Kaapo

Happened to spot this quote from José Damiani in World Bridge News 1/2011: Any guesses how this automated recording system will be used and whether it really is in operation in Veldhoven? How will this impact vugraph coverage on BBO?

Getting back to a remark made by mtvesuvius early on: I have saved an FD convention card labeled "vugraphe1_Steve-Rob" dated May 8 2007. It is for the Tarzan Club system played by Muller - de Wijs who were on Vugraph then. I think the operator was Rob Helle, who's pretty fluent in the sysytem and apparenlty has created the CC. Not sure if it's still possible for the operator to upload a CC. Must give it a try next time I'm doing it. :)

A very nice way to learn about the history of BBO and vugraph (and bridge) is to read Deals of the Week Fred used to publish: http://bbi.bridgebase.com/dotw/dotwlin.html (you need the BBO Windows client installed in order to read those LIN files). December 24 2001 DOTW would appear to be the first one mentioning the BBO vugraph, advertizing the Cap Gemini tournament that would be held in the Hague in January 2002. The Christmas edition also features a deal very well played by Simon de Wijs from the Netherlands. While online vugraph is great, I think it's even nicer to read about the deal in the Bridge Movie format. That way you don't have to wait too long to see Simon finally play a card. :) Dec 17 DOTW of the same year features some celebrities, and also be sure to look forward to the special DOTW 7-year hiatus edition due in March 2011, right Fred? :)

I think it's because of other activities (ballet etc) at Kursaal. They need to throw us out earlier if there's a show coming in the evening...

There's an announcement in Deal of the Week 241: http://bbi.bridgebase.com/dotw/dotw241s.html . Btw, DOTWs make for some great reading. Perhaps Fred'll make a few more of those sometime? :unsure:

In the classic Windows version of the BBO client you can determine whether you are connected or not by looking at the number of people online (Lobby). If it keeps changing you are receiving data from the server, and if it just keeps displaying the same number then you quite certainly are not. I cannot remember if the same goes for the Flash version, and I'm unable to check that because I don't seem to be able to access BBO with the Flash client using this computer.

In a chat message, The Finnish/Swedish letters (åäö) sent from a Flash BBO client turn into rubbish if the receiver uses Win BBO. Is there something that could be done? In Flash -> Flash it seems to work all right.

OCR twos (2♥ showing either ♥+♣ or ♠+♦, 2♠ either blacks or reds, 2NT either minors or majors) are still part of the Finnish Modern Standard. While the system isn't very popular (or modern) any more, those 2-level openings might easily still be the most common structure for 2-suited openings over here. Some strong clubbers play what they call Roman 2's: 2M showing an opening hand with 5+M and 4+♣. And it's not very uncommon to play the 2NT opening to show a 5-5 hand with *any* 2 suits. Also, I've seen some play Muiderberg-ish in a way, where 2♠ is used for both majors (instead of 2♥ that was in the list). Personally I'd choose 5M-4+m nonvulnerable and 5M-5+m vulnerable. I didn't vote, because perhaps you can't really classify OCR as a form of Muiderberg.

Once a BBO commentator was commentating on a ladies match. At a late point of a certain board's play, he probably meant to say something like this: "She has a complete count." Unfortunately the last word was missing one important letter...

I would've voted for both 1 and 4, because I have a bidding system called Chicken (or KaNa in Finnish - Ka comes from my name, and Na is for Natural(ish)). I'd quite like to know what ty son foods has discovered about Chicken preempts and Chicken sacrifices let alone about opening one Chicken heart. Chicken are not usually considered game but perhaps they know something about Chicken game tries, as well. On the other hand, I also have a system called Terroristi (strong club with 9-14 openings; "risti" is Finnish for clubs, and I played it with someone who's name is Tero, thus Ter[r]oristi). So it's very likely that Tyson will knock out Terrorists with his Fists, er, Foods in no time. One can only wonder what happens when they finally start examining Magic Diamond, or Bart Simpson Club (another strong ♣)...

This was the full deal: [hv=d=n&v=e&n=saq87hq8da7653cat&w=sj543h52d84ck7653&e=sk62hkj743d92cq82&s=st9hat96dkqjtcj94]399|300|Scoring: IMP North East South West 1♦ 1♥ 2NT pass 3NT[/hv] The ♣3 was led (5th best - and I think most Finns would lead the 5th best from a 6 card suit as well). I took ♣A and immediately played a club back. That was not a success since, having scored his ♣ tricks, West fired a ♥, removing my entry for the squeeze. I ended up down 2 after an unsuccesful ♠ finesse as a last desperate attempt for a make. At least this time it would be right to grab ♣A at trick one, run diamonds, and then exit in ♣s.

