This article first appeared in bulletin of Good Morning Bridge for Pula 2005 tournament. These are few remarks that will enable you to enjoy your bridge play in Croatia even more.
Always be on time!
Slow play will not be tolerated!
Remain seated at all times!
Follow the ALERT procedure!
Most of Croatian players follow a system called The Zagreb Club. It is natural system with five card majors and short club. It means that with 4-4-3-2 distribution and adequate number of points you are supposed to open 1 club. Range for one level opening is from 12 to 19 high card points. Stronger hands are covered by semiforcing 2 diamonds (20-22Hcp) and grand forcing 2 clubs. 2 clubs is usually followed by ace responses. Jump raises in uncontested auctions are strong, invite or game-forcing. All openings in a minor that promise less then two cards should be alerted. One note for domestic players: please alert non-forsing responses in contested auctions. If your partner opens 1 diamond and RHO bid 1 spade then your 2 hearts bid should be alerted if it is NOT forcing!
Partnerships with very unusual systems (such as canapé, in which two-suited hands are routinely bid by starting with the shorter suit rather than the longer suit) or agreements their opponents may wish to discuss (such as opening 2D with a variety of hand types), should inform their opponents of these methods before play begins in each round. If your opponents do this, you can ask them what
methods they recommend in defense; in some cases they are required to have prepared suggested defenses which their opponents may choose to adopt and may refer to during the auction.
Throughout the auction, whenever a player makes a call, that player's partner may be required to make an alert in order to inform the opponents of an unusual meaning of the call. At your turn, you can ask the opponent who made the alert about its significance if you want to know more; you could also look at the appropriate section of their convention card instead of or in addition to asking. In fact, at your turn you can always ask about any of your opponents' bids, even the ones that weren't alerted-- just ask the partner of the person who made the call if you want to know what it means, or refer to the opponents' convention card.
1 NT opening bid, if not 15 - 18 balanced, must be alerted!
If you play 1NT as natural strong opening bid with 15-17(18) balanced, you are not supposed to open it with singleton unless it is singleton K or A. However, if you do open this shape (4441 or 5431) with small singleton, you should alert that bid and explain all distributions it may include. If you fail to alert it, it is automatically treated as bluff in a strong opening that is not allowed.
Negative doubles and strong two-s must be alerted!
Do not ALERT after 3 NT!
Some calls, such as most ace-asking bids and responses, should not be alerted during the auction, but should be explained afterwards. The declaring side makes delayed alerts before the opening lead has been selected, while the defending side makes delayed alerts after the opening lead has been selected but before the declarer plays to the first trick from dummy. The declaring side should also correct
any misinformation (including failures to alert and wrong explanations) before the opening lead is selected. The defending side should wait until the hand has been played, and then correct any misinformation. This can happen easily with new partnership! Home players often mix 2 diamonds semi forcing which they are taught from beginning and weak two in one of the majors, convention which they like to adopt as they rise in the ranks.
Please put yourself in home player's shoes and pick up: AQJ654-76-75-743. You open two diamonds as dealer. Partner alerts and when LHO (left hand opponent) asks, explains that bid is semi forcing showing unbalanced hand and 20 to 22 points. There are two situations: you play a 2 diamonds opening as a weak two bid and that 2 diamonds is semi forcing.
a) 2 diamonds opening as a weak two bid:
Law 75 (C) states that the opponents are entitled to an accurate description of your partnership agreements. Here there was an infraction of law, as partner did not convey to the opponents an accurate description of your agreement (you agreed to play weak 2 and partner indicated semi forcing). Law 75 (D) states that you must correct a mistaken explanation by partner. However, you cannot
provide partner with any unauthorized information. You cannot correct the explanation until the auction is over (if
you become declarer or dummy) or at the end of the play (if you become defender). Law 75 (D) also states that you are not entitled to the unauthorized information provided by partner’s description (in our case the fact that partner thinks you have a semi forcing hand). At the appropriate time (before the opening lead or after the play is complete) you should summon the director and inform the opponents that partner provided an incorrect explanation. Follow up - Partner bids 2 hearts after LHO passes. The agreement is
that 2 hearts is a pass correct. Since you are not entitled to the unauthorized information that partner is on a totally different page you must continue as though the conversation between partner and LHO had not occurred. That's why you will have to bid two spades. If you have hearts instead of spades you would pass. Now partner bids 4NT. This is Blackwood. Tell partner how many aces you
hold. Will all this yield a poor result for your side? Yes, probably. If the misinformation from partner causes damage to the opponents, then the director may award an adjusted score. You should accept the ruling without argument. Remember that your side created the problem.
b) 2 diamonds as semi-forcing which you simply forgot.
