New Years resolutions - Bridge

[blackshoe]

Seems to me Ron Klinger wrote a book or two about the use of mnemonic devices in bridge.

[Echognome]

When my friend comes back from Saudi Arabia, I hope we will finally start learning Viking club wich we have been talking about for 2 years.

 

 

*Help*: How do you say in english when your work sends you to a different city/country for a long period?

Gonzalo,

 

No offense, but why would you want to learn Viking Club? I mean I have the book and have read the system, but it seems like an outdated relay system for today's times. Why not learn one of the symmetric relay systems instead?

 

For your *help* question, I would use the term "secondment":

 

se⋅cond⋅ment   /sɪˈkɒndmənt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [si-kond-muhnt] Show IPA Pronunciation

 

–noun British. the transfer of a military officer or corporate executive to another post for temporary duty.

 

Although in colloquial speech, I might say "my friend is working as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia."

[Fluffy]

Hey gnome, thx for your help.

 

First of all I want to try a different system, I have moved from french standard (advanced SAYC), to 2/1, to transfer walsh (with 2/1), its always the same system with more gadgets, I need to explore something new to learn.

 

I've read many people saying strong club systems do better than other aproaches, so it looks clever to try there.

 

Also my friend has played Viking club at top level (+0.36 IMPs at European Championship I think), and he has told me that the system had quite a lot to do with their success, not only on slam biddings, but also:

 

On his own words: "The system bids for you, you have to think very little, this saves more energy than you'd imagine for card play"

 

I studied computer science, and Viking Club has always appeared to me like a smart application of the Information Theory principles into Bridge.

 

I have no feedback from symetric relays nor any other strong club system. And also I know my friend is not willing to drop Viking Club, he has some improvements in mind (wich answers, why outdated might not be important).

[keylime]

1. Aspire to get to the round of 32 in the Open Spingold.

2. Gain the next rank I need to achieve.

3. Play more with Larry.

[kfay]

TBH I kinda want to quit bridge. Or at least go cold turkey long enough where I could go for a few weeks and not feel like I really really really want to play.

[JoAnneM]

I plan to start saying "no"

[awm]

Mine is to try to play slower.

 

When I'm "on my game" I'm quite happy with my quality of play. The issue is that sometimes I just look at a hand and take the "most obvious" line rather than thinking it through and taking the best line. Combined with the fact that I spend a lot of time waiting around (finish every round 5 minutes early) it seems like remembering to take my time a bit more would improve my results a lot.

 

Anyway, I'm sick of finishing my Swiss Team round and having to wait half an hour for the other table!

[y66]

Get a dog.

 

Teach dog to play bridge. Not Viking Club though! Not symmetric relay system either!

 

Spend more time walking, hiking and biking around DC with my wife and friends. And dog, of course.

 

Work on play and defense. And concentration.

 

Win an open event at the local club.

[han]

I've seen you use mnemonic in another thread and from the context it was clear that it has a different meaning for you than it has for me. How do you mean it here?

'Mnemonic' refers to something with a structure that's easy to remember. Check wiki for a better definition :)

No, a mnemonic device IS the structure that helps one memorize something.

 

Example:

"My Very Educated Mother Just Sent Us Nachos" is the mnemonic that helps us memorize the order of planets in order of distance from the sun.

 

Reference:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mnemonic (specifically http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mnemonic#dict_header)

Yeah this is how I've seen it used, in bridge we have CRASH (color, rank, shape) and many others.

[Al_U_Card]

When my friend comes back from Saudi Arabia, I hope we will finally start learning Viking club wich we have been talking about for 2 years.

 

 

*Help*: How do you say in english when your work sends you to a different city/country for a long period?

Gonzalo,

 

No offense, but why would you want to learn Viking Club? I mean I have the book and have read the system, but it seems like an outdated relay system for today's times. Why not learn one of the symmetric relay systems instead?

 

For your *help* question, I would use the term "secondment":

 

se⋅cond⋅ment   /sɪˈkɒndmənt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [si-kond-muhnt] Show IPA Pronunciation

 

–noun British. the transfer of a military officer or corporate executive to another post for temporary duty.

 

Although in colloquial speech, I might say "my friend is working as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia."

I concur.

 

Early in my career, I was "seconded" to one of the company's branch plants (open-ended but turned out to be for 8 months). Means that you are there to be a "second" (like in a duel) to support and help for as long as needed.

[PeterGill]

NY Resolution:

 

No post mortems.

[Tcyk]

Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Goes Willingly (electronics)

these resistor codes?

It shows your age. When I learned the resistor code it was ... behind victory garden walls. People today don't know what victory gardens are.

[Al_U_Card]

Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls But Violet Goes Willingly (electronics)

these resistor codes?

It shows your age. When I learned the resistor code it was ... behind victory garden walls. People today don't know what victory gardens are.

