More mistral is sweeping

through BBO... The # 337 Pairs Heart of Gold tourney was a disaster. From a newbie's standpoint, it was a very interesting situation. One opp opened 2!d, alerted proudly "multy" (sic! yes, and I know I am a beach/y babe!), and the auction went on in Chinese. Yours truly sighed and hurried to google, which brought up multiple versions of multi(1, 2, 3 - want more? go goggle on google), and it didn't make the situation clearer. Wiki looked reassuringly short but wouldn't you give it up when you have approx. 6 minutes to read, digest, and defend something that starts with:

An opening bid of 2♦ classically shows one of four types :

1. Weak two in a major suit (6-11 HCP)
2. A strong balanced hand of a defined range
3. Strong three-suited hand
4. An ACOL 2 type ; typically in a minor

Often the convention is played with only one of the strong options being present, ie a three-way bid.

Cool eh... In the end I got into a very multi mood myself too - and to say I was majorly pissed off would be an elegant understatement in Queen's English:
1. Opps refused to explain properly, even when p asked and called the TD.
2. P accused them of cheating - quite a grave accusation; they were being sloppy and even arrogant but that is not really a crime; failing to alert properly is penalisable, though.
3. TD replaced my partner in the next round (took the original one out) and I only noticed half-way through the bidding that the new one doesn't play anything I do, and vice versa, and doesn't or wouldn't speak English.
4. I asked the TD to sub me, she promised to do that after I finish the board, and then forgot. So I left - didn't disturb the game, as the new p was playing it so that should have given ample notice to find a sub to replace me.
5. When I did log back to BBO, the ex-p was already playing in another tourney with someone else. Oh well.... And they say women are fickle?!?!?! C'monnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn... Give me a break!
Pretty please...

Choose your tourneys carefully....

Contrary to its proclaimed title, Enjoy The bridge, the TD pijo5 made the experience not quite enjoyable by constantly urging in a somewhat harsh manner players to play faster. Might be a language problem. However, bridge is supposedly a thinking game (unless you are an expert) - so think twice before joining. You need to play very very fast.
Just for the record, we always finished at least 2 minutes before the allowed time elapsed. And, as a matter of fact, I typed this whole post while playing the last board - in fact we were defending, quite successfully for one down!

Slospin.net

Yet another great (well, in my opinion, at least) bridge site for handy reference. There are four major categories:

• Conventions
• Treatments
• Systems
• Agreements

The Conventions part features not only the most common conventions you see on the profiles of BBO players, but also articles on carding and leads. You can get a handful of doubles, and don't miss the snapdragon, which is a very useful tool if you are not obsessive-compulsive about the penalty double at the 1 level.

The section of Treatments includes

• Balancing Seat Bids
• Cue Bidding Opponent's Suit
• Cue Bidding for Slam
• Fit-Showing Bids
• Leads
• Law of Total Tricks
• Losing Trick Count
• Minor Suit Bidding Principals
• Opening Bids of One-of-a-Suit
• Opening 3- and 4-Level Preempts
• Overcalling
• Point Counting
• Responses To 1NT
• Responses To 2NT
• Responses With Interference
• Reverse Bid
• Squeeze (Rule Of 14)

Systems do not offer much for the SAYCers out there so just for the record there are system notes on an approach to the "Two-Over-One" system, based mostly on Max Hardy's treatment, as well as a condensed description of "Simplified Precision" by C. C. Wei. However, remember curiosity killed the cat...

The Agreements section was a revelation for me, personally, cos I had never seen such a detailed, well-structured example of what a "partnership agreement" might stand for. You can't count on me to have much experience, so if you have seen similar stuff somewhere, please post. It is a great idea, and seems extremely useful even if it only helps one sort out differences with one's more or less regular partners.

Summer Wine 012

Well, it started in a peaceful, quiet way. The Amarone team (bazylc - grez, nikbon - fractal), the Allegirini team (rob63 - mschwartl, sburke - emmee) and a couple of friendly kibs were toddling happily towards the finale with the Allegrini winning by quite a bit when suddenly Rob remembered that Amarone means Verona, and Verona means Romeo and Juliet, and what Romeo and Juliet might mean to Rob I dare not enquire but this set him to such a romantic mood that neither his intrepid partner could bring Rob back to our californicated, Corona-driven matrix of a planet, nor their sweet team-mates who were moaning for guns to shoot their way out.
Just 22 imps is worth the trip to Verona, I think! :)


This clip is especially for you, Rob, please stay as wonderful as we have always known you to be :)

Summer Wine Teams 011

Well, finally the team I was playing (Pinot Noir: joe_45 - sailormoon, nikbon - fractal) managed to break the losing streak of so many events - despite the fact that our very own mschwartl (aka Marty, aka Sunflower since yesterday!) was running around with a baseball bat and threatening to boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew. That was scary but obviously not enough, and the last board provided the much needed imps to steal the match from the Pinot Blanc Team (bazylc - grez, mschwartl - sound375).
What can I say, Marty - try, try, try just a little bit harder... :)

Congratulations :)))

Congratulations to my terrific Russian p Konstantin (Gomon_k) who swept 13 pairs off their feet during the Moscow Open Pairs Championship 2007. Way to go!

