el mister

Reading 'Feet in the Clouds' at the moment - a book about fell-running and the people who do it. It's a look at why people commit to brutal training regimes to do obscure sports that receive no exposure, little if any financial renumeration, existing below the radar of the general public's perception [remind you of anything?] Great book. I have Omensetter's luck by William Gass lined up for my holiday this year - anyone read him? Meant to be a modern American master. There's no point me even picking it up during the working week, just don't have the time to read anything serious since the wee man was born. Looking forward to getting stuck into it on holiday.

Honestly mate that is just asinine - trying to mix it up with a neanderthal at the helm of two tonnes of steel, whilst you're on your bike. I'm completely on your side, mind, - I'm a cyclist myself and the idea of some shithouse using their vehicle as a weapon is enraging. But you just can't afford to get involved. was posted on a UK cycling website recently and shows exactly the type of thing you're describing. A scumbag van driver harassing a cyclist from the comfort of his vehicle, but the cyclist riding with out any sort of roadcraft and seriously escalating the situation.

For the past year I've been into home brewing with a friend of mine. All in all... it's gone better than I could have dreamed. We've made 5 beers, and our first was by far the best, a hefeweizen. We're going to remake it sometime in the next week for the summer. We've also made a porter and a red that were quite good. Frankly, I think they've all been great. Good enough to sell to someone? Well... I don't know, I'm a pretty harsh judge of myself and they've turned out well, so... We still do have some problems with getting the gravity higher and getting the carbonation just right but we'll get it eventually. I've been home brewing beer for 25+ years (more recently I branched out into sake) The single best advice that I can give is to look for a brew-on-premise location. Quality control and process control are the single most important issue in making good beer. You need fine control over temperature, you need to keep everything very sterile, you need to be able to measure things precisely. All this is MUCH MUCH easier with professional equipment. The quality of my production improved enormously once I stopped futzing around in the kitchen and moved to a brew on premise. What's brew on premise - is that like wharehouse space you rent out with brewing equipment in situ? I started brewing in the last couple of years - extracts and now onto partial mash. The brews have generally turned out great - surprisingly good really. I live in a city flat, though, and it can get a bit aggravating doing it all with limited space. Even a garage would make a huge difference. You do develop routines that work, though. I bottled a monstrous IPA last weekend that was pretty painless considering some previous bottling days I've had.

So what is the score with opening 4-4 hands? Textbook Acol says to open the lower suit, whereas my partner argues we should always open a major over a minor when holding 4 of each (and ♥ before ♠) I do see the point of getting the major in early doors - is there consensus here?

Acol plays a weak NT and 4 card majors. SAYC uses a strong NT and 5 cM - (Also see some Dutch pairs playing this as Dutch Acol ). Are the other two permutations playable - 4cM and a strong NT, 5 cM and a weak NT? The first of these in particular I have never encountered, although I've not been playing that long so that probably doesn't mean much. Is it deeply flawed in some way?

sry - full hands: [hv=d=e&v=b&n=sa108ha1084dj3c10854&s=skq942h6dq9872cj6]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]. I did indeed rise with the ace, playing RHO for the J. I then changed my mind ( :( ), and played the trump suit to drop the J. This failed as RHO has Jxx. Think I just got into a mental tangle thinking about RHO's weak 2♥ opener, and what that might mean for her spade holding.

You're in 2♠ after the auction 2♥ (weak) on your right, 2♠ from you, all pass. The trump suit looks like this: A10x KQxxx LHO wins 2 rounds of diamonds, all following, then leads another one. Dummy is out of diamonds as is RHO. Is there a best line of play here to avoid a trump loser? ie how do you best deal with the ruffing situation then the drawing of trumps? [Not sure if this is interesting or not - I bolloxed it up at the table last night and it's been bugging me.]

The German league is probably a wee bit behind the prem and La liga in quality, but it's light years ahead in terms of running a sustainable operation that caters for the common fan. Reasonable prices (ie you don't need to take out a second mortgage to take your kid to the game), standing at the match, general responsible club management - no Bundesliga team is currently owned by a third world despot AFAIK. A lot to be admired there. No real interest in the final tbh, Cardiff v Blackpool will be the game I watch tomorrow. Would be awesome if the Seasiders made it into the top flight.

