Hi All,


Understand and appreciate your comments. Louise, thanks.


It doesn't matter to me that most of IAC have no interest in Precision. Precision is NOT for everyone. I say myself during the course I run that you really need to have a thorough grounding in any one of the "natural" bidding systems (eg: 2/1, Std American, Acol, SEF, Forum D etc etc etc) before you can hope to tackle precision with any degree of confidence. "Classic" Wei Precision is a fairly natural system, but it is a fundamental shift in bidding philosophy. OCP, which is what I teach, is a million miles away from Std systems like the above or Wei Precision, and it's definitely NOT for the faint-hearted, LOL. That's why I try to tell people in the announcements that I do whether a given teaching session is Precision-specific or one with a more general application.

Interesting hand, Ken. I wouldn't worry too much about your score on this particular hand. The fact is that stealing the hand in 3 undoubled when 4 is making their way should be  a decent result, but the Bridge Gods have a sense of humour (especially if you're playing Pairs). NS Pairs on that hand should be stopping short of game, because neither hand is "good" enough to justify pushing that far but hope springs eternal and in the face of barrage bidding by EW, lots will think that game must be on. Maybe they are fans of...


LOTT
ROFL. Some time, have a look at David Burn's famous article that humorously destroys LOTT ( http://blakjak.org/burn_law.htm ). Seriously trying to reduce hand evaluation and judgement to "laws" is something always destined to fail, in my view. There are just too many variables in play: Apart from the actual sequence in question and your own evaluation of your hand, factors such as who your partner is and your evaluation of their bidding style, Opps ditto, etc etc.


Accurate hand evaluation and assessment of things such as playing strength, fit with partner and the likely distribution of the outstanding cards are one of the key things that differentiate world class players from the rest of us mortals.


Back in the late 80s and early 90's I was playing regularly in a team with Jason & Justin Hackett and their father Paul. Back then Jason and Justin were England Juniors and although most of the time I was playing OCP with Jason, there were times when Jason and Justin needed to practice together for an upcoming England match and I'd be partnering Paul instead. I found that enormously hard at times, because Paul was incredibly good at evaluating his hand (and mine) and taking the correct inferences from all of the bidding. He knew what was going on in the hand halfway through a given auction, never mind during the play, and he was bidding on the basis of his knowledge and the (usually correct) inferences he had taken. I, however, was playing catch-up. Although no slouch, I was nowhere near Paul's class so I wasn't able to make quite the same mental leaps that Paul was, so his bidding sometimes confused me.

As I said during the lesson, Ken, my own experience (gleaned over the course of 4 decades of playing Precision and then OCP and playing against Precision a fair amount) is that treating a Precision 1 Opener as natural where your defensive bids are concerned works well enough. Yes, I've played against some people who bid 2 with a Diamond suit (and consequently confuse the hell out of Partner who thinks they're showing a Michaels hand), but passing and then showing your Diamonds works well enough as a tactic, in my view.

The other point I'd make is this: The Precision 1 Opening is inevitably weighted towards the Minors. Yes, Opener can have 4-4 in the Majors but that's the MOST they can have there. Yes, Opener can have short Diamonds (theoretically a void, but that's very rare), but more often than not they will have a 4+-card Diamond suit. On a balance of probabilities, do you really think it's worthwhile coming in immediately to show a Diamond suit of your own? The only time you (as 2nd-in-hand) are not going to get a chance to pass and then bid Diamonds is if 1 is passed out.

Yes, occasionally it will happen that 1 is passed out and you'll have something better on in Diamonds your way, but I really think that's the exception that proves the rule, because it's only when you can make 5 vulnerable, and taking them 5 or 6 off not vulnerable is insufficient compensation. Seriously, how often is that going to happen. Certainly, basing your bidding strategy around that possibility is not sensible, statistically.

No idea, Louise, sorry. Sanya?

I'm a reasonably "sensible" Opener when it comes to intermediate openings, but pretty aggressive when it comes to pre-empts. Added to that, of course, OCP is a pretty aggressive system, so I'd have no qualms opening that lot with 2 . KQxxxx is perfectly sufficient for that. I'd have absolutely no problem opening the hand with 1 if I was playing any "natural" system

Sounds like a great idea, Ken. Maybe try to invite a few other advanced or expert players along so that a real DISCUSSION will result. In my experience if there's nobody there with the knowledge or confidence to contradict you, it's hard to get a real discussion going. I'll certainly turn up if I'm available but difficult for me to guarantee it.

More later. There is a free wine tasting down the block and we have to keep our priorities straight.

Oh, absolutely!!!!! ROFLMAO

Thanks