Blues in Black

Busy Day on BBVu

Summer Wine Teams 010

Summer Wine Teams 009

Gragnano (juvenal1 - mschwartl, rob63 - phillippa) had a close encounter with Brunello (bazylc - grez, sailormoon - john933) tonight. 7 imps - but I did forget who won!
Cheers and a song for all of you, guys! :)

Karen's Bridge Library

Karen's Bridge Library is one of the first resources I encountered, and it was very helpful. You can browse through the numerous topics and read up bits and pieces here and there, or follow a more logically structured route, according to your level.

Summer Wine Teams 008

Again it was almost a tie. The Portos (ssager - sandione mschwartl - fractal) splintered, transferred, staymanned, blackwooded, doubled and defended like there's no tomorrow match but the Rkatsitelis (bazylc - grez, rob63 - john933) won by 32 IMPs.

Photo, right: The playing captain of the winning team (who shall remain anonymous) is preparing for the post-team match party.

Cheers, all! :)))

Bidding Blues

We were practising 1NT in Partnership bidding (sayc, Caitlin's way).

Hand 1:



Any way to bid this better and/or reach 7NT?

Hand 2:



Yet another can of worms... Bidding looks OK but the contract will fail. What to do?

Summer Wine Teams 007

Cheers to the Chianti team (bazylc + grez, rob63 + juvenal1) for scoring 14 highly contested IMPs during tonight's match!
The Mosels (sailormoon + fractal, mschwartl + kelkatcol) hugged each other and departed into the cold dark night. To have a drink. Alone...
*****
Don't fret, folks, just plagiarising - from Hemingway this time. ;)

Happy Birthday, Bob :)))))))

Happy Birthday to Bob Holmes!!!

Many happy returns of the day and may all your wishes, slams and finesses come true!

We love you, Bob - be very happy! :)

p???????? sry bye

Cool... But where do you go to, my lovely? (Bear with me, I am trapped in mostly Right Said Fred clichés today!).
***
This is the umpteenth attempt to start this topic, which is hard enough to formulate, let alone develop more or less comprehensibly. So I will scatter the notes around, and if you have the patience to read to the end, you'll make your own story of it.
***
Maybe the market is too small for a John Gray to write "Saycers are from Mars, Precisionists are from Venus", but even if he did, I'd rather stick with Eric Berne as his Games People Play is more readily transposable onto the bridge table (and surrounding chairs), albeit it may be lacking practical advice.
***
Or we can try and rehash "Zen, or the art of partnership maintenance". This extract is copied from an article on other types of relationships but, in my opinion, even a pick-up partnership or a close encounter in an indy tournament has all the features of a relationship dynamics.

A young woman approached the Zen master in a meditation hall. "I am searching for perfection so that I may be truly happy," she said. "How do I find perfection?"

"Bring me a butterfly and you will have your answer," he replied.

So the woman set off for a nearby field of wildflowers dotted with beautiful butterflies. Anxious to learn the secret, she chased a butterfly until she captured it. But when she returned to the master and opened her hand, all that remained were the crushed wings of a once-lovely creature. "What have I done?" the bewildered woman asked.

"Bring me a butterfly and you will have your answer," the master said.

The second time she returned she opened her cupped hands and exclaimed, "Master, I have brought you a butterfly." But this time the creature lay in a circle of glistening dust; it had beaten itself to death. And once again the woman asked, "What have I done?"
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"Bring me a butterfly and you will have your answer," the master said.

When the woman returned to the field a third time, she noticed a glorious butterfly drifting from wildflower to wildflower, drinking deeply from dewy petals. Gently, she picked a flower and set it on her shoulder. After a while, the creature landed on it. Slowly, the woman began walking back to the meditation hall. When she arrived, the butterfly was still perched lightly on her shoulder.

"Now you have your answer," the Zen master said.

Easy does it.

***
In Success at Bridge Victor Mollo writes:

"Technique in bidding or play can be studied, practised and eventually mastered. Kindness to partner is a virtue requiring a rare combination of gifts - patience, detachment, forgiveness, and above all, the ability to dissimulate.
You are either born with these precious gifts or more likely you are born without them. It is purely a matter of luck."

