Help
A recent article in the Kibitzer stated that anyone announcing the 15 - 17 no trump range was "smugly self-righteous". My regular partner & I try to comply with the request only because we have been instructed to do so at the club.
I do think the 12 - 14 range should be announced.
So then - for partnerships using this range - should not the 1 club opener be alerted as well? It now signifies a stronger hand or uneven distribution.
Page 1 of 1
- You cannot start a new topic
Add Reply
Announcing no trump range
MultiQuote
#2
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 346
- Joined: 2003-February-14
- Gender:Male
- Location:Canada
Posted 2003-February-16, 10:44
Hmmm. What you suggest also applies to any other 1-level suit opening. Personally, I don't like "announcements", I'd rather just use (and hear) "alerts".
The problem you raise applies to using any convention, or even treatment, once a specific meaning has been applied to a bid, it changes the meanings of lots of things. A good example would be the Flannery convention where a 2 diamond opener shows a 4-card spade suit and a 5-card heart suit. People alert the 2 diamond opener, but not the 1 heart (despite the fact the bid denies holding a 4-card spade suit if the heart suit is exactly 5-cards long).
Some pairs are better than others at "alerting" these negative inferences. My regular partner and I try to.
I used to think, many years ago, that a properly filled out convention card would resolve this -- it being the opponents' responsibility to scan, at least, the card. However, I'm not as sure of that any more. Some people's cards are hard to read (i.e. illegible); others (which really annoys me), try to keep their card in front of them, even when I want it in front of me so I can glance at it without making a big production of it (I really wish the score card had to be kept separate from the convention card, despite the obvious convenience).
The problem you raise applies to using any convention, or even treatment, once a specific meaning has been applied to a bid, it changes the meanings of lots of things. A good example would be the Flannery convention where a 2 diamond opener shows a 4-card spade suit and a 5-card heart suit. People alert the 2 diamond opener, but not the 1 heart (despite the fact the bid denies holding a 4-card spade suit if the heart suit is exactly 5-cards long).
Some pairs are better than others at "alerting" these negative inferences. My regular partner and I try to.
I used to think, many years ago, that a properly filled out convention card would resolve this -- it being the opponents' responsibility to scan, at least, the card. However, I'm not as sure of that any more. Some people's cards are hard to read (i.e. illegible); others (which really annoys me), try to keep their card in front of them, even when I want it in front of me so I can glance at it without making a big production of it (I really wish the score card had to be kept separate from the convention card, despite the obvious convenience).
JRG
#3
Posted 2003-February-16, 13:04
I am not sure of the alerting policy re NT ranges in ACBL land, but surely if you are to alert one NT range you should alert them all. 15-17 is standard in the States, but is certainly is not here, (Aust), where 12-14 is the norm. On BBO you get people from all sorts of countries; tournaments in the US are now open to os players as well, whose standard methods may not resemble anything like played in the states.
Surely a pre alert is the answer when opps arrive at your table, eg "We play 5 card Majors and a 12-14 NT" This is not that difficult to do and should alleviate any confusion.
Ron Lel
Surely a pre alert is the answer when opps arrive at your table, eg "We play 5 card Majors and a 12-14 NT" This is not that difficult to do and should alleviate any confusion.
Ron Lel
#4
- Group: Full Members
- Posts: 330
- Joined: 2003-February-20
Posted 2003-February-22, 03:29
I think most-- certainly many-- people play NT as either 15-17 or 16-18. If a partnership is playing some other range it should be clearly stated BEFORE THE FIRST HAND has been dealt and the opponents given a chance to discuss their defenses to weak no trumps.
Many people play DONT over strong NTs and Cappeletti over weaks because the Capp double is for penalty and they want to preserve that option against weak no trump bidders (the penalty double can be a strong tool there).
It would be silly (to me anyway) to have opponents announce their NT range if it WAS the normal 15-17 but I WANT a pre alert if they play weak.
Many people play DONT over strong NTs and Cappeletti over weaks because the Capp double is for penalty and they want to preserve that option against weak no trump bidders (the penalty double can be a strong tool there).
It would be silly (to me anyway) to have opponents announce their NT range if it WAS the normal 15-17 but I WANT a pre alert if they play weak.
#5
Posted 2003-February-23, 10:48
Mbe most in the US do. BBO has players from all countries. You cannot assume that a strong NT is the de facto standard world wide, just as you cannot assume that the whole world plays 5 card Majors. 15-17 is not the norm in my part of the world.
As I stated previousl if you want the range to be pre alerted then ALL ranges need to pre alerted.
As I stated previousl if you want the range to be pre alerted then ALL ranges need to pre alerted.
Page 1 of 1
- You cannot start a new topic
- Add Reply