AL78

I'm not, at least when it comes to online bridge. The anonymity of online interaction, the moral code of some that anything goes that has no consequence for them (i.e. what they can get away with), and how easy it is to cheat in online bridge mean there are going to be a fair few who try it on. One couple in my club is on that EBU list, there are two more married couples in my club that others have suspected of cheating but no-one has reported. One hand from one such couple I have recently posted on here, but it isn't just one hand that arouses suspicion, it is repeated unusual situations where they gain, such as when the best pairs in the club are getting in the low 50's% whilst they with far less talent are coming back with 65% regularly. It is similar to social interaction through F2F and online. People often bring out their worst characteristics on online forums because there is no risk of having their face smashed in.

No a sense of proportionality and a bit of initiative, recognising that cheating in a meaningless club game is not on the same level of seriousness as cheating in an international event where there are significant sums of prize money at stake (assuming there are such international competitions), so in the former case, a warning from the committee followed by expulsion from the club for repeat offences, and a lifetime international ban is more appropriate in the latter. There is a pair at my club that got found out for cheating online and were suspended from the EBU for three years. There is a list of EBU sanctioned members here which shows the penalty for unfair/dishonest play tends to be temporary suspension of EBU membership.

My definition of cheating would be a deliberate breaking of the rules of the game in an attempt to gain an advantage over the opposition. Ignorance of the rules is not cheating IMO, intent has to be there, like the distinction between murder and manslaughter.

Had a passout at the local club pairs yesterday evening. I was playing with a decent partner and he passed in 4th seat holding ♠J2 ♥KQ ♦K9742 ♣KT97, on the basis it was a poor 12 count and opening just lets the opps in if they hold a major. Unfortunately I held a flat 11 count with both majors ♠Q985 ♥AT83 ♦A8 ♣J83, so we got a poor score when one NS pair bid and made 2NT and another took East off in 2♥ (the one other table also passed it out).

This is a hand that came up at teams: [hv=pc=n&s=s3h8765dajt85cq96&w=sq742hqd9763c8754&n=skthaj943dq42ckjt&e=saj9865hkt2dkca32&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=1h1s3h3sp4sppdppp]399|300[/hv] I had no agreement with this partner how strong the 3♠ bid could be so had to guess whether or not to raise to game. I guessed wrong and went one down doubled, thankfully not expensive as 4♠ was one down at the other table undoubled so only a couple of imps out.

If an auction proceeds as follows: [hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1h1s3h]133|100[/hv] Is it reasonable to use double here as a constructive or mixed raise of spades, and 3♠ as a weaker competitive raise based on LOTT?

That is a very high average for a non-expert pair in a club field. At my club the only pair who averaged 60+% during F2F bridge was the best pair in the club who would be classed as experts. Even if you play perfectly with full knowledge of the hand layouts you are going to get occasional bad boards because sometimes the opposition find the perfect action, and your score on a board is dependant on pairs you have no influence over. For example, if in a competitive auction you bid to 3H, your opponents bid 3S, you can make nine tricks in hearts, the opponents can make nine tricks in spades, you are getting a bottom if the field is allowing you to play in 3H no matter how much knowledge of the unseen hands you have.

Because beginners are more likely to do strange or seemingly irrational things through lack of experience, so things like this could be attributed to that, and so I would be inclined to give a beginner pair far more slack when it came to something like what happened here*. An experienced pair should know better, therefore very strange actions online that happen to work perfectly by a partnership who live together raise more of a question mark. *Example of what happened against me once against a pair of beginners in a F2F club session: 1♣ P 1♥ P 2♦ P P P 2♦ was a top for them. Opener had 4-4 in the minors and a weak NT hand. The room were opening 1NT and going off. 2D was cold.

I haven't looked at other hands but they finished second with 60.4%, not that this implies anything in itself.

This hand from a BBO club game has been brought to my attention: [hv=pc=n&s=skj95hkqdt76ckqt5&w=sa32ht954da8c6432&n=sq876haj62dj32cj7&e=st4h873dkq954ca98&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=pp1nppp]399|300[/hv] Most people at the club play a weak NT as do this EW pair, and the almost unanimous score (apart from a 2♠ contract at one table) was 1NT by South making anywhere from six to ten tricks. This East opens 1NT on a nine count shutting South out of the auction, which happens to make because the diamonds run thanks to a 3-3 break, two black aces, and the defence can only cash a limited number of hearts. Their +90 is a stonking top. EW are a married couple and are not beginners so they have the capability of looking at each others hands. This hand didn't come up against me (so I am not in a position to report it), but if it had, would it be reasonable for me to make the director aware that the East bid is suspicious?

The only big name I know of who I have played against was Frances Hinden in the Hubert Phillips (a mixed teams UK competition) over a decade ago.

As usual, an excellent answer to my question which explains things very well. You would make a superb bridge teacher/coach if not already. It comes down to not doubling unless you can deal with what partner will respond, and with strong hands where partner is likely to give you a problem response if you double, find another bid. It all makes sense, it is the fundamental rule of takeout doubles, you should be able to cope with any reasonable response. Thinking about it, the number of times you overcall in a suit on a 18 count, partner passes with 7-8 HCP with no support, and you miss a making 3NT has got to be very low.

