m1cha

m1cha - chuck11 39 - 23 (+16) http://webutil.bridg...0034272&u=m1cha

m1cha - icycookie 27 - 16 (+11) http://webutil.bridg...9663248&u=m1cha

m1cha - phoenix214 16 - 41 (-25) http://webutil.bridg...9551184&u=m1cha

If our suit were ♠, I'd bid 4 immediately. But with hearts? It looks like opps will bid 4♠ and be in a good contract - or perhaps even find a good slam. (♦K is on.) I believe if 4♥ were the answer, the question wouldn't be here. So let's try to be more creative. What will happen if I bid (a) 4♣ (splinter); (b) 5♥?

m1cha - kqureshi 32 - 3 (+29) http://webutil.bridg...9395455&u=m1cha

I don't agree. 2♦ should mean "I don't want to play your suit, I want to play mine" and a 4-card diamond suit is definitely not long enough. Yes, it is. 3♣ promises 4 cards in clubs. I had a similar hand as East recently, and I just passed. If you bid, where do you want to end up? Why play 3♣ if you can play 2♣? Are you afraid the opponents may get in? They haven't bid so far, they know we have the majority of points, they believe we probably don't have a fit and they don't have a fit either. If they get in here they may easily score -300 or -500. IMO pass is next to perfect. And in cases like this one I don't worry if the label says 'forcing' or not. (This differs, of course, when I play with a human partner.)

Undertricks? Which undertricks? ;) Well, sh** happens, of course, but you run when you're weak and you don't play redoubled unless you are sure you have at least 20 HCP. And if the opponents want to know, they also get this information, and that's why they run. While undertricks can certainly happen, they're not what we worry about.

True. But it may. And if not, it may not matter because your opponents will find it hard to double your 2-in-a-suit because they don't know if you are playing in a 4-3-, 4-4-, or 4-5-fit.

How about playing 1NTxx instead? With one partner I was playing a mini 1NT for years. We used the following escape system which we developed to minimize the possibility of playing in a misfit. It's also quite easy to memorize: XX with any weak 5-card suit, opener bids 2♣ to pass or correct;2(any) is 4-4+ in that suit and ♠ except that 2♣ can also be any 4333 (The advantage over some other systems is that opener can choose to play in ♠ - which can be important if you play matchpoints or want to snatch the contract from the opponents.);pass is forcing, opener must redouble! After that, from responder 2♣ is clubs and a red suit 4-4+;2♦ is both red suits 4-4+;2♥/2♠ is invitational in that suit (preferaby used if opps interfere again);pass means you want to play a full game on the 1 level. With 5-4 you bid 4-4 or the 5-card suit depending on the suits and their qualities. To be fair, playing 1NTxx instead of 1NTx has a down side: Since it's a full game, opps usually run ...

m1cha - tylere 31 - 21 (+10) http://webutil.bridg...9353791&u=m1cha In an otherwise quite eventless match (no slam, 4 clear full games), this was the first time ever I observed GIB play a REVOKE after a crash of the challenge during trick 4 of board 8. The result sheet shows the same cards on both tables but it's not what my opponents had while I played the rest of the board. The result is okay though, I don't have any claims! Tylere deserved his IMP in trick 1 and the rest of the hand is perfectly straightforward, nothing can go wrong there - unless, obviously, the robot forgets the rules. For those interested in the crash and/or the revoke, here's the details: http://www.bridgebas...aying-a-revoke/