***
Allegedly Easely Blackwood warned that if you try to convince partner that he is in the wrong he will play badly on the next deal. If you succeed, he will play badly on the next ten. Dare try?
***
Last but by no means least, my absolutely favourite bridge teacher Bob (bobh2 on BBO) put it best in his post on the BIL forum:

Now, here's some advice for you. If your object is to win at bridge, play with partners who are playing winning bridge and keep them playing that way. This is a simple fact. Bridge is a partnership game and a huge factor of winning has to do with taking good care of your partner. They do best when they are chirping along, not stressing out. Your behaviour and style at the table matters a lot. This is not hard to accomplish, you just have to be aware of this, and do it. What I have just said applies to the game regardless of your skill level or anything else. It is a universal truth.

***
Or, to quote Right Said Fred, "You're my mate, and I will stand by you" pretty much sums in up.


Btw, this is the official partnership song for the Summer Wine Teams matches. As to the guys who are too sexy for your table, you might politely suggest that they take their little tush some other where, in the hope it will be better appreciated by someone else. No hard feelings here, we are all different, and that's fine; yet you might wish them luck cos, I suspect, they might need quite a lot of it. ;)

Today's Puzzle

Thanks to Bobby (attentive) for this puzzle taken from Victor Mollo's Bridge Psychology.



You are declarer. What will you play now?

This particular hand was played by José Le Dentu (thanks to the FFBBO yellows for their kind assistance!).

BBO Basic (summary)

to-do list:

• add hyperlinks with expl.
• add links to alternative sites
• when all is ready, move the whole bunch to a static site for reference
  

General Approach: Standard American
1NT = 15-17 HCP

• Stayman
• Jacoby Transfers
• 2S for minor bust
• 3m (3 Minor) invitational
• 3M (3 Major slam invitational)
• Gerber
• System ON over double
  

2NT = 20-21 HCP

• Stayman
• Jacoby Transfers
• Gerber

3NT = 25-27 HCP
!!! Make sure your partner knows you are (not) playing 3NT as Gambling 3NT!

• Stayman
• Jacoby Transfers

Minor Suit Openings & Responses
3+ suits* - bid suits up the line
2NT = 13-15 HCP
3NT = 16-18 HCP

Major Suit Openings & Responses
5+ majors. Responses:
2NT = 4-card forcing raise (Jacoby 2NT) (* now I play it with 3+ cards support as a fit showing GF bid; discuss with partners)
3M = limit raise
3NT = 15-17 HCP

2Clubs strong (artificial)
2D - "waiting"

Weak Twos
2NT - feature-asking bid. Raise only non-forcing (RONF).

Strong Jump Shifts. Preemptive Jump Overcalls. Neg. X thru 2S.

After Opps' Take-Out X:

• New suit: 1 level = forcing. 2 level - NF.
• 2NT = limit raise or more.
• Preemptive Jumps.

After Suit Overcall:

• New Suit: non-forcing.

After 1NT Overcall:

• Stayman only.

After Opps' 1NT Opening:

• 2C - majors only **

Standard Blackwood
4th suit = 1-round force
Unusual 2NT & Michaels

Leads & carding:
Standard leads, carding & discards

Summer Wine Teams 006

Sangue de Boi (rob63 - jimi56, bazylc - grez) won this teams match by 6 imps. The Traminerians (meeto - larsbg, juvenal1 - sailormoon) fought bravely to the very last drop. Everyone is a winner as the match was fun, and I am very happy that the guys who are taking part in it for the first time (the whole Sangue de Boi team, as well as Larsbg) enjoyed it, too :)
Looking forward to Summer Wine 007!

(Sun)Day at the races...

It was certainly a very strange day, lots of ups and downs, and I suspect some bridge mistral was sweeping through BBO all day yesterday.

It began OK. I coTDed my first tourney with Gamer1800. It is a bit hard to play and keep an eye on the tourney proceedings, even though we barely had to make any substitutions. There was one incident, when a player called his partner an idiot for doubling opp's contract or some other capital offence. This got him to the very top of the enemy list (yeah, isn't it sad there should ever be need for one...), and I sincerely hope he will stay there and not run into any of us again. Such extraordinary creatures who presumably never make mistakes should be kept on Vesuvius: it is private there but sulphorous. Btw, Gamer's tourney got mentioned in BIL's Gazette (19 May 2007):

BEGINNER/NOVICE TOURNAMENTS

There is some good news for those who want to play/compete in tournaments that are restricted to beginner / novice level - somewhere for you to ‘get your feet wet’ , where you have a chance of being in the top % .

Gamer_1800 is going to be running ad hoc tournaments in the BBO Free Tournament section every day . These are not being run under the auspices of the BIL as he cannot commit to any specific schedule - he has power supply problems. So they will be listed at short notice randomly. You will have to look for his id in the Host Field in the tournaments - the titles will not mention the BIL. However, I am sure it will be clear that they are restricted to level.

He has my permission to announce these in the BIL 10/15 minutes prior to the start (except when a lesson is in progress).

