PhilG007

Your post saddened me. Why do you want to be blocked from here? You're missing out on one of the greatest card games that was ever devised. If you really don't want to play here anymore then just leave and never return. Getting blocked would imply you had done something seriously wrong. I really hope you will reconsider and stay with us.

TCR stands for TOURNAMENT COMPLETION RATE Play as many tournaments as you can(including the fee paying ones) and play them out. Don't be tempted to "run" or abandon if you're doing badly. The more tournaments you complete,the higher your TCR will climb.

A 1NT overcall is not just confined to a set limit of 15-17.. It can mean any pointage from 15 + The important thing here is to show the shape and the guards in the opponents suit. A 1NT overcall gives a clearer indication of this than a takeout double does.. Yes East has a 19 count but if partner has a 'bust' he still only has a 19 count(!) It's not yet time to get excited.(!)

I don't agree with East's takeout double He has an above average hand with a double stop in the enemy suit a perfect 1NT overcall.. South was correct to pass. This is the kind of hand where you only bid when compelled to. North can make a takeout double over 2♠ but its borderline The OP doesn't give the vulnerability which could (as it so often does) affect the tactics. West's bid of 2 Spades with only 2 points is sailing close to the wind despite having good support.. Bridge history is littered with deals where a player has chanced his arm and "bid one more" and lived to regret it. Its all very well to take a gamble as long as you're prepared to take the consequences of your actions

It might seem chicken but I would pass 2♠ It is true I have 15 hcp but both opponents have entered the auction. Somebody is marked with a very poor hand and all the indications point to that somebody being partner. Best to subside and defend. . You have quick tricks after all.. Imagine your chagrin to stretch 3♦ and find partner with a Yarborough

Yes agreed Something on the 3 strikes and you're out format..

You don't..... In a virtual tourney the TD provides a substitute. In a real time tournament the solo player is forced to withdraw and the TD arranges an alternative movement. (I've actually seen this happen). The player who abandoned the tournament will face disciplinary action by the club committtee...most likely banned from the club for life

In the bidding given West has made a minimum rebid. I would expect 12-14 hcp and 6 +♥ I would expect the same irrespective of North's overcall With a stronger hand,West could double for takeout over the 2♣ intervention..

I've just had a message flashed up on my screen from software provider Adobe saying their Flash Player is ending on December 31st 2020. Will this affect BBO? If so,will there be a replacement/substitute?

On the flip side of your answer,would you agree if you were always a winner the game would(from your viewpoint) become stagnant and boring?

It's been said that Bridge can bring out a person's character. True or false? Agree or disagree?

I think this article from the ACBL Official encyclopedia might be interesting:- " As opposed to careful or thoughtful play,,slow play is dicourteous,not only to the opponents of the moment, but to all other competitors as well. In rubber bridge,it can decrease the number of hands in a session while in duplicate tournaments,a consistently slow pair can delay the game by many minutes. Contributing to slow play as defined here are some or all of these violations of the Proprieties:- 1) Delay in arriving at a new table after the next round has been called 2)Discussion of boards previously played 3) Failure to pass at least one completed board promptly or pass one board if the other has not been completed. 4) Inattention to the bidding necessitating frequent reviews of the auction(bidding boxes have virtually eliminated this PhilG) 5) Post mortems especially by the scorer of the board in question. 6) Disputing a TD's ruling on a board result. Citing previous opponents tardiness instead of concentrating on finishing the board in play. 7) waiting for a miracle to change opponents Aces into Deuces so that a bad contract will not receive its deserved retribution. The Laws of Duplicate Bridge specifically provide that as a matter of courtesy a player should avoid " Prolonging play unnecessarily for the purpose of distacting the other players" (PROPRIETIES III) In top level bridge,a team which repeatedly exceeds the time limit allowed for play is subject to penalties. These can range from having MPs and VPs docked from their running total to the barring of offending players/pairs parrticipating in later rounds of the event in question. There is a recurrent problemin controlling slow play in top level Bridge tournaments If a table is slow,players can ask for for a monitor to keep track of the time use but there is no record of the period during which the problem arose. A technological solution is a possibility. Software developed by NEC and the Japanese Bridge League for the staging of the 1991 Bermuda Bowl in Yokohama offered a possibility which was not utilized but may may well be in the future. The small terminals used to record bidding and play at the table can keep track of the time used by each player. thus giving an objective measure of time used and therefore a basis for slow play censuring."

