David Stevenson
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‘This tournament uses pre-dealt hands’ does not, of itself mean the hands are not random, just that they have not been produced by BBO. Swiss Teams and similar on BBO require hands to be fed in so everyone plays the same hands. It is only really teaching hands that are not random.
As explained in my column in greater detail it is perfectly legal, no need to announce anything but “Weak”, but whether it is reasonable is a matter for others.
Weak seems fair enough.
I think you are confusing judgement with agreements. Some players think a weak two means any hand with a six card major and 5 to 9 points, such as
7xxxxx Ax Ax xxx or
AKQTxx xx xx xxx
I play weak twos and would open neither of them a weak two. I would pass the first, and choose between 1S and 3S with the second. I am not trying to teach you judgement but you must realise other people’s is often different from yours.
The definition of a weak two for many people is a hand with a minimum length, some think 5 cards, some 6 cards, not worth an opening bid. Many people like myself worry about suit quality. The reason for a range for weak twos is historical and should have little meaning.There are regulations in England (also applicable in Wales) concerning various matters, the main two of which are what you are allowed to play and what you should alert or announce. These are contained in a document produced by the English Bridge Union (EBU) called the Blue book which may be read on the EBU website or downloaded therefrom. The various paragraphs in it are numbered for reference and 3D2 and 3H3 are paragraphs in it.
There is a common thread running through a lot of queries I have answered in Mr Bridge’s magazine BRIDGE and there have been a few here. Players do not play the same way as each other: that is normal, that is the way bridge is, and that is the way it always will be. If you and your partner agree to open 2S as a weak two it is a matter of judgement on what hands you use it. The fact that your judgement is different from the next players is perfectly normal.
Perhaps you would never have seven cards for a weak two but that does not mean someone else would not. Perhaps you stick religiously to a point range (maybe 5 to 9?) but that does not mean others have to have the same range as you nor that they have to follow it religiously. So the simple answers to your questions are:
It is perfectly legal to open 2S with seven spades and 4 points, and
If you play a weak two and have been known on occasion to have seven spades and/or 4 points you announce it as “Weak”.
Your opponents are just wrong. There is no rule as to what you must have for a reopening double and many, many experts advise reopening freely.
One of the problems many people have is that they have strong ideas on how to bid, possibly based on what they were taught or their experience, even based sometimes on misunderstanding what they have been taught. While that is fair enough for the partnership, right or wrong, they also expect other people to bid their way and are shocked when they do not, it is just something you have to live with.I do not agree with Zoe that this double needs alerting or to be on your system card. 3D2 is referring to first round doubles, not protective doubles. It gets completely ridiculous if you are required to list every position where you are liable to make a judgement.
It is perfectly legal to have differing agreements after an insufficient bid. You could agree, for example, to play 1H as takeout and double as penalties.
There have been some discussions on the internet over the years as to what changes might be made, the most common suggestion being to have a penalty double. Nevertheless I have never known any pair that have different agreements over an insufficient bid or call out of rotation.It is the same rule in live bridge with one basic difference. When there is a call and you want to know the meaning, you ask the partner of the player who made the call to explain: you may not also ask the player who made the call.
So what is the difference? At the end of the auction declarer or dummy must point out if their partner has made a wrong explanation. A logical extension of this is that it does not hurt for a defender to ask declarer or dummy at that time whether an explanation was correct. However a defender who realises his partner’s explanation was wrong should wait till the end of the hand before saying so
No, it is not acceptable. There is a method of getting the correct information and if you get the wrong information and are damaged the director will adjust.
The main advantage of asking both players is to find out whether they are having a misunderstanding but that is not something you have any right to. Certainly, you may deduce it if you like from the answers and from the bidding but that is at your own risk.
Assuming BBO, you should tap on your bid which brings up the explain button, and write ‘Strong, not weak’. The opponents have a right to know your agreements. It is up to them to deduce what mistake and what is in your hand and you can do the best to recover the situation yourself, for example passing a bid from partner which is forcing.
I do not think you need to go overboard and explain everything so I personally would not explain a weak jump overcall or a strong jump shift response. If you play strong or intermediate jump overcalls which are now quite rare it would help to announce them, though not alert them. But do get in the habit of announcing agreed NT ranges, so I would say “15-19” for your 2NT rebid.
Mini splinters and fit jumps have always been alertable so no change there.
One small point I would make: a strong jump overcall is typically 16-19 or thereabouts, and an intermediate jump overcall about 11-15. There is a habit amongst certain players to play intermediate jumps but call them strong: this is not helpful!The first point to make is that players should never say “I took it as …”. Opponents tend to assume that this is an agreement but in fact players who say that often mean they do not know whether they have an agreement or what it is. Following on from that if an opponent does say this I would certainly ask a supplementary question, such as “But have you got an agreement that it is …?”. Furthermore declarer or dummy is required to correct wrong explanations by partner as soon as they become declarer or dummy. So in this case the player who bid it and intended it as 4SF was required to say “My 2H was 4SF” before the opening lead, in fact immediately the auction ended.
I would certainly have called the director at the end of the hand.
I would have asked North why he did not double or bid 2H, but to be honest neither action is very appealing. Assuming I got a satisfactory answer then I would do nothing. Psyches are legal so long as they are not fielded, that is so long as partner does not allow for the possibility of a psyche.
Well, the only pair I have ever known who played this basically had no further agreements. They used it whenever they felt like it and had at least one four card major.
I think the answer is probably it may be an adequate explanation, though it quite likely is not. If the pair has another agreement such as either two four card majors, or one four card major and a long minor, then it is not adequate.There does not seem to be a question here so I shall answer the two most obvious questions.
——Is it legal to play Stayman in defence to 1NT? Yes, any defence is permitted in all events except Novice and Holiday events.
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Is it sensible to play Stayman in defence to 1NT? That is a question for the Ask Julian forum.