Those of you playing in them must ‘cut him some slack’ when it comes to subs - a tournament cannot continue if he cannot find a sub so it may well be that he will from time to time have to use an Intermediate/advanced player .

The Sunday Teams League match was a pleasure indeed, as Marty and I played with Bob (rq4mulae) and Norrie (Norrito1 aka club2over1), and what made this encounter even more pleasant is the fact that we won, despite my misbids, misclicks, misplay, misdefence, mis-you-name-it-i-did-it...

Unfortunately, later I ran into another rude fellow, and got so pissed off that reported him to BBO abuse. Yes, Virginia, it was THAT bad... He could always get off the hook though by claiming temporary insanity due to climatic conditions. On the other hand... Maybe I was a bit too short-fused myself, and shouldn't have bothered with that luser at all? In a brief moment of poetic rapture I began writing this poem but only got to Line 5 - the muse disappeared AWOL:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?

Well done, Lawl Brigade!

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE ON SUNDAY TEAMS MATCH!

Thanks and best of luck to The Splinters, it was great pleasure to play with you, guys!

Turn on the BBVu !

There are currently 2 events broadcast on BBVu(graph): Camrose Trophy and the Scottish Cup.

The Camrose Trophy, the Home Bridge Internationals for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (then called the Irish Free State) was launched in 1937. Lord Camrose, at that time proprietor of the Daily Telegraph, donated the trophy in 1936. The original trophy has been lost, but a replacement is competed for annually. More about its history here, and more about the current event we are watching here.

Unfortunately, I couldn't google up anything coherent about the other event, the Scottish Cup (as paulg explained, "it is the Scottish teams of four championship final"), and was late for the start of the broadcast so maybe, if you are interested, you can check The Beercard Blog of BBO's paulg (Paul Gipson) for any comments and other words of wisdom, and the very curious explanation about what the beer card is. :)

BBVu schedule: http://online.bridgebase.com/vugraph/schedule.php

Summer Wine Teams 005

Riesling Team (boclient -mschwartl, juvenal1 - sailormoon) delivered a devastating 19 imp blow to Pinot Noir Team (nekcarolyn - john933, nikbon - fractal). Next time I will sneak in a beer label, just in case! :)

Congrats, Riesling! :)

Apart from that, the match was fun as usual!

Private Bridge Lessons with Cascade

One of the BIL Lecturer's Cascade publishes the blog Private Bridge Lessons, featuring hands and analysis from his sessions in BIL. You can browse the posts one by one, or use the Labels to take you directly to the topic you are interested in.

Club "2 over 1"

Club 2 over 1 is a private club for players of all skill levels wishing to learn, play or teach the 2/1 system. There are regularly-scheduled teaching sessions and club tournaments. You can always contact any member of the management and support team:
Norrito1, Badmonster, Wyoming33, Middlec, Ladystar17, greeter, fractal, cc1313, Onaway and whoever is wearing the club assistant hat at the moment: that would be BBO user "club2over1".

Teaching sessions for May:

• Sylad - Bidding for advanced players
• Hoki - Play and discuss
• Vincoach - Open mentoring sessions
• Hondo - Open mentoring sessions
• Lioncub - 2/1 Bidding
• Ckleiber - Open mentoring sessions
• Hoki - Tourney and Review
• Caitlin - 2/1 Basics
• Sylad - 2/1 Basics (beginners/intermediates)
• Keylime - The Language of Doubles
• Grizz - Defence

The Club Tango Tournaments are held regularly (pls check in the Tournaments section on BBO if the time suits you - and jump in to have fun in a friendly but competitive environment!)

You can join the club by sending a message to Norrito or anyone else on the support team.

Meet Gamer1800 :)

I asked Gamer to introduce himself, and he kindly answered the questions I suggested. So next time you see the Ind. BBO Beginner tournament on, join, or just stop and say hi :)

Why did you decide to make tournaments for beginners?
My decision to hold exclusive Beginner level tournaments has it's roots in my very basic temperament.

My main work has been in the Training field (Human resource development, Adult Education, Corporate Training, Communications/ledership/group dynamics Training etc.

My Basic Qualification is Graduateship in Engineering, after which I did several post graduate level studies.

I would rather stay anonymous and not tell my Real Name, because I have been a reasonably well known person in the Academic field and I would rather be just a humble "gamer" to all my friends, not the "imposing...Mr so and so".

I am Male, in my mid 60's, and now my health is not very good.

While playing, because of my humble and friendly nature, many Beginners confided in me and I realised they were in need of encouragement to play in tournaments. It was just an "inner urge" ,stemming out of my very basic nature, I would say, that I decided to hold a few exclusive tourneys and see how it works out.

