kaboboom

First up, I am amazed at the rapid and thoughtful responses this topic has garnered. And now I think I have some resolution. BBO should provide a "button" when things get particularly strained with respect to bidding with a new partner. It would ask "Convert his hand to Spades?" before Opener bid.

The new participatory Web enables new things like BBO-playing casual bridge on-line with partners you will never meet, and may never play with again. Yet the bidding systems we carry into these sessions were based on a totally different premise - that partnerships are fairly enduring, so there is time for partnerships to assimulate these complicated systems over the course of play and reflection. The "flip test" is a thinking approach that asks: what if we had the Internet before we had bridge?" How would bidding systems have evolved differently? I think I can offer some possibilities having only recently picked up bridge playing on-line after previously (70s) played rubber bridge with a tight foursome. * There would not be nearly as much complexity and artifical bids * The emphasis would be on avoiding disasters...and not finding the best contract * Natural bidding would be harder to replace with conventions My parents played Culbertson (Honor Tricks) with 2 & 1/2 needed to open (no three cards suits) 2 Honor Tricks AK 1 1/2 Honor Tricks AQ AJT KQT 1 Honor Trick A KQ KJx.. Kx + Qx in another suit 1/2 Honor Trick Kx QJx Qx + Jx in another suit Plus Value K (singleton) Qx (not already counted) Jx (not already counted) 2 Plus Values = 1/2 Trick A total of 2 1/2 Honor Tricks would qualify the hand for an opening bid of 1 of a suit. 3 1/2 would be a 1NT opening. What if we added Stayman and Blackwood as the only conventions to Culbertson's system to open, and let all other bidding be natural for new, on-line players? Would most of these impromptu partnerships be better off? Just a topic to provoke some discussion about how on-line bridge is different.