[squealydan]

I was trying to come up with a "ten things it's important to be on the same page as partner about" list.

A friend has found a new partner and they will be competing in a few important (at our level anyway) tournaments starting next month. My partner asked me for some advice. They have their system and are keeping it pretty simple, so I wasn't going to start "fixing" that or adding conventions. Both are working folk with families and busy lives, so their opportunities to practise and discuss things is a bit limited.

I just wondered if you had a system agreed with a new partner, and had say half an hour to discuss your approach to the game, what would you like to include?

If you're still unclear what I'm driving at, I was thinking things like agreeing on just what the limits of a third seat opening bid are, agreeing any requirements for suit quality when pre-empting (especially in first and second seat), agreeing what sort of hands qualify for a 3m or 3NT re-bid after a 1m-1M beginning (and therefore what range of hand qualifies for a 2m rebid)... that sort of thing.

Thanks

[mattias]

Larry Cohen's checklist: http://www.larryco.c...x?articleID=399

[Zelandakh]

This is a subject that has come up a few times, for example here and here. You obviously need to get a basic system sorted out - once you have then the main issues/gains are likely to be in defensive carding and competitive bidding. Slam agreements that do not fall under basic system are also nice to have when playing IMPs. Most of the things in the OP are too specific when time is very limited imho.

[helene_t]

It is good to know what partner thinks about things like psyches, random preempts, very light overcalls, deceptive leads.

I have sometimes spend almost all the precious preparation time discussing the details of various conventions that didn't come up at all, only to experience some costly misunderstandings because we turned out to have different understandings about what "strong ten leads" and "Rusinoff" mean. So make sure that you have a firm understanding about things that are likely to come up. If it is not 100% obvious how exactly Puppet Stayman works, it is better not to spend time discussing it and just play regular stayman (for example).

Make sure you know weather system is on in competition (they x or bid 2c over our 1NT, or when we make a 1NT overcall).

I recall one very good tip from Frances about going to a tournament/festival with a new/casual partner: Make sure that you have the same objectives. If one partner wants to have a good time, staying up late and drinking, while the other takes the bridge seriously, you are not a good match.

[Endymion77]

If you have only a small amount of time (say 30-60 minutes before the session), agree on a basic system (e.g. 2/1 with Bergen raises) in the first 2 minutes and then talk about defense (leads and signals).

[mycroft]

Competitive bidding. What's forcing. What's competitive. What's still a game try. What doubles look like, and what conversions look like. What are your forcing pass auctions. Four years in to a regular partnership, and we're *still* having these discussions.

Continuations after "system". For instance, Stayman, Transfers, Gerber - is great (well...). But after Stayman, what does 3m mean by responder? What auctions still enable Gerber, what auctions turn Gerber off and make 4NT (or whatever) keycard? How do you bid slam-try 5M332s? Or, "we play inverted minors". Okay, what's 2M/2NT/3om by opener, and what's 3m after any of those? What did you show when you were "looking for 3NT", and then pull it?

A big one: how do discussions work? One rule I had with one partner is "one person can say one thing/question; and get one response. If it takes more than that, it's for after the session." How does partner know to back off? How do you tell partner to back off? How much beer is required for after-session discussions? How do we blow off steam after a bad or grueling, but good, session? Do we need to be apart for a while between sessions? Food, sleep, ... what?

[kenberg]

I very much agree with Mycroft's approach. Trying to set rules about just what you must have to make a certain bid takes time and is possibly hopeless. Deciding whether it is or is not forcing is quick and useful. Any agreement to play a conventional bid must include a discussion of when it is on/off.

A recent thread about reverses can illustrate this point. After 1♦-1♠-2♥ it would certainly be useful to know just how strong that 2♥ must be, but it is even more essential to know whether 2♠ is or is not forcing. In that thread, responder bid 2♠ passed out, not good. Never mind what the best way is, you have to know what your way is.

As a partnership gets to know each other they can refine their bids. But by all means start with what is forcing and what is not, what is natural and what is not, when a convention is on and when it is off. Even strong pairs, professional pairs. screw this up sometimes. But casual pairs screw it up a lot more often, and it is a good idea to minimize it.

Also, here is another idea. Agree to do it the way X suggests. For example, mikeh has an intro to reverses pinned here on the I/A forum. If a pair lacks time and/or expertise to work out their own best approach, just do it his way, Or, I have Mike Lawrence's disk on Conventions. Pick the conventions and agree to do it Mike's way. This is quick and really how bad can it be.

I very much agree that casual players such as myself need something laid out.

[hrothgar]

1. Agree to play a relatively well defined system. For example, BWS, Polish Club ala Matula, or Blue Club

I rather play a well defined inferior system than a state of the art system with 1,001 continuations that need to be defined

2. Defensive carding, leads, and signals

3. When in doubt, its fit showing

4. When are forcing passes established? In particular, do auctions like

2S - (P) - 2NT establish a forcing pass at the three level?

5. Competitive bidding over their NT opening

6. Doubles after they interfere over our NT opening