Participation: Lessons, matches, pick-up games, all that jazz.

[kenberg]

Hi,

Arik's Dare session for today (Feb 4) didn't run for lack of participation. This led to some impromptu discussion and Curls suggested maybe I could start a thread. I am thinking of a poll about interests, but I thought I would start with just informally asking a few questions.

How much interest do you have in lessons? Would you prefer to have most of the focus be on declarer play, such as with Arik? Or defense? Or bidding? Or maybe just some random hands played in full with a little time for discussion? Or perhaps you prefer to learn away from the table and come to the table to play? I often like to just read and think on my own, maybe that suits you? But I do like Arik's hands. And other hands.  I also like to think them through on my own later.

Consider this: A week ago there were 8 tables,  that's 32 people, just enough. This week there were fewer, so it didn't run. You can see why a person involved with the work, Arik or Sanya for example, could say "Well, it seems like on a good day we might be able to scrape up 32 people to play, but there is no guarantee of that". It's easy to see that this could be discouraging.  There are similar problems with other lessons. It's natural then to say "Well, I guess there is not a lot of interest". I think that would be a bad turn of events. Put in direct form, if we want lessons to continue we had better speak up. Actually we had better attend, but if we have any thoughts about what would make us more likely to attend then we should speak up.

So, again, I may well see if I can put together a poll to see what would encourage greater participation. But in this preliminary note I just encourage free form response. Silence is apt to be taken as disinterest, so if that isn't the case for you, please say a few words. People doing this work would like to hear why you do, or why you do not, participate. This applies to Spurs and Tourneys as well as lessons but I think poorly attended lessons are particularly discouraging.

If, by any chance, you want to reply in an anonymous fashion just send me a private note. Wild tigers will not get me to divulge your name. But I think that public posting is apt to be the most useful.

I promise to say more later, but guidance as to what would be of interest would help a lot. You're up!

[Curls77]

Thanks a lot Ken for starting this topic and raising so many important questions. But after a full day, topic shows just couple of views and no replies other than this one from me.
Forum was set by yet another teacher, OliverC, he has been investing for years his time (and money) to create sites for IAC and maintain them going. Out of almost 1000 members we had in Dec 2018, only 138 bothered to sign into forums. And now real bad stats: out of 138 registered members, ONLY 34 participated in any discussion, 2/3 of them with just a post or two.

I can not help but think that most IAC members take the club, its teachers and mentors, its volunteers, etc way too lightly, and for granted. I am sure none here expects and awaits big applause, big bows or anything like that. But imho, one decent turn-out to lessons, to trnys our volunteers run, visit forum, is not too much to be hoped for, if nothing else but as showing respect to people that give time so this club exists and gives for free all that it can.

More feedback is greatly appreciated.

[kenberg]

I look it this way: Different people like different things. I am a retired mathematics prof so I have had years of experience with "You like doing what? Really?" One of my favorite stories: During my single years I met a young woman in the lunch area of the National Gallery of Art. We were chatting, I thought it was going nicely, she asked what I do for a living, I said that I was a mathematician, she said "That's too bad" and got up and left.

To bring this observation around to bridge, let's look at a hand from today's lesson with Dave. I think everyone did fine, but let me follow good practice, deleting names except mine.

https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?sn=S&s=SJT8HAJ872D5C9762&wn=W&w=S942HK94DQJT96CT4&nn=N&n=SKQ765HQT5DA82CJ5&en=kenberg&e=SA3H63DK743CAKQ83&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=1CP1D1S2S3SPP4DPPP&p=SKSASJS2D3D5DQD2D6D8DKS8CAC6C4CJCKC2CTC5C3C7D9DAS5S3STS4HAH4H5H3H2HKHTH6S9S6D7C9CQH7H9S7&c=10


We  can, and did, make 4 . They can make 3 , Some care is needed, but it seems that they can do it. So is there anything to discuss? I think so. Some would open 1NT and sometimes that would be right but I decided that I would start with 1 and, if partner bid either major, I would reverse into 2 .  But what do you know, pard bid 1 and then my Rho overcalled 1 . What to do? My hand is pretty good and if partner also has a decent hand we might well belong in 6 . So I bid 2 . I imagine 2 could be the bid on several different hands but then, when I later bid 4 , I think that in retrospect the 2 should be seen as a control, the K at least. Had I just liked diamonds, but with nothing useful in spades, I could have bid  3 over  1 .   
Of course some others might not see it that way.