BIL holds it's own sessions, however, I found that many of the BIL tourneys were "teaching" type, where the hands were "discussed" later on. Undoubtably, an excellent learning session, but not a simple "fun place " to play just tourneys and enjoy. The BIL "pure" Tourneys are few, and you must be knowing that those have BBO masterpoint status, hence VERY SERIOUS tournaments again.

Your plans for the tournament (usual time-slots etc)?
I live in India, and my Internet connection is not very reliable. Indian time is GMT+5 hr 30 mins. My convenient times are usually afternoons, and evenings. However, at times I also find myself free during my mornings (11 am approx) and Late night (after 11 pm). I am always scared when I host a trny that my net may go down. Luckily nikky has been very kind to be my co-TD in most of my tourneys till now. Because of my net/power unreliability, I can not make a "fixed" time slot for my tournaments. However, as you have noticed, I try to be there around 5.00 pm my time as far as I can.

A few words about yourself and bridge?

I began playing bridge in 1963, played intensively for almost 15 years before work and other commitments took me away from bridge. I was also a good chess player during those days :).

Only a few years back, after retiring from active work, I started playing bridge again, now only on internet because my health does not permit me to go and play in clubs.

I play for fun, I am not interested in "masterpoints/championships/STARS/blha blah...." and I think that is how any card game (except gambling with real money) should be played.

Unfortunately, I am in minority. As Alan Truscott has said "Bridge is essentially a social game, but unfortunately it attracts a substantial number of antisocial people".

Beginner BBO is my humble effort to make bridge a social and enjoyable event, and encourage our Beginner friends.

I am a BELIEVER. If people can really enjoy and benefit themselves from my humble efforts, I shall consider myself blessed that the LORD thought me a suitable person to serve some people.

I thank you for your kind interest.

May God be with you ALWAYS

Gamer

Summer Wine Teams 004

Pinot Blanc (mschwartl - sailormoon, fractal - juvenal1) vs. Pinot Gris (Ruskabello - micks_2_u, stilsen - john933) ended with 3 imps in favour of Pinot Gris. Congratulations to the winners, and let's have a replay! :)

Gamer's Tourneys

BBO is, of course, a terrific place, and generally newbie-friendly but occasional encounters can be quite intimidating. In case you still shy away the bigger events, there is a nice opportunity, especially for people in the Euro time-zones. Gamer1800 runs exclusively tournaments for beginners, and the atmosphere is very stimulating. There is one thing that you may find hard to cope with, and that is the ban he has imposed on the word "sorry". So try to come up with a round-about way, or, even better, with a consoling cup of coffee or beer for your partner!

BIL News

The Calendar of events (lessons, tournaments etc) can be found here. You can even change the table (via the Options button at the bottom) so that it shows your time-zone.
So if you are not a member of BIL yet, maybe you could consider joining. Btw, Bob Holmes (aka bobh2 on BBO) will be holding a session on Sunday, at 16:30 EDT, and it is certainly something you won't want to miss! :)

BBVu: Bonn Nations Cup 2007

Today on BBO Vugraph: the Bonn Nations Cup 2007. During the whole Bonn Nations Cup 2007 there will be a broadcast by Bridge Base Online. In every session one match will be shown from both tables (Open and Closed room). 20 top European teams are divided into two groups where they play a complete round-robin (matches of 10 boards). The winners will play a final over 24 boards tomorrow

This is the link to the official web site in English with real-time running scores in all matches. On this site you can find all need-to-know about the Bonn Nations Cup 2007 on May, 16th and 17th in the Stadthalle in Bonn-Bad Godesberg. There is a list of participants, as well as former winners.

Here is the direct link to "Live-Ticker" where you can see the latest standings.

Btw, for those who remember my first kvetch: the nice Star is currently playing on BBVu; will keep my fingers crossed for him!

BBVu schedule: http://online.bridgebase.com/vugraph/schedule.php
For the curious cats out there, who would like to put a face behind a nick, here is the link to help you get to know (or, at least, see) your commentators better.

GIBercising on a sleepy morning...

Deal 1:
Here are the hands:


and this is what my GIBbie and I came up with:

How to reach 6C here?
P.S. Ooooooooooooops... Do we really need 6C... On a spade lead even 5C can go down. But then why didn't the GIB opps lead a spade?

*****

Deal 2:
To open or not to open?



The actual bidding went on like this (and I regretted being a good lil girl again...)



Both hands:

*****

Deal 3:


What now? 3D is alerted as "New Suit, 4+ D, 5+ S, 10 + points.
5S supposedly means 18+ points - must be grand slam try.
Chickened, and left it rest at 6S - one top honour in the trump suit; on the other And I keep missing slams... the traveller shows someone made 7NTxx for 18 imps!

