Herve Lustman, pseudo zmud99, with
the head of FFBBO 
Dany: Hello Herve. Your your pseudo BBO, surname
Lustman: zmud99.
To answer thank you in advance my questions about
the new French site of play in line which must be
born at the beginning of February 2007.
I summarize what I believed to include/understand:
This site will be opened with all (French or not)
and it will be free. No obligation to be laid off
with the Federation.
The only difference with BBO is that the French
will be the official language and the system of
bidding generally adopted will be the French system.
Is this exact?
Herve: yes exact. Not great differences with the
current BBO but a French specificity. I contacted you
because one knew oneself already. At the beginning
the project was worked out by Domenica Portal (1) and
Jean Paul Meyer (2). Like it was not elected with the
Presidency of the F.F.B, the project was taken again
by Jean-Paul Meyer (2), discuss again and negotiate
with Fred Gitelman
Dany: Which other great differences will be there
(if there is) between the current BBO and the French
site?
Herve: a priori not of great differences but a
place inevitably more restricted, therefore more
convivial where it will be easier to regulate the
problems, whatever they are, while addressing
themselves to me or to the yellows which will be
present and be used as relay. The starting principle
is the same one but can evolve/move constantly and
more easily to adapt to the request. If you or of the
actors of BBO wish to see modifications, have ideas,
dream with innovations impossible to formulate or set
up on BBO, one can discuss and see of it whether that
is possible to adapt to the French site.
Dany: Then, its name? FFBBO as did specify it Yves
Aubry or ffbridgenligne as Mauris Panis announced it?
Herve: The logo is ready and the name of FFBBO
seems to us for the moment to correspond more has the
spirit of the platform
Dany: Who will direct it? In the roles of Fred
Gitelman, Uday, Inquiry etc…
Herve: For the moment I am all alone. I am
employed by the Federation and hopes to devote the
maximum of time to it that I will be able. I intend
to name “yellow” or “yellow”, on
the same principle as BBO, which will be there to
assist to me, to inform people, them to help, in
short people who will want to invest themselves
Dany: Is this indiscreet to ask you your age?
Your course?
Your exact role currently within BBO?
Herve: I am 40 years old. I was interested in the
bridge during my studies. I belonged to the team of
France Juniors. Then I put myself at the golf, I
travelled much. I worked with the Méditerrannée
Club. I went back to the bridge, I knew BBO and
re-examined Bénédicte Cronier and others which I
knew. Claude Dadoun made rowed and there was the idea
to cover Monte Carlo then the international
competitions. I am thus an operator of Vugraph and
employee by the World Federation to cover the great
appointments like the Championships of the World. I
continue the competitions of bridge. I am 1st Pique
series. And now I am charged by the French Federation
of this punt forms play FFBBO.
Dany: New “the yellow”, how they be
called will?
Who will they be?
Herve: That remains to be seen, to discuss. But I
will name new “yellows”, people like you
for example, yes surely you and others which will
want really to be invested. One is not
“yellow” for saying to have a title but for
really devoting time to the correct operation of the
site.
Dany: Will the payment be strictly that of BBO or
a specific payment it will be set up?
Differences?
Who will be charged to make apply this payment?
Will the sanctions, in the event of failure, be
they the same ones as on BBO?
Herve: yes on the principle the payment will be
the same one, I will be charged to make it apply, the
sanctions will be equivalent. However it will be
easier than on BBO to announce the problems because
there will be no more the barrier of the language and
today one always does not manage to obtain an answer
to put questions.
Dany: Will there be tournaments on the same
principle as currently on BBO? I.e.
“independent” TD which have a permanent
authorization to organize tournaments when good seem
them and with a whole autonomy?
These authorizations will be transported they on
the new site or will be necessary T it to remake the
request of it?
Herve: Of course there will be tournaments on the
same principle that currently and all the TD will be
encouraged to continue. You will be able to organize
there your Gogo' S Bowl and all the other
competitions gogos. And well of others still. I will
contact the TD and all those which organize
animations. On my side I will also set up
tournaments, individual tournaments kind with
champions, i.e. no matter who falling under this
individual tournament will have the possibility and
the chance to play for one give or two with a real
champion of bridge. (3)
Dany: There will be T also private clubs?
So yes the authorizations will be they
automatically taken back or re-examined?
Herve: yes your Private Club will be able to
continue to exist on FFBBO, just as those existing
and others, for example of Presidents de Club of
bridge which will want a space with them.
I also hope to assemble a forum, like there is for
BBO, but that there will be more accessible French
bus. One will be able to put questions there, to make
suggestions, etc… and to make there evolve/move
the site with the request. There can be things of
which I do not think and which are finally realizable
and on the other hand to think that others are
interesting but could be abandoned.
Dany: Will the presentation of the site be
strictly identical? (color, its etc.)
So not, can one have, ahead first a photograph
(captures screen)?
Herve: Yes, all will be identical. Can be a light
difference in the colors. But all can be regulated.
No notable change.
Dany: Will the principle of the profile where each
one registered what it believes or what it hopes for
of its level of play be the same one? Will you be
based on the national classification so that it is in
agreement with the posted level?
