Tola18

It is well known one can get both invitation and scholarship being a first grade sportsman /athlete, to schools in USA. Both highschools and before all, colleges/universities. Is that so also for excellent bridgeplayers? If yes, HOW excellent you must be? Second question, is there something similiar in other countries? Ie gifted, young bridge-players getting scholarships. Lets presume our young person does also has very sufficient grades in academic disciplines necessary in this school. Last question: is it only for citizens or also for foreigners? (The question is not for myself, but may be useful for some of my young bridge friends)

Lelo, Podniesienie is Raise in English, NOT overcall or anything like that. feks 1NT - 2NT - is it natural invit like in standard, or some sort of transfer? in the example it is only the partners bidding, NOT next hand.

This gizmo works only in part. Ie if you both are waiting for the same tourney. Like the other day waiting for the JuniorsBBO-turney, when I was accessible as mentor, and got invitation from a junior I didnt know, and who wasnt in the pairing room... But I could look us up in the registration room. This problem got successfully solved. :) However, this dont work with a pick up where I dont know the turney nor the match... 99% I dont. So, still, a automatic Friend, or automatic Temporary Friend For the Hour feature would be swell. Whichever is easier for the programmers.

proceeding: This automatic friends have an extra plus: From the others point of view, ie the invited one. This inviting hopefully does know whom he invited, and can find him among the neutrals with some work. But the invited usually doesnt remember who invited, and thus - himself has no possibility to search out. Similiar problem is btw with team-invitations: partner (and host) is often players you dont know. Thus the feature, of accept=automatic friend (or at least, a pendling friend or something) - so I can find him while waitnign for the match, or getting disconnected - can refind. It would be swell.

I think I have two suggestion in your style. Being in this partnership room: better possibility to communicate with players on the list. Or even: make them friends. As is now, I can see their profile, but there is no good possiblility to make them friends - and find them and communicate. Second; if they do accept the invitation; they become automatic friends. Two suggestions; and or. With either one, it will be much easier to talk with them, and perhaps agree to go to a partnership-bidding-room. I dont believe in automatic move into a chat-room. Usually they do something else, like kibitzing.

Exactly. The Back key of BBO and the Start key of the computer is at almost exactly the same place. It is very easy to strike wrong key. - I for example do often so, as I routinely do surf when logged on BBO, or even watching on BBO, but there is some uninteresting deal. EDIT. Onother common reason to leave unintentionally is. Im somewhere, and want to go back to lobby. I hit quickly the back-key several times - and once too much... Good there is an automatical brake - asking me if I really want to leave the BBO. Writing this, I recognize the Back key doubles also as the log-off key. It is this that makes it necessary for this leave-question. With an entirely different key it wouldnt be necessary - it is perhaps true. But as it is, it is much OK. :(

There is an additional difficulty with the BBO. The very uneven results, disturbing the usual tabels. Mostly at IMP pairs, but also Matchpoint. It was pointed to me once by one desillusioned BBOer. The complaining pointer did exaggerated, but I think there is surely something in it... True, in a very uneven matchpoint field you will also get many different results. But still the tabels you are learned in courses and books, apply only rather vaguely on the BBO... Also, some points you see after there are played 0-3 tables to compare with. Others have 15 like in a real turney. So many results ARE skewed.

Proceeding Buckys analysis. Play a heart - but which and why? We have both the 10 and the 9. I think it may be seen as really a finesse against the kn - which makes it 50% chance. Somewhat less - there IS danger of one ruff... But clearly better than having the AK grouped on one hand and still hoping for no ruff. Thus, as long as the heart kn is right for the finesse, and no ruff, it is only 2 hearts losers and one diamond loser which are unevitable with normal def.

I think autoplay of singeltons against humans is useful (preferably a relatively slow one). Not necessary of singeltons as such, but - of the last card... As everyone know, it is not unusual people do leave sometimes before the hand is over. A quite big share of these is, they leave when there is 1 card left. I suspect it is they believe the hand is over, "NOW they can go". But it is not over, the declarer and pard gots stuck. Although it is possible to change seats and play out the hand, but it IS a nuisance. And stressing - somebody may come and occupy my seat while Im on move, and so we must ask them to move because I want to play with my pard.... etc. As said, a bl...y nuisance.

Extra. I´m ready to sponsor juniors, by paying their table fee when we play together. Exception MAY be them 20+ with a good fulltime job - these do earn clearly more than I do... Unless they arent real experts I wont pay. There ARE limits. :) Btw, Juniors plays free in the morning bronze, but otherwise full payment just as anybody else... Exception: In the Chairman Cup for teams juniors pays half. About 11-12 US dollars for 24 deals bronze. Excellently well-organzed but does costs.

Sure, but the same can prob be said about almost any rating system. Unless perhaps if you must play with your own name and own face. So, for the time being, your suggestion for using robot tournaments as rating help, IF we really need a rating system, is very interesting, I think. I second this proposal.

Talking about lacking working communications with the abuse dep, I too had a rather curious example some year ago. One of my very young junior friends did get a three year ban. His friend got two year, for lending his computer to the abuser. Reason? He said "You bloody beginner" or something like that, to a wellknown expert player. Of course nothing proper nor thrue, but three years was of course rather juicy for that. Afaik there was no other incidents, and the boy also definitely denyied there was any, when I talked with him. I believe him, as he never had any bad manners when I played with him nor kibitzed as I often did at that time So I, being one of BBO´s junior mentors - and his too, did wrote a polite letter to Abuse asking what happened and if something could be done. (yes, I got through this spam-defence mentioned above). No answer. No answer to the copy either. Although more of us mentors did acted. One heavy weighter, an US National( i think), did talked with Abuse (Uday?), and did got this ban on them youngsters lifted. I presume against a promise to talk seriously with them boys. As they did told me they had in fact such a serious talk with this mentor. All in all, they did get in the end one week ban each when the ban got lifted after everything was said and done. Which is just about a harsh, but proper and good lesson. But our BBO lesson is. One big shot can get you three year ban practically just like that, and another big shot - can see to get it lifted, almost with the same ease. I do love BBO and the people online, and I do love the staff which is usually doing a great job helping us enjoy. Im online almost every day since several years. But some of my heart did sunk down here... :(

If you have the list elsewhere plain visible, you can at least write them down manually into your new profile. I know lots work, as with time you probably have hundreds of friends and some blacks... But better so than nothing...

Or better still, let them have some special tourneys where anything goes. So they can be happy playing there and experimenting as much as they wish. :)

in Summer is the Swedish bridgefestival in Örebro, last days in July, first week in August. Two or Three different passes a day you can choose amongst... For juniors the morning tourney is free. Emergency pard quaranteed in all "bronze" and "silver" tourneys. I will be there too. I have some pards, but there are places for more as I gladely play around the clock being there. Expert partners, and junior partners double welcome. smile.gif Male or female. I do talk swedish,polish, english. My BBO-niveu Advanced. Sayc, WJ2005, MS(=swedish sayc-acol), classical Acol, or basic Strong Club, 2/1... Most Whistles or basic and straightforward. Nice partner important. Good if strong player, but good humoured without bad partnership manners even more important. I prefer to come middle with an ambitious nice beginner than win with an ill-tempered unpleasant master. I can act friendly playing coach if wished, or I can keep complete but friendly silence. :) (The festival starts actually friday 30; but this is also the last day of a big athletic event with thousands of participants. So there are hardly any rooms to find nor hire, if you dont have personal bridge friends to stay with. But from saturday it should be again possible to find rooms. :) )