pilowsky

Isn't the real question: what is it that your opponents would be able to do if that extra information was available to them? It's similar to the problem I struggled with concerning short club (could be 2) versus better minor (at least 3). What I would like to know - as a Beginner-Intermediate is: what additional action would I be able to take as the next bidder if the opener has exactly 14 HCP rather than 15HCP as promised. To put it another way, when does it matter when doesn't it? How serious an infraction is it? Playing in many clubs, I cannot recollect a penalty being applied for failure to alert an artificial call. Non-alerted transfers, Non-alerted Bergen bids etc etc. Except perhaps once. My partner bid 2D over 1NT. I alerted Cappelletti (both majors) and because my partner had forgotten the system and actually had 6 diamonds, and the opps took advantage of the error, Ms Director awarded the Opps 60%. I still don't understand that ruling, but it was presumably reasonable. To be fair, my experience is limited to coffee club competitions and community clubs with a bit of online Bridge thrown in. Perhaps in real Bridge it's different.

Check that it's small enough 100 bytes or something.

Finally! I learned to upgrade from John Newman (zenbiddist), who when challenged by his opponents at the end of hand - I was his partner at the time- laid down his cards and quietly appointed to the doubleton as his extra point. On that Tuesday evening at the Sydney Bridge Centre, I was a walk-in and he was the playing Director. So no, he didn't rule against himself. I think most new players stick to the 'right thing' ie do exactly what they're told, better players do what's right for them, and some people just feel that they have the 'right stuff' as Tom Wolfe put it - until they don't then the two men in black visit their significant other Where do you buy guidance in Bridgeworld? The guidance shop?.

Sometimes when playing robots, the play stops completely. Then it is a manageable workaround to logout and login.

There is something so fundamentally different about Australia, Britain and America that for people that have not lived and worked extensively in the three countries for any period of time find it hard to understand. Perhaps this image will help. I took this photo while walking the poodles today - a small black one and a heavier white one with a tinge of orange. People always compliment me on the dogs. I explain that I call one Trump and the other Obama because the white one is fat and stupid. Even in one of the most conservative suburbs in Australia this always gets a knowing laugh. The children are playing cricket. The local council just installed a drop-in pitch - for free. There is a small audience out of sight on the left sitting on the grass. They clap politely now and then. Nothing unusual. I was once taken to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs that was different. Once when I collected three Senior academics from Dartmouth Medical school at Sydney airport in my car to drive them back to the University, I asked them to do up their seatbelts. The three of them, white males, looked at me in surprise - they absolutely could not believe it when I told them that I could not start the car until they did because it was illegal to drive in Australia if everyone was not wearing seatbelts. Americans seem to me to have no concept of doing something to ensure that the entire community benefits. Australians have universal health cover. We have to wear seat belts because if there is an accident and someone is injured then everyone in Australia contributes to the care of that person and to the welfare of them and their family. It is unfair not to do a small thing like wearing a seatbelt to mitigate the risk. This why it is so hard for Australians to grasp why Americans faff about and complain about masks and social distancing. It just seems so stupid. 'Normal' people take care of each other. In the USA that contract does not exist. We jointly ensure that everyone can be educated through to the level of a college education without crippling loans. Everyone can access the same health care as each other: no charge. If you lose your job you can access reasonable support. When you retire, you will be looked after. Drugs are affordable. Sure, bad things do happen, our government is not perfect. One in one hundred year catastrophe's continue to happen every bloody year and they still don't have a system in place to watch out for them. Some people still want more than they're entitled to. BUT There is a community responsibility. There is a social contract. That's what 'socialised medicine' looks like. That's what a successful first world country looks like. It's not a bad thing. http://i.imgur.com/Iom2zgP.jpg

You decide, in a fit of whimsy to take a break from your position as the Canadian world champion. You put down your decanter of Penfold 1962 - a little too much oak. It's board 4. For some bizarre reason, your cortex momentarily became uncoupled from your fingers and you decide to play against .... robot s. (that was hard) You are suddenly distracted and allow them to bid and in wild exuberance, you double, thinking it unlikely that your 'partner' having passed three times already will open his/her mouth. Your partner, obviously insane, bids 4♥ Well, at least I don't have to play it! Wait, I HAVE TO PLAY IT. Plan the play be specific. I'm getting a better wine. That Australian Grange was terrible. Oh, here's the hand East leads the ♦K[hv=pc=n&s=saj762ha9dajtckt2&n=s9hjt652d65caq843&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=pp1sp1np2dp2sppdp4hppp]266|200[/hv]

