This post is only for Advanced Players do not read it if you are an intermediate

[pilowsky]

I am frequently reminded, by myself and others, of the importance of remembering things. I know that many people have shared tips on memory in the past but it never hurts to resuscitate this thread.

 

My favourite is the rule of three: (I love rules - a great substitute for judgement).

 

I try to use Music, Colour and a Name or an object to associate with something to be able to recall it easily.

 

Here are two, leaving out the third will annoy me into remembering it.

 

• Beethoven carding, the odd-numbered symphonies were the best so discarding low odd cards 3,5,7,9 is encouraging. Remembering the tunes and associating a colour with each reinforces it. Generally, after about a week, the mnemonic can be discarded and the memory remains.
• The Rolling Stones song
  helps me remember Puppet Stayman because if you have Hearts you bid Spades (I see a Red door and I want it painted Black).
• Space left intentionally blank.

Over to you.

 

 

 

[Zelandakh]

You will have to define the term "advanced" I guess. Are you allowed to read your own thread? :lol:

 

Thinking of 1NT though, we can use the name "Stayman" to remember that 2♣ is conventional; the colour "red" to remind us that 2♦ and 2♥ are transfers; the title/rank "Baron" to recall 2♠ as a range and minor suit fit-finder (if that is being played); and the band "Texas" as an aide de memoire for 4 level transfers. So perhaps you are on to something.... :o

[akwoo]

IF you don't have judgement (and computational ability) better than what any rules can do for you, you have no chance of finishing regularly above 50% in Regional Open Pairs nor above 40% in the first day of a NABC+ pairs event.

 

If you're still reliant on rules for almost everything and don't know when to break them to your advantage, I don't think you qualify as advanced.

[KingCovert]

I don't know if I qualify to speak on this, probably depends who you ask... I find it's far more productive to understand WHY your agreements are what they are, to understand the goal of a combination of agreements that work in harmony. I do remember my agreements, but I don't have to, I can derive them on the spot, because I know why they are as they are... For example, my partner and I play a 10-12 No-Trump, and we've decided to agree to play what I can only call a "Game-Forcing Inverted Puppet Stayman". The goal is to have responder declare.

 

2♣: GF. Asks about majors. Opener bids as follows:

 

2♦: I have a 5-card major.

2♥: I have 4♠.

2♠: I have 4♥.

2NT: I am 4-4 in the majors.

3♣: I have 5♦.

3♦: I have 5♣.

3♥: I have 6♣.

3♠: I have 6♦.

3NT: I have no 4-card major, no 5-card major, no 5 card minor, no 6-card minor. Therefore, I am 3334 or 3343 or (32)44.

 

I don't seriously attempt to memorize the meaning of 9 bids. Even though, I have. But, it's somewhat trivial to remember these agreements once I understand the objective of them. Good systems are built to have consistent structure in order to reduce memory load, and this is the reason why. So that you don't have to remember 100s of sequences of bids, but rather, you memorize principles and derive the meanings.

 

Someone else can speak on counting cards and remembering signals and stuff. I think this is a rather personal thing, it's very dependent on the person.

[smerriman]

Over 4NT Blackwood when showing a void, which of 5NT and 6x shows an odd number of KCs and which an even number?

 

Even comes before odd, alphabetically.

[helene_t]

The name of the game, "Bridge", makes it easy to remember that you are supposed to collaborate with the person on the opposite side of the table, not the one next to you.

 

One of our TDs suggested this rule for players who struggle to remember the Mitchell movement: Folks go Forward, Boards go Back.

[fromageGB]

I think you are playing reverse Beethoven. If the odd numbered symphonies are better, why discard them?

[pilowsky]

I'm only intermediate, when I'm advanced, maybe I'll be able to Handel inverted Beethoven. I'll have to get Bach to you on that.

I think you are playing reverse Beethoven. If the odd numbered symphonies are better, why discard them?

[Vampyr]

The name of the game, "Bridge", makes it easy to remember that you are supposed to collaborate with the person on the opposite side of the table, not the one next to you.

 

One of our TDs suggested this rule for players who struggle to remember the Mitchell movement: Folks go Forward, Boards go Back.

 

We used to say, “players go to heaven, boards go to hell”. Of course with web movements all bets are off.

[gwnn]

Sorry, I'm an expert rather than advanced, so I didn't read any of this.

 

But PSA:

1m-2♠ = 11-15 balanced, transfer to NT (opener is free to sign off in 2NT/3m if unsuitable and minimum. Responder can re-raise to 3NT/re-transfer with 3♠ if it was just a rightsiding move.)

is a good treatment and people should consider using it more.

 

You don't want to be declarer if you lack jacks/positional stoppers.

[barmar]

We used to say, “players go to heaven, boards go to hell”. Of course with web movements all bets are off.

I heard "people grow up".

 

The memory trick I use is for opener's rebids over Jacoby 2NT with a balanced hand -- which is stronger, 3NT or rebidding the suit? 3NT shows about the same strength as an opening strong 1NT.

[Zelandakh]

The memory trick I use is for opener's rebids over Jacoby 2NT with a balanced hand -- which is stronger, 3NT or rebidding the suit? 3NT shows about the same strength as an opening strong 1NT.

That is interesting - it is standard over there? I have always just used fast arrival so 3M > 3NT > 4M. That seems to me extremely easy to remember!

[mikeh]

Sorry, I'm an expert rather than advanced, so I didn't read any of this.

 

But PSA:

1m-2♠ = 11-15 balanced, transfer to NT (opener is free to sign off in 2NT/3m if unsuitable and minimum. Responder can re-raise to 3NT/re-transfer with 3♠ if it was just a rightsiding move.)

is a good treatment and people should consider using it more.

