Post by Douglas NewlandsPost by Adam LeaPost by PlayerPost by PlayerNV vs vul Imps
8xxx
ATxx
x
KJTx
3H (x) ?
So, what do you bid?
As it was a BBO game, I bid 3NT which was doubled. When the x came
back to me, I bid 4D which was also doubled, and finally 4H which was
doubled again. 4H was cold, as were 5D and 5S.
I suspect I would have bid the same way in a serious game and am
curious if anyone else would have?
I can see the point of psyching a strong bid, I would be tempted at one
club I play at, but not the second club. At the latter there was a
stroppy e-mail sent out by the committee telling people not to play
complicated systems and definitely not to psyche, because it is supposed
to be a friendly social club and doing those two things antagonizes
people. There have been complaints frequently about people playing
systems and conventions that are significantly different to what club
players typically play.
But club players typically play systems which vary from poor to
demented. Why would one want to play such a system?
When they know what they are playing that is!
The reason that psyches like 3NT work is that they have no idea what
strength their partner has and listen to the opponents' bidding
to judge what partner has. This is stupid but common and they
don't like it when they get things stupidly wrong and complain
bitterly from the bottom of their hearts.
This kind of bid slaughters them until they learn how to handle it
but club committees make rulings which stop them ever learning.
The club committe then produces an illegal local regulation
to handle the problem.
doug
The problem is that those who don't like what they see as obscure
systems and conventions are the ones with the biggest and loudest
mouths, and over time end up being pandered too in order to shut them
up. I have sympathy with the committee, what do you do if a significant
group of people, who see bridge as a social game and don't like what
they see as the cut-throat win at all costs element of the game are
complaining regularly?
I get the impression that there is a subset of people who want the glory
of winning but don't want or can't be bothered to put in the time and
effort required to be competitive, so instead they try to drag others
down (the cynical side of me coming out).
Here is a segment of an e-mail I received from one of the committee:
"Good morning everyone.
The Committee continues to receive complaints from members regarding the
use of so-called ‘unusual’ bidding systems at the Club.
This is a not an issue unique to us, and there continues to be a
strongly held view amongst bridge players that some of the bidding
systems permitted under EBU Level 4, whilst acceptable at competitions
and tournaments, are inappropriate at small local bridge clubs. Indeed,
Sally Brock in her column in The Sunday Times on 24 April 2016 commented
that ”…the bidding that occurs at many championships is so far removed
from what the social or club player would call ‘normal’…’. It is
therefore perhaps not surprising that many players feel that Bridge is
fast becoming a game more akin to poker.
Some bidding systems permitted by the EBU can be quite complicated, some
can be considered ‘aggressive’, and most seem aimed solely at disrupting
the opposition’s ability to bid. What is not in dispute is that they
serve to antagonise those players who hold the view that everyone should
bid, play and conduct themselves fairly and in accordance with the
friendly ethos and spirit of the game. After all, the vast majority
simply want to enjoy a friendly and sociable game.
Like many things in life it is probably impossible to please everyone
all the time, but the Committee has a responsibility to respect and
consider the opinions expressed by our members, the great majority of
whom do not endorse the currently perceived wisdom in the EBU that
‘anything goes’. For example, there have been several instances where
the validity of an opponent’s bid has been questioned only to be met
with a comment along the lines of ‘I can bid what I like’. The fact
that such a statement may not be technically accurate is immaterial; it
is the attitude that is discourteous and inconsistent with a friendly
club environment.
After considerable discussion the Committee has concluded that whilst it
is not right to prevent members from playing any particular legal
bidding system just because it is not universally popular it is in the
best interest of the Club to introduce with immediate effect some
internal rules and guidelines aimed at avoiding further complaints and
eliminate ongoing underlying antagonism."