guggie

could be 7 too than? If exactly 6, t would take the a, club a, ruff club, cross to sp a, ruff last club, draw trumps, eventually concede trump Q and di ace. But if east has only 2 clubs and 4 trumps some more thinking is required.

♣♣My partner and I play 2/1GF, with some extra gadgets to show strong one suited hands. In a pairs event he opened `♥, I bid 1NT with Axxx=98=Kxxx=QJx. Than he bid 4clubs. I was at a loss what this could be, and eventually took it for a cue in a strong hand with hearts. I decided for 4♦, p4♥, end of bidding, made +2. He had: x=AKxxxx=void=AKxxxx We had quite an argument: My point was that 3♣ would be forcing as well, and that 4♣ has the disadvantage of putting me for a riddle, which I hate and which makes me more muddled than usual. His point was that 4♣ must show a hand like this, as a good one suited hand with hearts should have been opened with a 2-opening as agreed. I admit i overlooked that point, as I was in total confusion. Eventually we made up and are on 1st position halfway the competition, but I still wonder what are the merits of 4clubs above 3 clubs for a hand like his, a strong 2 suiter.

100% agree, a very good TD, besides being humorous and nice;-)

A very long time ago I played with a male homosexual friend. It was in the seventies, we both had long curly hair. We played again two friendly LOLs. One lady asked me: "Dearie, are you engaged?". I answered at my most serious sad tone: "I woul have loved it, but he refused". The ladies gave him several furious looks. He never put a right card at the table that tournament anymore;-) We played another tournament and a pair of distracted gentlemen greeted us with: "Hi boys". I gave my p a surprised look and stuck out my bosom. We both giggled and played a nice table. Next table another pair greeted us: "Hi girls". He shot me a hopeless look: What shall I put forward?" Recently, my present p and I played a match against a couple, we were obviously winning and the male half grnyed at his wife all the time, played at lightning speed ticked his card on the table before dummy had played, etc etc. My p is very easy going, but I saw him coming under steam, and at last he asked: "Sir my I ask you a question, do you LIKE to play bridge?" The man was stunned, his wife gave a nervous giggle.

I played in a BBOItalia tournament. My RHO had opened 1♣ without alert. I played him for having at least 3 clubs and went 2 off in stead of one. I asked the TD about the non alert and he said that 1♣ opening with doubleton is standard BBO and needs no alert. In Holland we have to alert 1♣, if doubleton possible, and I alert it always on BBO myself. Just out of curiosity, what is your opinion? Should one alert a 1♣opening, if it can be a doubleton clubs?

Really. Rigour6 gives an accurate description what happens tou you on a bad day in TD bashing, and than Candybar tells us it is all the fault of TD's: more TD bashing. I think the problem of the demanding tournament players is more complex than that.

NEVER EVER look in anyones handbag, it is sacred!!! Teh 2 plastic balls with the string can be used for hairdo, if the string is elastic the condom hehe yr wife put it there to scare you if you ever tried to pry in her handbag ;)

My handbag contains various systemcards for various players, the ususal quite essential stuff as Frances mentioned, but above all all the spare sugar bags & lumps I come across. I am very popular with people who need extra sugar. Paula, my partner for the ladies pairs regularly asks me for spare sugar in my Bermuda Triangle (as her nickname for my handbag is) and she is seldom disappointed. Not to forget paperclips, lots and lots of pens for all male bridgeplayers fulminating about handbags, aspirin, chewing gum, tooth picks.... The all time favourite is the moment when i sat in the airplane with my 3 ladies-bridge-friends for a 2 weeks all female bridge holiday in Rumania, and I fumbled in my handbag looking for my reading glasses and opened the little black box with... the radiofront of my car. Never ever go on a holiday without yr radiofront! (dont know if radiofront the proper english term, we use it in dutch for the removable part of yr autoradio)

Played real bad the last few games, real bad. Luck gone with the skill, as always. Than last night we were on the right track again. The board that made me too happy to sleep was: [hv=s=sj983hjdaktxxcakq]133|100|[/hv] My p opened 3 clubs in first position. I know his non vulnerable preempts. RHO says 4♥, I bid 5♣, which might make, however the 4 spades are ugly. LHO says 5♥, now my p finds 5♠. He wants a spade lead against 6♥. Wow, either the A or a void. I bid a modest 6♣. Doubled. ♥Q was led and ruffed by partner. He had [hv=s=sj983hjdaktxxcakq]133|100|[/hv]. So we made 6♣x+1. Our co pair joined us with 750 for 5♥x+1., as both opps were void in a minor. Luckily the one who had to lead was void in diamonds;-)

As a rooky TD: it is an indy so no agreements are made (almost nobody does). But internet bridge is different from f2f bridge, the 2♦bidder did an artificial bid, so agreement or no agreement, he had to self alert, just not to fool the opps. His nonalert did fool the opps. However, they were apparently easy to fool. The double was risky, the doubler could almost be sure that his partner had absolutely nothing so he would be thrown in all the time. Furthermore, he opened 1NT with 19 hcp and sh have alerted too;-) I think Rigours solution is quite practical

electronic jig saw puzzle, my most recent addiction sider solitaire with 4 suits (dont try.. you get hooked)

And many, many thanks to Roland for organizing, getting the operators, getting the commentators, creating the athmosphere. This is a real great thing for bridgepromotion.

That is not the problem. Jilly has done all that. the problem is the climate on BBO and the freemarket principle. I had MUCH rather pay $50 per annum to BBO, keep on running free tournaments and get rid of all those greedy payed TD's. On the dutch payed website I payed full share and edited the monthly e magazine for free, which took about 15-20 hours each month. The policy of that website (going for a broad market without doing anything for the better players- result exit march of the top players) and the VU graph drove me to BBO. At first BBO felt like a warm bath. Than the payed tournamenst came. ACBL no fun for europeans. The others ones hardened the athmosphere. Mirjam_3 died. Gweny stopped early fun fishy. JW_NL stopped with hobsons choice, also a result of bullying by another TD. TD's meetings, always very inspiring, stopped. Now Jillybean is bullied away. It is fortunate I speak some french so I can participate in the French tournaments who are still free, with a very open sportive and funny athmosphere. Isn't it time either to ask value for money for the payed tournaments (no postponemenst, reviews, and so on), or to ask money for participating in tournaments, the money goes to BBO, and the people wanting to run tournaments keep doing so for love of the game and for love of the great site BBO. I would hate to write the great site BBO used to be

Kathryn, this is a big loss for BBO

wow I am a softie, i have a maximum of 17 tables. I got to that number by accident and I like it, I can view all tables at once, I can adjust, I can give every player my time, and I do not get crazy myself. I admit I could handle 20 now comfortably. I started with 8 tables. I increase only for very special friends I have no enemy exlusion list so I have regularly blackies, I keep my notes on them in their profile but most of the time they behave now, I only do not want to play with them myself. Suspected cheaters will have me kibitzing all of the time;-). This way I feel comfortable directing. I obliged Ege123 by codirecting while playing, I feel very unhappy, and both the playing and the directing suffers by it