 

You don't want to be declarer if you lack jacks/positional stoppers.

I think using 2H for the balanc d hand is better. We use it as invitational, with an immediate 2N as forcing.

 

2H allows opener to relay with 2S. Opener can bid 2 or 3N with suitable hands for being declarer, and can go through 2S, pup petting to 2N, if he feels that it’d be better for partner to declare.

 

Most of the benefit, however, comes from being able to distinguish between various unbalanced hands for opener. Direct 3- level suit bids show one kind of hand and relaying then bidding at the 3- level shows different. There’s no magic in whether the slow bid shows, for example, shortness or length, so long as you remember what you agreed.

 

The relay approach enhances slam bidding, and can allow for 5m rather than 3N. Using 2H as limited also helps! In my view. When the bud can be up to 15 hcp, opener can have problems with hands interested in slam opposite 14-15 bu only game opposite 13-15. I think one’d need a very good use for an immediate 2N in order to give up using that as natural and forcing. We play a style in which we open almost all flat 11 counts (14-16 1N) but you can adjust the ranges easily enough if you prefer different opening ranges

[Vampyr]

 

• [*]Beethoven carding, the odd-numbered symphonies were the best so discarding low odd cards 3,5,7,9 is encouraging. Remembering the tunes and associating a colour with each reinforces it. Generally, after about a week, the mnemonic can be discarded and the memory remains.

 

I do not really understand how thinking of some unrelated (and in this case, seemingly more complicated) thing can help you remember something like odd/even discards. Wouldn’t it be simpler to, say, just remember the initials, which stand for Odd Encouraging? in any case your mnemonic doesn’t address the important point that the larger the card, the weaker the message. This is extremely important if you don’t want to get in trouble over tempo issues.

[PhilG007]

Many of the adages attached to Bridge have come down through the ages from its 18th Century ancestor Whist.

Some of the more popular ones are:-

 

1. "Lead through strength and up to weakness"

2.. "Return your partner's lead."

3. "Never underlead unsupported Aces defending trump contracts"

4. "Never finesse against your partner"

5. "Don't send a boy to do a man's job".

6."Second hand plays low,third hand plays high"

7." Cover an honour with an honour."

 

While all of the above are sound advice,they must not be followed blindly. They should be remembered as a guide,not a muzzle.

Only practice and experience will tell you when to break these rules.

[yo_yo]

one of my pupils has trouble remembering how many points she needs to raise a suit

Playing Acol: to raise 1S to 2S she remembers she used to start school at 5 to 9

and to raise to 3S she remembers that break time was 10 to 11

it works with her :)

[helene_t]

If you have trouble remembering the name of the game "Bridge", you can memorize the letters:

 

B for "Bridge Base Online Forum"

R for "Ridiculous acronyms"

I for "Interesting bridge hands"

D for "Double Dummy Analysis"

G for "General bridge discussion"

E for "Electoral college being discussed to death in the Water Cooler".

 

Very easy!

[Zelandakh]

Helpful Elegant Lady Encourages Novice Enlightenment? Truly!

[gwnn]

Whenever I prepare for a squeeze, I remember the acronym BLUE and spend about 5 minutes trying to remember what the letters stand for (yea I just googled it too, no need to reply explaining it to me - I'll forget them in 5 minutes anyway). Without the "mnemonic" I could plan and execute the squeeze in 10 seconds.

 

(Not to say that I always execute squeezes correctly, just that the acronym is not helping.)

[fromageGB]

.. in any case your mnemonic doesn’t address the important point that the larger the card, the weaker the message. This is extremely important if you don’t want to get in trouble over tempo issues.

But remember this is REVERSE Beethoven. So you throw away the good symphonies, and as the important ones are the later ones, they are the best ones. Hence, by the inversion, their signal is weaker. The mnenomic says it all.

[Vampyr]

Whenever I prepare for a squeeze, I remember the acronym BLUE and spend about 5 minutes trying to remember what the letters stand for (yea I just googled it too, no need to reply explaining it to me - I'll forget them in 5 minutes anyway). Without the "mnemonic" I could plan and execute the squeeze in 10 seconds.

 

(Not to say that I always execute squeezes correctly, just that the acronym is not helping.)

 

Gosh. All I can recall is busy. Must be getting old.

[barmar]

That is interesting - it is standard over there? I have always just used fast arrival so 3M > 3NT > 4M. That seems to me extremely easy to remember!

That works, too. This is more about the specific range, it's the same as the usual 15-17 1NT.

 

There's a mnemonic for Truscott defense to strong club. There are two bids that show non-touching suits: Double and 1NT. 1NT shows the pointed suits because 1 has a point at the top.

[Tramticket]

Whenever I prepare for a squeeze, I remember the acronym BLUE ...

 

Yes, I have always found this unhelpful. I know that I need a squeeze card, menaces, entries and timing ... but none of these helpful words seems to relate to BLUE!

[gwnn]

Yes, I have always found this unhelpful. I know that I need a squeeze card, menaces, entries and timing ... but none of these helpful words seems to relate to BLUE!

Busy (in two suits)

Loser (count rectified)

U - I think under? The defender must be under at least 1 menace? (no, googled it again, it is upper)

Entry (to the menace)

[pilowsky]

Here's one I call Michael in honour of the Canadian expert MikeH. If you open a weak 2 in the majors and partner responds with 2NT (15+ forcing), then a bid of the Mi- nors favours playing in the suit whereas a bid of the majors is C(hael) onstructive and favours playing in no trumps. Minor keys are sad and Major keys are happy so there is also a musical relationship.