Upgrading

[fromageGB]

...transfer Walsh can obviously make a difference here of course.

Of course. It seems strange to me that people seem reluctant to play it, but not many are willing to experiment, and always play the way they were taught - and twalsh is not in the curriculum. Some, locally, are tentatively trying a very basic Montreal "1M response shows a 5 card major", but go no further.

 

What really gets me is that while the vast majority are happy with transfers over a (weak) 1NT (because they were taught that way), they don't see that if you open 1♣ on the same hand, the benefits of transfers are just as valid, and because you are a whole level lower you can do it with a card fewer.

 

Edit : or one card less :unsure:

Edited February 20, 2015 by fromageGB

[Mbodell]

Of course. It seems strange to me that people seem reluctant to play it

 

I think the fact that you can't play it (t-walsh) in GCC events is a reason many are reluctant to play it. If it were GCC legal, I think you'd see many more play it.

[fromageGB]

I think the fact that you can't play it (t-walsh) in GCC events is a reason many are reluctant to play it. If it were GCC legal, I think you'd see many more play it.

Except that over here we have EBU regulations, and while it is not permitted in specifically newcomer/novice-only events (designated "level 2") it is permitted at ordinary club nights and any normal event (level 4 and now-defunct former level 3). Hence my bafflement. My guess would be less than 1% play it round here.

[suokko]

Problem with T-walsh is that there isn't any single standard rebid structure. Every pair seem to invent their own continues. That kind of missing standard rebid structure makes a huge barrier that most bridge players can't cross.

[yunling]

Put into the evaluator ♠QJx, ♥QJx, ♦QJx ♣QJxx

 

and you get

 

binky-hcp.suit: 9.6

binky-hcp.nt: 11.0

 

So your claim is not correct, though most hands value slightly more in binky-hcp.suit. Major reason is that distribution counts much more at trump contracts.

 

Rainer Herrmann

 

Yes, I'm wrong here. Some hands can take more tricks in NT than in any suit contract.

But I'm still not convinced that a combined 25 binky-hcp.suit and an 8-card fit can make a game.

[NickRW]

Problem with T-walsh is that there isn't any single standard rebid structure. Every pair seem to invent their own continues. That kind of missing standard rebid structure makes a huge barrier that most bridge players can't cross.

 

Yes, it is true that there is a bewildering array of rebid structures some of which require a book of explanation. However, you can start with absurdly simple ones and show a gain compared to normal methods. So it is easy to experiment with (assuming you don't live in nutty GCC land anyway).

 

Nick

[jogs]

Yes, I'm wrong here. Some hands can take more tricks in NT than in any suit contract.

 

Very few hands fit that description. Usually means opponents are cross ruffing.

 

But I'm still not convinced that a combined 25 binky-hcp.suit and an 8-card fit can make a game.

 

Don't know about binky points. A 8-card fit plays one trick(on average) better than notrumps when the SST is 4 or less.

The 8-card fit one-half a trick better when SST is 5. That assumes the expected tricks is between 7 and 10 1/2.