This hand really took place on BBO. Unfortunately most declarers received a ♣ lead from ♠Q♥J753♦AJ43♣AQJ8, after which it was a different story.

You declare 3NT. Scoring is IMPs: [hv=d=s&v=e&n=skj4hkt2dk872c763&s=sat7haq96dqt96ckt]133|200|Scoring: IMP South North 1NT 3NT[/hv] West leads the ♦3 (4th best), which you let ride to your hand (East plays the 5). Next you play ♦Q, which is won by West, East discarding a spade. West doesn't help you with your ninth trick, but continues diamonds instead. You take the marked finesse against ♦J. These cards are left: [hv=d=s&v=e&n=skj4hkt2dk872c763&s=sat7haq96dqt96ckt]133|200|Scoring: IMP South North 1NT 3NT[/hv] You've won 2 tricks. How do you play the rest?

With only the opponents vulnerable and IMP scoring, you declare a game at no trumps: S AQ87 N E S W H Q8 1D 1H 2NT pass D A7653 3NT C A10 S 109 H A1096 D KQJ10 C J94. Lead: C3 (3rd or 5th). How would you play?

If anybody in the South seat accidentally had two sixes in the same suit, he would have to win the first round of trumps with the "stiff" ace without breaking the tempo. He might then continue a spade. This would likely induce declarer to play for a bad trump break. For the defence to have any chance, then, North must hold the 10 of trumps. Otherwise declarer could simply ruff the spade high in dummy. So declarer ruffs with a low trump in hand, partner discarding. Declarer cashes the ♦A and needs to be able to cash ♣AK. Then he continues with another high club. If North discards, declarer plans to throw a diamond from dummy. At some point North would have to ruff, or otherwise declarer would have just trumps left in his hand. Dummy overruffs, and since North must have a diamond or two left, declarer can (cash a diamond and) cross-ruff the rest. But of course, declarer will be shocked to see South ruff the 3rd club with a newly found six of hearts. If declarer is convinced of the bad trump break, he may play like this even when holding both minor-suit queens. But if he has the ♦Q as well, he can afford to play another round of trumps before touching the minors. In that case the ♦Q serves as a later re-entry to hand to play another ♣ in case North ruffs.

There used to be a description of the Piranha Club by Christer Enkvist online but the link is dead now. However, there's left a Swedish PDF file on the Syskon site at http://www.syskon.nu/system/002_piranha_01.pdf . Here is the opening structure: 1♣ = 16+ (17+ if unbal) or 10-12 bal with a 4-card major (or marmic) 1♦ = 10-16, 4-5-card major, maybe both, possibly with a longer minor 1♥♠ = 8-12, 5+ cards 1NT = 13-16 2♣♦ = 11-16, 5+ cards, no 4c major 2♥♠ = 13-16, 6+ cards. They likely pass all balanced 10-12 hands with no 4-card major.

There seems to be a lot of Swedish players playing this style, with a Magic Diamond -like 2m openings: 1♣ 16/17+ 1♦ a) 11-13 NT, :) 11-15, 4c major and 5+ in a minor, or c) 11-15, any 4441 1♥♠ 11-15, 5+c 1NT 14-16 (or maybe 9-12 NV) 2♣♦ 11-15, 5+c, unbalanced w/o 4cM (that is, either 6+ cards or both minors 5+4+). The most prominent supporters of the structure are the national team pair Peter Bertheau - Fredrik Nyström. They play relays, and over the 1♦-opening, 1♥ is either a natural-ish forcing bid, a balanced game-try or the start of a gameforcing relay sequence. You can find some of the structure in their Warsaw convention card. I've seen many other Swedes play a similar opening structure but was unable to find detailed CC's. Here's another but it seems very much like Bertheau and Nyström's relay system: Auby-Hallberg and notes. Some Swedish juniors play a similar system with more natural responses. Unfortunately their CC's aren't all that detailed. Take a look at the Bangkok CC's if you like. Here's one more of the lady pair Tengå - Rudenstål.