I wouldn't lose any sleep over this M'friend Mistakes are part and parcel of being human. A famous Chess Gandmaster once quipped that "The Blunders are all there just waiting to be made"" Look on this as a learning curve and put it down to experience.

"Bridge is just a pastime" Au Contraire To many people its more than that(!)

2♣ is a sign off as is 3♣ indicating a minimum opener and unsuitable for No Trumps. Opener should have a 6+ club suit. and no more than 14 hcp

I'm guessing this tourney will be run on the same format as chess tournaments . i.e. a "Swiss System"

Speaking personally I would pass this hand and await developments LHO hasn't spoken yet and could be waiting to pounce. Yes you have 16 points but in second seat you need a double stop in the enemy suit to overcall 1NT You need a shortage in the opponent suit to double for takeout a maximum of two cards. Any action you take on this hand is full of risk. Hang fire and play a waiting game.

The vital thing here is partnership agreement. The two of you need to discuss fully how to approach this to be sure you're both on the same wavelength.

This game,devised in 1937 by one Doctor Walter H.W Marseille,, a Viennese psychologist and mathematician used a special 65 card deck. Each of the four players were dealt 16 cards. The final card,known as the "widow" was placed face up in the centre of the table. When the dummy went down,the declarer could,if they so wished, exchange the widow for any card in either his hand or dummy. The fifth suit was coloured green (except in England where it was blue) and was called "leaves" in Austria, "crowns" or "royals" in England,and "eagles" in the US. Public interest was aroused when His late Majesty King George VI bought several decks at an exhibition. and several books were written about the game but it never achieved lasting popularity. Reading this article got me me thinking. Would the reintroduction of a fifth suit make the game of bridge even more challenging or are there those who think the game is formidable enough in its present form? What do others think?

Anyone would be happy to be dealt :-[hv=pc=n&s=saqj87hakdkqjcq93]133|100[/hv] But its rather a awkward hand to bid accurately unless you are playing a strong club system It's hardly worth a 2♣ opener. And not the right type for an Acol Two (if playing Acol.) On the other hand it's too good for a one opener and there are some who would compromise with 2NT, Now partner is in a quandary holding :- [hv=pc=n&n=st642h753d864ckt2]133|100[/hv] Would you raise to 3NT holding the North cards?

Why the hurry? What's the rush? Why not respond a simple 1♠ to find out more about your partner's hand? Over 1♠ its highly likely GIB would bid 3 ♠ NOW is the time to go slamming.The tragedy is looking at the two hands,6♠ is eminently playable. The lesson is if you know where you're going ,go there quickly. In this case you couldn't know what the final outcome was going to be. In these situations it's a wise player who goes forward softly softly..

A countdown in hours and minutes is already in place The final 30 seconds showing as < before the time lapse.

I was quoting from the article in the ACBL Encyclopedia of Bridge. Clearly its either a typo or the narrator had a problem with their analysis(!)

This became known as the famous (or should that be infamous?) MISSISSIPPI HEART HAND. going back to the days of Whist. It will be seen that a diamond lead holds South to 6 tricks in a heart contract while a Game contact can't be made in any denomination. South can make nine tricks in Spades or 10 tricks in Clubs The deal dates back to 1747 as given by Edmund Hoyle and the modern version was given by Thomas Matthews in 1804.. It got its name due to its use by Mississippi riverboat card sharps during the American Civil War who contrived to induce South to make a heavy bet on the odd trick when hearts are trumps.. It grew in favour among the professional cheaters in the days of BRIDGE WHIST. As doubling and redoubling could continue indefinitely ,the odd trick in a low stakes game could become $10,000 (or as much as the sucker was game for)with the help of sufficient redoubles. Steel Magnate Andrew Carnegie's right hand man Charles M. Schwab was allegedly stung for not less than 10 Grand on this deal..

It can't be 13 The 2NT response was invitational asking opener to bid game if better than minimum. Had East only the bare 12/13 he would be required to pass. as game is not feasible.