As in growing your own vegetables so that food crops (that were rationed) would be available for the troops overseas to keep them fed and eventually victorious?

[sceptic]

Bridge resolution, stop playing while drinking, get a regular p and read a few books and do what I should be doing all tthe time, thinking first instead of winging it

 

 

Normal resolution, put on some weight and stop breaking so many hearts

[jillybean]

Hope for next year;

Stop taking everything to heart.

Play more tournaments (live), get to a NABC

THINK before clicking, slow down.

Get 100% parallel on ski’s.

[y66]

Just saw glen's signature on a different thread:

 

"and love dares you, to change our way of caring about ourselves, this is our last dance" - pressure bidding

 

I love that. Am adding taking that dare to my list.

[eros2]

I'm joining a local bridge club from January 3rd =]

 

Otherwise, I make (and break) the same two resolutions every year:

 

1. Start everything as you mean to go on

2. Always finish what you start

[mtvesuvius]

Although I will be playing a lot more live bridge tournements next year, I suppose my resolution is to spend more time with (and tolerate) my family... My other resolution is to start guessing correctly on all the 2 way finesses :)

 

 

AJK

[whereagles]

On another note, I'm planning on giving a few beginners' courses and writing a bridge textbook in Portuguese. Not sure if I can get that far, but I'll try :P

[Finch]

*Help*: How do you say in english when your work sends you to a different city/country for a long period?

We have a lot of subtly different phrases:

 

Expat(riate) posting/expat assignment = my company, or their parent company, is giving me a job in Utopia. I will have a new contract of employment, new pension arrangements etc and they will pay me at expat rates (i.e. lots of money plus sort out housing, school fees etc for me). Your family are likely to move with you, or your children may go to boarding school. You can say as a verb that someone has been 'expatriated' to another country. Expatriate assignments are often paid on a 'net' basis: you are told what your after-tax income will be, and the company sorts out all the tax consequences for you.

 

Foreign job posting or a "transfer" = usually on 'local' terms i.e. you are on the same pay & conditions as are staff in the country you are moving to, although there may be some help with relocation costs, language lessons etc. Your family are likely to move with you, or your children may go to boarding school.

 

Unaccompanied assignment, or "grass widow(er)" = like an expat job, but you leave your family at home and commute back every fortnight, or every month. Most common on the sort of job where your family wouldn't want to move with you, or it wouldn't be possible, e.g. you are going to work as a UN weapons inspector in Iran. Tends to pay very well, but not much fun while it lasts (unless you are the sort who explicitly wants to be away from your family for weeks at a time).

 

Secondment = temporary move (even though may for a few years) but you stay on your current employment terms, contract etc and continue to be paid in your home currency. They'll probably pay for trips back home every few weeks. Your family will usually stay at home.

 

 

The first is most common in places that would otherwise not usually be popular destinations, or where local pay & conditions would not be attractive e.g. some of the poorer or less developed countries, or ones where location is otherwise unattractive e.g. due to being in the middle of a jungle, or due to high security risks. The second is commoner in popular destinations, or at least in those where the standard of living is similar to the home country. It is much, much cheaper for the employer, so real expat assignments tend only to be where they cannot find anyone suitable locally, and effectively have to bribe good people to go and do the job.

[kenberg]

Upon some reflection, I am pretty sure I know my biggest weakness in bridge: Getting rattled.

 

Recently I played with a pick up partner in a 12 board tourney, 3 boards a round. The first three rounds went fine. Then:

Board 10, rho deals and passes, I open: 1C-1S-1N-4N(I correctly took it as invit)-Pass. A hopeless contract, down 2.

Board 11, I deal and open: 1S-(pass)-2C-(4H)-4S-(pass)-6S. A hopeless contract, down 2. Partner explains I can hold it to down 1 (for no difference in matchpoints).

Board 12:

 

[hv=d=w&v=n&n=s76hat74daj843caj&s=sa9hkq865dk6ct972]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

Pass 1D 2S 3H

Pass 4N Pass 5D

Pass 5N Pass 6H

All Pass

 

King of spades to my ace, King of Hearts, East discards a club.

 

Maybe I can make this if I can keep my emotions under control. I went down. Whatever you think the right line is, King of Diamonds and small Diamond to the 8 probably isn't it. Yes it was a misclick. A real honest to God misclick. When relaxed, I don't misclick.

[HeavyDluxe]

Upon some reflection, I am pretty sure I know my biggest weakness in bridge: Getting rattled.

Yep... Me too, though I imagine I get rattled in far more simple situations than Ken does.

 

My resolutions:

1) Slow down & calm down. I think 90% of my remaining suckitude is related to not thinking things through... This is particularly true in thin contracts or when I'm playing with/against people better than me.

 

2) Count every hand, even the easy ones and when dummy. I simply need to discipline myself here.

 

3) Get over pride/embarrassment and take my knocks at the table with people better than I am. That's really the only way I'm going to improve, and I desperately want to get better.