Herve Lustman, pseudo zmud99, with the head of FFBBO
Dany: Hello Herve. Your your pseudo BBO, surname Lustman: zmud99.
To answer thank you in advance my questions about the new French site of play in line which must be born at the beginning of February 2007.
I summarize what I believed to include/understand:
This site will be opened with all (French or not) and it will be free. No obligation to be laid off with the Federation.
The only difference with BBO is that the French will be the official language and the system of bidding generally adopted will be the French system. Is this exact?
Herve: yes exact. Not great differences with the current BBO but a French specificity. I contacted you because one knew oneself already. At the beginning the project was worked out by Domenica Portal (1) and Jean Paul Meyer (2). Like it was not elected with the Presidency of the F.F.B, the project was taken again by Jean-Paul Meyer (2), discuss again and negotiate with Fred Gitelman
Dany: Which other great differences will be there (if there is) between the current BBO and the French site?
Herve: a priori not of great differences but a place inevitably more restricted, therefore more convivial where it will be easier to regulate the problems, whatever they are, while addressing themselves to me or to the yellows which will be present and be used as relay. The starting principle is the same one but can evolve/move constantly and more easily to adapt to the request. If you or of the actors of BBO wish to see modifications, have ideas, dream with innovations impossible to formulate or set up on BBO, one can discuss and see of it whether that is possible to adapt to the French site.
Dany: Then, its name? FFBBO as did specify it Yves Aubry or ffbridgenligne as Mauris Panis announced it?
Herve: The logo is ready and the name of FFBBO seems to us for the moment to correspond more has the spirit of the platform
Dany: Who will direct it? In the roles of Fred Gitelman, Uday, Inquiry etc…
Herve: For the moment I am all alone. I am employed by the Federation and hopes to devote the maximum of time to it that I will be able. I intend to name “yellow” or “yellow”, on the same principle as BBO, which will be there to assist to me, to inform people, them to help, in short people who will want to invest themselves
Dany: Is this indiscreet to ask you your age?
Your course?
Your exact role currently within BBO?
Herve: I am 40 years old. I was interested in the bridge during my studies. I belonged to the team of France Juniors. Then I put myself at the golf, I travelled much. I worked with the Méditerrannée Club. I went back to the bridge, I knew BBO and re-examined Bénédicte Cronier and others which I knew. Claude Dadoun made rowed and there was the idea to cover Monte Carlo then the international competitions. I am thus an operator of Vugraph and employee by the World Federation to cover the great appointments like the Championships of the World. I continue the competitions of bridge. I am 1st Pique series. And now I am charged by the French Federation of this punt forms play FFBBO.
Dany: New “the yellow”, how they be called will?
Who will they be?
Herve: That remains to be seen, to discuss. But I will name new “yellows”, people like you for example, yes surely you and others which will want really to be invested. One is not “yellow” for saying to have a title but for really devoting time to the correct operation of the site.
Dany: Will the payment be strictly that of BBO or a specific payment it will be set up?
Differences?
Who will be charged to make apply this payment?
Will the sanctions, in the event of failure, be they the same ones as on BBO?
Herve: yes on the principle the payment will be the same one, I will be charged to make it apply, the sanctions will be equivalent. However it will be easier than on BBO to announce the problems because there will be no more the barrier of the language and today one always does not manage to obtain an answer to put questions.
Dany: Will there be tournaments on the same principle as currently on BBO? I.e. “independent” TD which have a permanent authorization to organize tournaments when good seem them and with a whole autonomy?
These authorizations will be transported they on the new site or will be necessary T it to remake the request of it?
Herve: Of course there will be tournaments on the same principle that currently and all the TD will be encouraged to continue. You will be able to organize there your Gogo’ S Bowl and all the other competitions gogos. And well of others still. I will contact the TD and all those which organize animations. On my side I will also set up tournaments, individual tournaments kind with champions, i.e. no matter who falling under this individual tournament will have the possibility and the chance to play for one give or two with a real champion of bridge. (3)
Dany: There will be T also private clubs?
So yes the authorizations will be they automatically taken back or re-examined?
Herve: yes your Private Club will be able to continue to exist on FFBBO, just as those existing and others, for example of Presidents de Club of bridge which will want a space with them.
I also hope to assemble a forum, like there is for BBO, but that there will be more accessible French bus. One will be able to put questions there, to make suggestions, etc… and to make there evolve/move the site with the request. There can be things of which I do not think and which are finally realizable and on the other hand to think that others are interesting but could be abandoned.
Dany: Will the presentation of the site be strictly identical? (color, its etc.)
So not, can one have, ahead first a photograph (captures screen)?
Herve: Yes, all will be identical. Can be a light difference in the colors. But all can be regulated. No notable change.
Dany: Will the principle of the profile where each one registered what it believes or what it hopes for of its level of play be the same one? Will you be based on the national classification so that it is in agreement with the posted level?