SMart has a 1♥ opening of this kind. It's a little weaker though: 8-14. SMart is the system played by the Danish juniors Søren Christiansen and Martin Schaltz. Over 1♥ they have the following structure: 1♠ = 6-15, 0-4♠ 0-2♥ 1NT = 9-15, 5+♠ 2♣ = Artificial GF 2♦ = Invite, 3♥ 2♥ = 0-9, 3♥ 2♠ = weak 2NT = GF, 4+♥ 3♣ = 12-15, 4+♥ 3♦ = 8-11, 4+♥ 3♥ = 0-7, 4+♥ They don't describe their relays after 2♣ very thoroughly. Just that 2♦ shows either 4+♣ or balanced (although the opening was supposedly unbal), 2♥ 6+♥, 2♠ 4+♦ and 2NT both minors.

Look closer. :) A direct 3♦ over the relay shows the red suits of at least 5-5 with short ♣. There's some room to inquire further at the 3-level, but 5-6-hands would go past 3NT. The 2♠ response to the relay shows the red suits with a ♠ shortage. This can be 5-4 either way or 5-5 or 6-4. It's not untill after the 2NT relay when the lengths are clarified. Now 3♣ shows long diamonds, 3♦ 5-5 or better, and higher bids long ♥s with just 4♦s. So 1♥ - 2♣; 2♠ - 2NT; 3♦ = 1-5-5-2 or 0-5-5-3 or 6-5 in the reds and short ♠. With 5♥5♣ opener rebids 2♦ and then either 2♠ = 54+ short ♠, or 3♦ = 55+ short ♦. It is totally unintentional that the opener rebids her short suit there! :) True. Sadly there's not room for those below the 4-level.

Ok, so Matt challenged me to develop a relay structure starting at 2♣. B) Here goes: 1[he] = 10-15, 4+[he], 0-3[sp], unbal or 5332, may have 5+m [space]- 2[cl] = GF relay [space] [space]- 2[di] = 54+ [he]+[cl] or 5332 [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = rel [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 54+ [he]+[cl], 0-1[sp] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 5332 or 5422 [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[cl] = rel [space] [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[di] = 5422, 3[he] relays [space] [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 2-5-3-3 [space] [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 3-5-2-3 [space] [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3N = 3-5-3-2 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[cl] = 4[he] 5+[cl], 0-1[di] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[di] = 5+[he] 5+[cl], 0-1[di] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 3-5-1-4 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 2-6-1-4 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3N = 3-6-0-4 [space] [space]- 2[he] = 6+[he], 1-suiter [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 54+ [he]+[di], 0-1[sp] [space] [space]- 2N = 2-(54)-2 or 3-suiter short in [sp]s [space] [space] [space]- 3[cl] = rel [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[di] = 5422, 3[he] relays [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 0-4-(54) [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 0-5-4-4 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3N = 1-4-4-4 [space] [space]- 3[cl] = 4[he] 5+[di], 0-1[cl] [space] [space]- 3[di] = 5+[he] 5+[di], 0-1[cl] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 3-5-4-1 [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 2-6-4-1 [space] [space]- 3N = 3-6-4-0. It resolves most shapes below the 4-level. Maybe a tad high for an intelligent slam exploration to work though... Here's the rest of the structure, too (with lots of typing/thing errors I'm sure): 1[he] = 10-15, 4+[he], 0-3[sp], unbal or 5332, may have 5+m [space]- 1[sp] = 5+[sp], F1 [space] [space]- 1N = 4[he] or 2-5-3-3, no 3[sp] [space] [space] [space]- 2[cl] = GF relay [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[di] = 10-13, no 6m [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 10-13, 6+m [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 14-15, 1-4-4-4/0-4-(54) [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 14-15, 4[he] 5[cl] 1-2[sp] 2-3[di] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[cl] = 14-15, 2-5-3-3 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[di] = 14-15, 2-4-5-2 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 14-15, 1-4-5-3 [space] [space] [space]- 2[di] = 9-11, weak invite, 5[sp]4m or 5[sp]3[he] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 14-15 [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 9-10, 5[sp]4m [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 9-10, 5[sp]3[he] [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3m = 10-11, 5[sp]4m [space] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 10-11, 5[sp]3[he] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 10-13, 2[sp] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 10-13, 1-4-4-4/1-4-(53)/0-4-(54) [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3m = 10-13, 6+m [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 6-9, 5+[sp] 3[he] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 8-11, 6+[sp] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 12-13, invite [space] [space] [space]- 3m = 12-13, invite [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 12-13, 6+[sp] 3[he] [space] [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 12-13, 6+[sp] 0-2[he] [space] [space]- 2[cl] = 5+[he] 4+[cl] [space] [space]- 2[di] = 5+[he] 4+[di] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 6+[he] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 3[sp] [space] [space]- 2N = 14-15, 3[sp] and a shortness [space] [space]- 3m = 14-15, 4[he] 6+m [space] [space]- 3[he] = 14-15, good 6+[he], 0-2[sp] [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 14-15, good 6+[he], 3[sp] [space]- 1N = 6-11, 0-4[sp], 0-2[he] [space] [space]pass = 10-13 5332 or 5422 [space] [space]- 2[cl] = a) 10-13 4[he]3[sp](51) b) 14-15 [space] [space] [space]- 2[di] = 10-11 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 14-15, 5[he] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 10-13, 3-4-(51) [space] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 14-15, 0-1[sp] 4[he] 44+ minors [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3m = 14-15, 4[he] 6m [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 14-15, 6+[he] [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3[sp] = 14-15, 3-4-1-5 [space] [space] [space] [space]- 3N = 14-15, 3-4-5-1 [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 6-9, 2[he] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 6-9, 4[sp] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 6-9, 54+ minors, 0-1[he], 0-3[sp] [space] [space] [space]- 3m = 6-9, 6m [space] [space]- 2[di] = 10-13, 5[he]4+m [space] [space] [space]- pass = 5+[di] [space] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 2[he] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 4[sp] 0-1[he] [space] [space] [space]- 2N = 44+ minors [space] [space] [space]- 3[cl] = 6+[cl] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 10-13, 6+[he] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 10-13, 1-4-4-4/1-4-3-5/0-4-4-5 (responder has a 4+m) [space] [space]- 2N = 10-13, 1-4-5-3/0-4-5-4 (responder has a 4+m) [space] [space]- 3m = 10-13, 4[he]6+m [space]- 2[cl] = GF relay [space]- 2[di] = 11-13, any invite without 4[he] or 5[sp] [space] [space]- 2[he] = 10-11, 5+[he] [space] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = both minors [space] [space] [space]- 2N = bal [space] [space] [space]- 3m = 6+m [space] [space] [space]- 3[he] = 3[he] [space] [space]- 2[sp] = 12+, GF relay [space] [space]- 2N = 10-11, 1-4-4-4 or 1-4-(53) or 0-4-(54) [space] [space]- 3m = 10-11, 6+m [space] [space]- 3[he] = 10-11, 6+[he] [space]- 2[he] = 7-10, 3-4[he] [space]- 2[sp] = weak [space]- 2N = 11+, 4+[he] [space]- 3m = weak (or mini-splinter or whatever).