She's apologised to me since, she thought at the time I held 10 HCP hence why she said I was too strong for a weak two, and she acknowledges she should have made a move to game after I opened.

The aggressive players at my club often get good results because many players are scared to double, especially the less experienced players up against who they see as the experts. It can be difficult to judge correctly against a pair that pre-empt wildly, because if you call their bluff, you might find they have their bid and you pick up +100 or +300 when you have +420 your way. Even if they have jump overcalled on five and their partner raised them on 3, if you only have two or three small ones or to one honor, you can't be sure if they have a 10 card fit or an 8 card fit, where in the former you might have slam on, and in the latter even game doesn't make and you need to whack it.

Yes that was the way I learnt, overcalls are limited to around 16 HCP, and a hand that is the equivalent of a suit opener that would jump rebid their suit would start with a double then bid their suit. A double followed by a jump in their suit shows a strong Acol 2 hand and a double followed by a cue bid followed by a new suit shows a rockcrusher (equivalent 2♣ opener). Limiting overcalls like that means partner doesn't have to dredge a bid with a misfitting 8-9 HCP in case there is 17+ opposite and 3NT is there, then going off when the overcaller is minimum. If you are playing overcalls that could be up to 18-19 HCP, what does responder do if they hold around 8 HCP balanced with say a doubleton in the overcallers suit? If a 1 level overcall could be on as little as 8 HCP but as many as 18 HCP, that is a wide range for responder to have to consider, so how do they untangle it without the auction going overboard? Example: (1♠) - 2♥ - pass - ? ♠K85 ♥62 ♦KJ74 ♣JT87 or ♠T85 ♥62 ♦KQ84 ♣KT97

I decided to look for slam the only way I could (without punting it) and bid RCKB. This is what happened: [hv=pc=n&s=sj985432ht2d5ca86&w=sqhak9873djt2c943&n=skt6h6dq98743cq75&e=sa7hqj54dak6ckjt2&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1c2s3h4s4np5hp6hppp]399|300[/hv] Partner gave a mild OMG expression (this was RealBridge), and I hoped she was a bit better than that for bidding a new suit at the three level opposite what could have been a weak NT hand, but she played it in the only way she could see to make it. Won the opening lead, drew trumps, ran the ♣9 to the ace and that was the end for the defence. She had trump entries to hand to take the marked club finesse and the potential diamond loser went away on the last club (although that finesse also works as it happens). A nice, and somewhat fortunate 11 imps in.

I know the South player and partnered her prior to COVID, and to be fair to her, she has been having a rough time recently, which may have affected her bridge.

Looks like I was on the conservative side. I only bid 3♥ on fear of having no defence and possibly pushing them into a making game. This is what happened: [hv=pc=n&s=sat8hjdk94cqt9542&w=sk7542hak542dq6c6&n=sq63htdaj8752cak7&e=sj9hq98763dt3cj83&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=pp1s2dpp2h3d3h4dppp]399|300[/hv] +190 when I led a spade instead of a heart was not a success story for them. Our teammates auction was a little more aggressive: [hv=d=e&v=e&b=6&a=p1c2c3c4h5c5h6cppp]133|100[/hv] A nice swing our way, very lucky South was incredibly passive, North is normally a very aggressive player.

My RHO decided to bid 5♦: [hv=pc=n&s=skj98hq52daq975cj&n=sq5hkd8632caqt963&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1dp2cp2dp5dppp]266|200[/hv] Unfortunately with me sitting with ♦K4 under declarer and ♣K75 there to be ruffed out or ruffing finessed, all we could do was cash our aces. 5♦= for a game swing out, no-one else bid game.

Yes, we play RCKB. The response will be 5♥ (i.e. two key cards no ♥Q).

I don't know. I assume she counted three losers and wanted to be in a minor suit game and didn't want to risk being passed out in a part score with 5m on.

Sorry, there were (unusually) a lot of interesting hands yesterday evening. Teams, 5CM strong NT, no-one vuln: [hv=pc=n&e=sa7hqj54dak6ckjt2&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1c2s3h4s]133|200|2S = weak[/hv] Your call?

East ♠J9 ♥Q98763 ♦T3 ♣J83 Teams, red against green: [hv=d=e&v=e&b=6&a=pp1s2dpp2h3d]133|100[/hv] I didn't think my hand was good enough for an unfavourable weak two opening. System 5CM, strong NT, direct raises in competition are weak(ish), bidding to the fit. Your call?

A bit of masterminding on my part. I was tempted to bid higher in hearts but thinking about the situation at the time, if partner had a classic TOX with heart tolerance we have a superb fit, but I am stacked in LHO suit which suggested to me a good chance of a misfit hand, and partner could have a one suiter in one of the minors too strong for a direct overcall. I therefore decided to take it slow and give partner the opportunity to clarify her double at a low level in case she had the strong one suiter. The plan was to pass 3-minor if she bid it, but I didn't expect her to leap to 4♦. The limited methods we play, logically, that shouldn't exist other than meaning a slam try. I wasn't a million miles out as partner was initially trying to show the too-strong-to-overcall hand.

Opener could have only five diamonds here, so can only guarantee a nine card fit minimum.