Denver NABC

[Sandman]

We're planning to go to the Denver NABC around Thanksgiving. Anyone else going?

[Steve White]

Too far for me. Good luck. If you make it to the finals of the Reisinger, I'll try to kibitz you on BridgeBase.

[Klaymen]

Hey Sandman, I didn't realize your real name was Nick Nickell!

[E. Blackadder]

Too far for me. Good luck. If you make it to the finals of the Reisinger, I'll try to kibitz you on BridgeBase.
I'll sponsor your entry fees if you get that far. :-) Of course, I'd have to have proof of ID.

[Sandman]

Hmmm. Just call me Meckstroth.

The folks we are going with are not big on team games. So we'll probably play mostly matchpoint events. We're planning on playing the mini-Blue ribbon game that starts Tuesday (qualifiers) and runs to Wednesday. This is a non-open event -- open only to ACBL members with less than 5,000 masterpoints. Still, I expect it to be plenty challenging.

The wife and I have been working on learning Precision. We have to decide whether we will play Precision or 2 over 1 at the NABC. Precision is a lot of fun to play, but may be better suited to the team events.

[Captain Nemo]

The wife and I have been working on learning Precision. We have to decide whether we will play Precision or 2 over 1 at the NABC. Precision is a lot of fun to play, but may be better suited to the team events.

I have been told that Precision is better-suited to team events because it does a good job on honing in on your games, typically the most important hand-type. I have also been told that 2-over-1 is better at pairs. I was told by someone who at the time was a better player than I was, but that doesn't say much.

[Sandman]

:Bump:

Well I'm off to Denver, wish me well. If we do fabulously well I will come back and brag, and if we stink it up I will remain safely anonymous (not to be confused with anonymouse).

[E. Blackadder]

I have been told that Precision is better-suited to team events because it does a good job on honing in on your games, typically the most important hand-type. I have also been told that 2-over-1 is better at pairs. I was told by someone who at the time was a better player than I was, but that doesn't say much.
For a long time my best regional result was with Precision. IMO precision works best on a day with mediocre hands -- or at least passive opponents.

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Good luck, sandman.

[4sigma]

The most important lesson I learned in playing against Precision is to interfere with the opps strong club auctions on any pretense of a distributional hand. A typical NV 2:sp: overcall of a Precision 1:cl: opening might look like KT9xx xx Kxxx xx. In addition to the preemptive value, it denies the Precision players their fancy relays.

[E. Blackadder]

another -- unappreciated -- weakness of most big club systems (with five-card major openings) is the nebulous diamond. You should be able to annoy the opponents on those hands as well.

I wasn't thinking consciously in these terms when I played Goren Precision, but I did insist on not opening balanced 11 to 13s without at least four diamonds.

This brings up an interesting topic: Is it reasonable to open lighter hands in Precision than in standard-ish systems?

[4sigma]

This brings up an interesting topic: Is it reasonable to open lighter hands in Precision than in standard-ish systems?With all the gossamer I've seen opened by folks who play Standard American on this forum, I am loathe to suggest any excuse to open anything lighter.

[Captain Nemo]

Is it reasonable to open lighter hands in Precision than in standard-ish systems?

Smug answer: If I said "no", would it stop you?

Real answer: Actually, yes, I think the standard 1Mj bid has a range of 11-15; because you're limiting your hand you don't have to worry so much about partner going overboard.

[E. Blackadder]

It might.

I don't have a stake in this. Two related topics. Should a Flannery 2:dm: opener guarantee full opening values? Ditto for Mini-Roman. Both described as "11 to 15."

[Captain Nemo]

Again, I think that the theory of "I'm limiting my hand so I'm not too worried about partner going overboard" applies.

Within reason, of course.

[Sandman]

Speaking of Precision, here's an amusing hand from the NABC.

You are vul, opponents not vul. Your RHO opens 1C, alerted as strong and artificial. You hold:

S QTxxxxx
H xx
D xxx
C x

You have an agreement that 2NT shows an unspecified 3 level preempt. Right or wrong, you bid 2NT. LHO doubles and partner bids 3D, which is doubled by RHO. Your call?

[Sandman]

In this situation, partner had the option of passing the first double back to you so that you could show your suit. By jumping in directly, it should be assumed that partner is showing a suit of his own.

