pilowsky

Why? Because Brian is Club Director and the usual number of Boards in a Club game is 24. So 30 and 46 are less likely. 14 maybe.

It's passed around to you, the HCP count could be ~9 9 0 22. If East is the Dealer then vulnerability is not likely to nil. If North has a flat 21 then 2NT is likely, but if they are better than that maybe 2♣. Was North sweating? Licking his/her chops? Using their fingers to count? Open 1♣ and they're in a pickle because 2♣ by North would be Michaels. Is the omission of 2♣ from the poll deliberate? It is a very nice solid Club suit. I can see how you might get excited. Are you sure that no one else in the room has ever seen you psych? Do you want to be invited back?

well, QED etc

I think he's making a joke - it's hard to tell. He's probably using a defective BIC biro. Let's ask for further clarification: Director!

On the off-chance that BBO is looking for a new web design company, I recommend this outfit. https://userinyerface.com/game.html They seem to have sorted out all the "rpoblems" .

The "sim" is helpful - which system did you use? I often find myself as a responder in pick-up games with a hand with reasonable values in an auction where partner opens 1(minor) and I respond 1(major) with a 4-card suit. If Opener directly raises my major, I understood that to mean that they must have 4+ in that major or bid 1NT leaving open the opportunity for a checkback/NMF bid. You seem to be suggesting something a little different. Could you explain further, please?

Why would you want to "block" something as inoffensive as GIB discussion on a Forum that is built around a computer game designed to operate with GIB at its core? If you don't like it, ignore it.

I suggest that you make a better effort to understand what has been happening with the vaccine roll-out in the USA. Below is an annotated graph. During this pandemic, Pfizer - the same US company responsible for ramping up production of penicillin that an Australian in Oxford invented - ramped up production of a German vaccine system that was approved for use in the USA on 13 December 2020. Unfortunately, the RNA vaccine has major cold logistics problems. Careful examination of the data shows that when the German-American vaccine became available and the time when more easily transportable vaccines became available, about 15% of the US population were vaccinated. The single-shot Janssen vaccine became available after 27 Feb 2021. Now, with 2 vaccines available, the vaccinated population rose from 15 to 30%. The first time period and the second time period are roughly similar. But, there were more vaccines available in the second time period, and the cold chain logistics problem was much smaller. So, what are the reasons for the lack of a faster vaccination rate? Again, the Australian response is pitiful. The lack of a Federal vaccination system may be one.

Sad, hopeful and funny all at the same time. You would also think that it would be easy to convince people not to smoke, not eat bad food, not buy automatic weapons, wear sunblock and a hat, look both ways before crossing the road, and on and on. But then, 1/3 of the eligible population voted for Trump - twice. Even more unnerving, 1/3 of the eligible population decided that it was in their best interests not to participate in the democratic process at all. I believe that there is a concept called the "reasonable person" - My ideas about what such a person might look like are being sorely tested. Looks like the "absurdists" were right all along. "And as for seeking help from any other – no, that he will not do for all the world; rather than seek help he would prefer to be himself – with all the tortures of hell, if so it must be." Kierkegaard S.

A link to the ourworldindata.org covid vaccination dashboard - https://ourworldinda...ISR~GBR~USA~CHN The election of Biden has done nothing to change the rate of vaccination. The new administration is simply continuing the linear trend that began when the vaccine became available. Today, 30% of the US population have been given "at least" one dose. Many factors affect the extent to which a population can be considered "safe". One thing is for sure the current flaccid pace of immunisation - with less than 5% of the world's population receiving a single dose - does not auger well for a return to normality soon. In Australia, a truly pathetic 0.62% of the population has had one dose. The combination of fringe anti-vaxxers, internet trolls, vaccine unavailability and general distrust is potentially lethal.

Bad manners: BBO does not require players to use their own names. I think that this is wrong. It encourages bad behaviour because people (wrongly) think that they are anonymous. Unfortunately, bad manners are also common-place in real life but this anonymity seems to encourage it. Expectations: Your requirements for other players may appear somewhat over-inflated to others. If you express them in this way at a table then it is possible that you will elicit unpleasant responses. I don't know who you are because you have chosen not to use your real name. Personally, I can easily imagine being offended by someone that arrives at a table and proceeds to lecture me about manners, and who simultaneously believes that they have the knowledge to accurately assess the skill levels of those around them.

Good thing that bridge is really a video game then.

