euclidz

Thanks for the helpful replies

If every hand lent itself to an obvious choice of bids it would be an easy and boring game. Second in hand I had 14hcp, 5♥ (KQxx) and 3♣ over oppositions opening bid of 1♣. My options were a bid of 1♥, 2♥ or double. My opinion was that: 1. an overcall of 1♥ showed less than 12hcp 2. an overcall of 2♥ showed 6 good hearts, a 6 loser hand and a singleton of void 3. double showed opening points and a shortage in clubs. All 3 options (in my opinion) told a lie and as it is often the case (IMO) it's about making the choice which gives the most/best information. I chose to dble. Ops in 3rd seat bid 1♥ my partner bid 1♠ I passed with Ax spade. His response on seeing my hand was OMG and then went on to make 8 tricks. He followed with 'expert' advice that my correct bid was an overcall of 1♥ which showed 5♥ and up to 15hcp. How wrong was my choice?

Sorry my mistake - I see now the 2D bid wasn't a transfer it was a Benji relay bid. All that said, if the bidding had been 1NT, 2S, 2D (transfer to hearts and an IB) what would be a sufficient bid? 2H's?

If a Pass is allowed after an IB of 2D (artificial / transfer to H's) I presume that offender's partner must be warned that, for him, that is unauthorised information and that he must not bid Hearts? The question is, with that UI, how can he make any bid (other than something ludicrous) which does not factor in the UI. So, surely he must Pass his offending partner's Pass? Yes / No?

Ah - got OK thanks

Question: A POOR after any player has bid: A pass out of rotation at offender’s LHO’s turn to call may be accepted by offender's LHO if not accepted . . . what? As I read it (below) the original call stands but there was no original call! LAW 30: PASS OUT OF ROTATION Law 30 B3. After any player has bid a pass out of rotation at offender’s LHO’s turn to call is treated as a change of call. Law 25 applies. Law 25 B. Call Intended 1. A substituted call not permitted by A may be accepted by the offender’s LHO. (It is accepted if LHO calls intentionally over it.) The first call is then withdrawn, the second call stands and the auction continues. 2. Except as in 1 a substitution not permitted by A is cancelled. The original call stands and the auction continues. 3. Law 16D applies to a call withdrawn or cancelled.

Thanks for the helpful posts

Personally I find leads the most difficult part of the game. I recall an instance many years back when I lead from a doubleton and my partner that evening, a 'good' player, said "never lead from a doubleton". I was just watching play (repeat - I was watching not playing) . . . E/W two 'experts' playing against N/S two intermediates. The bidding by N/S was 1♥, 1♠, 2♥, 4♥. West led 8♣ from a doubleton of 8♣ 5♣. East's comment was "it is clear just from cards ppl lead if they are experts or not - at least twice previous p lead from un supported doubleton into unknown territory. I know no expert who would do that" Is that correct? I've read many books on leads and most talk about what to lead and sometimes what not to lead but I don't ever recall reading "never lead from a doubleton".

That seems to have solved the problem. I've just played for an hour and it never froze and never looked like it wanted to freeze.

Thanks for that - I'm away until Thursday I'll try it them and report back

Again another evening of freezing every time the add changes and then it got to 'plasterboards on special offer at Wickes' and that was me frozen off with 'BBO not responding.' I understand and accept that we play for free and BBO want money for what they provide but I can't believe that there is a Bridge player somewhere in the world who is. seeing that add, going to rush out and buy some plasterboard!

I've just noticed that I freeze sometimes when the advertising at the side changes. It seems like (for some adds) it's struggling to load and freezing me whilst it loads.

Thanks I'll start by looking at update flash. The computer I use (laptop) is the same computer I've been using since I first registered with BBO so whatever it is, it is something that wasn't there a few weeks back and wasn't there for many months before that.

I am using IE 11 on Windows 8 which I presume is pretty standard stuff.

I access BBO via the internet by logging into the BBO web site. I put this question in a more appropriate part of the forum a few days back and got no response. I formed the view that I got no response because nobody visited that part of the forum so I tried it in the 'General' section. It's really frustrating, I can almost guarantee that at some point during the evening it'll freeze. The problem may be my PC but against that I can say that everything, I mean Everything else is working fine whilst BBO is frozen!

