Time Registration
Free Time
The time registration system in StepBridge tournaments ensures that each player’s thinking time during a board is accurately measured. When a board is not completed within the allotted time, an automatic adjusted score is assigned based on the recorded time. During a round, however, there are moments when the timer temporarily stops; this is called free time. Free time is granted in specific situations, such as at the start of a new board or when giving an alert. Actions taken during free time do not count toward the recorded thinking time.
Situations
Free time is granted in the following situations:
| Situation | Free Time | Recipient |
|---|---|---|
| Start of a new board | 10 seconds | All players* |
| Dummy comes down | 10 seconds | All players* |
| After a claim | 10 seconds | Both defenders |
| After a “stop” bid | 8 seconds | Next player |
| When making a bid | 1 second per bid level | The bidder |
| When alerting | 8 additional seconds | The bidder |
Example 1 – more time than the free time
A player bids 4♥* (an alerted bid). This means they receive 12 seconds of free time (4 seconds for the bid + 8 seconds for the alert). If the player only completes their action after 15 seconds, then 3 seconds are recorded (15 seconds – 12 seconds of free time = 3 seconds of recorded time). In this case, the player has used more time than the amount of free time granted.
Example 2 – less time than the free time
A new board starts, giving the first player (the dealer) 10 seconds of free time. The player passes after only 4 seconds. Since the player acted within the free time, 0 seconds are recorded, because the action occurred within the allotted 10 seconds. The next player then still has 6 seconds of free time remaining from the start of the board.
Balanced time registration
The amount of free time granted in each situation has been carefully determined based on statistical data from tens of thousands of played boards. This method takes into account bridge-appropriate reasons to use a little extra time — for example, to provide correct explanations — and ensures fair and balanced time registration for all players.