Is there a good way to organize system notes?

[Antrax]

Right now, I have two text files, one called "system.txt" and one called "conventions.txt", which separates bids into artificial and natural. "System" has several headings - it's split down to "in competition" and "uninterrupted auctions", and then you have headings like "NT openings", "1M openings", etc. The "conventions" one just has a heading for each convention we play, with when it applies and what the followups are.

As we're learning beyond the bare basics, this is becoming unmanageable. It's difficult to search for a sequence, and some of the data (like inferences in natural auctions from lack of use of conventions) doesn't fit anywhere or is spread out in a way that's difficult to spot and consequently remember.

However, just writing down a bunch of auctions seems like an equally bad idea - it fixes the problems in separating into "natural" and "artificial", but it'll be equally as difficult to search and will probably blow up very quickly.

Is there a recommended way to arrange this data to avoid duplicate or missing sequences, and make it easier to search?

[WellSpyder]

There's some advice from Larry Cohen in "Love thy Partner" on how to organise system notes that you might find useful - along with lots of other good advice for partnerships, too. There's an extract available on the web, but I'm afraid I can't get a link to work here - try googling, or e-mail me if you can't find it.

[BunnyGo]

I like the following organization (but I make no claims that it is "best"):

 

At the top of the notes, a rough outline so that someone who just reads this section could probably guess most of the bids that normally arise. (e.g. at the top say, "we play a standard 2/1 with inverted minors inv+, 15-17 NT with transfers to majors and walsh relay, etc.) In this way you can skim and remind yourself what these notes contain.

 

In the next sections, divide the notes into a flow chart. Section 2 describes all the opening bids, then for each opening bid, a section of flow chart starting with each opening bid and response. Also include what to do over competition in any of these sequences.

 

Have a section on overcalls and another on carding at the end.

[paulg]

I plagiarised the format of Richard Pavlicek's notes (PDF).

[fromageGB]

There's some advice from Larry Cohen in "Love thy Partner" on how to organise system notes that you might find useful - along with lots of other good advice for partnerships, too. There's an extract available on the web, but I'm afraid I can't get a link to work here - try googling, or e-mail me if you can't find it.

http://webpages.mcgill.ca/staff/group3/gberns/world/new%20bridge%20site/myweb4/Articles/Partnership%20Stuff/Love%20Thy%20Partner.pdf

[fromageGB]

I would suggest not having a big document with page numbers. Just create an index of topics, accessed by tabs in a physical folder, or separate documents on disk, so that each topic is ideally no more than a few pages. This means splitting topics, so that if section "D" pertains to opening one of a major, you separate "D1 Open 1M", "D2 Response to 1M", "D3 Continuations after forcing next step" etc. Then when you have a discussion and alter/add an agreement you simply reprint those pages/send that document, without screwing up page numbers or the index.

[DJNeill]

Hi,

My style is this (use suit symbols colored when possible if word doc, rather than 3H for 3 hearts, 3♥ - use Heading styles as much as possible)

 

 

Dan-pd notes

1/1/2011

 

2/1 with UDCA

 

--------------------

Opening Summary:

 

1C = 3+C 11+ HCP

1D =

...

3y =

3N =

 

 

-----------------

1C Opening Responses:

 

1D = 4+D, often bypass with 4M

1H = 4H, promises unbalanced

1S = 4th suit forcing

 

1H =

1S =

1N =

...

...

 

 

*Third/Fourth Seat Adjustments*

...

*Handling Interference*

(X)

XX = 10+ no 4M

1y = natural forcing

2C = simple raise

2y = weak jump shift

 

(1y)

 

 

 

---------------

1D Opening Responses

 

...

 

 

 

----------------

 

Constructive Bidding:

 

NMF

After 1m-1M-1N, 2 of the other minor is artificial ask e.g.

1C-1H-1N-2D-?

2M = 3crds minimum

 

Reverses

 

 

2/1 auctions

 

-----------------

We open, they interfere:

Support Doubles

Jordan

 

-----------------

Slam Bidding

 

 

-----------------

Defensive Bidding

 

 

-----------------

Leads and Carding

 

 

Thanks,

Dan

[jillybean]

My partner and I share our notes on Google Doc's. I don't think our format is anything wonderful, the document has grown

a lot and needs major rework. I do however like the method, it's simple to share, we can both update the notes and the index feature allows you to jump to a specific convention/topic.

 

https://docs.google.com/View?id=dfxnwhjf_53d9bz9dfv

[Antrax]

Thanks everyone. Google docs is certainly a good idea, and I'll experiment with the suggested formats and see what ends up maintainable.

[Free]

I used google docs in the past, it's a good method. However, when I used it, it was a lot of work to get colored suit symbols in there. Not sure if this is solved already. In word documents I can create a macro, which is very fast. That's why we reverted to docx files, and upload them as a google document. The biggest drawback is that we need to download the file, modify it, upload the file, and share it, each time we want to update it. However, the notes are much more comprehensible.

 

Personally I prefer the following format:

- Changes to previous version, possible future updates, color codes, general remarks,...

- A few points of attention (special situations that can easily be forgotten)

- Table of contents

- System overview (openings, changes by seat/vulnerability, preempt style,...)

- ?? opening (can be 1 at a time, can be sever openings like 1M - this depends on the system)

* description

* responses

* continuations

* changes by vul/seat

* continuations (after changes)

* used conventions (with a link to the place in the document where it's described)

* consequences of the used conventions

* intervention handling

(* intervention handling (after changes))

...

- Conventions

* convention ???

** when it applies, purpose,...

** responses & continuations

** intervention handling

* ...

