Hi All,
PamThere is an inevitable and considerable overlap between IAC and BIL. BIL's membership includes Intermediate players and maybe even some relatively advanced players who stay attached to BIL out of loyalty. IAC's membership also includes intermediate players, and possibly some of the upper end of the beginners who are improving rapidly and want to keep that momentum going.
I share your frustration, because I don't know exactly where the problem lies. I have my suspicions, which I've already voiced further up this thread, but I doubt that's the
only issue. IAC is better organised than any other Club with the possible exception of BIL. That's perhaps what you would expect from the two main "teaching" Clubs on BBO. On the other hand, you go into the Acol Club most evenings and there are a considerable number of tables full of people happily playing Bridge. Not much in the way of organisation, no lessons, no competitions that I'm aware of, just a shared liking for a very simple and natural bidding system.
KenMomentum. Not 100% sure that's the right word to use in connection with OCP. Precision in general and OCP in particular are a minority market, no question, because they probably don't suit the majority of people (for a variety of perfectly good reasons). On the other hand, it's
massive fun to play. There's also something indefinably cool about occasionally being able to actually write down partner's hand before the bidding even finishes
. That's something most bidding systems are unable to deliver. With most systems, you know the broad strokes with a little detail rather than knowing all of the critical points about partner's hand before deciding where to play.
I think the other advantage OCP may have is that it's more of a comprehensive and
complete system than 2/1. I've witnessed a few discussions between 2/1 players and the discussions mostly seem to centre on what
other conventions you play rather than 2/1 itself, which is essentially Standard American with a Forcing 1NT response to 1
or 1
, 2/1 responses being game-forcing. Most people will also assume inverted Minor suit raises and New Minor Forcing, but most 2/1 system discussions I witness seem to be about whether you play Bergen raises or Drury (ie: add-ons), or which brand of Blackwood you favour, etc etc. Similarly Acol is an approach/forcing system, but with 4-card Majors and a 12-14 1NT, but otherwise very similar to Std American. I never really sat down and
learned Acol, Std American or 2/1. I grew up with completely natural bidding (few, if any conventions) and lived through the true development of approach/forcing bidding (which current versions of all of those systems are examples of). The core differences between Acol, Std American and 2/1 are actually fairly small when you really get down to it (system, not add-on conventions).
I can't even begin to describe OCP in a couple of sentences. It takes me over a year to teach the basic OCP course and it probably takes most people 2 or 3 times through that course before they're really comfortable with the system. That investment of time and effort is probably what creates the enthusiasm OCP practitioners have for the system and make them want to sit around and discuss it (so it's a form of brand loyalty rather than momentum LOL).
GenerallyOn the other hand, I find it hard to engender the same degree of enthusiasm for play-related issues such as counting the hand, trump control, assumptions, or techniques such as end-plays, squeezes etc, because they aren't quite as "sexy" as Asking Bids, enquiry sequences and the like. Their enthusiasm is for the bidding system rather than other wider issues (to their detriment, of course).
I would be delighted if I could persuade people to invest a fraction of the time they put into bidding into really concentrating on religiously
counting every hand, trying to become aware of what's happening and what the ful implications of the bidding and early play are.
That really would improve their bridge out of all recognition compared to learning a different bidding system or some fancy new gadget. That take
relentless effort and concentration, however, and most people can't or aren't prepared to invest that much into their game.
I've rambled on enough for now.