smerriman

No special treatment, they both advance. (And I guess score 0-0 against each other.)

https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:de8b4d7e.0c97.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1546218202&u=smerriman smerriman 31 - 29 twisterrz https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:c23e7d34.0d96.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1546327676&u=smerriman smerriman 0 - 33 derppp

[hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?a=1D1SD2S3D&v=e]250|200[/hv] To settle a disagreement - on what hands would you bid 3♦ as North here? (Also, what would a double show instead of 3♦?)

https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:615184b3.0952.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1545858503&u=smerriman smerriman 51 - 0 tim_ucin

https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:21f2af5e.05b7.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1545461971&u=smerriman smerriman 48 - 22 xbabarx https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:8c52aee2.03f7.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1545269735&u=smerriman smerriman 15 - 22 hrothgar

This is what I do: Practice - Start a bidding table Choose whether you want the opponents to pass always, or control their bids (can change later via Table button) Sit in South, click Robot for North Click Deal Source Select the dealer under General Under Advanced, check Use this input for Dealer program In the box fill in any hands that you want to fix (normally just north + south), one per line, in the format: predeal south SAK874, HAK2, D9, CT42 Hit close, hit redeal Bid as South, and you'll see how North bids. If you want to change one of North's bids, click on your name, leave the seat, remove the robot, sit North, undo, bid, and then go back.

It's actually possible to do this part already, just a bit awkward - you can create a bidding table with a robot partner, predeal the hands, jump between the seats (undoing partner's bid where necessary) to get the bidding up to the right point, then see what GIB bids next.

Knew this was going to happen. https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:46aee998.0597.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1545448289&u=smerriman smerriman 10 - 31 GIB

I've noticed a lot of the time we get to 3NT, the opponents lead my 5 card major. I'm happy hiding it :)

I dealt 500 hands which matched these rules: - North has K93 in spades - North has either 4 hearts, or 5 hearts and less than 11 total points (didn't bid 2♥ directly) - North has less than 4 diamonds (wouldn't bid 3NT) - North has between 11 and 18 HCP (going by definition) Note North will bid 3NT even with four low hearts, so you can't assume any honors there. The results: In 63 cases, partner had the club ace. Leading the spade beats 3NT, while leading the heart Ace allows it to make. Heart Ace costs 10 IMPs. In 112 cases, we can cash the setting tricks in hearts, gaining either 11 (53 cases) or 12 (59 cases) IMPs. In 266 cases, cashing the heart saves an overtrick, gaining 1 IMP. In 50 cases, we can save two overtricks by cashing the heart, gaining 2 IMPs. In 9 cases, cashing the heart Ace costs an overtrick, losing 1 IMP. Overall, playing the heart Ace is 2.04 IMPs better than playing a spade. Based on the frequencies in this simulation, suppose GIB deals 20 hands before leading at trick 3. 8% of the time, the results will say to lead a spade, and 92% of the time the results will say to lead a heart. So if you're saying the heart lead is a bug; that's clearly not right. If you're saying the spade lead is a bug, well, that will happen 8% of the time (adjust based on the number of deals); that's not a bug, just how simulations work. If you're saying both tables should have led a heart, then it's plausible that some code could be built in to synchronise the random seeds in this case where the deals have gone back to equal. But this sounds complex, especially when there are probably similar situations where you wouldn't want to.

I thought the 12 draws was fascinating, to be honest, and didn't see anything wrong with it at all. If anything, it was a shame it had to be decided by quicker and quicker formats. They were exciting draws - would have loved to see them keep going and going. (Though had the tiebreak format not been in play, Magnus would have won that 12th game.)

Thanks - fixed a glitch in my script.

Yeah, sorry, to clarify, I wasn't meaning you shouldn't have posted it (no way for you to know either), just that I'm saddened by the fact it's still around.

3♥ then 4NT next time, I guess.

Another old bug :( https://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/77124-gib-passes-game-try/

Without the double I would have bid 4♠ since the only definition I know of 4♣ includes spade support. With the double, it seems I can just pass and find out what partner thought it meant.

https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:c885c415.01cb.11e9.a82b.0cc47a39aeb4-1545031036&u=smerriman smerriman 25 - 14 gordontd

Oops, yes, edited in above.

Then GIB qualifies for round 2, and nobody is ever allowed to post about how bad GIB is again :) (Forget round 2, what if GIB wins the whole thing..)

I saw https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/news_fetch.php?id=5065 but to be honest had no idea what it meant - it seemed rather lacking in details.

Groups are assigned here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9dfdfzggt4nf8p7/Event%2015.xlsx?dl=0 Complete one 16 board, best-hand, IMP challenge against everyone in your group. Do not check the Advanced Robots checkbox - but all friend challenges will automatically be upgraded to advanced robots*. *I have added GIB to two groups to even out the numbers. If you're in one of those groups, use "challenge a robot" to complete that challenge. This one will *not* be automatically updated to advanced robots, though you can choose whether or not to do so as you wish. Only your first robot challenge will count - and I'll be keeping an eye on them so don't think about bending the rules by playing more than one! Round 1 is 11 challenges - the top 5 from each group will then carry forward their scores, playing an additional 10 challenges against the other groups (just a single round this time) to complete a second round robin, before the usual semi-final and final. As always: - please don't accept a challenge and then not complete it. - 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. Good luck all! Edit - timing wise, let's aim for a deadline of January 14 - 4 weeks for 11 challenges is hopefully plenty. However, as mentioned in the other thread, this may be adjusted if everyone is behind schedule due to Christmas.

You can easily disable this in their settings so that a single click plays the card.

2♠ shows 6 spades and a minimum hand. 2♥ shows 4 hearts and can be made with a complete minimum hand - you don't need any strength.

We've got 33 - shuba and tim_ucin said they'd play but didn't vote - so will be 3 pools of 11. (Was actually going to use GIB to even up the pools now that we have challenge-a-robot, but it's not needed now). Just waiting on barmar to assign the robots.

2♥ would be better if South has 5 hearts, which is a possibility. But it's far more likely South has 4 hearts, and when choosing between playing in a 5-2 fit (which could even be a 6-2 fit), and a 4-3 fit, 5-2 is virtually always better. With a 4-3 fit, one opponent is highly likely to also have 4 trumps, and you are going to be in serious trump trouble from the word go. 2♥ is only down 1 here - though I suspect a lot of BBO players would go down 2. (For example, if you win a club lead and play anything but a diamond, you're down 2 immediately). 1NT forcing is not something you "want" to play - it's the major weakness in 2/1. The point is that you're forced to play it as a consequence of your other 2 level bids being game forcing. As a passed hand, your 2 over 1 bids aren't / can't be game forcing, because you can't be strong enough; so there's no longer a need for 1NT to be forcing.