BBO Discussion Forums: another alert question and an oops - BBO Discussion Forums

Trinidad, on 2012-March-14, 08:34, said:

I use "Multi". The only thing I know about partner's hand when he bids 2NT is that he requests a more precise description of my hand and that his hand justifies playing at (or above) the three-level whatever I have for my Multi 2♦ opening bid.

My answers can be 3♣,3♦,3♥,3♠ or 3NT.

When explaining my partner's 2NT bid shall I include a description of each of my possible systemic answers? That is of course very convenient in that partner will be reassured I remember our agreements and also that partner's memory is refreshed by me in case he should need it.

Or shall my partner (before I make my answer call) describe each of my possible systemic answers? That is of course equally very convenient in that I will be reassured he remembers our agreements and also that my memory is refreshed by him in case I should need it.

So please state which player shall be supposed to describe our answers to the 2NT bid after a Multi 2♦ opening bid before the answer bid has actually been made: The player describing the 2NT bid or the player making the 2NT bid?

So far I haven't seen anybody here addressing this very important question.

(And BTW: Shall the description include possible calls after an intervening call other than pass by my RHO?)

blackshoe, on 2012-March-07, 19:26, said:

So, do you believe an explanation of a 2NT response to a weak two bid should include "Ogust" in the response (assuming that is the agreement)"? For those who know Ogust, this amounts to disclosing the meaning of calls not yet made. Or, in other situations, the responses to the call are on their card. Or, if one know the opponents methods. I'm not sure of the answer to all this, but it can't be right for the correct procedure to help side making the calls.

Do I think that including the name of a convention is a necessary condition of "full disclosure"? No, I do not. Neither is it sufficient.

If the responses to Ogust are on the card, then they're on the card. Since opponents are allowed (and IMO should be encouraged) to look at the card, they will know them. I see no problem with that. But if the responses are not on the card, I do not believe opponents have a right to compel disclosure of the meanings of those responses until one of them is made.

blackshoe, on 2012-March-14, 21:24, said:

Sorry, when I asked should it include Ogust, I meant do you see any problem with including the name, thereby implying what the responses will be. I guess I should have asked should it not include "Ogust" in the explanation.

Some of us are on a rant/campaign/whatever...to avoid naming anything and encourage others to NEVER name-drop.

The problem with convention names is that people make assumptions based on the name that are often incorrect. A case in point: I learned "Walsh style" responses in the context of Romex. I was aware that Walsh (the player) developed Walsh (the system) but was unaware for some time that his treatment (Walsh) was different from the one with which I was familiar. Specifically, in the original Walsh style, a 1♦ response to one club denies a four card major unless responder has GF values. In Romex, the response denies a four card major unless responder has at least invitational values. Another example: Romex uses "two-way check back" after 1x-1y-1NT, but it's not the same two way check back most modern players seem to expect, because 2♣ is not a puppet to 2♦. The Romex version of two way check back acts much the same way as "two way Stayman", where 2♣ asks with invitational values, and 2♦ asks with GF values, but they both ask for a 4 card major. So <name of convention> clearly isn't good enough on its own. The name in addition to full disclosure of the meaning should be okay, although I suppose there's still some chance that somebody might get confused by what he thinks the name means.

Trinidad, on 2012-March-14, 08:34, said:

I would say that your agreements define the meaning of 2NT. Your agreement was that 2NT is made on invitational or better hands. Your agreement now is that it is made on invitational or better hands or a weak hand with long clubs. Perhaps if you think about it more you can find additional possibilities too. As long as you disclose what the agreements actually are then I do not see a problem.

Zelandakh, on 2012-March-15, 01:50, said:

I agree that the agreements define the meaning of 2NT. But we do have the agreement about the responses. As a matter of fact, that agreement about responses came first. Later (though not by much), the agreement that 2NT was invitational or better seemed to follow logically from the response structure. The only thing that we really discussed was that a MAX hand would be forcing to game and that we cannot stop in 4m.

The agreement about the responses influences the hand types that will bid 2NT.

Rik

kevperk, on 2012-March-14, 22:26, said:

Saying "Ogust" doesn't give much extra information over "asking about strength and suit quality", since either rules out other common methods such as feature- or singleton-asking, so I think this is unlikely to be a problem.

pran, on 2012-March-14, 15:02, said:

I think every one agrees that you shall not explain anything at first. The question is: suppose that your RHO wants to know the response structure, is he entitled to that information? This is a question of principle or philosophy; in practice this is unlikely to happen. My answer is yes, but -for practical reasons- only if he specifically asks for it.

I can imagine that the conversation might go:
2NT-Alert!
"What does that mean?"
- "He asks me to describe my hand."
"What specifically is he asking for?"
- "He is asking what my major is and he is asking whether I have a minimum or a maximum hand."
"Can he have a weak hand and be joking?"
- "Well, our responses are conventional and if I show a maximum, the auction is GF, so..."
"Could you tell me what your responses would be?"
- "You want me to tell you how I will respond with the various hand types?"
"Yes, please."
- "Well, 3♣ would mean..."
etc.

pran, on 2012-March-14, 15:02, said:

The partner of the 2NT bidder has to explain. After all, the question is about what the 2NT hand looks like by asking what the 2NT bidder is anticipating.

pran, on 2012-March-14, 15:02, said:

NO.The question is about the 2NT bid. The 2NT bid is made allowing for all the answers when LHO passes. Part of the explanation of the 2NT bid is in what the 2NT bidder anticipates as responses. Of course, the actual answers will change when LHO doesnot pass. But a decent structure in competition will be set up in such a way that the responses will not get higher than the 2NT bidder normally had anticipated for the case where LHO would pass.

