smerriman

https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:186aded5.635d.11e9.80b2.0cc47a39aeb4-1555758710&u=smerriman smerriman 8 - 8 Ant590 https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:6db3eb13.6490.11e9.80b2.0cc47a39aeb4-1555890709&u=smerriman smerriman 12 - 4 hrothgar

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o779wek9eysnae6/Event%2016.xlsx?dl=0 Final: icycookie vs GIB 4 challenges of 16 boards each. Complete one 16 board, non-best-hand, MP challenge against everyone in your group. Do not check the Advanced Robots checkbox - but all friend challenges will automatically be upgraded to advanced robots*. *For those in group B, use "challenge a robot" to complete the challenge against GIB. This will not be automatically updated to advanced robots, but you can choose whether or not to do so as you wish. Round 1 is 9 challenges - as per previous events, the top 5 from each group will carry forward scores to a second round robin and play 10 more challenges against the other top 5s. - There is no excuse for accepting a challenge and not completing it. Doing so will incur a 2 board penalty and ineligibility for the next event. - If a challenge hasn't been accepted in a day or two, cancel and reissue it to make sure you don't time out after the other player accepts. - (At least) one player should report the scores of each challenge here by pasting a results URL - you can get the URL via My BBO - Recent Tournaments - Results - Open in new window. The deadline for round 1 is (Eastern time) 11:59pm, Sunday the 5th of May.

GIB has exactly what its description says. 3 or less is just carried over from the 1♠ description.

Last day for entries, so here's a little bump.

You might like to read this: https://www.bridgehands.com/W/Wolff_Signoff.htm

Anyone can join (as long as they follow the rules).

Entries are closed. For the minority who have been faithfully voting time after time - here you go :) This will be a MP, non-best-hand challenge event, with a similar format to previous events. Registration will close (Eastern time) at midnight, Thursday the 18th; I'll then send the list of entries through to barmar with the aim of having the round underway by the weekend. This event will be run on a stricter time schedule. All rounds must be completed at an average rate of 4 16-board challenges per week - failing to do so will result in being docked points, so please only register if you have time available. Register via the poll above (but read below if you haven't played before). This is a forum event based on friend challenges. You will be playing challenges against other members in a round robin / knockout format No prizes, just fun. To prove you are capable of creating/accepting challenges, if you have never played in a challenge event before, send me an 8-board MP non-best-hand challenge. I will accept promptly - you must complete the challenge before expiry to prove you are capable of participating. (If you've competed in any previous event, voting in the poll suffices).

If the auction was 100% identical, the lead will be 100% identical. (Unless you're playing in the main bridge club, in which case there can be a difference if one table has rented an advanced robot and one hasn't, or a table is playing with two humans where GIB can interpret bids differently). My guess is that the auctions weren't identical, which leads to GIB simulating different hands and getting a different result.

Can't be splinter since you already bid 2 diamonds naturally. Would depend on partnership understanding but I expect many would play it as RKCB for clubs.

I double. Doesn't promise much in points, but partner most likely has a good hand with clubs.

What are you going to do if partner responds 2♥? Or raises your Smolen bid to 4♠? I don't see how a hand can be too good for a splinter in this auction. It's not like other auctions where a splinter denies extras due to the wasted space; splinter is the only non-keycard method to show slam interest in spades below 4♠.

GIB plays four suit transfers, which means you bid Stayman with an invitational hand and no 4 card major.

Many times a jump bid specifically shows a minimum. You need to post specific hands if you want more info.

Yes.

It sounds contradictory, but the description of the bid is not necessarily how GIB interprets them. Some descriptions are automatically generated, based on earlier ones and the level of the bidding. If you see a description identical to a previous one, it usually means GIB doesn't understand the bid and will pass.

It even bids spades with 5 hearts. Edit - actually, it does with 6 hearts too. Seems it requires 7 hearts before deciding hearts are better.

I don't think it has been influential because everyone thought the double dummy analysis had no limitations (as per OP) and realised they were leading wrongly. All of the comments on it I've seen have been fully aware of the limitations and the fact the specifics are not practical, but it has still been useful from a high level.

The ten of spades.

In sequences such as: 1♦ - 1♥ 1N - 2♣ 2♦ - 2♥ 1♦ - 1♥ 1♠ - 2♣ 2♦ - 2♥ responder is showing an invitational hand with 5+ hearts. What does 2N by opener mean? Does it ever make sense to "sign off in 2NT"? Does it ever make sense to "invite an invite"? What does 3♥ by opener mean? Equally, does this make sense as inviting? Or, while not applicable in the first sequence, is it forcing with the hope of slam in the latter?

GIB plays RKC Blackwood, 0314. By hovering over (or possibly on some devices, tapping) a bid you will see a description of what it means to GIB while playing. The description of 4NT will say which suit it is asking about, and the description of the responses says exactly what they mean (including how many keycards, the queen of trumps, etc). But there's an overall guide here too (not that it's 100% accurate): https://www.bridgebase.com/doc/gib_system_notes.php

There's really not much you can do, simply because GIB's cuebidding is awful. With a human, you bid 4D (or 3N if you play that as a max) and it's easy after that. With GIB, I'd just bid 4NT, knowing it's terrible but that there's nothing better, then bid slam and hope they have clubs stopped.

As per the PDF above, it doesn't. It's completely independent - regardless of whether everyone else is in 1♥, everyone else is in 6♥, or anything in between, you should still bid 6♥ if it makes 50% of more of the time.

At IMPs, the decision is simple. You bid a major suit slam if it makes at least 50% of the time - fullstop. See details here. The rule of Blackwood - if you use Blackwood and find you're missing one keycard (and not the queen of trumps), always bid slam, 100% of the time. If you're uncertain about slam when missing one keycard, then you can't use Blackwood - you have to investigate via another route.

Can't explain the play, but: The standard bid to do so here is 3♠, and it's part of GIB's system.

Is 2NT really non-forcing, given partner can correct to 3♦ with a minimum (having already said they're willing to play at the three level)?