Here is my point, regarding getting attendance at lessons: I enjoy a discussing a hand such as this. I long ago realized that I am not always right, and more importantly I realized that I don't always have to be right, I just enjoy a discussion.  But, just as with mathematics, not everyone thinks sitting around discussing hands is a great way to spend their time. My father (I am 80, he is long gone RIP) found my enthusiasm for math just incomprehensible.  If I could earn a living at it, then fine, go ahead, but we would not be discussing math problems together at home.  People vary.


Bottom line: I think that these lessons are both fun and worthwhile.  But that's me.

[kenberg]

This is a follow-up on the hand I referred to earlier, but it is also about the lessons so I think it is on the topic of this thread.

It was mentioned that the hands Dave had us play were from the recent Cavendish.With modest effort I found them, The hand that I gave above, partner playing 4 making 4, was the same as the contract at both of the tables in the Cav. Since 4m is an unusual contract, and unusual because it often is not all that great a contract, this surprised me.   For anyone interested, the hands as played at the Cav can be found at

https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&linurl=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/vugraph_linfetch.php?id=61323

The one I have above was board 2. The auctions at the two tables are very different but the result is the same.

If I get the energy, I am going to look at the three boards that pard and I played and then maybe comment.

I really like taking the boards from a major tournament so that we can look back and see what happened there.

[bAbsG]

Hi Ken and Sanya

Just my thoughts:

I think the participation that we have in the IAC club at the moment is wonderful.  Now that the deadwood has been eliminated, attendance stats should be more accurate.  Any lessons that I have hosted for visiting teachers have had ample attendance. 

It takes a while to build up the kibs for any new teacher (Dave had a few when he started but now draws in the 30s or 40s) or new session (Kastan88) but the numbers tend to come when there is some consistency in the schedule over time. 

Team matches seem to be a hit.  But I have had many complaints about the constant calling for players in private message form.  I would rather not suggest 'ignoring'  bbo_iac.  I did have one member quit because of the constant messages.

I don't play in tournaments but noticed (when I signed on on Monday) that Arik's tourney had 7 1/2 tables registered - 2 people short of his 8 tables.  Unfortunate.  This tourney has been held for a while.  Is average participation not known?

I think that trying to make people feel guilty about not joining the tourneys and lessons is not going to make them want to participate (I have had some comments about the message that was sent by bbo_iac last week).  I volunteer for my own benefit.  If others don't want to come to my sessions that is fine.  They are either not interested, have forgotten and have something better to do.

I am not sure how many members actually come to the website to check the schedule, let alone go into the forum.  Again, I feel there is no use getting upset as it is what it is.

We have been through the route of asking the members what they want (Forum thread 'Why I want to be an IAC member' - or something like that).  I see little use in repeating the exercise.

Sorry if this sounds scattered but, like I said, just some thoughts.

[kenberg]

Babs I pretty much agree with your "scattered thoughts". 

The part of your note that I particularly agree with is that if someone is not interested in participating in some offering, then that just has to be accepted.    I have always enjoyed discussing interesting hands. I thought a Forum for such discussion of hands, just for IAC rather than the whole BBO community, would be an attractive feature. Well, not so much so, sometimes a little, but not much,  it seems. I'm ok with that. It's not just acceptable, it's in fact inevitable that people will follow their interests.

The team matches indeed seem to be popular.