- Passes, Doubles and ReDoubles

- Slam bidding

- Defenses against specific systems & meta agreements

- Overcalls

- General bidding agreements

- Leads & carding

* Leads

* Carding

[jillybean]

I used google docs in the past, it's a good method. However, when I used it, it was a lot of work to get colored suit symbols in there. Not sure if this is solved already.

 

Agree, suit symbols are a pita in Google Docs. Has anyone found a fix?

[Zelandakh]

I haven't used Google Docs but would it not be possible to leave a placeholder string, such as !H, etc and then use a mass copy-replace with the replace string copied from the Word suit symbols? This way you would only need to worry about it at most 4 times per edit.

[han]

We have about 60 pages, about half on constructive bidding and half on competitive bidding, plus a few on defense. In constructive bidding, sections are organized by opening bid, plus a general section on slam bidding and a section on relays. In competitive bidding we have sections when we open, when they open, general style and one on doubles listing many different auctions.

 

Organizing systems notes in this way seems standard from what I can see.

[Antrax]

han, I suspect you need less room for definitions of what exactly a game try means and when is 4♣ gerber. Part of the problem is after we have a misunderstanding, we try to write it down, so you get comments like "in the auction 1M-2m-4M, X is penalty" that tend to clutter sections as they accumulate. I tried putting them in a special "lessons learned" file but then nobody reads it because it's too specific at all times that's not the exact second when you have that auction again. I think as we'll improve we'll need less specifics and then it'll be easier to group.

I like the Google docs because I can embed hyperlinks to jump between sections, so I can link to such specific notes from relevant sections without inhibiting the ability to read through a section and get a "general picture" sort of understanding.

[Free]

I like the Google docs because I can embed hyperlinks to jump between sections, so I can link to such specific notes from relevant sections without inhibiting the ability to read through a section and get a "general picture" sort of understanding.

You can also do that in a Word document... :rolleyes:

[BunnyGo]

For those who don't like google docs unfortunate difficulties, one can get similar functionality from dropbox (auto synchronization of documents) and use your favorite text editor.

[Antrax]

You can also do that in a Word document... :rolleyes:

Not sure why that deserves an eye roll - have I said otherwise anywhere? Should I have qualified my post, to say this is one of the reasons, and another is the ability for both partners to edit the document? Or should I have said that while other editors have this feature, I like word's less as it doesn't have tabs?

[Free]

Not sure why that deserves an eye roll - have I said otherwise anywhere? Should I have qualified my post, to say this is one of the reasons, and another is the ability for both partners to edit the document? Or should I have said that while other editors have this feature, I like word's less as it doesn't have tabs?

Relax, you did great.

[Antrax]

Where's my smiley then? :(

[Mbodell]

There are a lot of technologies you can use to allow multiple edits and saving conveniently.

 

At work we use a lot of OneNote and Sharepoint which allows multiple simultaneous editing and automatically saves (can you tell I work at Microsoft?).

 

You can use a wiki, heck for some conventions you may even want to use wikipedia (bridge conventions).

 

dropbox or box.net or many other cloud providers have shared document transfers.

 

I've heard, and if I ever finish any notes I plan on adopting, the policy no convention cards change until you have updated the notes and both partners agree. In some ways it might even be better if only one person can update the notes and that person isn't the one in the partnership who most likes to write conventions (to help make sure both partners are in sync).

 

One other thing I've wanted to include on my wish list of system notes as an appendix to my notes is a set of hands and auctions from real life play/partnership bidding/bidding contests that are indexed by auction so one can get a feel for the sets of hands. Something sort of like a data base so you could say what hands start unopposed P - 1♥ - 2♦ and check out some hands from real life auctions.

[han]

han, I suspect you need less room for when is 4♣ gerber.

 

If you have room for this then you are correct, we need less.

[pooltuna]

I have an Excel file I use to build my BBO full CC. If you think that is adequate for your needs you're welcome to a copy.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

I have a primitive way, yet effective for me at least.

 

I use the "Drafts" section of my Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail to save bridge "topics" .

 

The topics are automatically sorted alphabetically ( when you click on the "Subject" heading ).

I add to a given topic -- say: "Splinters" or "Jac2NT" -- when something new or interesting is posted here on the forums....or something I found elsewhere on a blog, etc ).

I just copy-and-paste portions I want to save... including the thread name, URL, date, and poster's name ( and/or replier's name ).

 

You can also sort by "Date" with a click.

 

You can also make "Sub-headings" under the "To" category ( eg an Author of the post )... and sort with a click.

[Antrax]

Mbodell:

Interesting. I thought about saving "hands that went wrong" so we can go back to them and see if our improved methods help on them. Just saving run-of-the-mill hands is an interesting idea.

Oh, and click below if your job in Microsoft is not on Sharepoint development.

 

Wow, I knew somewhere out there, someone liked Sharepoint. There had to be a reason for it to exist, and I won't accept a malevolent God.

I mean, OneNote is okay even though I don't care for it much myself, but Sharepoint?

 

 

han, again I'll bite: is the idea that you never need to ask for aces when the strain is NT? Or do you have more elaborate sequences so there's never an ambiguity on when a NT raise is quant? Something else? I know Gerber is considered terrible, but I never understood why.

 

[edit]

Thanks pooltuna, but right now I'm looking for something human readable. I can't offhand think of a way for arranging a lot of data in a spreadsheet so it stays human readable, beyond the "choose your own adventure" style :)

[Fluffy]

My partner is the one who writes down the notes and "officially" makes changes, He later hands me a word document with internal links that is is very easy to surf through to find whatever I want. The index at the start with all the links points to the thing you wanna read and you are there in one click.