A new season opens: what to expect
A new season begins next week, with a fresh draw, a new opening game chosen by last season's winners and a timetable adapted to the rosters of those who play.
How is a new season put together?
Arranging a season is rather like arranging a dinner party for forty, in which every guest has a different shift. I begin with a list of who is on site and who is away, continue with a list of who wishes to play what, and finish, a good deal later, with a draw that is fair enough for everyone to accept it.
This season I have tried to simplify the process, and I should like to describe how it will work, so that members may plan around it with confidence.
What members should know
The opening game
Last season's winning table has chosen the game for the opening evening. I shall not reveal it yet, except to say that it will not be short and that it involves a great many small wooden pieces.
The draw
Names will be drawn on the second evening and tables posted on the wall by the window. Each table will contain at least one Guide and at least one person who is new to the format. Requests to sit with friends will be honoured wherever the balance allows.
Rosters and absences
Please tell me your rosters in advance, in as much detail as you know them. Fixtures may be moved by a few days, and the rest week in the sixth week exists precisely so that absences can be absorbed without anyone falling behind.
How to enrol
- Send the join form if you are new, or tell me directly if you are a returning member.
- Say which evenings you can attend and which you cannot.
- Mention any friends with whom you wish to be seated.
- Come early on the opening evening, and bring a pencil.
Enrolment is free, as is everything else in the house. The only commitment I ask is that you tell me when you cannot come.