Domenech was always standing down, though, so I doubt it will make that much difference. Everyone takes the world cup seriously - it's the biggest sporting event in the world. Even the type of player who doesn't give a monkey's about wearing the national shirt still cares about it, as strong performances affect a players value, status and salary in the domestic leagues. That's not to say France could be a complete shambolic failure, because they could. I just think there's a lot of quality there and the coach got them to the finals last time out, so they could bely their recent form.

Spain have the best team, their squad's a mile deep and they've straightened out their psychological frailties by winning Euro 08. Rightly starting as favourites - their midfield is supreme. Concede possession and you'd be waiting 15 mins to get the ball back. There's loads of other good teams though, should be a great tournament - I quite fancy France as a pseudo-dark horse. Obviously they're a force in the game, but they looked terrible in qualifying and their play-off game against Ireland was an embarrassment. They still have excellent quality though, particularly going forward, and could get it together. Looking forward to watching Argentina. If The Catalan can put that circus on his back and carry them to the WC final then he truly will be the greatest player of all time. Looks a step too far even for him.

Thanks. How do you know it's a light overcall The_Hog? Couldn't it be decent? Partner held ♠T73, ♥AKQ75, ♦ 95, ♣ A98 for her bid.

Playing Acol - After partners overcall, should I show spades here (1♠). or limit the hand with 1NT? Or something else? [hv=d=w&v=e&s=sqj65h92dat7cj543]133|100|Scoring: IMP 1♦, 1♥, P, ?[/hv]

Thks all, v helpful.

How do you rate these two take out doubles? [hv=d=n&v=e&s=sat3h5daq95cq7432]133|100|Scoring: IMP P - 1♥ - X[/hv] [hv=d=n&v=e&s=sat3h5daq95cq7432]133|100|Scoring: IMP P - 1♥ - X[/hv] I suspect they may be dodgy - so I turn to you for advice. The first one in particular, I was told afterwards that a double of a major should show 4 in the other - is this the case?

Don't much rate the idea of a card games soc tbh. It seems too generalised and unappealing. For better or worse, bridge has an identity and people are passionate about it - just not enough people. What would be the point in any case? I imagine it's hard enough getting strong student players to play with total beginners, why would they want to turn up and play gin rummy? Sounds like you have the possibility of alienating the core bridge players, who would surely be the people keeping the whole thing going. I drop into my uni bridge club once in a while - I'm a member of staff though, not a student. So I don't really know what they do to keep vibrant - I can ask, they seem to do alright. I have friends who, whilst not playing currently, understand bridge because it was offered as an activity in school. They're mainly public school types - I wonder if that still goes on? It's certainly a mechanism to get the game introduced at an earlier age.

Thanks for the replies. Here is the full deal[hv=d=w&v=n&n=s754hkj983d1072ck9&w=shq754d9865c108652&e=sjh106dkqj43caj743&s=sakq1098632ha2dacq]399|300|Scoring: IMP P - P - 1NT - X P - P - 2D - 6S All pass[/hv] So E makes an off-shape 1NT opening, W leaves the double in with 2pts 4-4-5, and I plough a 6♠ bid, which happens to be cold on the lie of the cards. Think I got a ♦ lead. So not one for the bidding text books :) Still, thought it was a fun hand to post.

Got this one dealt on BBO last night which tickled my fancy: [hv=d=w&v=n&s=sakq1098632ha2dacq]133|100|Scoring: IMP P - P - 1NT(weak) ?[/hv] What's your bid / thought process here? One thing this hand made me realise is that I don't really have the scoring table at my fingertips. e.g. I can see if I double 1NT and it gets passed out, its going 6 off. But I didn't instinctively know how this score would relate to 6♠ or 6♠X making. Or 7♠. I know everyone here knows the scoring table back to front, but what level where you at when you could make this the sort of calculation automatically?

