DelfinoD

I tend to play 2d Multi with 19(18)-20 balanced and 18-21 on single minor suit. Thanks to this system is really great. You open 1c/d with 3-4 cards only with 12-14 hands. You have absolutely no problems with forcing (you can't have single suited or balanced hand). For example: 1c - 1h 3h (15-17pc, 5c4h with a singleton or a suit oriented 5422) 1d - 1s 2nt (natural but not balanced 4441s or 5d422, but rather suit oriented) 1c - 1s 2d (natural 5c4+d, 18+pc) The only forcing problem is when you have a fit in pt. suit, but thats not really a big problem: 1c - 1h 4h (18-21pc, 5c4h22 suit oriented) the responce is high but describes your hand really good (with a singleton you use splinter, with nt oriented you open 2d or 2nt) etc. Putting 18-20 in 2d is not that risky as opening 2nt with it because: - ops can bid 2h/s saving you or even they can get doubled - after double you can still play 2h/s yourself - its very hard to double 2d, because opener can have strong diamond opening, and win 2dx with partner giving 0pc Of course problems after: 1h-1s ? still remain you can use forcing 2nt as a rebid with strong heart or strong balanced opening, but then you have to open 1nt with 5h332s 15-17 (with 3 spades you can bid 3s)

Well in my opinion 20%+35%=48% :P

I think you can play quite good against it without complicated system. I would use: x - 13+ (or 15+ if you want) pc balanced hand, or hearts 2s - natural 6+ 2nt - minors 3h - very strong take-out rest - natural

Well it depends on the system, but in most cases when you know the exact shape it's already too late to switch to natural bidding (the level is to high). But anyway that's the main reason why making a good relay system a is very difficult taks. It's not olny a problem of fitting all the informations in the system. Very important thing is to give players the freedom of choosing wheter they want to bid it by relays or natural. For example responces showing balanced hands must be on low level, so there's plenty of space for natural bidding. The responce showing singletons etc. can be much higher, because natural bidding won't be very often after these. And it's not only relays that give you the kind of hand early in the auction. You can play systems which give it to you without relay bidding, even in natural style.

IMHO relays are the worst method to check that. When you plan to play 5m instead of 3nt you have to well know the honor distribution. This can be only achived on a low level with natural bidding.

No really need to change your responces after 12-37pc opening. These are so called zero options - because they almost never happen. You may miss a game once a few tournaments, but you gain much more - psychological advantage. Imagine opponent holding: Dxxx x KDxx Dxxx after: 1h - pas - pas - ? When 1h is not limited the player may think that opponents have game or even a slam and just pass. And that's how you'll going to get more points than you'll lose from not making a game when there's for example 25pc - 0pc. The best strategy for opponents is not to change their bidding habits (like you don't change your responces, and still pass wiht 5-6pc). You won't have any gain then, but also the chances for opponets saving you are much bigger. And you have free 2c instead of acol, which will give you even more points. Zero options can be used more widely. Other opening example: 2s - 6-10 6+s or 18+pc 5440 with 0 spades. The second option never happens, and you should bid as if it was a normal weak two. But now opponets have a real problem, because after an overcall if opener really has 5440 18+ it's going to be at least 1400 ;) Who has stronger nerves? If they stop overcalling after weak two it's good for you. Of course as before the best strategy for the opps is to treat this opening as a normal weak two, same as the responcer does. But they may not know about it or be just too scared to do it.

I think first of all you should always have a possibility to bid by relays or natural. Some hands are just not proper for asking for example hands with no holding in a suit or with a singleton or void. They should be bid naturally. I think most people show key cards. If you want to check if the hand is just proper for slam bidding without much risk, you could just invite somehow. I think it depends on the level of the bidding. But anyway one thing should be sure: opener should have no right to change the contract selected as final by asking player. Well it depends on the system I think. I play that 3nt should always be passed.

I'm sorry to say that, but if anyone misbehaved it was you :) Well personally I would be ashamed to call a TD in this case. But even if you did so what did you tell him? You can't just call a TD and say: I don't like opps bidding, please change the score.

In my tournamet I have a rule, that your partner can wait for you up to two boards (16 minutes) but the penalty is ave- for you (ave+ for opps.). That's how I tend to promote non one-tourney pairs. I don't really know if this is a good rule.

Ok but is 3♣ 5♥4♣ or can it be 4♥4♣? noone knows... What about 5♣4♦? You have to open 1♦ and after opps overcall you usually get 0% in matchpoints because you're playing a wrong suit. But that's not really natural. I can give you a better system than that without much thinking. The next bid is always relay, opener uses natural bids: 1♥ (5+♥) - 1♠ (relay) 2♣ (5+♥4+♣) - 2♦ (relay) 2nt (5♥4♣22) - 3♣ (relay) 3♦ (12-14pc) - 3♥ (relay) 3ba (1 ace) - .. and now asking for kings etc. Thats a big precision... and partner never passes... etc. But the problem of such a systems is overcall. Imagine a hand in WJ: - AKWxxxx Axx AKx 1♣ - 4♠ - pass - pass - ? That's a horrible problem, and it happens very often. When you bid 5♥ your p. gives you: DWxxx x Wxxx xxx When you use SAYC it's easy: 1♥ - 4♠ - pass - pass - x - pass... I played many different systems, and I really prefer two types of them: maximum natural and maximum artificial. If you really feel unconfortable with strong hands why don't you just use natural SAYC (better minor) openings base with: - 2o1 game forcing (no more problems with strong hands without fit) - inverted minors and 2nt GF responce in major (no more problems with strong hands with fit) - 2♦ Multi (no more problems with 18-20pc nt opening and strong minor opening) You can even play strong 2♥/♠ and for two suited preemptives use alternative 1nt - natural 15-17 or two suited 6-10 (well you can't play that everywere...). Now you have absolutely no problems with any strong hands, the system is much more natural and has much less problems than WJ. And what is the most important it's not really affraid of opponets bidding.