The complete deal:

*****

The butterfly effect

This is what I looked like the last couple of days - except my hair stood on end, the way it does when you plug into a wall socket (supposedly).
And it all started last week when a BBO pal misunderstood me and walked out. I got upset and misplaced a flash drive with over 2 GBs of data and the back-up files for over 150 pages of a crappy translation that had to be submitted. Needless to say, the deadline was THAT day, and I had no other back-up files... While searching for the flash-drive (why do they make them the size of a key-holder... normal brick-sizeful would be visually nice and reassuringly heavy, for starters... go misplace a log like that...well, maybe I could...). Then I dropped the external CD recorder. This freaked me out even more, and voila, the coffee mug tipped all over the keyboard. The mouse seemed ok but it stopped working a couple of hours later. Phone and mobile kept ringing, family were doing something that resembled Star Wars in the background, and the damn flash-drive was nowhere in sight. It did come up just in time; however, the whole week seemed hell-bent to continue that way. Until yesterday. Then I managed to get 16 hours of happy brain-dead sleep. Back on track now.
Optimistically, it could get much much worse - remember Terry Gilliam's Brazil? Watch that fly - and, if you haven't seen the film yet, maybe you could rent it.

Taking the short cut...

You are sitting North. West opens the bidding with 4 clubs. Silence at the table. West is asked to explain the bid, and he enters "Aces" in the alert box. The following exchange follows:

South: ???
West: ok sry
->East: want undo? your p alerted it as "Aces"
West: p, was askin how many aces you have.
->East: no idea what it means
West: thats 4clubs
North: opps, pls feel free to discuss system or anything
North: Maybe your p doesnt know that convention - i dont know it either
East: what the heck is bothering you opps
West: called Gerber i think
West (requests undo & rebids 4 Hearts): thnx opps :)
North: but gerber is only after 1nt
West: was just saving time
...

The complete deal:


Got comments? I haven't... :)))

In Da House: Garozzo

Benito Garozzo plays on BBO - just in case you didn't know! :)

Monday, Monday...

Today's task:

The instructions are in Japanese so you have a built-in excuse NOT to do anything, should you wish so!

BBVu: Cavendish Live!

Now you can watch the event live - there is a working webcam on site, which renews every 40 seconds. Believe it or not, that is enough to capture funny stuff!

Sunday Dummies

OK, today's fitness exercise might be a bit more romantic and less tasking than usual; blame it on a fantastic sunrise over the Danube this morning! :)

Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss - Wiener Philharmoniker and Wiener Staatsopern ballet. Lorin Maazel, conductor.
New year's concert 2005

5th Chair

The Fifth Chair Foundation defines itself as "a not-for-profit organization that fosters online bridge education". The site is impressive, with a whole lot of various resources for newbies of all skills levels (from complete beginner dummy to world class novice and beyond).
In the Bridge School section you can find a well-structured intro to bidding (SAYC-based, I think) in the form of separate lessons, which are very newbie-friendly and with just the right dose of humour.
The more convenient pdf's of back-issues are in the Archive section here. The main headings are:

• Bidding
• Conventions
• Defense
• Declarer Play
• System Notes
• Miscellaneous

The Bookshelf contains a list of books that are suitable for different beginner levels; no reviews are provided but you can easily get them on Amazon, or just ask about on BBO.
Btw, I absolutely love their definition of players' levels:

B - Beginners (duh, what's a bid?)
N - Novices (I know just enough to get into serious trouble.)
I - Intermediate (Hooked and getting serious about this game.)
A - Advanced (If you've reached this level, you know it.)
E - Expert (If you've reached this level, your opponents know it.)
P - Professional (If you've reached this level, the bridge world knows it.)

There is a small but nice Links section as well as a glossary of the most common bridge terms in the Bridge Jargon section.
Overall, liked the site a lot!

BBVu: Cavendish update

The website is back on: http://www.cavendishinvitational.com/

The link to the standings after 3rd session: http://www.cavendishinvitational.com/2007/PAIRS3O.htm

Link to Daily Bulletins: here

Right now there is no way to know in advance which players/teams exactly will be shown on the vugraph, unfortunately, but it might be a good thing, too cos otherwise my weekend would have been rescheduled around watching Zia!

Next session 10:30 west coast 03:30 Sydney 19:30 Europe 18:30 London 13:30 NY

Saturday Dummies: Great Balls of Fire!

I guess our team that got beaten black and blue yesterday needs this. Less than two minutes but get that energy flowing - if you have recovered from the step-dance, that is.

Summer Wine Teams 003

Chandon (mschwartl - kelkatcol, sailormoon - ze mucas) won but it was only with miserable 27 imps; it was a close match. Moet (DarekPol-fractal, meeto-Ruskabello) are planning the revenge for tomorrow night. Cheers! :)

Need a partner?

... It was then that the fox appeared.
"Good morning," said the fox.
"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."
"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."
"I am a fox," said the fox.
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."
"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.
But, after some thought, he added:
"What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean-- 'tame'?"
"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."
"'To establish ties'?"
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me..."