According to Kafka, "there's a lot of bias against foreigners in America". Perhaps Kafka never attempted to discuss the merits of whether or not to open 1♥ vs 1♣ vs anything else with this particular hand from yesterdays daylong no 1. Come to think of it, Kafka probably didn't play Bridge at all or little matters of bias such as Americans not liking Germans would not have bothered him at all. It must have been tough being a German-speaking Czech Insurance clerk with a disdain for work - and I think I've got problems. Well, for 100%, finally, just for this one hand, in this little corner of Bridgeworld that is forever mine, I chose right. What's your choice? [hv=pc=n&s=sak82ha9875dakc97&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p]133|200[/hv]

Or to put it another way, it's an illusion. If you get stuck, it's annoying you have to logout and log in again. You can send a complaint to support@bbo.com they are super helpful. Not like me

Hi welcome to the forum. The reason for the North-South axis HCP deviation can be found by pressing the button below. press below

The problem is that the word 'fair' has very different meanings to different people.

The robots were kind.

Awful perhaps, but very standard GIB. Pays yer money, takes what yer given...

Yes, GIB alerted Stayman 5NT SKA

OK, I also thought it was a pretty good contract. I was pretty happy with myself all the way through and kept claiming and GIB kept refusing. Finally I just played it out. Then, when I went over it the double dummy was saying I should go -1 at trick 6. but I still can't see it!!! Here's how I played it. I must have done something wrong, but escaped.

I know right. That's GIB for you "suckers and losers". It comes from a best hand Daylong - proof if you needed it - that the robots don't peek!

After some extremely careful bidding, where GIB and I danced around the head of a pin, Buck Mulligan's face smiled with delight and bid 7♠. Usually, when this happens and Kinch or Stephen don't double I figure I'm safe, the lead will be made and I can just claim and gaze out across the parapet to the roiling sea while stroking my stubble with my palps. Not this time. West leads the ♥5 which I politely collect in hand and claim: rejected.[hv=pc=n&s=skt73haj8da8cakq3&n=saqj8hkq76d654ct4&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=p2np3cp3sp4hp4sp4np5dp5np6cp7sppp]366|300[/hv] In the end, I made it, but it seems it was divine intervention and not good judgement. So did three others.

online

In other words, AT LEAST 92/76 *100 = 20% more Democrats than Republicans are in favour of masks from that single study. Interestingly, it does not say anything about the proportion (segment) of the Republican Party that is or isn't in favour (sic, excuse my non-American spelling).

Well, then here's something for you. I've been doing it on anything from 15-18 with any distribution with excellent results - check myhands! Doesn't work every time - often due to my poor play but I sure get a lot of makeable contracts.

Would you like to expand? There may be others that are not members of that particular 'segment of the Republican Party of the USA' that also subscribe to that idea of not wearing masks at appropriate times, my point is non-exclusive.

See comment on other thread.

1NT is the best bid in the world. But what was your score? How many times have you done it? What is your average result doing it? For the record, I agree with you!

You are only the second person I know that boasts about having passed a cognitive test. For no prize at all guess who the other one is.

Then you are doing something called "arguing from anecdote" and your comment should be ignored. It makes no difference how long you have been playing, where, or with whom. Your experience or abilities give you no insight at all into the exact number of or proportion of people that may be cheating at any one time. That would be like saying "shoplifting doesn't occur", or "people don't cross the road when they shouldn't". How about, this one. "even though I know experts have told me it will save lives if people wear masks I'm not going to". (to paraphrase the philosophy of a segment of the Republican party in the USA) Ethics is a tricky business, isn't it!

No, FTF I have yet to come across a good bridge teacher. I have come across many excellent Bridge players who can explain when pressed single elements of bidding or play. That is not the same thing as being an educator. An educator provides a person with the tools to learn. They explain things to them with clarity. They reveal the underlying mechanisms. They do not trot out rules and say "do this" and you'll be right. That works for a youtube video or a chalk talk. It does explain why the "Bridge teachers" that I've met get upset when I start asking them why it works that way. I just assumed it was because they wanted me to pay them for their time. Now I'm beginning to think that in most cases it's because they were not capable of providing a coherent explanation. This is not surprising because the training to become a Teacher of Bridge is that you put your hand in the air and say "I'm a Bridge teacher" plus, you can play Bridge and you are over the age of 15. At least to become a real Teacher, apart from actual training in teaching, you also need to have a criminal record check and a working with children check. You also need to have your vaccinations up-to-date in Australia. So, no I wasn't impressed with the Trump-supporting plagiarist at that Club - even if he does have a yellow star which by the way is an antisemitic symbol. I did offer to help him with his approach to education btw! you can imagine how that went down. He thinks he's perfect. The "secret" to learning, as every clever person knows, is to be aware that there are always smarter people than you around. That you can always learn something new and that it is smart to appear stupid.