[jillybean]

Here I am at our sectional, waiting to start a team match but our opponents have only 3 players.
30 minutes into the session, what happens now?

[jillybean]

ACBL

[hrothgar]

First and foremost, get in touch with a director to make sure you're not in the wrong spot...

[chrism]

From the ACBL general Conditions of Contest for KOs:

Quote

PENALTIES

1. The opposing team may not waive any penalties assessed their
opponents for tardiness or slow play.

2. The penalty for failure to seat a complete team at announced game
time (tardiness) will be:
A. First 10 minutes - no penalty;
B. more than 10 minutes, up to 15 minutes - 1 IMP;
C. more than 15 minutes, up to 20 minutes - 3 IMPs;
D. more than 20 minutes, up to 25 minutes - 6 IMPs;
E. more than 25 minutes, up to 30 minutes - 9 IMPs;
F. more than 30 minutes, up to 35 minutes - 12 IMPs;
G. more than 35 minutes, up to 40 minutes - 15 IMPs.

3. The match will be curtailed one board, up to a maximum of four
boards, for each 7 ½ minutes or fraction thereof of tardiness after the
first ten minutes. Three IMPs per board curtailed will be awarded to
the non-offending team in addition to the penalty of 2. above.

4. If play has not commenced (with or without a substitute) forty
minutes after announced game time, the match will be declared
forfeit.

5. The Director may, at any time, seat a substitute until a missing player
arrives. The Director may later apply or waive the provisions of
paragraphs 2,3 or 4 if compelling reasons exist.

[jillybean]

No team, 5 minutes left in round
We are told we get 12
or average of our remaining rounds , which ever is better.

[ddrankin]

Or 20 less the average of the other team in its other matches, if that is better.

From the ACBL conditions of contest for Swiss teams:
"TARDINESS
.
.
2. If four players are not seated when one-third of the time allotted for the match has expired, that team shall forfeit the match. At any method of scoring, the teams are assigned a result as though the non-offending team had won by 3 IMPs and the loser is assigned 0. At victory point scoring, the total of the non-offending team is adjusted at the conclusion of the event (or of a two session qualifying stage) such that it receives the highest of: a) the temporary assignment; b) the average per match of the victory points they accumulated in the matches actually played in that period; or, c) the average per match of the victory points scored against the offending team in the matches actually played in that period (fractions of VPs are rounded to the nearest tenth)."

jillybean, on 2013-September-02, 12:03, said:

No team, 5 minutes left in round
We are told we get 12
or average of our remaining rounds , which ever is better.

[mycroft]

...and that (and our stellar play) cost us any chance we had of qualifying for the second day of the Open Swiss. Our after-lunch team didn't arrive. 12 (or our average) wasn't enough...

[pran]

jillybean, on 2013-September-02, 12:03, said:

No team, 5 minutes left in round
We are told we get 12
or average of our remaining rounds , which ever is better.

or average of all our played rounds (against the other contestants) ,
or the complement of the missing team's average over the games they have played at end of event????

(If for instance the missing team at the end of the event has averaged 6 VP you should receive 14, not 12, at least under our regulation)

[jillybean]

This was the first round, when the clock ran out the 3 person team got their money back and went home.
I suggested that their entry fee should have been given to our team for the loss of the 8 boards

[blackshoe]

I don't think giving the entry fee back is kosher. OTOH, I haven't looked into whether the ACBL actually has rules on that, or what they are. Frankly, if I were a member of a team of four, one of whom didn't show up, I'd be perfectly happy to go to that person later and say "I paid the team's entry fee of 32 dollars (assuming this is true, of course). When you didn't show up, we forfeited the match, and the entry fee. You owe me 32 dollars. Cough it up." Or perhaps it was his partner who paid for him. Same deal. Or even he paid his eight bucks, but now he owes each of his teammates eight bucks.