TAXI

I have posted here before and am playing with someone on a regular basis now. I joined ACBL 3 weeks ago and have some good results. I am looking for a permanent regular partner (advanced, my current partner is intermediate) who is willing to play on a regular basis. I play Standard American with some additions. Anyway, if anyone is interested let me know please. My email address is html_taxi@yahoo.com Thanks

So it is not widely accepted that SAYC (with or without useful extras) is a low grade bidding system?

Got it. Thank you evry much.

Well, my p can't really bid 2sp on my 1sp. In case of 1♦ - 1♠ - 1NT - 2♣ - 2♠ - 2♠ bid can be 4 spades (or can it? can my p say 1NT with 4 sp and balanced weak hand not to go to the 2nd lvl or should he show me his fit no matter what?)

Yeah, unfortunately. But then again, it's just a pickup game. As long as we can agree on basics and hopefully on carding, we should be fine. If it's something more serious my expectations, and hopefully every1 else's, would be much higher.

Some1 on a different forum just gave me an interesting idea. Gadget will work in this case nicely. I've never used it before but it would seem that with SAYC it will resolve a problem of 5-card-suit invite. Unless some1 can say something against using Gadget I think I will look into it and go from there... Thank you all again.

OK, this makes sense, especially 2♠ after pass. If I didn't pass it's a bit hard to get that 5-3 fit. NT seems way easier to achieve, yet not always right. If the bidding is 1[D] - 1♠ - 1NT - 2♣ (assuming I have 5♠ 4♣) - it still doesn't promise 5♠. In the case where my partner has 4333 he'll have to say 2NT (right?) and 4Sp is unachievable.

but u say that 2/1 is better? Maybe I should play that instead.

I know PC somewhat, played it few times a while back. It will take some time for me to remember it, but I think it is a good system. You r right though, that's exactly my problem. I want to play something that ppl in any bridge club would know... not PC unfortunatelly.

Yeah, I was thinking the same. A bit unusual for me based on what I usually play. Just have to get used to it. Thank you very much for all your help. Just 1 last question: do you think some other well known! system is better than SAYC. So far I only saw 2 well known systems in US: SAYC and 2/1. Can you say that 1 is better than the other 1 or is it just a matter of preference?

No it is not. In fact, virtually no one plays it. SAYC (Standard American Yellow Card) is a stripped down version of what has come to be known as Standard American. It was invented by the ACBL to provide an easy structure for pick-up partnerships at tournaments. It only became common when online bridge tournaments started including an SAYC convention card among the convention cards provided by the system. I know that I never played "SAYC" until I played with some pickup partners online. Now it seems to have become common practice online to refer to Standard American as SAYC. It is not. Thx for your comment. The thing is that I am going to bridge club on Monday, for the 1st time I might add. And normally I play a variation of French Standard because most of the time I play on a Russian server (I am Russian) and French Standard is very popular there. However, not too many ppl play it here. When I spoke to the club "manager" on the phone he said that I'll be fine with SAYC. So that's what I am aiming for now. 1s I'll find some1 I will be willing to play all the time and that person will be willing to play with me we can bid whatever works best for us. For now though SAYC seems to be the way to go.

Wrong section of the forum, sry. Was reposted in SAYC and 2/1 Discussion section. Thanks to all who read this.

Thank you very much. 1 more thing, what about: in 2) 1cl - 1sp - 1NT - 3Sp? Showing 5+ in spades and strength. Good or not so much?

Hi all. I don't normally play SAYC. However, it is the most common bidding system in US, so I have to learn it well to be able to play with majority (I live in US now). I am pretty clear with most of the openings and responses, but I do have few questions. 1) my partner 1cl/d/h - I hold 5 cards in Spades and 11-12hcp. What is my bid? According to the system it's 1sp. However, 1sp only shows 4 cards. And 2 spades invites into a Slam (at least that's what all websites where I found SAYC state). So what is the best bid to describe my hand? 2) Same situation, only I have 13-14hcp. Does it make any difference? If not, how strong do I need to be to make a diff. and how should I respond? 3) 1cl - 2cl - 5+ Clubs weak hand (5(6) - 10chp)? 4) 1d - 2d - 4+ Diamonds with same strength as in 3)? Or is it 5+ in Diamonds as well? (found 1 website where it said that 1d - 2 d is 4+). Thank you in advance.

Hi all. I don't normally play SAYC. However, it is the most common bidding system in US, so I have to learn it well to be able to play with majority (I live in US now). I am pretty clear with most of the openings and responses, but I do have few questions. 1) my partner 1cl/d/h - I hold 5 cards in Spades and 11-12hcp. What is my bid? According to the system it's 1sp. However, 1sp only shows 4 cards. And 2 spades invites into a Slam (at least that's what all websites where I found SAYC state). So what is the best bid to describe my hand? 2) Same situation, only I have 13-14hcp. Does it make any difference? If not, how strong do I need to be to make a diff. and how should I respond? 3) 1cl - 2cl - 5+ Clubs weak hand (5(6) - 10chp)? 4) 1d - 2d - 4+ Diamonds with same strength as in 3)? Or is it 5+ in Diamonds as well? (found 1 website where it said that 1d - 2 d is 4+). Thank you in advance.