Grew up in Kansas, and left as soon as was polite for schooling in LA. Thought I wanted to be a scientist. Huh.
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Learned K-S in college and played a bit at the old Wild Whist in Westwood. Then I moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in 1978 and took the next 30 years off (with only sporadic club experience in the Denver area). Started playing regularly again in Boulder, Colorado, and played my first sectional and regional tournaments. Learned to love Bracket 2/3 KOs. Favorite tournament: Palm Springs. Much prefer 10 & 3 schedules. Worst bridge characteristic: Black Hole Moments when I leave the planet and do really stupid stuff, usually when declaring.
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Former scuba diver, beach bum, general laborer, rocknroll bum/writer, ski bum, carpenter, bartender and tax lien investment fund manager. Currently, reformed (retired) lawyer, orphan, very happy husband, parental unit and grandfather.
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More personal disclosure than I have ever done. Weird.
Read more »So I have been playing 2/1 with a steady partner who is A Dedicated Precision Player -- he really likes to add HCP -- but who had said he wanted to learn a tricked-out 2/1 card. OK, fine. Then he starts grousing about not being able to remember a bunch of naturalish conventions and treatments like XYZ, RFR, 3rdSuitGF, Stuff like that. OK, fine. So I gave in and told him I'd learn his highly-developed relay Precision methods in which almost everything after the 1♣, 2♣ and 2♦ openings (there must be others) is coded. Alphas, betas, gammas, epsilons. Highly ambiguous 1♦ auctions. Stuff like that. OK, fine.
Here's the thing: He wants me to open all 11 counts and most 10-count distributional hands, quick tricks be damned, claiming that this is Established Precision Principle. In my experience, based upon playing against many good Precision and 2/1 pairs, this sort of folderol leads to repeated -6s. He has urged me to obtain input from Other Precision Players, so here I am.
We are currently corresponding about Qxx KJxx QJxx Qx: What are your standards (K&R 8.05, Kleinman 9)? Is this a Pre 1♦ opener? How do you control the auction, or do you care? Principle this for me, will ya?