One is not supposed to answer questions about "what would you do if I would...?". Throughout this case, we have not been talking about information about opener's hand. We are talking about information in the 2NT response. A small fraction of the information in the 2NT response is defined by the possible responses and their meaning. There is no doubt in my mind that the opponents are entitled to all the information in the 2NT bid. Therefore, this includes that small fraction. In practice, I would only give that if the opponents were specifically asking for it (which would be never). But if they would ask, it is crystal clear to me that I have to answer.

Now, this discussion is very theoretical with few implications in practice. But the fundamental idea is that you will have to tell your opponents everything you know about your partner's hand (other than GBK). That includes what bids from you your partner was anticipating when he made the bid.

Out of principle, I do not want to replace the fundamental idea: "You are supposed to tell the opponents everything you know about partner's hand (other than GBK)." by: "You are supposed to tell the opponents almost everything you know about partner's hand (other than GBK)."

Rik

Not a bad response, but I can say for sure that before telling opponents - and my partner - how my future calls are to be understood I shall definitely have the Director present at the table, controlling the dialogs, so that my side is protected from any accusation of using UI later in the auction.

The only relevant reason my RHO can have at this time for requesting information about my answer calls to the (in this case) 2NT bid is for deciding whether (and in case how) or not he shall interfere in the auction now.

But I see some inconsistency here: If he is entitled to a (full) disclosure of my future calls in case of no intervention then why shall he not also be entitled to a (full) disclosure of my future calls in case of his intervention?

pran, on 2012-March-15, 13:53, said:

Exactly. And the answer should be: he isn't, and he isn't.

pran, on 2012-March-14, 04:48, said:

I do not understand most of what people are saying, which has nothing to do with bridge. No-one wants to spend twenty minutes after each call enquiring.

But I am very very suspicious about the ethics of anyone who wants to hide what a call asks for. Of course I am not trying to find out what every response is and why, but I want to know what people mean by their call, and this idea that you do not need to Fully Disclose what you are playing because it is an asking bid is against the general ethical approach of the game. And what reason is there to do so?

In practical terms, ethical players tell you these things anyway. If you ask what a 2NT response to 2♠ is they tell you whether ti shows values, whether it asks for features, or an artificial description like Ogust, and if you ask whether any responses are at the four-level they tell you without problem. I am very very dubious about the ethics of someone who tries to hide this information.

Anyway, since you ask whether I am serious, why do you think anyone who hides this information has any right on his side?

The question, I think, is what constitutes "hiding this information?"

If I alert my partner's 2NT response to my major suit weak two opening, am asked, and describe it as "asking for information about trump quality and overall strength" am I hiding something? If so, what? If not, why is this not an adequate response to the question?

blackshoe, on 2012-March-15, 17:17, said:

I think that would be a fine response to the question. But what would you do if the opponents ask you a follow up question like: "How do the responses work?"? Do you give this information (which does say something about the 2NT bid)? Or do you hide the information by replying: "You can ask that once the response has been made."?

Rik

pran, on 2012-March-15, 13:53, said:

Because the meaning of future calls without intervention is what the 2NT bidder anticipated when he bid 2NT. Therefore, these meanings are relevant since they define the hands that bid 2NT.

The 2NT bidder can predict what the auction will be like with the different hand types that partner might show if the opponents pass and he can anticipate so that he can handle the auction.

The 2NT bidder did not anticipate the meaning of future calls with intervention. After all, intervention is out of his control. Even the meaning of intervening calls is out of his control. Therefore, the 2NT bidder can't really anticipate what will happen. And since he can't anticipate in the case of intervention, what happens after intervention does not define the 2NT hand. But what happens after the expected pass by LHO does define the 2NT hand.

Rik

blackshoe, on 2012-March-15, 17:17, said:

I was just about ot give an answer when ...

Trinidad already said it!

If I ask a follow-up question, and as some people here and on RGB have proposed, you refuse to answer, that is hiding something. For example, "Are any of your responses at game level?", "Is opener allowed to rebid at game level?", "Does he split his range into two or three ranges?".

I can't find the post that mentions giving an explanation and adding "it has been known to be 'fake'". I always say this, do others who have had this experience do it too?

Trinidad, on 2012-March-15, 19:11, said:

"There are five responses. Four of them answer the two questions I'm asking, in all possible combinations, the fifth does as well, but specifically shows a solid suit". If they persist along the lines of "which bid means what", I'll call the director. And the only thing I'm trying to "hide" is what specific future bids mean, because as far as I'm concerned they're not entitled to that information.

blackshoe, on 2012-March-15, 20:18, said:

Bizarre.