BBO Challenges

[kenberg]

BBO has a "Challenge" area where you can challenge a person, or a robot, or a group of up to 8 people. Mostly I have been enjoying robot challenges but I have started in on people. In these, I play with robots, the other person plays with robots, we see whose robots do better.
General question: What are your thoughts?
I sometimes worry that challenging a person could be seen as unfriendly. Like challenging someone to a duel. But I intend it as friendly. I have played with Jack, (Wacko) a couple of times and we have enjoyed it. It could also provide the opportunity to clarify agreements.
I plan to do some challenges. I won't be upset if you turn me down. If this goes well, I will see if we can do some multi-person challenges.

[wackojack]

Yes very enjoyable. 

I am all for a group challenge where a number of iac ers do the challenge.  16 boards and best hand.  This means that your side gets to play more hands and the robot opps fewer.  Best hand does distort in a very minor way in that if you open with say 11HCP, partner is almost certain to have 9 or 10HCP  giving you otherwise unauthorised help.  I always uses advanced bots and that costs $0.25.   

[kenberg]

My usual choice is to not play best hand  but I am fine either way. Playing best hand, if partner opens 1M and I have a 14 count and a fit, I can just bid 4M. Usually I just play it straight and bid as if I did not know that partner's hand cannot be better than mine so, as jack says, it matters little. Mostly the difference when playing best hand is that you defend less often, and I am fine with defending.

One thing I occasionally do is treat 1M-1NT as semi-forcing rather than forcing. Say I open a 12 count and pard responds 1NT. If my cards have a lot of queens and tens, maybe 1NT is the best place and I pass. Of course pard might have three-card support but that is not always a problem.

Mostly I treat the robots just as I treat my human partners.

Anyway, I hope we do some challenges.

[blubayou]

I miised the fact that the late challenge was on me.   I will not do that again-- please launch anoter one!

[kenberg]

More challenges will come. Sometime after the game with the acols.