Every citizen is required to vote in Australia at every election, or you get fined (~$20). It is also a legal requirement that you register. This includes every State, Council and Federal election. Nobody in Australia can complain that the outcome was not their fault because they didn't vote. We also have a preferential voting system so that there is no need for "run-off" elections. Fraud is unheard of. An independent Federal election Commission arranges elections. If there is a dispute about a Federal election, it goes to the Court of disputed returns - If it is a Federal Election, it goes to the High Court. The Australian system is completely intolerant of the shenanigans that we have just been witnessing in the USA. In America, this would be called "Socialist politics" along with our "Socialist Medicine" and "Socialist Education", where everyone is entitled to free health care and free education. I don't know how we cope. The suffering is immense.

QAnontative?

Who's there?

$0.03 according to Diana's link - NOT 21X that amount! How much does it cost? Video Chat costs 0.03 BB$ per board, per player. An estimated total cost per player will be displayed in your tournament settings, next to the entry fee. This estimate is based on the number of boards you selected. The actual total cost per player may vary, depending on how many boards are actually played (for example if you run a howell and the final number of boards is different from the number filled in when setting up your game).

Yes, that's correct.

[hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|Goffster,~~v3fakebot,I-robot,~~v3fakebot|md|2S92HT8DAT2CAKJT54,SAT7HKQ4D97643C82,SKQ643HJ6532DKC73,SJ85HA97DQJ85CQ96|sv|b|rh||ah|Board%204|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|mb|1C|an|Minor%20suit%20opening%20--%203+%20!C;%2011-21%20HCP;%2012-22%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|1S|an|One%20over%20one%20--%204+%20!S;%2011-%20HCP;%206-12%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|1N|an|3-5%20!C;%202-4%20!D;%202-4%20!H;%202-3%20!S;%2012-14%20HCP|mb|P|mb|2H|an|4+%20!H;%205%20!S;%206-11%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|2S|an|3-5%20!C;%202-4%20!D;%202-3%20!H;%202-3%20!S;%2012-14%20HCP|mb|P|mb|3H|an|6+%20!H;%205-%20!S;%20rebiddable%20!S;%2011%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|3N|an|3-5%20!C;%202-4%20!D;%202-3%20!H;%202-3%20!S;%2014-%20HCP;%2016+%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|4H|an|6+%20!H;%205-%20!S;%20rebiddable%20!S;%2011%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|4S|an|Cue%20bid%20--%203-5%20!C;%202-4%20!D;%202-3%20!H;%202-3%20!S;%2014-%20HCP;%20!SA;%2016+%20total%20points;%20forcing|mb|P|mb|5H|an|2+%20!C;%202+%20!D;%206+%20!H;%205-%20!S;%2011+%20HCP;%20rebiddable%20!S;%20no%20!CAK;%20no%20!DAK;%2011-%20total%20points|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|DQ|pc|D2|pc|D3|pc|DK|pc|H2|pc|H9|pc|HT|pc|HQ|pc|D7|pc|S3|pc|D5|pc|DT|pc|DA|pc|D6|pc|S4|pc|D8|pc|S2|pc|SA|pc|S6|pc|S5|pc|S7|pc|SK|pc|S8|pc|S9|pc|SQ|pc|SJ|pc|C4|pc|ST|pc|C3|pc|C6|pc|CA|pc|C8|pc|CK|pc|C2|pc|C7|pc|C9|pc|H8|pc|HK|pc|H3|pc|H7|pc|H4|pc|H5|pc|HA|pc|C5|pc|DJ|pc|CT|pc|D9|pc|H6|pc|HJ|pc|CQ|pc|CJ|pc|D4|]300|300| You open 1♣, The robot has two 5 card majors and ~12+ total points. First, it bids 1♠ and you reply 1NT. I suspect that the program 'infers' from the 1NT bid that you have a balanced hand with 12-14HCP meaning that you must have 3-card support for one of the majors. Things go badly downhill from here because the robot is certain that you have an 8-card major fit. I think that in order to show a 2236 shape and 12-14 the robot expects a bid of 2♣. The hand can make 4♣, 3 of a major and 3NT. (https://dds.bridgewe...f5.75207785.pbn) If you bid 3NT after 1♠ I suspect that the robot will stop because it will think you have a long minor and points. (Not sure about this.) [/hv]

I was being a little more simplistic but the way I learned it - which isn't saying much: Any 2-level bid over a 1 major opening in a new suit is GF. Since I also play inverted minors, 1M/2M is also GF. Staying in the spirit of things, 1NT/ 2♣ is (almost always) GF and so is 1NT/2♠ minor Stayman playing with GIB. and so on. But yes, I agree Discussion is critical because not all SAYC players believe in 2/1 GF although I thought it was fairly common even in SAYC.

