[Flem72]

If you want to play Flannery, you need certain tools:
A game forcing/slam invitational response for the majorsA range finder: this is very important--there's a big difference between an 11 and a 14-15, non-reversing handDecide how to invite and whether to use a mixed raise of a preemptive raise.Decide how to show the game-forcing/slam invitational responding hands with a long minor. (with a bit of detail, these can be included in the first, above, or in the traditional 2N response.)
I've played it for maybe 15 years and can count the number of poor results -- especially at favorable -- on one hand.

[DavidKok]

mikeh, on 2025-November-10, 08:37, said:

As for blasting 3N even with a. 4 card major, virtually every competent partnership does this on occasion. Heck, Woolsey advocated this decades ago, depending on the hand type held by responder. I’d be (very) surprised if this were a long term winner if done indiscriminately

I think you've missed the point. Not bidding Stayman with some 4333 has been mainstream for half a century or so. It's exactly doing this almost indisciminately that's an innovation.

[akwoo]

jillybean, on 2025-November-10, 05:42, said:

The disservice is in shielding these players from certain conventions. There will always be players who "can't handle it" or don't care to learn. Do we want to protect these players at the expense of others who will become bridge players? As you say, the only way to effectively defend against it is to play it.

You don't always have a choice. Suppose in your town there are 2 decent bridge players, 2 who will become decent bridge players given the chance, and 16 who want to be protected, 8 of whom won't play if they aren't. Keeping in mind that, many weeks, someone or other will be out of town, do you want a game or not?

[jillybean]

akwoo, on 2025-November-10, 11:08, said:

You don't always have a choice. Suppose in your town there are 2 decent bridge players, 2 who will become decent bridge players given the chance, and 16 who want to be protected, 8 of whom won't play if they aren't. Keeping in mind that, many weeks, someone or other will be out of town, do you want a game or not?

That sounds like a game that you wouldn't want to take seriously or be welcome at if you played 12-14nt
It's ACBLand, and I realise Multi may be feared by some but unless it's a beginner game, players are usually interested in new systems.

I was really referring to the rest of the world where AFAIK, they do not have those restrictions.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2025-November-10, 21:07, said:

That sounds like a game that you wouldn't want to take seriously or be welcome at if you played 12-14nt
It's ACBLand, and I realise Multi may be feared by some but unless it's a beginner game, players are usually interested in new systems.

I was really referring to the rest of the world where AFAIK, they do not have those restrictions.

In this part if the rest of the world there are few restrictions specific to the lower level tournaments: there is no problem with Multi or any strong club system or any WBF legal NT agreement for instance. And we don't really have the problem of a noisy majority wanting to be protected: they aren't capable of handling weird stuff, but they don't complain much about it either (unless it is reticently explained). They seem fatalistic - only the few doted with what akwoo describes as reasoning ability are curious to know how strange stuff works and what it is trying to achieve.

[jillybean]

A breath of fresh air appeared in the NZ Congress Bulletin.

Fair Play Committee Tip of the day Today’s tip is:
Respect different bidding systems People play different bidding systems for all sorts of reasons.
They might be comfortable with it, they might be focusing on solving certain bidding problems, or they might simply find it fun to play.

Just because you don’t understand someone’s system, or wouldn’t play it yourself, doesn’t give you the right to judge.
This is especially true if your opponents get to a better spot than you would on a hand, or give you an unfamiliar bidding problem that you get wrong.

If your opponents pre-alert an unfamiliar system, don’t be afraid to check with your partner or opponents how you should bid over it – but it’s important to do that before looking at your cards.

If you’re want to learn more about the system some of your opponents are using, flag them down after the game and make yourself acquainted.
You might find yourself meeting a new friend as you learn about a new system or gadget.

Bridge would be boring if we all played the same systems. Celebrate these differences!

[mike777]

jillybean, on 2025-November-12, 10:34, said:

A breath of fresh air appeared in the NZ Congress Bulletin.

Fair Play Committee Tip of the day Today’s tip is:
Respect different bidding systems People play different bidding systems for all sorts of reasons.
They might be comfortable with it, they might be focusing on solving certain bidding problems, or they might simply find it fun to play.

Just because you don’t understand someone’s system, or wouldn’t play it yourself, doesn’t give you the right to judge.
This is especially true if your opponents get to a better spot than you would on a hand, or give you an unfamiliar bidding problem that you get wrong.

If your opponents pre-alert an unfamiliar system, don’t be afraid to check with your partner or opponents how you should bid over it – but it’s important to do that before looking at your cards.

If you’re want to learn more about the system some of your opponents are using, flag them down after the game and make yourself acquainted.
You might find yourself meeting a new friend as you learn about a new system or gadget.

Bridge would be boring if we all played the same systems. Celebrate these differences!

I read that. This raises the whole issue of anything goes at MP play? Including the local club? How fair and fun is this? I can see arguments on both sides of the issue....

I am all for the local club getting to allow whatever it wants, not sure about a local sectional, etc...

As to forcing the local club to allow anything or everything, I have my doubts.

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2025-November-12, 10:42, said:

I read that. This raises the whole issue of anything goes at MP play? Including the local club? How fair and fun is this? I can see arguments on both sides of the issue....

I am all for the local club getting to allow whatever it wants, not sure about a local sectional, etc...

As to forcing the local club to allow anything or everything, I have my doubts.

IME, there's not a lot of weird stuff being played at the clubs at all, and therefore not at local tournaments unless you are in the Open, that is where you may encounter unusual (to me) systems.
You will of course come up against complex methods playing against the top pairs at their club, where most of the top players in the aerea will also play.