Hanoi5

This format seems pretty interesting. Where is it gonna be played? Can you update the results?

Having a 4333 distribution and wasted values (♦K) North doesn't like supporting hearts. However, with the fit being ♥AKJ, maybe...

♠10xx ♥AQ10x ♦10xx ♣Axx You're dealer and Pass (I hope). Your partner opens in third 1♠ and RHO intervenes with 2♥. What do you bid?

♠10

1♦.

It's a military secret.

You're being a little dramatic Mr. Lall. I don't think anyone is gonna be paying another pair to do bad or anything like that... My main fear is that a pair stopped playing or someone purposefully played badly, but I don't think anything can be done about it. Anyway, since you feel it is a bad way to decide the team , what would you propose?

It's a ten-day event, I'm not playing though...

That's the number of players that are willing to represent our country, so they're the only ones playing. We're planning exactly the 15 matches described by hrothgar but twice as han pointed out. I was, however, asking about what to do in case one of the pairs missed a match or better still (or worse still) half a match.

The problem here is that we're not talking about teams but pairs. Let's say, pairs A, B, C, D and E are playing and so the first day we have: A-B A-C A-D vs vs vs C-D B-D B-C E is bye. Each match 12 boards are played. And let's say that A-B got a very bad result against C-D. However, for the next round (or the next 12 boards) A doesn't show up. Doesn't B deserve better than 0? What if C is the one missing, wouldn't D like to have its result stand or a better result than 0? How would this be fairly solved?

This is the set-up. 5 pairs are playing for three places in a National Team. They are to match with and against each other pair and the best three pairs will have the right to represent their country. These are gonna be 24-board matches divided in two, twelve boards each time. Usually, when there is a forfeit the team which was present receives 18 VP (or their average, or the complement average of the other team, whatever is best). As these matches are divided in two halves, what is the best way to give VP's if a pair wins (or loses) by a GREAT margin the first match and decides to miss the second (making up an excuse, of course)?.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/16/...in3840748.shtml Is there a video?

I'd take it as for penalties. This, however, I don't understand: 1NT Pass Pass 2♠ Dble Is it for penalties or take out? Does it need to be agreed upon or is it meaning usually the same?

I forgot to mention the NT was 12-14 and the rpoblem is from a book, not for a book.

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=skq10763hk6d84c1064&w=s852h954d952ckqj7]266|200|[/hv] After: 1NT Pass 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass Pass Double Pass 3♣ 3♠ All Pass You lead the ♣K, continue with the ♣Q wich is overtaken by partner who continues with another club, on winnig the ♣J, what do you return?

Ok Hannie, you saw through my plot. But the point is more or less the same, wouldn't it be better to have some serious results to compare to?

That's quite true, but... wouldn't it be better to have some serious results that are not sub-normal? I'm tired of hearing people saying 'Look 3NT can be made' just because one pair played it and God-only-knows-why made it. I think it fairer for good players and more pedagogical for bad players to have some good results to compare to.

When you play in a good bridge game you often find yourself looking at extremely good results. Contracts that go down on impeccable defenses, contracts made through fine gard play and well bid contracts. Of course there'll be a share of misunderstandings and bad plays but these will only represent a small percentage (or not so big anyway). As you move towards bad fields the results tend to be impredictable and terrible. A good pair might find itself in this kind of situation: [hv=d=n&v=b&n=sxxhjxdjxxxckjxxx&w=sakqxxxhda10xxc10xx&e=sj10xxhaxxxxdkq9xc&s=sxhkq109xxdxcaqxxx]399|300|Scoring: MP[/hv] After South opened the bidding with one heart his side got to double E/W at the 4 level in spades. 13 tricks are for the taking as you can see and N/S expect to have a great score of 1390, as everyone else should be in 6 spades at least. However, at the end of the night it turns out only one pair out of 12 tables got to the slam so the Striped Tailed Ape Double didn't quite work. Maybe this is a far-fetched example but I guess you get what I mean. What are 'good' players to do, then? I was approached by such a player who asked if it will be possible to have some duplicated hands (transcripts) with datums to use in the tournaments. My objective here is to find a RL Director who is willing to give hands played at his/her club with the results gotten there so that we can have better comparisons over here. Thanks in advance.

But...Are these things legal?

I agree with the lowest club. There's no way we're defeating the contract without a trump trick so I have to check for the possible club void in partner's hand.

Yeah, 4♠ seems a decent game, provided clubs behave (and we find out how they do :) ). Getting there is hard, after 2♥ most people would bid 2NT which would be raised to 3. Only after 3♣ from responder I believe opener would support spades.

I also agree with the 2♥ reverse rebid. Now what?

There are many bridge blogs by young American players. Look for a post by JLall and follow the link on his sig. Here's the link: http://squeezingthedummy.blogspot.com/

Is this bridge xenophobia?

I'd bid 4♦, I think partner could have signed-off at 3NT previously, 3♦ after the 4th suit suggests slam.