You may not be the first to notice interesting bidding behaviour from GIB. This would be fine if the "interesting bids" were the equivalent to the descriptions in the system notes (https://bit.ly/GIBsystem). And most of the time, they are - sort of. One part of GIB where deviations (from 'book' bids) are fairly common is interference over 1NT openings. GIB commonly has 4/5 (major/minor) when it overcalls 2S or 2H. I have also seen GIB overcall 2♠ with a 6322 shape instead of bidding 2♣ (six-card suit first). Robot Bridge is a completely different game from "people Bridge". Many "normal" Bridge skills are readily transferable, but there are other things to learn as well. In robot Bridge, players compete to find new ways to get GIB to put them into the best contract. Or to deceive the trusting robots into making the wrong lead. There are always new fun bids to discover. Opening 2♣ with a nice long diamonds suit is something I just learned a couple of days ago. - and then leaving partner in 2♦. This was done against me once for 100%, so I tried it out: 100% a few days ago. Completely insane 1NT openings - with singletons or voids - and anywhere between 13 and 18 HCP can (sometimes) be effective. One thing is for sure, the GIB developers are very hard-working and seem to have little time to respond to all our queries. If they did, it would probably mean that no development at all would occur. All the same, as someone else once remarked, the good players tend to do well on average, so something must be working - theoretically...

Or you can use the challenge area - where you can set the number of boards. Of course, then you are all playing the same set of hands against robots.

The reason I asked was that 2/1 "game-force" requires that if the responder bids 2 of a minor (or 2♥ over 1♠) then they must hold enough values for the partnership to reach game. I always believed that with 1NT in that system, 2♣ was game-forcing following the same reasoning. With an 11-14 opening of 1NT (1st or 2nd seat), your partner is pre-empted. An entirely different approach is then needed. It still isn't clear how this fits systemically into 2/1 GF - I'll read the references provided - thanks.

One of the biggest problems we face in the world is that actions are poll-driven. This method of governance reached its Zenith (and nadir, I suppose) in the Trump era. If popularity were a sensible decision-making approach, all the experts on this forum would be playing SAYC with no minor transfer system, and 4♣ would always mean Gerber. This method's epitome came while watching Kayleigh MacEnany explain that any policy was a good one if "the American People" - according to the polls thought it was the best. Trump forced experts out because they didn't always do things that garnered him more "likes". Trump could be the first "Like" driven President of the USA.

My understanding is that the problem arises (in part) because of a (usually) excellent technique used by all large manufacturers called JIT (Just in Time) stock control. Two examples. When I was in training, there was a huge motor vehicle assembly plant (Mitsubishi motors) opposite the hospital where I worked (and first played social Bridge as a student). Mitsubishi employed thousands of people. Next door was a shock absorber factory called Monroe-Wylie. Sometime in the mid-1980s, the shock absorber factory workers went on strike. Mitsubishi only purchased enough shock absorbers to keep its plant operating for a few days. The cost of the large operation being "squeezed" by the smaller one was magnified. Last week I went to my local electronics retailer - JB HIFI - a great shop except they are famous for using JIT. I tried to buy a new phone - no stock - they sent me to another suburb - no stock. Finally, I had to get the phone from a Telstra shop. The Suez and the Panama canals are engineering marvels, but you have to take a pilot on board before they let you through in the Panama canal. Every time a ship goes through, Egypt is paid about $400,000. So the loss to the Egyptian economy is huge. You can imagine that if people are willing to pay $400,000 to use the canals, the value of what they carry must be much higher. Air freight is charged by weight, Sea freight is charged by volume. The two things are not interchangeable. That's why ships became bigger and bigger. When the Suez was built, they probably didn't expect the Empire state building to sail through it in a strong wind. Pari passu, the Twin towers were engineered to withstand an impact from the largest aircraft of the day. So, when the Suez is blocked (described as both the Jugular vein and a major artery of world trade by CNN) all of the manufacturers and retailers that use JIT stop. Immediately, people are laid off around the world. Hundreds of ships pile up on both sides of the canal, which in turn costs the operators a fortune. Unlike aeroplanes, ships don't have an 'alternate' - they just stop. Sailing around Africa or America is no simple task either. The trip is also very dangerous.

Just in case anyone is interested, I came across this while tidying up. Turns out that Tony Fauci is very prolific - during the 1980's he was publishing a paper every 10.8 days. This made him the busiest (and only) immunologist in the world. Ranking 17 in publication rate. The guy that came first was awarded the 1992 Ignoble prize for literature. "...for the 948 scientific papers he published between the years 1981 and 1990, averaging more than one every 3.9 days."