Has there been an infraction of the law and what should you do? Law 75 (C) states that the opponents are entitled to an accurate description of your partnership agreements. Here there was NO infraction of law as partner did convey to the opponents an accurate description of your agreement (you agreed to play semi forcing as partner indicated). The fact that you do not hold what you and partner agreed is not germane. However the same rules apply about unauthorized information. You must remove from your thinking the wake-up call that you heard when partner alerted and explained your bid. The alert and explanation were for the opponents not for you. That is information to which you are not entitled and you may not act on it. You should continue the bidding firmly rooted in the belief that you and partner are playing 2 diamonds as a weak two bid. That is clearly what you thought prior to the alert and you have no facts (other than the unauthorized information) upon which to alter your opinion. Partner bids 2NT after LHO passes. Your agreement is that 2NT over 2 diamonds shows game forcing without slam interest and balanced hand. Your agreement is that over weak two bids 2NT asks
for a feature. What should you bid? You must bid 3 diamonds to show spades with no feature outside. Once again follow up bids must be made from your understanding not taking into account the information that you received from the alert or subsequent explanation. In either case to pass 2NT or to jump to 4 spades or any other rescue bid (clearly based both on your desire to save the result and on the unauthorized information) is inappropriate and unethical. The director should award an adjusted score (which might include a penalty for your side) if you act in such a manner. This is the price you pay in order to play a bidding system full of conventions. You must act without any information imparted from alerts or descriptions. Let me close by commenting on the things from the other perspective. If your RHO opens 2 diamonds (which is alerted) and you do not intend to bid irrespective of the meaning, then PASS and ask for a description after the auction is over. This greatly simplifies and in many cases eliminates the problem.
Make your opening lead face down!
Use the STOP card, always or never!
RULE of 18 IS APPLIED in all pair games first and second seat only!
Strong opening bids must not be psyched in any MP or IMP games!
Highly artificial systems and "Brown Sticker" conventions are not allowed!
The following conventions or treatments are categorised as 'Brown Sticker':
a) Any opening bid of two clubs through three spades that could be weak (may by agreement be made with values below average strength) AND does not promise at least four cards in a known suit. Exception to the rule is that bid always shows at least four cards in a known suit if it is weak. If the bid does not show a known four card suit it must show a hand a king or more over average strength. (Explanation: Where all the weak meanings show at least four cards in one known suit, and the strong meanings show a hand with a king or more above average strength, it is not a Brown Sticker Convention.) 2 diamonds multi is allowed: A two level opening bid in a
minor showing a weak two in either major, whether with or without the option of strong hand types, as described in the WBF Conventions Booklet.
b) An overcall of a natural opening bid of one of a suit that does not promise at least four cards in a known suit. Exceptions are: a natural overcall in no trumps, any cue bid suit that shows a strong hand and a jump cue bid in opponent's known suit that asks partner to bid 3NT with a stopper in that suit.
c) Any 'weak' two-suited bids at the two or three level that may by agreement be made with three cards or fewer in one of the suits.
d) Psychic bids protected by system or required by system. None of the foregoing restrictions is applied against conventional defences against strong, artificial opening bids or defences against 'Brown Sticker' or HUM conventions.
Convention card is not obligatory!
Read this rule as that tournament director will not shoot you at the spot if you don't have it but he will take it against your partnership. Please take some time and fill it up. If you have a problem with filling it up please ask more experienced players!
Close the bidding boxes after the last game!
Leave the boards, the bidding boxes and the travellers on the table!
Post je objavljen 28.08.2005. u 12:35 sati.