Bud Hinckley’s ACBLscore External Files For Duplicate Bridge Games

If you download any of the ACBLscore game movement files in the far left column, you may want to change the file name to start with a special character so it appears at the top of the external movement list in ACBLscore. You will find reference to filenames starting with “%” because the file names I used started with “%” but I had to remove that special character to allow it to be accessible on this webpage.

Extra information about how these files were created and attributes of each type of movement can be found following the table below.

ACBLscore External File (MOV)	Guide Cards (PDF)	BridgeMats (PS)	Description (docx)	Tables	Rds	Bds/ Rd	Boards Played	Share	Stat. Pairs	Information
HOWELLS These movements have one extra stationary pair but one less round
H040624	H040624	H040624		3 ½ 4	6	4	20 24	Y	2	4 table Howell, one less round, extra stationary pair, 24 boards instead of 28 boards played in a full Howell
H050824	H050824	H050824		4 ½ 5	8	3	21 24	Y	2	5 table Howell, one less round, extra stationary pair, 24 boards instead of 27 boards played in a full Howell
H0609N	H0609N	H0609N		5 ½ 6	9	3	24 27	N	3	6 table Howell, all three stationary pairs play NS throughout, put best pairs at Table 1, Table 6, and 4EW so they will all play each other
HESITATION MITCHELLS Moving pairs play North-South at Table 1 before continuing the normal East-West progression
HE0506	HE0506	HE0506	HE0506	4 ½ 5	6	4	20 24	N	4	Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Table 1 Pairs move EW5 > EW1 > NS1 > EW2 > EW3
HE0607	HE0607	HE0607	HE0607	5 ½ 6	7	4	24 28	Y	5	Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Table 1 Pairs move EW6 > EW1 > NS1 > EW2 > EW3
HE0708	HE0708	HE0708	HE0708	6 ½ 7	8	3	21 24	N	6	Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Table 1 Pairs move EW7 > EW1 > NS1 > EW2 > EW3
HE0809	HE0809 HE0809-T1T2	HE0809	HE0809	7 ½ 8	9	3	24 27	Y	7	Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Table 1 Pairs move EW8 > EW1 > NS1 > EW2 > EW3
HE1112	HE1112 HE1112-T1	HE1112	HE1112	10 ½ 11	12	2	22 24	N	10	Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Table 1 Pairs move EW11 > EW1 > NS1 > EW2 > EW3
HE1213	HE1213 HE1213-T1T2	HE1213	HE1213	11 ½ 12	13	2	24 26	Y	11	Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Table 1 Pairs move EW12 > EW1 > NS1 > EW2 > EW3
DOUBLE HESITATION MITCHELLS After moving pairs play East-West at the highest numbered table, they play at North-South at Table 2 and the highest numbered table.
DHE0507	DHE0507 DHE0507-T2T5	DHE0507	DHE0507	4 ½ 5	7	4	24 28	N	3	Double Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Tables 2 and 5, Pairs move EW4 > EW5 > NS2 > NS7 > EW1 > EW2
DHE0709	DHE0709 DHE0709-T2T7	DHE0709	DHE0709	6 ½ 7	9	3	24 27	N	5	Double Hesitation Mitchell, Pivot Tables 2 and 7, Pairs move EW6 > EW7 > NS2 > NS7 > EW1 > EW2
APPENDIX MITCHELLS Contrary to tradition, East-West pairs play at Table 1, sit out, then play at Table 2. Tables 1 and 2 share boards. (Traditionally, Table 1 and the highest numbered table would share boards and the East-West sit-out occurs after playing at the highest numbered table.)
APPM105	APPM105 APPM105-T1T2	APPM105	APPM105	10 ½	9	3	24 27	Y	10	Appendix Mitchell EW10 > EW1 > sit out > EW2 > EW3
APPM145	APPM145 APPM145-T1T2	APPM145	APPM145	14 ½	13	2	24 26	Y	14	Appendix Mitchell EW14 > EW1 > sit out > EW2 > EW3
WEB MITCHELLS Two boards sets required. Allows all players to play the same 26 or 27 boards and avoids players missing several of the boards in play.
WEB1009	WEB1009	WEB1009	WEB1009	9 ½ 10	9	3	24 27	N	10	Web Mitchell, two board sets 1-27 used
WEB1109	WEB1109	WEB1109	WEB1109	10 ½ 11	9	3	24 27	N*	11	Web Mitchell, two board sets 1-27 used * Round 5 T10 & T11 share boards 13-15
WEB115ER	WEB115ER	WEB115ER	WEB115ER	11 ½	9	3	24 27	N*	11	Web Mitchell, two board sets 1-27 used * Round 5 T10 & T11 share boards 13-15
WEB1209	WEB1209	WEB1209	WEB1209	11 ½ 12	9	3	24 27	N	12	Web Mitchell, two board sets 1-27 used
WEB1413	WEB1413	WEB1413	WEB1413	13 ½ 14	13	2	24 26	N	14	Web Mitchell, two board sets 1-26 used
12 TABLE 12x2 2-BYE MITCHELL TO AVOID BOARD SHARING A 12-table bye stand relay allows all boards to be played by all pairs with no pairs missed. If you strongly dislike sharing two boards per round, you can use the two bye stand movement below at the expense of four boards being missed.
M12-2BYE	M12-2BYE	M12-2BYE	M12-2BYE	12	12	2	24	N	12	Two bye stands and no board sharing with 28 boards in play.
6 ½ OR 7 TABLE 7x2 “MITCHELL” THEN 6x2 “MITCHELL” (ONE WINNER, ALL PAIRS SIT OUT TWO BOARDS) Boards 1-14 played in first 7 rounds. Prior to playing Boards 15-28 in Rounds 8-13, 7NS (who must be mobile) moves to 1EW, Pair 14 moves to 7NS, and other EW pairs move up 2 tables (one past their starting table). Play against 8 of 13 pairs. Prefer 7EW (Pair 14) be the phantom if 6 ½ tables, so Table 7 would be a second half sit-out table. Two early rounds arrow switched at Tables 1-6 (Rounds 3-4 for Tables 1,3,5; Rounds 5-6 for Tables 2,4,6).
H2M0713	H2M0713	H2M0713	H2M0713	6 ½ 7	13	2	24 26	N	6	One winner, EW pairs add 7 to starting table number, 7x2 Mitchell using boards 1-14 followed by 6x2 Mitchell using Boards 15-28. With 6 ½ tables, prefer 7EW (Pair 14) to be the phantom pair.