The whole story is here.

BBVu: Polish Trials on vugraph

BBO is broadcasting also Polish Open Team Trials (link is in Polish; if you prefer, full schedule, please go to http://online.bridgebase.com/vugraph/schedule.php where all the times are local to you). As usual, the most discombobulating thing is the names of the players - or, as Roland Wald (walddk) quoted "As Zia once said: "No one can spell their names, but they sure can play". Beats me: people who are able to start with a minor suit bidding and get to a slam in a major (and do it) should have no problems pronouncing a name like "Skrzypczak"?!

Hm... Obviously someone asked how they can become vugraph operators. Here is the answer, just in case you are interested in that, too:

Walddk: For newcomers. This is what you must look like in order to become a BBO vugraph operator ....
Walddk: http://www.pzbs.pl/kadra/2007/open/zd0506/imagepages/image15.html
Walddk: Apply within

Friday dummies

Take your pick: have a look at these links (interview with Fred Gitelman in 2002 and a couple of curious articles about him 1, 2)

or

try a new dance today:

The plot in a nutshell: the video begins with the chorus of kibs. A lonely dummy (Jean Butler) enters and tries to steal the show (with very good chances to succeed), but is soon joined by a dummy from an adjacent table (Michael Flatley). In the end all the kibs join in the dance. If your muscles feel a bit sore - as this 6 minute exercise can prove quite strenuous for the unwary and particularly the untrained! - get Aspirin C. Ouch!

P.S. Bingo!!! I knew it intuitively!

48,000 pounds of chocolate have been consumed (for energy!) by the cast.

Dummy Fitness

Of course, there are myriads of things you can catch up with while your parthner is sweating the contract out and assuming you are holding your breath with love or calor (as the case may be). Making a badly needed cuppa, getting a drink or grabbing a sandwich are but just a few of the options. However, considering how much time we spend as mouse-potatoes, a good choice might be to use the short spell to add some physical activity - to spice up that hateful contract or just relax a bit so the "npp" sounds almost earnest and "sry p" is more optimistic that it would have otherwise been.

Just a suggestion for a dummy workout! :)

P.S. You don't have to tell your partner "me gustas tu" but it does help! :)

BBVu: The Cavendish Invitational 2007

The Cavendish Invitational 2007 is being broadcast on BBO this week - you can check the schedule of the upcoming events here. More info about the Cavendish: what it is, who's playing and, alternatively, here.
You can also download and watch past matches in BBO's own Bridge Library - if you haven't discovered that wonderful quiet place away from the maddening crowd in Main & Tournament area, maybe it is high time you did! It is located in the Other Bridge Activities, go straight ahead, it is the first door after Lecture Hall. I really love to hang around there, with a cup of hot chocolate and a fair supply of cigarettes.

Sweet dreams are made of this... :)

Well, that is probably the only sure-fire slam I will bid at the drop of a hat after a sleepless night with the nose to the grind-stone between occasional peeks into BBO!
I want to sit South and bid bid bid that 7S redoubled! :) And then play it!
Back to reality...

Accidents happen but...

The contract would have been ditched if sillafu (Benito Garozzo himself) had doubled, instead of trapping opps in, but, being himself, he didn't. The more amazing thing for me, though, is that the declarer didn't lose his cool and played it for only 1 down (you can get the .lin here). What can I say... except WOWOWOW... I have no idea how many tricks down I would play it for, and it certainly doesn't matter cos I can't count to that much... blissfully...

BBVu: Schapiro Spring 4s Final

A curiousity from Schapiro's Spring Finals:

3NT made +2 here. And in the other room 7S made as well.

Panther Dbl

Here is a link to Panther Double, just in case you got bored with all the X, XX, Neg X (is there a positive X?), Lightner etc out there...
This one comes from Zia and as such is most probably double as good. :)

Summer Wine Teams 002

Well, the good news - in, fact, the GREAT news - is we got to play with some new pals from BBO - Lucky Lino, magicalmom and sailormoon's very own joe_45. The bad news is, the Chardonnay team won by devastating 64 imps!
Congratulations, guys from Chardonnay, and thanks for all the fun!

P.S. When is the play-off???

