Cheating scandals have rocked the bridge world over the last few years, particularly since the game has gone (almost exclusively) online. The attempt to prosecute cheaters has been slow and cumbersome, and It looks like it may have claimed its firstinnocent victim, Huub Bertens.
In all other cases there were multiple instances of highly fishy/questionable decisions that worked out well for the cheaters, but this case seems to rely entirely on Mr. Bertens' consistent play. In a recent tournament he made fewer mistakes than onewould expect a player of his caliber to make more than once per ~25 tournaments.
Okay ... AND?with likewise.
If this is truly the entire case for the prosecution, Mr. Brad Moss should be removed immediately from his position as President of the USBF and banned for life from ever serving on the USBF board again. Ms. Jan Martel, COO of the USBF, should be dealt
If the accused player (on the same statistical evidence) had been a friend of Mr. Moss, someone like Fred Gitelman, or Joe Grue, or Bobby Levin, or Steve Weinstein, this case never would have been brought. And if in some parallel universe it had beenbrought and a guilty verdict reached, the entire American expert bridge community would be coming to the defense of the convicted player, as they did with Mike Passell, whose case was overturned in spite of overwhelming evidence against him.
Assuming the case against Mr. Bertens is as weak and flimsy as it appears to be, shame on Mr. Moss, shame on this reprehensible committee, and shame on the toxic community at "BridgeWinners" for joining in on what seems to all appearances to be anutter travesty and miscarriage of justice.
Cheating over the internet will be difficult to establish
without the help of those cheating.
Douglas:
If you provided proof and he STILL didn't let you comment, that would be unacceptable.
The slam deal isn't about Huub going down, it's about him not bidding a slam that someone who was self-kibitzing would bid.
But the way the Bertens case has been handled is setting an intolerable precedent.
#JustSayNoToTheirCheats
#JustSayNoToTheirCheats
An obscure bridge organization conducting that match had enough time and money to conduct a more than six month intensive inquiry involving at least twelve elite bridge players, at least one organization attorney, and claiming to make a so-far hiddento the public 700+ page report about 253 specific bridge deals.
A few more hot takes:question: Why aren't these people ALSO being dragged in front of a USBF tribunal and being forced to prove their innocence (an impossible task) and secondarily, what, if any, is their personal relationship to USBF president Brad Moss?
First, let's look at people who outperformed Huub. I am NOT accusing these people of anything, but if Huub is being convicted solely on his performance, rather than on suspicious hands, and these people outperformed Huub, then it is worth asking the
Curtis Cheek seems to be on top of many of the lists. https://www.detectingcheatinginbridge.com/statistics/index.html Is it true that Curtis Cheek was the long-time partner of Brad's current partner Joe Grue?that person to prove their innocence?
Yes, THIS Joe Grue:
https://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Joseph_Grue_17204013/
https://www.jailbase.com/arrested/florida/orange-county/joseph-patrick-grue-15006705
One might also ask: If there are one or more wealthy clients on the list, who have dramatically outperformed their FTF record, what is the likelihood that a tribunal of professional bridge players will drag that wealthy client in front of it and force
This whole thing stinks to high heaven and anyone with an inkling of integrity knows it.
I highly recommend you read the statement. It is in a sub-thread to https://bridgewinners.com/article/view/usbf-v-bertens-round-2/.
On Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 1:40:12 AM UTC-7, Douglas wrote:
I highly recommend you read the statement. It is in a sub-thread to https://bridgewinners.com/article/view/usbf-v-bertens-round-2/.
I happened to look at this link tonight. And the Bridge Winners chief editor has struck again. The prior posted copy of Bertens' appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport is entirely gone.
Here is the third extracted part of Bertens' CAS appeal.testimony and opinion.
HB = Huub Bertens.
a) Lack of Explanation of the Decision:
HB alleges that Adjudicatory Committee (“AC”) decision provided neither findings of fact, nor reasoning for the guilty verdict. Instead, after
briefly summarizing the factual backdrop, the AC's reasons are limited to the following conclusory sentence:
“The USBF Adjudicatory Committee, after full and careful consideration of all the subject USBF Invitational hands and all of the other evidence, unanimously finds, to its comfortable satisfaction, that Mr. Bertens is guilty as charged.”
HB asserts that the AC decision is fundamentally flawed because there was no explanation of what evidence was accepted, whose testimony was deemed credible (sp), what reasoning supported the conclusion, or why the AC rejected the defense expert witness'
HB alleges that the absence of reasons effectively deprives him of a meaningful right of appeal.Bridgewinners is an extremely biased site. As soon as there is a smell of possible impropriety the lynch mob come out in force. If it is a US player there is less vehemence. One top US player, who is totally objectionable at the table is also completely
HB alleges that his attorneys' request for a more detailed explanation of the verdict was refused. HB asserts he was informed that “no additional information would be forthcoming” (e-mail from David S. Sokolow, Legal Counsel of the AC).
My comments begin here:
What strikes me most about this whole process is the one-way direction of the relevant information at all times. I am surprised that anyone would put up with kind of nonsense for any period of time.
Douglas
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