If so, how that will it occur T for not classified and not laid off to fédé?
Herve: I thought of a “code color”. The players who are affiliated with the French Federation and which wish it, return their number of licence, and their real level appears, without dispute. For not classified, the nonaffiliated ones and for those which do not wish it, the posted levels would remain “neutral”, i.e. those which they are currently on BBO, but without guarantee. However I will like nevertheless that the “expert” title cannot be adapted without proof and I will reserve myself can be the right to give the authorization of it.
In fact nothing is yet fixed on this question, as about the others.
Dany: In last May, Maurice Panis had spoken about an internal classification. Yves Aubry said to me in his last mail that there was no change with the preliminary draft. But in do your email you say that there will not be? What happenhappen does? Project of classification abandoned or given to later?
Herve: In fact, that fact can have left the small differences between 1st and the 2nd project. It was envisaged at the beginning an internal classification but I am not sure that it is desirable with the limits that one knows, in particular on the level of the cheating. That arrives unfortunately sometimes in simple tournaments or competitions without stake (we had had to solve together a problem of this kind at the time of a Gogos competition) then I fear that a classification interns is inciting with skids. However the bridge players like to be evaluated. Then, can be the solution is in classifications which could relate to only individual tournaments. To see too.
Now, it is easier to solve the problems of cheating on Internet than in reality where it is necessary to reconstitute the phases of play. There all is recorded, bidding and each chart posed. With long, about several hands, one has an idea quickly….
Dany: Will there be a calendar of vugraph and the retransmissions will be they primarily French competitions?
Herve: Yes, as I said it to you there will be a forum of discussion and also a calendar of the vugraph where all the retransmissions will be announced, on the principle of BBO.
There will be the principal national finales but also rowed international competitions.
The principle is that currently on BBO there is an open English room and a room closed in French (when they are competitions with French players) and there the 2 rooms are with French comments, but with commentators chosen, sorted, qualified…
One can all consider. Finales inter-clubs, why not the final of Gogo’ S Bowl in vugraph, once again it will be according to the request, to discuss with actors BBO, the Presidents of Clubs, etc…
Dany: Which is the interest for the Federation to assemble such a site? Doesn’t that go against the interest of the Clubs?
Herve: I am charged to manage this punt forms play and I cannot answer the place of the Federation on the possible interest. But it is in the facts that the bridge players like and will like more and more to play on line for all the reasons and advantages which one knows. The Federation thinks that inevitably a player practising the play on line, if it has the taste of the competition, will join at one time or the another clubs where are practised the true competition.
Dany: How much did this site cost the FFB? (Various Purchase or rights)
Which will be operating expenses?
Will there be permanent employees? How much?
How to deaden the expenses? Sales of software, pub, sponsor?
Does a rumour speak about the purchase for 7000 euros with Fred Gitelman?
Herve: 7000 euros? at all!
In fact there were 2 projects and it is what delayed as I explained it to you.
In 1st, it was a question of buying the rights (but not for this amount) or to have the free site but by transferring in Fred Gitelman a percentage of the possible benefit on paying tournaments for example. We would have had our own shelterer, completely independent, and would have assured management and maintenance, short autonomous completion. This project was about fixed. It is Domenica Portal who had set up it.
After the elections with the FFB, it was modified, therefore renegotiated with Fred. It is Jean-Paul Meyer who took again the project.
As it was not any more question of paying tournaments, therefore more percentages on the receipts, it was necessary to pay the work of Fred differently.
It was negotiated that an amount of 2000 dollars per month (approximately 1500 euros) would be paid by the Federation with Fred. They lodge the site in Las Vegas and maintenance and the possible engineering changes ensure some. Uday will be there where necessary to answer our waitings and to take care, as on BBO, with its good walk.
Finally more economic than to pay a shelterer, a data processing specialist etc… They have the knowledge to make already, therefore a better comfort for us. Moreover one should be able to deaden these loads by the sale of the products shop of the University of the bridge: books, software, etc. , and by some publicities and sponsors like there is already on BBO and which are not awkward whole for the players.
It will be thus, at lower cost, a beautiful tool at the disposal of all: clubs and players.
Dany: Large French players will it give paying courses to it? It is a question which was asked to me by a gogo which, not having found of French doing that on BBO was addressed to foreign players.
Herve: It is not envisaged. There are teachers of which it is work, but one can all consider. They are questions to study.
Thank you Herve, infinitely, in the name of Gogosbridgeurs, to have answered my questions.
• Notes of french_dan:
1 – Domenica Portal: 1st vice President of the FFB under the mandate of Maurice Panic grass and in charge with the development and the communication
2 – Jean-Paul Meyer: yesterday Captain of the male team and today Secretary-general of the federation
3 – The gogos already organized this kind of tournaments to 2 or 3 recoveries with the Club of the Stars. But they were tournaments per pairs where the spangled ones played between them counters pairs of gogos.