If so, how that will it occur T for not classified
and not laid off to fédé?
Herve: I thought of a “code color”. The
players who are affiliated with the French Federation
and which wish it, return their number of licence,
and their real level appears, without dispute. For
not classified, the nonaffiliated ones and for those
which do not wish it, the posted levels would remain
“neutral”, i.e. those which they are
currently on BBO, but without guarantee. However I
will like nevertheless that the “expert”
title cannot be adapted without proof and I will
reserve myself can be the right to give the
authorization of it.
In fact nothing is yet fixed on this question, as
about the others.
Dany: In last May, Maurice Panis had spoken about
an internal classification. Yves Aubry said to me in
his last mail that there was no change with the
preliminary draft. But in do your email you say that
there will not be? What happenhappen does? Project of
classification abandoned or given to later?
Herve: In fact, that fact can have left the small
differences between 1st and the 2nd project. It was
envisaged at the beginning an internal classification
but I am not sure that it is desirable with the
limits that one knows, in particular on the level of
the cheating. That arrives unfortunately sometimes in
simple tournaments or competitions without stake (we
had had to solve together a problem of this kind at
the time of a Gogos competition) then I fear that a
classification interns is inciting with skids.
However the bridge players like to be evaluated.
Then, can be the solution is in classifications which
could relate to only individual tournaments. To see
too.
Now, it is easier to solve the problems of
cheating on Internet than in reality where it is
necessary to reconstitute the phases of play. There
all is recorded, bidding and each chart posed. With
long, about several hands, one has an idea
quickly….
Dany: Will there be a calendar of vugraph and the
retransmissions will be they primarily French
competitions?
Herve: Yes, as I said it to you there will be a
forum of discussion and also a calendar of the
vugraph where all the retransmissions will be
announced, on the principle of BBO.
There will be the principal national finales but
also rowed international competitions.
The principle is that currently on BBO there is an
open English room and a room closed in French (when
they are competitions with French players) and there
the 2 rooms are with French comments, but with
commentators chosen, sorted, qualified…
One can all consider. Finales inter-clubs, why not
the final of Gogo' S Bowl in vugraph, once again it
will be according to the request, to discuss with
actors BBO, the Presidents of Clubs, etc…
Dany: Which is the interest for the Federation to
assemble such a site? Doesn't that go against the
interest of the Clubs?
Herve: I am charged to manage this punt forms play
and I cannot answer the place of the Federation on
the possible interest. But it is in the facts that
the bridge players like and will like more and more
to play on line for all the reasons and advantages
which one knows. The Federation thinks that
inevitably a player practising the play on line, if
it has the taste of the competition, will join at one
time or the another clubs where are practised the
true competition.
Dany: How much did this site cost the FFB?
(Various Purchase or rights)
Which will be operating expenses?
Will there be permanent employees? How much?
How to deaden the expenses? Sales of software,
pub, sponsor?
Does a rumour speak about the purchase for 7000
euros with Fred Gitelman?
Herve: 7000 euros? at all!
In fact there were 2 projects and it is what
delayed as I explained it to you.
In 1st, it was a question of buying the rights
(but not for this amount) or to have the free site
but by transferring in Fred Gitelman a percentage of
the possible benefit on paying tournaments for
example. We would have had our own shelterer,
completely independent, and would have assured
management and maintenance, short autonomous
completion. This project was about fixed. It is
Domenica Portal who had set up it.
After the elections with the FFB, it was modified,
therefore renegotiated with Fred. It is Jean-Paul
Meyer who took again the project.
As it was not any more question of paying
tournaments, therefore more percentages on the
receipts, it was necessary to pay the work of Fred
differently.
It was negotiated that an amount of 2000 dollars
per month (approximately 1500 euros) would be paid by
the Federation with Fred. They lodge the site in Las
Vegas and maintenance and the possible engineering
changes ensure some. Uday will be there where
necessary to answer our waitings and to take care, as
on BBO, with its good walk.
Finally more economic than to pay a shelterer, a
data processing specialist etc… They have the
knowledge to make already, therefore a better comfort
for us. Moreover one should be able to deaden these
loads by the sale of the products shop of the
University of the bridge: books, software, etc. , and
by some publicities and sponsors like there is
already on BBO and which are not awkward whole for
the players.
It will be thus, at lower cost, a beautiful tool
at the disposal of all: clubs and players.
Dany: Large French players will it give paying
courses to it? It is a question which was asked to me
by a gogo which, not having found of French doing
that on BBO was addressed to foreign players.
Herve: It is not envisaged. There are teachers of
which it is work, but one can all consider. They are
questions to study.
Thank you Herve, infinitely, in the name of
Gogosbridgeurs, to have answered my questions.
• Notes of french_dan:
1 - Domenica Portal: 1st vice President of the FFB
under the mandate of Maurice Panic grass and in
charge with the development and the communication
2 - Jean-Paul Meyer: yesterday Captain of the male
team and today Secretary-general of the federation
3 - The gogos already organized this kind of
tournaments to 2 or 3 recoveries with the Club of the
Stars. But they were tournaments per pairs where the
spangled ones played between them counters pairs of
gogos.
bridgeFILES
