebu.co.uk/laws-and-
ethics/vp-scales
c. You must keep a record of who actually played in each match to
allow the correct allocation of Master Points by the Regional
Secretary.