BBO programme freezes whilst I am playing Bridge. It started a couple of weeks back and now it’s at least once a day. I will be playing Bridge and the screen freezes . . . I can move the mouse cursor but clicking on anything gets no response. I can't bid or chat and there is nothing moving on the screen apart from the mouse cursor. I can minimise the BBO screen and everything else on the PC is working properly with full, fast, uninterrupted internet connection. Sometimes an error message comes up at the bottom of the screen saying ‘BBO not responding.’ I have to go into task manager to close BBO down and re-log in. Any suggestions?

Correct, as I said in my opening post, after my initial suspicions were aroused I watched him over a couple of weeks until the hand in question. I think it would be helpful if different Clubs had their own moderators who might be better equipped to know who is 'straight' and who is not.

Interesting

I am not ranting and I am not complaining. It's simply pathetic that anyone would to even consider cheating in any game of Bridge not least one which is an on-line game with no results, no prizes, no reward. I posted this here because (out of curiosity) I thought someone might have an explanation for zzzz or might suggest that it wasn't possible to cheat in this way.

I have my suspicions – why? He (no names) appeared a few weeks back and has just reached over 100 logins. My first suspicions were aroused when he clearly knew a lot amore about navigating his way around BBO than I did. After watching him for a while and noting how he likes to berate his partners for not bidding or playing the most advanced game I formed the view that he may have had a former identity and may have been banned for abuse. Then . . . watching him further I noted long pauses at some critical points of bidding and play. Then one night I watched as he was bidding a hand with a partner in a game where both sides were bidding. He and his partner had a Diamond / Heart fit, he having 4 Hearts to the King and his partner having 5 hearts to the Queen but wrongly and badly his partner had never bid his hearts. With hearts never being bid by his side and with his ops on a bid of 4 Clubs he went silent for 2 minutes and the came back and holding just 4 Hearts he bid 4 Hearts which was lay down. I wondered if he had somehow got a look at his partner’s hand? I looked at who was on-line kibitzing and there was a player there named zzzz_10895 who’s profile I could not see/access and searches since say "no players of that name." Of course I could (and probably am) totally wrong and this person might just be a brilliant player with a short temper and a low tolerance for normal mortals but. . . . . Any thoughts?

Page locks Started a couple of weeks back About every other day. I will be playing Bridge and the screen locks . . . I can't bid or chat and I see nothing of any movement by anybody else, sometime an error message comes up at the bottom of the screen saying BBO not responding and sometimes BBO logs me off. During these times my internet is fully functional and I can minimise the BBO page and do anything else on the computer i.e. it is just BBO that is locked. Any suggestions?

Law 25a Declarer opens 1NT, LHO passes, declarer's partner bids 2♦, his LHO doubles (quickly), Declarer announces (slowly) "transfer to hearts." Declarers partner says "oops sorry, I've pulled out the wrong card I meant to pull out 2♥" (transfer to spades). Does the 'without pause for thought'time period start; 1. After offender bids? 2. After his LHO calls (dbl)? 3. After he is woken up by declarer's announcement?

Declarer's opening bid is 1♠, which is doubled for take out by LHO, declarer's partner passes and LHO passes having failed to notice his partners double card. Can he change his call? 1. I presume unintended means accidental not failed to pay attention - Yes / No? 2. I presume if declarer passes (3rd pass) before offender declares his mistake, the auction is over (22A2) and he cannot change his call (25A3) because the auction is over?

Thanks - I couldn't find that in the Blue Book but it makes sense.

Reading through some appeals rulings I read . . The alerting regulations require a double to be alerted if it is competitive, cooperative, optional or penalty (i.e. any meaning other than takeout). Checking that against the Blue Book 4B2 . . (paraphrasing) . . Alert all penalty doubles except NT then alert if it is a take out double. Q1. I take from this, that (except NT) all penalty doubles should be alerted? Q2. If a pair are not regular partners and do not have any agreement on this, should they alert a double indicating that they have no agreement i.e. alerting that it could be a PD?