This is the first time I saw GIB play a revoke! Unfortunately I cannot prove my claim because GIB now claims to have done something different than what actually happened. So I'm not sure if the following is helpful to anyone. Anyway, I want to show this here also because this hand was played in a Challenge Event 7A and I should document what happened. This is the hand. [handviewer=http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?sn=Roboter&s=SJ752HK753DAKT7CA&wn=Roboter&w=SQ64HAQ2D63CQ9743&nn=m1cha&n=SA8H9864D542CKT65&en=Roboter&e=SKT93HJTDQJ98CJ82&d=w&v=o&b=8&a=1C(Minor%20suit%20opening%20--%203+%20%21C%3B%2011-21%20HCP%3B%2012-22%20total%20points)PPD(3+%20%21D%3B%203+%20%21H%3B%203+%20%21S%3B%209+%20HCP)P1H(4+%20%21H%3B%2013-%20total%20points)PPP&p=HJH3H2H4HTH5HQH6HAH8S3HKD3D2D8DAH7CQ]400|300[/handviewer] GIB played three rounds of trumps as shown. During the next round GIB crashed. After a minute, I could reload the hand. On ♦3 and ♦2, East dropped another ♠! This was the first impossible card because it would put 6 ♦ cards at West. After having opened 1♣ West should also have 7 ♣ cards and the the trumps shown, totalling 16+ cards. But it came worse. I got the trick with the ♦7, played ♣A upon which West discarded a ♠ showing a ♣ void! Okay, I thought the cards must have been reshuffled during the crash. I played a small ♠ to the ace, ♣K from dummy discarding a ♠, played a small ♠ back towards the hand. East played small, I took ♠J and West discarded a ♣! Here's the revoke. I took 4 more tricks, played small from the hand to the last trick, West also played, and the hand ended before North and East could play the two last cards. The result was shown as "1♥N" without indicating the number of tricks, score showed +80 (as if I had just made 1♥). Next I checked the replay which was as above. It shows the first 3.5 tricks correctly, then East playing ♦8 (♦J is better but doesn't change the situation in principle), and shows me taking the trick with the ♦A, which is crazy. Next it claims I played trumps which is also crazy, West discarded ♣Q (also not very sane), and here the replay stops in the middle of a trick. Conclusion: Everything up to ♦3 - ♦2 (- ♦8) is correct, the rest is nonsense both as it is shown in the handviewer as well as how it actually happened. Anyway, the hand at this point should end up with 1♥+2 with any reasonable declarer play. There are no complications, just take your tricks. Edit: Worse again. After closing the challenge and reopening, the handviewer now shows a different distribution for East and West with some fantasy play that never happened. After ♦Q from West in trick 4 (a card originally with East), the normal play now ends at 1♥+1. [handviewer=http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?s=SJ752HK753DAKT7CA&w=SKTHAQ2DQJ9CJ9432&n=SA8H9864D542CKT65&e=SQ9643HJTD863CQ87&d=w&v=o&b=8&a=1C(Minor%20suit%20opening%20--%203+%20%21C%3B%2011-21%20HCP%3B%2012-22%20total%20points)PPD(3+%20%21D%3B%203+%20%21H%3B%203+%20%21S%3B%209+%20HCP)P1H(4+%20%21H%3B%2013-%20total%20points)PPP&p=HJH3H2H4HTH5HQH6HAH8S3HKDQD2D3DAS2STS8S6SKSAS4S7C6C8CAC2S5C9H9S9CKC7SJC4D4D8DTDJC3CTCQH7DKD9D5D6D7CJC5SQ]400|300[/handviewer] Edit2: Meanwhile I finished the challenge. My opponent had the cards as shown in the second diagram.

m1cha - hijunny132 15 - 1 (+14) http://webutil.bridg...9368153&u=m1cha

m1cha - gordontd 31 - 12 (+19) http://webutil.bridg...9207832&u=m1cha

My challenge against 1234snir has expired. He didn't play. http://webutil.bridg...9064435&u=m1cha

Update: 1234snir has not played yet. See you tomorrow!

m1cha - broze 22 - 57 (-35) http://webutil.bridg...9176214&u=m1cha

m1cha - adristfan 30 - 12 (+18) http://webutil.bridg...9064472&u=m1cha

Update: adristfan has just accepted my challenge. Not sure yet if he has also played it. I will play it but it may take ~ 12 hrs. When I have played, I will report here. (No news: My challenge against 1234snir is still waiting for him to finish.)

The value in field G3 should be in F3. (I haven't played against aurora yet but I did against nekthen.)

m1cha - ant590 23 - 2 (+21) http://webutil.bridg...8942789&u=m1cha Strange. He played 4 challenges by Monday and we haven't heard of him since. This challenge he let expire with 2 boards missing. No problem for me, but I hope he's fine.

m1cha - nekthen 31 - 16 (+15) http://webutil.bridg...9149819&u=m1cha

I have 1234snir and adristfan as opponents. I sent a challenge and a message to each of them yesterday. 1234snir responded and accepted my challenge. I have played it and I guess he will play, too. If not, the challenge expires on Sunday morning. adristfan also responded but I got the impression that he doesn't know what a challange is. I may be wrong, or he might learn. Anyway, this challenge also expires on Sunday morning. If he accepts it, I will play it tomorrow. If he doesn't accept it by Saturday night, I will cancel it because I cannot play it any more. When I have a result from any of them, I will post it here ASAP. Otherwise I wll confirm by Sunday noon (EST) that we haven't got a result. (BTW I have another open challenge with nekthen in 7B, but this one will soon be settled. He accepted and I will play tonight. No doubt he will act soon, he's fast.)

Yes. Actually this time I was not so much worried about people not showing up but rather about people who do show up just before the deadline, a day or less. Although, of course, I trust in your skills of sorting these things out.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO NEW PLAYERS This is a friendly event. Let's all try to make sure it's fun for everyone. 1. Challenges run for 3 consecutive days. Any challenge issued now or later will run through Sunday morning EST which is beyond the current deadline. Such challenges should be accepted now so that your opponent can play it early. You can play it later at any time before the deadline. 2. If you have issued an old challenge that has not been accepted yet, you'd better cancel and resend it now so that your opponent can accept it soon even if they don't want to play before Saturday. 3. If you have received a challenge and cannot play before it expires, you should reject it now and send a new challenge back to your opponent who should accept it soon for both of you to play before the deadline. You may want to send a message to your opponent explaining the issue. General advice A. Whenever you have a challenge issued and running for ~ 2 days without being accepted, you'd better cancel and resend it. Otherwise, if your opponent accepts and plays a few hours before the expiry, you may not realize that you have to play fast. B. Whenever you're in trouble and your opponent might help, try to contact your opponent. If your opponent cannot or will not help, report your problem here.

We share him as an opponent. I sent him a message asking him to accept my challenge.