Bridge!

Aug 12, 2003 11:55

Bella and I went to the Young Chelsea bridge club yesterday evening ( Read more... )

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Comments 17

verlaine August 12 2003, 04:13:58 UTC
As an altruist, I would be happy to go along and give points to the nice people. However, I warn you that I would be out to smash your impressive placing record - even if fewer than 36 pairs were present on the day!

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ealuscerwen August 12 2003, 04:39:37 UTC
Please don't take my comments as suggesting that you are in any way an inexperienced player. I am referring to myself alone in that comment.

Seriously, though, if you are interested in going along and trying it that would be great.

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verlaine August 12 2003, 04:47:08 UTC
Definitely am.

I am the very essence of inexperience, though, despite your kind words. Maybe I could be a fair player at Bridge if I concentrated more on it, but to be honest I've only gotten the chance to play once in a blue moon over the past couple of years. *sigh*

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jiggery_pokery August 12 2003, 04:26:06 UTC
I once knew someone who lived at the YCBC, or at least in the same building and so had their phone number. (A bloke called Keith Loveys.) When I rang them, they asked who I was. Apparently there is a famous bridge player called Chris Dickson, or some phonetic equivalent thereof. So to the YCBC I am Chris Dickson No Not The Famous One.

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ealuscerwen August 12 2003, 04:39:59 UTC
Cool!

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verlaine August 12 2003, 04:45:10 UTC
I'm sure I know Keith Loveys and used to play Magic against him all the time. Though it the Keith Loveys you know is a Serious Cards player who would be horribly offended by that assertion, I'm willing to take it all back.

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jiggery_pokery August 12 2003, 07:32:41 UTC
Guy who looks like he's in his forties, smokes a lot? Keith also plays Diplomacy and the 18xx train games and Poker (...I think?) so it wouldn't surprise me if he played Magic as well.

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lathany August 12 2003, 04:47:00 UTC
Plus I ruined two boards by making basic "club" mistakes such as calling for a suit without specifying the card and thus going down

Is this as declarer (as opposed to a complex discard system) ? What's the default practise if you don't specify ?

We came a glorious and dramatic last out of 36 pairs

I suspect that this was more a reflection of the unfamiliarness of duplicate boards and boxes plus things like card calling rather than having much to do with your standard of play.

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ealuscerwen August 12 2003, 05:08:32 UTC
Yes, this is as declarer. The default is the bottom card in that suit. This is a problem when, for instance, you start running a long suit and say "carry on with clubs" - 'cos you meant carry on from the top and opponents insist on carry on from the bottom.

From what Bella says that will be part of it - but another part is that many of the players at the club are impressive types with lots of master points or who play internationally.

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onebyone August 12 2003, 09:06:26 UTC

Sounds rather petty. Presumably the purpose is to prevent you from saying something ambiguous as an attempt to ask your partner for advice?

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lathany August 12 2003, 09:30:59 UTC
I think it's to stop dummy from suggesting a card by picking one up or moving to the top or bottom of the suit suggested.

However why you can't say the suit, then the card (assuming that your partner doesn't move) is petty. And I'm rather unimpressed that the opposition insisted when the choice was unambiguous.

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bateleur August 12 2003, 14:56:26 UTC
You don't mention if you were playing matchpoint or IMPs... or something else ?

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ealuscerwen August 12 2003, 23:38:34 UTC
IMPs. Not that I understand how they work, which made sacrificing a somewhat unconsidered option, albeit not one that I rejected on those grounds!

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bateleur August 13 2003, 01:32:02 UTC
Hurrah !

But under the circumstances I consider last place good going. IMPs are a system designed to award no points for all the bits of the game I'm good at and award ridiculous numbers of points for arcane bidding sequences ending in unlikely small slams. Hate 'em !

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