MASTER POINTS (MPs)

The aim of MPs 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.

PLACING POINTS (PPs)

On the other hand, the PPs 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.

SENIOR POINTS (SPs)

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

TITLES

a) World Grand Master (WGM): 10 PPs and winning at least one World Championship.
b) World Life Master (WLM): 5 PPs. OR winning at least one World Championship title
c) World International Master (WIM): 350 MPs
d) World Master (WM): 150 MPs

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

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.

a) In the Open list with the accumulation MPs and PPs won in the Open events. These MPs and PPs will determine the players Open Category.

b) In the Women’s list with the accumulation of MPs and PPs won in Women’s or Mixed events. These MPs and PPs will determine her category in the Women’s ranking.

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

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.

SENIOR TITLES

Senior Grand Master (SGM): - 1000 SP and winning at least one WBF Senior World Championship

Senior Life Master (SLM): - Won at least one WBF Senior World Championship

Senior International Master (SIM): - 350 SP

Senior Master (SM): - 150 SP

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:

3.4 = 3 3.5 = 4 0.5 = 1 0.1 = 1

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 ( added Jan 2010 )

Special Conditions for Team Matches

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

Tournament consisting only of a Round-Robin or of a Swiss without any KO phase: a player must have played at least one third of the hands played by his team.
Tournament consisting of a Round-Robin or Swiss followed by a KO phase: the player must have played at least one third of the hands played by the team in the Round-Robin or Swiss. In addition:

Tournaments in which the KO phase consists of semi-finals and final:

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 in the semi-final.
For second place: at least one third of the hands in the semi-final.
For third place: at least one third of the hands in the semi-final and in the play-off (if there is a play-off).

2) Tournaments in which the KO phase consists of quarter-finals, semi-finals and final ;.

For the first place: at least one third of the total number hands in the final, semi-final and quarter-final combined, but at least one third of the hands in the final.
For the second place: at least one third of the hands in the quarter-final and semi-final combined but at least one third of the hands in the semi-final.
For third place: at least one third of the hands in the play-off semi-final and quarter-final combined..
For the fourth place: at least one third of the hands of the quarter-final, semi-final and play-off (if there is one) combined.

3) Tournaments in which the KO phase consists of eighth-finals (round of 16), quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.

For the first place: at least one third of the total number hands in the final, semi-final, quarter-final and eighth-final combined, but at least one third of the hands in the final.
For the second place: at least one third of the hands in the eighth-final, quarter-final and semi-final combined but at least one third of the hands in the semi-final.
For third place: at least one third of the hands in the play-off semi-final, quarter-final and eighth-final combined..
For the fourth place: at least one third of the hands of the eighth-final, quarter-final, semi-final and play-off (if there is one) combined.

All the other positions of the teams involved in the KO phase will be according to their ranking in the Round-Robin or Swiss.
It is acceptable for a player to play less than one third of the boards in one match if he or she attains one third played over all matches required to be “combined”.
In order to qualify for the title of World Champion or to be awarded with Placement points, the conditions are the same as those needed to qualify for the MPs for the Championship or for the position awarded with PPs.
In 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.
For events in which the above rules cannot be applied, the Supplemental Conditions of Contest will have provisions determining such conditions.
The WBF Executive Council may still award MP, PP and title to a player who genuinely participated in many boards in all the matches but could not completely comply with the above mentioned conditions because of illness or cause of force majeure.

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.

This information is a snap shot from the Official WBF Database currently maintained by Mark Newton any changes that you have notified the WBF of, may not show immediately here untill the next upload.