In fact, the first one is where I get by clicking on Help in the Lobby of BBO. The first one is a more recent one, too. It covers BBO 4.7.0 (according to a meta tag inside the HTML source). The latter one describes the behaviour of BBO version 3.6.3. Obviously the Help button gets us to different versions of the documentation. I wonder if this is because of different default browsers. Or maybe different BBO versions? I think I'm using the latest beta - at least I downloaded it :rolleyes: - but can't check now really. Opera is one of the 9.x versions

Here is a link to the Contents page of the help. It uses Javascript to go to a different location. The page it redirects to has this comment in the Javascript: And also in the same HTML file*: So it seems quite odd the site doesn't function properly... But, anyway, thanks to the site creator who seems to be John Goold. There are a lot of nice contents (although not what I searched for, but that was quite special). :P *) In the file; not on my screen. I do have frames enabled.

There seems to be different versions of the help. A Google search brings an HTML help site that seems more or less to work in Opera. However, clicking the Help button on the latest BBO beta brought a different help documentation. The latter one seemed somehow to use redirecting to get the contents. Maybe this caused that the back butten didn't work. I haven't got BBO installed on this machine so I cannot give a URL.

I don't like bidding restrictions ala the ACBL. In fact, there are no systems restrictions in Finland. Similarly, I don't like someone restricting my choice of web browsers. But I suppose you're happy with using the SAYC bidding system, Claus? :P In fact, I tried the help site using IE but it quite failed to please me even then...

Frankly, the usability of the HTML Help web site of BBO is horrible. First of all, it uses the cursed frames. Worst of all, in neither Opera nor Firefox does the back button work. Only way in Opera to browse back is to go to the Contents page via the Contents button. In Firefox, even this isn't possible due to a Javascript error. The fact that pages load a little too slowly doesn't make it any better, either. Since a new BBO interface is about to be launched to the public, a large part of the help needs a rewrite. Hopefully you could put some effort to make the help site follow the HTML and usability/accessibility standards a little better at the same time, too.