Master Points Rules

1. Master Points (MPs)

The aim of Master Points is to endeavour to indicate the true worth of a player. MPs won years ago are, therefore, worth less than those MPs won more recently. In other words, the capital of MPs of a player must diminish and, if not added to by new successes, will tend to disappear.

2. Placing Points (PPs)

On the other hand, the Placing Points represent the CAREER of a player. Therefore, the PPs won years ago have the same value as those won more recently. Thus the PPs do not diminish but continue to accumulate.

3. Senior Points (SPs)

These are awarded for Senior events only and a separate ranking is recorded. The titles are qualified slightly differently as well.

4. Titles

From Montreal 2002 ALL titled players will now keep their titles for life.

5. Open and Women's Events

The MPs won in the Open events and those won in the events reserved for women will be subject to different rankings and will appear in two separate lists. If a women wins MPs or PPs in an Open event these points will appear as Open Masterpoints against her name, so a Woman can own an Open title.

6. Mixed Events

In a mixed event men taking part will be awarded Open Master Points whilst Women taking part will be awarded Women Master Points.

6. Senior Events

Senior ranking with Senior titles is based on SPs accumulated from Senior events only. SPs won in Senior events will only go to this ranking and not to the Women or Open rankings.

There is a separate ranking for Seniors titles, and these scales are below. Seniors events do not attract Placing Points.

7. Senior Titles

Start up of the 'Bernasconi' System (1992 - onwards)

A new total of MPs for each player was established. This new total took into account only those MPs won during the last twelve years (from 1981 to 1992 inclusive). The total was then multiplied by ten. This multiplication is used in order to enlarge the scope of the MPs and enable other tournaments to be endowed with MPs. On the other hand, the PPs total will take into account all the results. The title of WGM and WLM obtained through the previous system will be maintained.

Evolution of the 'Bernasconi' System

At the end of each year the total MPs for each player will be reduced by 15% (obviously the MPs won that year are not touched). The end of a ‘Master Point year’ coincides with the beginning of the WBF World Championship each year. Given that fractions of MPs do not exist, a system of ‘rounding-out’ will be used:

If a player’s total number of MPs becomes less than 3, it will be considered to equal zero. The rankings will normally be established firstly according to the MPs and then according to the PPs. Any objections will normally only be accepted during the current Master Point year.

Determining whether a team has won or drawn is based on their VP score and not their IMP score.

Clarification of how ranking from 4th downwards is arrived at for team events.

It was agreed that for events with a complete round robin that the final round robin ranking would be used to arrive at positions from 5th downwards.

When qualified for QF the losing teams have the same number of points – i.e. 5 – 8

Clarification of the one-third qualifying rule for team events in the case of a team conceding

If we assume team A is playing team B and team B concedes. Then the one third rule will not apply to team A and all players are deemed to have played the correct number of boards for that round. If any players in team B have not played sufficient boards to qualify for Masterpoints for that round then they will not be awarded these.

Special Conditions for Team Matches

In team events, in order to qualify for the MPs and PPs won by the team, a player must have played a certain percentage of the total number of hands played by his team.

a)	Tournament consisting only of a Round Robin: A player must have played at least one-third of the hands played by his team
b)	Tournament consisting of a Round Robin followed by semifinals and final: The player must have played at least one-third of the hands played by the team in the round robin. In addition:
		For first place: At least one-third of the total number of hands in the final and one third of the total number of hands semifinal.
		For second place: At least one-third of the total number of hands in the final and one third of the total number of hands semifinal.
		For third place: At least one-third of the hands in the play-off.
c)	Tournaments consisting of a Round Robin followed by quarterfinals, semifinals and final: A player must have played at least one-third of the hands played by the team in the round robin. In addition:
		For first place: At least one-third of the total number of hands in the final, semifinals and quarterfinals combined. At least one-third of the hands in the final.
		For second place: At least one-third of the hands played in the semifinal and the quarterfinal combined. At least one-third of the hands in the semifinal.
		For third place (in case of a play-off): At least one-third of the total number of hands in the play-off and quarterfinal combined.
		For fourth place: At least one-third of the hand sin the quarterfinal.

In order to qualify for the title of World Champion the conditions are the same as those needed to qualify for the MPs for first place.

If the total number of hands played is not divisible by three, the exact number of hands required must be specified in the Conditions of Contest relating to the tournament, which may in any case make special provision for masterpoint awards for individual events.

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