BBO Sunday Teams: ClubSodas

The Lawl Brigade (this week mschwartl, goobers, shadycats, fractal) survived the match without major losses. In fact we won by 10 imps! The most important thing, however, is we met a really nice pair of opps - waldheini/Acer2 - and will be looking forward to playing with them again! Congrats, gang! :)

Summer Wine Teams

... are off to a start! Yesterday was the pilot run of the Summer Wine Teams. There are 2 teams so far, the Cabernet team (meeto- Ruskabello, mschwartl-fractal) and the Chardonnay team (sburke-sound3675, rcgoode-hamraz40). The Cabernet team won by an impressive 20+ imps, which, as rumour has it, would have been even more impressive, if mschwartl, aka Marty, didn't feel too frustrated when he ran out of his illegal boost (Corona beer). Should this happen again, he will be disqualified and publicly reprimanded! Please stick to your particular team-drink - or do not admit it if you don't! This has a very pronounced negative effect on the team spirit (pun intended!).
Cheers and see you at the table! :)

New gadget

Bridge and blogs are about communication, so if you feel so inclined, you can use this cute toy on the left to leave a comment, make a suggestion, or just say "hi" :)

Kvetch!

Just in case you wondered what "kvetch!" is, most dictionaries suggest it means "to complain persistently and whiningly". I first encountered the word way back when a tamagochi friend sent me the link to a now deceased website, www.kvetch.com, which was a forum for people to complain about anything and everything, and get a friendly hug in return. Frankly, I prefer this extended meaning, even if it might not comply fully with the dictionary definition.
Sooooooooooo... After about 16 hours of non-stop gruelling translation, and 3 hours of nightmares, I got up, made a mug of coffee, logged into BBO and enrolled in an indy in order to wake up. The very first board spelt disaster - and it also proved disasters tend to come in threesomes.
OK, here it is:

2D was alerted as "waiting", merrily we rolled along to 4S, and went down 2 a bit later.

Sunshine: sorry p, but u cant bid 4 !S with 5 points
fractal: p, you had a 6-loser balanced hand, why open 2!c?
Sunshine: plz plz plzzzzz
fractal: sry about that game
Sunshine: npp

Well, at least we didn't get into a cat-fight about it! I wasn't being hypocritical, either - I did feel sorry about the game, but not about the bid. I still think - and I might be wrong - that bidding 2C on a balanced 6-loser with 19HCP is not the right thing to do, and Sunshine will probably continue to do that. Different strokes...

The second disaster was very funny; unfortunately, it involved one of the BBO-starred players I love to kibitz best! After I recovered from the initial shock of playing WITH a star (somehow, playing against a star is less intimidating), we got this wonder deal:

The 4D bid was, naturally, a splinter - and Star, naturally, looked at my profile and, deducting that it cannot have been a splinter, bid 5D. Yours truly had a dilemma: if Star thinks I am a rookie and the 4D bid is not a splinter, he must be confirming a diamond fit, so we can't have slam; if he did take it to be a splinter, then I don't know what he is trying to convey with the 5D bid because I am really a rookie but it doesn't look like good news, so better escape to 5S as a sign-off. And we, naturally, missed a slam!

fractal: glp
Star: thx..sry pd..I believed your own profile :)
fractal: sry - but what do you mean? :)
Star: later
fractal: ok :)
Star: you said: then I am going to bid someth. stupid.....so I was not sure I 4!d was splinter or 8-9 !d s..:)

And just when I thought life couldn't really get much harsher this early am, I ran into PartnerFromHell. He moaned when I led K, and then A out of AKxxx, picking his Q on the second round, and went absolutely ballistic during the second board - so I am really not sorry I passed his forcing bid! If I ever run into him again, I will do it over and over, and then some! - unless I can get him to play his splinter as a 4-level contract at least! I do realise that we can't be nice to everybody all the time, and maybe he is a brain-surgeon or a forex trader whose ex had just left him for the proverbial plumber, leaving behind her hateful cat which had just devoured his favourite gold-fish, but still.. there are limits... And telling your partner "fy" is transgressing them quite a bit.

P.S. Sunshine and Star are not the real nicknames of the people involved. And I removed the quote from "Something Stupid" from my profile, just in case...

Club Bar's OPEN :)

... and let's say, the dress rehearsal for the grand opening is tonight. The Room is online, with me and sailormoon in it, listening to music while we are waiting for the gang to gather and enjoying the drinks kindly supplied by rob63.
What's on tonight? More hi's to share as more trekkies are joining, deciding on an action plan and maybe run our first topical teams match. That is top secret, btw.
Cheers!

Finally!!!!!

Well, it was great fun meeting some of the addicts on Paltalk tonight! It was nice to put a voice behind the nicknames, too!
I also registered our very own chat room - that should be even more convenient to use than the room we met in today. So next time you log into Paltalk, look us up - the BBO Fun Club. To do this you need to open the rooms listing, tick adult content, then go to Games => Other. Once inside the room, you can add it to your list of favourites so that next time you take the short route. If this seems too complicated, the alternative is to message me (bridgetrekkie) and I will beam you up.
The group's URL is here. An added bonus is that if you visit this URL, you will be able to see if the room is online or closed. If it is open, you can push the <<Room Open! Chat Now>> button and your paltalk messenger will start, taking you directly to the room.

Looking forward to hearing from you!