Skat event in Oxford

The British Skat Association will hold a Skat tournament in The Fishes pub, North Hinksey Village, Oxford OX2 0NA on Saturday April 19th.

You are welcome to arrive any time after 11:00, when the pub opens. (You may arrive earlier, and visit the organiser at 37 North Hinksey Village, 300 yards south of The Fishes.) Registration will close at 11:15. Play will start by 11:30, and consist of 4 sessions of duplicate Skat, ending by about 19:30 so as to allow players time to travel home. Each session will take about 95 minutes, with a break for lunch after the first session and shorter breaks between subsequent sessions. You are welcome to play in any or all of the rounds, though you will have little chance of winning a prize unless you play in all four.

"Duplicate" Skat means the that same hands are played at all the tables. For the individual player, there is no difference from the way you would play at home, except that you don't get to shuffle the cards. After each session (of around 18 hands) your results will be compared with those of the other players who held the same cards at other tables, and used to calculate your score for the round.

We encourage players of all abilities, and aim for an enjoyable and competitive day.

The entry fee for the full day is £12. Or you can enter individual sessions, at £4 each. Prizes will be awarded to the winner and runner-up; you are unlikely to win one of these unless you enter all four sessions. There will also be a small prize for the best result for a single session (the player's score minus the average score for players holding the same hands), so that even a player who enters only one session has a chance to win something.

Please tell the organiser, Nick Wedd, as soon as possible if you intend to play. The more advance notices we get, the more likely the event is to happen. My email address is maproom @ gmail.com.

Late entries can be accepted until 11:15 a.m. on the day (though if you leave it until then to enter, you risk finding that the event has already been cancelled for lack of interest). If you expect to be there in time for the start of play at 11:30, but not in time for the close of regstration at 11:15, you must ring or text the organiser at 07890-998884 and convince him that you're on your way, otherwise you will not get to play in the first round.

The Fishes is 1.2 miles by foot from the railway station, and 1.4 miles from the coach station. Do not take a taxi from either of these: it will cost about £30, and take longer than walking, as Botley Road is impassible to cars where the railway crosses it and you'd have to come via the ring road. If you'll be walking and there's been recent rain, do not take the route recommended by Google, it may be very muddy, and possibly under water. Instead, take the very slightly longer route along Willow Walk.