In that context, what is your call?

[Sandman]

Now let's add some more context. When you bid 2NT, partner did not alert your call. LHO asked your partner the meaning of 2NT and was told that it was for the minors.

Now what is your call?

[Sandman]

At the table, the person holding this hand bid 3S.

After the hand was over, the hand was brought to the attention of the director. Partner's explanation of your 2NT bid is UI (unauthorized information) and you are not allowed to take advantage of it.

Based on the bidding agreements in place, pass is certainly a logical alternative to the 3S bid.

Accordingly, the bidding was rewound to 3D doubled down 8. With best defense declarer can be held to no tricks (down nine) but the director gave the declaring side one trick. Minus 2300.

As it happens, I was the one who opened the strong club.

I held:

S Ax
H Axxx
D AKJ
C QTxx

Partner held:

S -
H Kxx
D T9xx
C AKJxxx

After the interference, we bid 6 clubs and made 7, the best contract. 7NT makes on the diamond hook, but even 6NT is in jeopardy on a spade lead.

But even 6 clubs making 7 was not as good as 3 diamonds doubled down 8.

[Sandman]

Final note: this happened in the qualifying round for the Mini-Blue Ribbon. In order to enter, you must have a Blue Ribbon qualification. So this pair should have known that bidding over the 3D bid was bidding based on UI. And we did not take advantage of some poor 99er pair when we rewound it to 3D doubled.

In the qualifier, we had a weak afternoon game (just under 50%) but we put together a strong evening game to qualify for the finals with carryover. However, the second day we only had two average games and finished out of the money.

[Sandman]

Speaking of Precision, here's an amusing hand from the NABC.

You are vul, opponents not vul. Your RHO opens 1C, alerted as strong and artificial. You hold:

S QTxxxxx
H xx
D xxx
C x

You have an agreement that 2NT shows an unspecified 3 level preempt. Right or wrong, you bid 2NT. LHO doubles and partner bids 3D, which is doubled by RHO. Your call?

Final (?) note: the 2NT bid is insane. Yes, you should try to disrupt Precision auctions, but forcing the bidding to the 3 level with that trash at unfavorable vulnerability, especially when partner is an unpassed hand, is ludicrous.

That is doubly true when you are uncertain if your partner is going to remember your agreements.

[Sandman]

another -- unappreciated -- weakness of most big club systems (with five-card major openings) is the nebulous diamond. You should be able to annoy the opponents on those hands as well.


We only had minor problems with this. Most players treat the 1D the same as they would a standard american 1D for purposes of defensive bidding. It is true that occasionally opener will have only two diamonds. This can make it difficult for responder to compete on some hands where you have 3 or 4 diamonds.

And there are some nice side effects of the nebulous 1D. I held a nine point balanced hand with four spades to the nine. My partner opened 1D and RHO overcalls 1S. I could bid 1NT in comfort knowing that partner would not jump to 3NT with a balanced 18 count, since the nebulous 1D is actually less nebulous than std american or 2/1 when it comes to point count.

Also, there are times when you block the opponents from overcalling diamonds naturally. It also confuses auctions such as 1D - (1S) - P - (2D). Is the diamond bid a cuebid? That's probably the best treatment, but now advancer has no way to show a real diamond suit.

Finally, the opponents need to be a bit cautious about overcalling in clubs, since opener may well have five clubs and two diamonds. Ouch!

I will say that if you play Precision and go to an NABC, be prepared for a lot of interference over your strong 1C openers, and many different varieties of interference. We saw:

Mathe (double = majors, 1NT = minors)
Brozel at 2 level
Transfer preempts
The aforementioned treatment that 2NT = 3 level preempt
Suction
Probably some others that I'm not remembering

And many preempts on trash. My partner and I were actually doubling less than we should have.

[E. Blackadder]

The aforementioned treatment that 2NT = 3 level preempt

It has a name: Terrorist. I've even had that on my CC (not my idea). Remember, the bid shows a bad preempt. I could look up what I used to play with an FCAS, but probably nobody cares, and it was only memorable for its convolusion.

I think we used transfer overcalls and a 1NT / double inversion if the 1 :dm: opening promised no more than two. Again, it hardly came up. NTTAWWT.