CONVENTION CARDS

Now that we are in the new year, we would like to start asking ALL pairs to post a convention card online.  We have already asked all open players to post a card, but now we would like to have all 499er and 750 players post a card.   The ACBL already requires this for any of its sanctioned games, and having a card is the fairest way to inform the players at a table about your partnership agreements.  A posted convention card also help the director if an alert ruling is required.  If you don’t know how to get started, we will help!  We are sending out a separate email for How to Create and Post a Convention Card on BBO.  If you still have trouble,  email us at sbbc.club.manager@gmail.com, or call Sheryl or Laura.  Our phone numbers are on the bottom of the email.  We will walk you through the process on the phone, and it is not as complicated as it may appear.

If you are bidding and see a request for an explanation of a bid, YOU MUST RESPOND.  If you make the request and don’t get a response, click the call director button, and a director will come to the table as quickly as possible.  While waiting for the director, however, please check the convention card to see if it shows an explanation of the partnership agreement.  Without an explanation from the oppnent, you may proceed on the basis of the convention card.  If the bid appears to mean something other than what is on the convention card, the director will consider an adjustment.

Remember that when you are asked for an explanation, you are required to state your partnership agreement.  You are not required to give your actual hand.  The actual hand may or may not match the partnership agreement.  The partnership agreement Is on the convention card, and your explanation should match the card.  If the explanation does not match the convention card, then there is misinformation that may result in an adjustment.

Here are a few more pieces of information about the new rules for alerts and announcements.

1.  Stolen bids:  If you play stolen bids after interference over your partner’s 1NT opener, you must alert the double the same as you would a transfer.  So if an opponent bids 2D and you use X as a stolen bid, the alert is “hearts”.  Same if an opponent bid 2H and you use X as a stolen bid, the alert is “spades”.  Same if you play 4 suit transfer; the X over 2S would be alerted as “clubs”, and the X over 2NT would be alerted as “diamonds”. 
2. Two spade response to 1NT opening bid:  If you play that a response of 2S to your partner’s opening 1NT is minor suit Stayman OR a transfer to clubs for pass or correct to diamonds, the correct method is to click the Alert button and then type in your explanation.
3. Flannery:  If you play Flannery and agree that 1NT over 1H could pass over 4 spades, the alert for the 1NT would be “forcing/semi-forcing” AND “could have 4 spades.”
4. Cue bid limit raises:  Because cue bid limit raises are not a direct cue of an opening bid, they are not alertable.
5. Natural jump shifts:  It no longer matters if jump shifts are in competition or not, they are no longer alertable.  If you want to find out, you must click on the bid and ask or check the opponents’ convention card.
6. 2 Club opening bids:  If your opening bid is not guaranteed to be very strong, even if it is forcing and artificial, you must alert it.  “Within a trick of game” or “8 1/2 quick tricks” is not very strong unless you guarantee 5 control points (A=2 and K=1).  You still may not psyche a 2 club opening bid.

Here are a couple of reminders about online bridge etiquette.  As always, please do not hesitate when you have a singleton in your hand and it is your turn to play.  This is unethical and can cause a score adjustment by the director.  Always play in tempo.  When you have asked for an explanation and you are not given one or you need more information, you should call the director and then continue to bid.  If the lack of an explanation or an incomplete explanation causes damage, the director will consider an adjustment.  But you must keep playing, the clock is running even though there is a director call in progress.  Remember that score adjustments are not made unless it can be shown that there is damage to the non-offending side.

There was a very interesting article about how to handle BBO self-alerting when things go wrong in the October ACBL Bridge Bulletin, page 30.  One thing that can go wrong is a mis-click.  The ACBL used an example of accidentally clicking 2D when you intended to click 1D.  In their example 2D was Flannery.  When you see the mis-click and the bid is alertable, you must self-alert the Flannery bid even though you don’t have a Flannery hand.  The opponents are entitled to know the agreement you have about what 2D means, which is Flannery.  You can try to recover from the mis-click in your further bidding, but nevertheless you must alert a mis-click if the bid is an alertable bid. 

On the other hand, if you forget that you are playing Flannery and click 2D, you can continue to bid your hand with the cards you have (a weak 2 bid), but at the end of the auction you must call the director and correct your failure to alert 2D before there is an opening lead.  Here is the quote from the article:  “The director will be able to protect the opponents and adjust the score if damage results from their not having received an accurate explanation of the partnership agreement, but the director cannot adjust the score simply because the hand does not match the description of it.”

We still see confusion on how to handle missing or incomplete explanations.  If you have a question about a bid, first click on the bid about which you want an explanation.  While you are waiting for the player to type an explanation, take a look at the convention card of the opponents.  If you don’t receive an explanation within a reasonable amount of time, continue with the bidding and assume that the convention card is correct.  All players should have a convention card just for this purpose.