Two from last night on bbo, playing Acol (I was north in both cases). First: [hv=d=e&v=b&n=s73ha2d8543caq953&s=sk86hkq10dakq9ckj4]133|200|Scoring: IMP P - 2NT - P - ?[/hv] I was stuck with what to do here, and ended up bidding 3nt which was passed out. 6NT was bid by quite a few and makes on the lie of the cards (A♠ with E, no bad splits) - should we be in 6NT here, and if so, what is a good way to get there? Second: [hv=d=e&v=b&n=s73ha2d8543caq953&s=sk86hkq10dakq9ckj4]133|200|Scoring: IMP P - 2NT - P - ?[/hv] The fine contract of 6♠ was reached, via the dodgy route of me bidding blackwood with a void. I felt stuck here again - I need to know if partner has the A♠, but am unsure on how to embark on a cue-bidding sequence after the 1nt opener. Any tips?

How do splinters and J2NT work / not work together? Playing Acol, responding to 1M with 3M is a limit raise showing 10-12. If you have 13+ pts and 4 card support, then you could bid J2NT. It seems that the responses to J2NT are quite versatile, don't take up undue space in the auction (rel to splinters), and cater for a variety of shapes. So when might you prefer to splinter? Or to put it another way, is it a good idea to use J2NT as a game force bid showing 13+, 4 card support and ANY shape? Also, are splinters used over a minor opening, say 1♣ - P - 3♥?

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=saj92hakj3d853cq9]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] East opens 1♦. What is my bid here in the direct seat? At the table I doubled, pard bid spades and everything worked out fine. Bit lucky maybe? Is there a convention for showing 4-4 in the majors for these sort of hands?

When you are leading partners suit as opener, in a suit contract, when is it right to think 'I'll lead my honour, so partner knows how the suit is looking'? Say partner has made a normal overcall in the bidding and you have a holding like Hx and Hxx. Is this generally a good thing to do, and how do things differ for Jx, Jxx v Qx, Qxx v Kx , Kxx?

[hv=d=w&v=n&n=s1093ha874dkj9432c&w=skq7652hqj106d7ck5&e=s8hk932d1085c87642&s=saj4h5daq6caqj1093]399|300|Scoring: MPs 1♠, P, P, 3♣ P, 3♦, P, 4♦ All pass[/hv] We defended this hand recently, playing Acol - opps ended up in an unsatisfactory contract. In the ensuing discussion I said I would have started south's hand with a double - everyone disagreed on the basis that the hearts were far too weak to come in over 1♠ with a X. What's the score? I had thought that 18 hcp permits an off-shape double, you can then describe your hand later. Also, what strength does the 3♣ bid in the pass-out seat show? Thanks.

I'm not that familiar with lead directing doubles, but made one on the following hand last night: [hv=d=w&v=e&s=s73h5dkqj952cj743]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] 2♣ P 2♦ X 2♥ P 4♥ all pass Do you need the ace for this sort of double to be worthwhile? Also, would you bid some number of diamonds in the direct seat over 2♣ with this hand? Thanks.

Does your NT opening range change in 3rd or 4th seat relative to 1st and 2nd? I play Acol weak NT - should I be upgrading or downgrading 12-14 balanced in third seat for example? Or not changing at all? Say you had 9 points balanced, is there value in pre-empting a 1NT here? OTOH, say you had 15pts and 4-4-3-2 or 4-3-3-3, maybe 1NT is a good bid 3rd or 4th seat?

Alberto was immense today. Like Aberlour I'm wondering if he'll throw it down on Saturday just to show who's boss ( not that anyone is in any doubt). I was pulling for Wiggins to lay down a dominant performance today and he came up a little short. I saw him interviewed and he was putting a very brave face on things, saying he felt great, was riding smooth and just hit a headwind on the final stretch of the TT. His body language said differently, though - I think he must have had a horrible last 5km. Make the race for third exciting - think it will be tough for Wiggins to compete tbh, but he's had the Tour of a lifetime in any case. Alberto's performance today will really demoralise Andy Schleck. Not just for this tour particularly, but the Tours of the next five years. Andy S is magnificent in the mountains, and can expect to contest matters with Alberto on the climbs - but how much can he realistically expect to improve his TT to be competitive? Barring the obvious bad news that can strike successful cyclists, it looks like we're entering the Alberto era of dominant TdF cycling.