[diana_eva]

Nope.

[Cyberyeti]

More or less did this to my regular partner as a fun side project, results were hilarious including the fact that although it was legal in all clubs (this was the point, but it pushed the licensing regs as far as they would go), one local club banned it without it ever being played there purely on the basis of 3 pairs all playing this turning up at another club and sitting down at consecutive tables N-S so you played it 3 rounds in a row if you were unlucky.

I don't think I've ever had more fun playing something stupid but playable (3-way both minors, canape majors, big NT). The licensing book at the time was the orange book, the system became known as Clockwork orange.

[blackshoe]

That has got to be the dumbest reason for bannng a bidding system i've ever heard of.

[diana_eva]

It's fun when it's consensual

I've tried several times, but it just annoys me to madness to play something I don't care to play just to keep a good partner happy. I guess I'm having a hard time washing the blood away after some silly mix-up of our highly artificial 1C openers when we cd have easily reached slam playing Goren (just an example). My sense of humor isn't good enough to find it amusing.

PS. Jinsky this isn't about you

[Cyberyeti]

 blackshoe, on 2015-April-20, 09:32, said:

That has got to be the dumbest reason for bannng a bidding system i've ever heard of.

It was a suitably weird system that the club that banned it considered too awkward for the LoLs that played there, basically word got back of what we did and the committee decided they didn't want it there. The other funny it produced was the county captain turning up at our "no system holds barred" club for some practice, and grumbling that he came for practice and got to play against this system that couldn't be played anywhere else. When we pointed out it was legal almost everywhere he quite literally fell off his chair.

It did amuse me when somebody's partner failed to turn up at a congress in the 80s, and the reserve said "I'll play your card", at which point the guy whips out a full Polish club system card.

[billw55]

I have always thought it would be fun to make up a system from scratch. Finding a willing partner is difficult though, and events to play it in likely no less so.

[kenberg]

Many years back a local pair played a system where, among other things, an opening bid of 1M showed a four card suit and something like 7-11 highs. I forget the exact details. Sure they would alert this, but is that really adequate? For example, they did not alert an initial pass as denying that sort of holding. I realize I don't alert partner's pass and say that it denies holding a normal opening bid but still, the opponents have a fair idea of what to expect from his pass. Moreover for them, such an alert would not have been the full story because they did not open 1M with every hand that had a four card major and 7-11 highs. Again you could say that I don't open all hands that have a 12 count and a five card major but I open most of them and those that I don't probably would not surprise anyone. In their case the four card opening often came on hands with extra shape such as a long minor. After some pushing by the rest of us they began to include this in their explanation, but it took some pushing.

Generally my view is that I am willing to play against any system in common use, and I am willing to take responsibility for dealing with unusual systems if they are written down somewhere accessible. The system I am referring to was neither common nor written, we were at the mercy of what they were willing to tell us when it arose, and there was no way in hell to prepare a defense. . I found this approach to be seriously obnoxious.

[Phil]

The term 'Pard' is being used loosely I see.

[ggwhiz]

My favorite committee of all time was called by a pair that invented some 4-way 2 bids and alerted one as could be this, could be that or x or something else against a rubber bridge player out for a lark at a regional.

Repeated the explanation 3 times as requested and then the opponent bid 3nt.

They led something else and the guy made 5, wide open in the suit they bid.

When the committee asked him why he said "If they don't have the courtesy to explain their call, why would they have the courtesy to lead their partners bid suit?"

Insta ruling for +660

[kuhchung]

 diana_eva, on 2015-April-20, 09:57, said:

It's fun when it's consensual

wait, what are we talking about exactly?

[Vampyr]

 diana_eva, on 2015-April-20, 09:57, said:

It's fun when it's consensual

I've tried several times, but it just annoys me to madness to play something I don't care to play just to keep a good partner happy. I guess I'm having a hard time washing the blood away after some silly mix-up of our highly artificial 1C openers when we cd have easily reached slam playing Goren (just an example). My sense of humor isn't good enough to find it amusing.

PS. Jinsky this isn't about you

He can't be that good a partner if he forces you to play methods you are uncomfortable with, and that one or both of you cannot remember.

[diana_eva]

 Vampyr, on 2015-April-20, 21:38, said:

He can't be that good a partner if he forces you to play methods you are uncomfortable with, and that one or both of you cannot remember.

They're usually people I really enjoy playing with, not some randoms. I'm thinking from their POV it's OK to invite me to join in the fun of playing their system. My only wish is they wouldn't insist when I say no. For some it's not fun to play made-up stuff, and I'm one of those people

[barmar]

 Vampyr, on 2015-April-20, 21:38, said:

He can't be that good a partner if he forces you to play methods you are uncomfortable with, and that one or both of you cannot remember.

Sometimes pushing someone out of their comfort zone is a good thing.

When I was a kid, I was scared to ride the roller coaster. I don't remember how it happened, but eventually I actually rode it, and loved it.

[TylerE]

My usual compromise in this sort of situation is to offer to play EHAA.

All the laughs, no risks of getting "banned", and nothing new to learn, and it can be tought to anybody in 5-10 minutes, tops.

[kenberg]

 barmar, on 2015-April-21, 08:41, said:

Sometimes pushing someone out of their comfort zone is a good thing.

When I was a kid, I was scared to ride the roller coaster. I don't remember how it happened, but eventually I actually rode it, and loved it.

I had the same fear and, now that you mention it, I remember exactly when I got over it. There was, maybe there still is, an amusement park in Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka somewhat west of Minneapolis. My friend Dennis and I rode our bikes there from our homes in St. Paul. It was about 25 miles each way, and by the time we got there there was no way I was going to ride back home without going on everything in sight, scary or not, until the money ran out. We sat in the front car and we were lifted well off of our seats on the way down the first drop. No doubt this coaster was nothing much compared to the modern ones, but it got our attention. We were about 12, I think.

i am guessing that this was a good deal more fun than playing some homegrown bidding system, but to each his or her own

[mycroft]

Tyler, when I was talking to Eric Landau about that, he said "yeah. I used to say that, but then my wife said 'who knows how to play 4-card majors any more?'" So, do you play EHAA-5, or can you teach 4cM in 10 minutes, too?

Yes, this is a joke - but the quote isn't :-)

[TylerE]

Hah!

4 card, for the record.

Usually playing EHAA for giggles, the occasional 4-3 is the least of your worries

[Trinidad]

 Vampyr, on 2015-April-20, 21:38, said:

He can't be that good a partner if he forces you to play methods you are uncomfortable with, and that one or both of you cannot remember.

 kuhchung, on 2015-April-20, 17:50, said:

wait, what are we talking about exactly?

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Rik