[thepossum]

Hi all

Something that confuses me or makes me curious, especially with online Bridge, is alerting, and who is responsible for providing information or clarification on bids

I always thought you had to ask bidder's partner for explanation

Is it the case ever, or have things changed in some formats, where bidder is able to provide information to the table about a possibly unusual bid. Especially when 4 unfamiliar people playing

When I watch I am often curious where alerts are from

I imagine it varies on seriousness of the game

Regards P

[Stephen Tu]

The standard for online bridge has since its infancy been self-alerting, where the person making the bid explains to the opponents, privately. It is similar to live bridge with screens (a diagonal physical barrier across the table, used in high-level serious events), where you explain bids privately in writing to your screenmate, except in online bridge both opponents are considered on your side of the screen.


The reason for this is that this way the opponents are more likely to be given accurate information about conventional/artificial calls, as the person making the bid is aware he is making a conventional call, and what he thinks it means (which will mostly match his hand unless he is deliberately psyching), whereas his partner may have forgotten. This is especially important in an environment where directors to adjudicate are sometimes absent or much less accessible. The reason it's *not* done in live bridge without screens, and the standard there is for *partner* to explain, not the bidder, is that in live bridge there is no private messaging system, and explaining to the opponents would also be explaining to your partner at the same time. With online bridge you can explain to opps without partner knowing, so self-alerting doesn't give your side an extra communication mechanism of "hey partner I'm making a conventional bid and here's what it means". And self-alerting decreases the chances the opps are harmed by a failure to alert or mis-explanation of agreements.

[thepossum]

Thx Stephen

It makes sense. So its possible to set up tables (or they are set) where self-alert only goes to ops, not to partner?

I often wonder when kibitzing who sees what

Kind of amusing in an informal game where you may you may not know your partner well at all

[Stephen Tu]

thepossum, on 2022-February-18, 18:48, said:

It makes sense. So its possible to set up tables (or they are set) where self-alert only goes to ops, not to partner?

On BBO, alert and the explanation you type in the bidding box are only visible to opponents, not partner. You can also click on your bids earlier in the auction to append an explanation if you forgot to give one at the time you made the bid or feel further explanation would help opponents. You can also click on opponent's bids to ask for further explanation of a particular call.

If you want to give a longer explanation than what's available in the bidding box, or have forgotten to give one, or opponent asks for a longer answer, you are supposed to hit the button next to the chat window that directs chat to just the opponents instead of the entire table, before typing your explanation. The chat box has indicators before each line of text that show whether the chat is going to entire table or to opps or to one particular opp.

[thepossum]

Stephen Tu, on 2022-February-18, 20:51, said:

On BBO, alert and the explanation you type in the bidding box are only visible to opponents, not partner. You can also click on your bids earlier in the auction to append an explanation if you forgot to give one at the time you made the bid or feel further explanation would help opponents. You can also click on opponent's bids to ask for further explanation of a particular call.

If you want to give a longer explanation than what's available in the bidding box, or have forgotten to give one, or opponent asks for a longer answer, you are supposed to hit the button next to the chat window that directs chat to just the opponents instead of the entire table, before typing your explanation. The chat box has indicators before each line of text that show whether the chat is going to entire table or to opps or to one particular opp.

Thx. I never used them. Haven't had the opportunity yet really.

I notice in friendly teams everyone is happy to chat about their bids in table chat. Seems very civilised

[Gilithin]

Think of online bridge more like playing behind screens than your typical face to face bridge table. In this case though, rather than having a strict N+E/S+W screen, we have a rotating screen where the person making the call is on the same side of the screen as both opponents. When you think in these terms, it is obvious for the player making the call also to provide the alert.