The postscript (PS) files were created with the bridgemats.pl program made available at Pete Matthews MIT bridge website (http://web.mit.edu/mitdlbc/www/bridgemats/Wide/index.html). After creating the ACBLscore movement (MOV) file and copying the file to where I have Perl and the bridgemats program installed, I started a Command Prompt window, changed the directory to the directory where bridgemats and the copy of the game movement file is located, then typed the command

bridgemats.pl –c 1 –W 6.5 filename.MOV

where “filename” is the name of the ACBLscore game movement file, “-c 1” ensures the text is in black, and “-W 6.5” sets the width at 6 ½ inches. I then opened the created PS file and performed a “Replace All” command to change “Courier” to “Helvetica” and also changed “Relay” to “Share” (because “Relay” is ambiguous, meaning “Share” in North America but refers to a bye stand in many other places in the world).

Acrobat Distiller was used to transform the postscript PS files into printable/viewable PDF files showing the table cards for all tables in play. (Often you would not use these table cards, for example, in most tables in a Mitchell movement.) These guide cards have the name of my local bridge club (South Bend Bridge Club). You can delete this or replace it with the name of your own club by opening the PS file in a text editor such as Notepad finding “South Bend Bridge Club”, replacing that text, save the modified PS file, and use Acrobat Distiller or similar program to create the PDF file containing the table guide cards.

For some movements, you will find two PDF files. The second file contains only the table cards useful for that movement, such as the pivot table(s) in hesitation movements

Hesitation Mitchells allow one more round than the number of tables by having the moving pairs play North-South for one round before reverting back to their regular movmement. Traditionally, any required board sharing occurs between Table 1 and the highest numbered table, and the highest numbered table (called the “Pivot Table” is where the moving pairs play North-South for one round. My movements, however, use any required board sharing between Tables 1 and 2 and Table 1 is the Pivot Table. This is often helpful because (1) the Director is often stationed near Table 1 so he can ensure the players move correctly and (2) Table 1 and the highest numbered table may be far apart making board sharing difficult.

Double Hesitation Mitchells use the same principle as Hesitation Mitchells, except for two additional rounds, the moving pairs play two of their rounds as North-South at Table 2 and the highest numbered table (the two “Pivot Tables”).

The Appendix Mitchells (which always have a half-table) allow fewer boards in play and less boards missed compared to a normal Mitchell with a phantom pair. For 10 ½ tables, where an 11-table 9x3 Mitchell with a phantom pair would result in pairs missing 6 of 33 boards in play for those not sitting out any boards, using an Appendix Mitchell allows those same pairs to miss none of the 27 boards in play. Traditionally, the highest table and Table 1 share boards and East-West sit out after playing at the highest numbered table. I have modified the movement so Tables 1 and 2 share boards and the East-West sit-out occurs after playing at Table 1. This allows a Director near Table 1 to remind the East-West pair of the upcoming sit-out and avoids the problem of sharing if the highest numbered table is not near Table 1.

The web movements require two sets of boards and allow players to often play the same boards where a more traditional movement would result in several boards being missed. For example, an 11-table 9x3 Mitchell results in all players missing 6 of 33 boards and a 12-table 9x3 Skip Mitchell results in players missing 9 of 36 boards. The movements WEB1109 and WEB1209 allow players to all play the same 27 boards.