Ok it's forcing in WJ2000 (I have the book) and invitational in WJ2005 :) And what do you think your partner thinks it is? :(

Because it is a much better system than "standard"? The limitedness of the opening bid is a BIG plus in the system, as well as the ability to get a more controlled auction with strong hands. This is true for both standard auction and Polish Club (even in standard I think you should open 1♣ on 4♠4♥3♦2♣). I played the style where 1♦ shows at least 4 cards but open 1♣ on 4 bad ♦ like the example hand above and really liked the inferences it had. I don't really think it's much better. Do you know how was WJ designed? By a popular vote. People were voting on which conventions they like and that's how they made polish club. It's a pack of raqndomly selected convetnions. Tha'ts why it very artificial, and even advanced players have doubts what should they bid and what does it mean (there are so many versions of it). I think that the time of polish club has passed, many young people in Poland use now more natural version of polish club, where you open 12-21pc and 1♦=4+♦ (1♣ with 4♠4♥3♦2♣ so called nasz system). And many of them learn SAYC at the beginning instead of WJ. This is a typical problem. What do you bid in Polish club? 1♦ - 1♥ 2♣ - ? ♠KWxx ♥KDxx ♦Dx ♣xxx P. can have 5♣4♦ or 5♦4♣ and 2nt is of course game forcing... That's why I preffer SAYC. There are so many asking bids in WJ, and I don't think that asking bidding is good after natural opening. And if you want to use relays, then you shoud use Strong Pass openings. it's much more effective :)

Not many other. I think only in WJ2000 you open 1♦ with 5+♦. Well I think that opening with 4+♦ is better, but if you open with 4+♦ why would you like to use WJ at all? :rolleyes:

The law is really stupid I think :) It almost sounds like: "Disallowed: Conventions and/or agreements whose primary purpose is to get better score than the opponets" ;)

I mostly enjoy learning my first strong pass system :)

And how do you show 15-18 bal without proper stoper in opp. suit? 1) How often do you open 1nt? 2) How often do you have 15-18pc bal on defence? 3) How often do you have 15-18pc bal with a stoper on defence? 4) How often do you get doubled after such an overcall? IMHO natural 1nt overcall is not worth it. And if such a hand really comes I can always double or pass.

In one tournament after selecting 'tournament rules' you could chose language. I would like to make such a multilanguage rules for mine too. How can you make it in .lin file, anyone knows? I just need 2 links for two different parts of the file. Or maybe someone could place somehwere on web his more complicated .lin rules file, so others could check most of the syntax?

Yes I think you're right. There are few versions of this defence, and they probbably used 1♦ 4-4 majors (with 54 1nt). I've also heard about a convention against 1♣ called Warsaw diamond. 1♦ overcall is 8-12 (or 6-10 maybe?) on diamonds or 4-4 in majors. It's very nice because responder is affraid to bid 1 major, and they have no opp. suit to force.

I think that the strong-pass Lambda defence is popular against all strong ♣ systems. It goes like this: x - 5+♥ 8-15 (5332, 6322, 6331) 1♦ - 5+♠ 8-15 (5332, 6322, 6331) 1♥ - 5+4+ ♣♥ or ♠♦ 8-15 1♠ - 5+4+ ♣♠ or ♦♥ 8-15 1NT - 5+4+ ♣♦ or ♥♠ 8-15 2♣ - 5+ 8-15 (5332, 6322, 6331) 2♦ - 5+ 8-15 (5332, 6322, 6331) 2M - 6+ preemptive

This convenction was designed by strong-pass authors, sometimes it's called strong pass NT. Anyway it's really great because when you overcall with suit eg. 1d-2c-pas-? now new suit is 5+ because pd. denied 4 card major.

Just imagine last board in a tourney. A player, who wasn't going to win anyway, probbably got angry on his partner's bidding and bids 7 spade redoubled. The result is -4. I got messages from other players that they feel bad because they got -5 imps instead of ave. What can I do with it? Ban the player? Change the result to something more realistic like 6sx-3? Don't do anything at all?

I used to play so called almost-no-pass system, it looks like this: pas - 0-7pc 4432 or 4333 without 4 card minor 1 suit - standard better minor 12-37pc 1nt - any 8-12pc 2 minor - 4+ 0-7pc 2 major - 5+ 0-7pc It's 100% legal (with WBF restrictions) system so you can play it everywhere you want. As for my experience in matchpoints 50% or more is rather sure, good luck :)

So maybe there should just be some kind of oficcial BBO 'bridge laws abstract' which would be avaliable for all directors and players?

I also run tourneys and I do it mostly for fun. Who know if directing isn't more interesting than playing at all? I think the better you direct the more fun you have from directing. That's why I'd like to have my mistakes pointed out. I'd like to have a rule book, which would let me improve my directing. Being a TD is a responsible taks, even if it's voluntary. It's also a good training if you want to become a real-life TD. That's why BBO TDs should have at least some knowledge about the law. They also should have a chance to correct their mistakes, by just someone telling them what they did wrong without any penalty :rolleyes: Someone familiar with the law, monitoring a tourney from time to time, could give a TD much help by telling him about his mistakes don't you think? Or even better - a TD should have someone, who he could ask about a problem that involves dealing with law.

Hello If you frequently psyche (and your p. knows about it) I think you should announce it to the opponets at the beginning, because frequent psyche is an agreement :rolleyes: Anyway if you announce it I guess ops. won't be so mad when it happens.