[mike777]

Tonight I am playing in some kind of GNT event online, not sure if it is just practice or step one of actually qualifying. At this point I don't even know how to get on the site. My new partner is setting it up. I have no idea who the teammates are. As little as we play it will be interesting.

GNT is a team game tournament. Grass roots event. Qualifying starts at the local level and you work your way up.


My purpose over the next few days is to look at my poor results, talk about them here, and see what I could have done better and improve. Practicing hand building is a big goal of mine.

I hope the intermediate and advancing players on this wonderful forum find it worthwhile.

The ACBL chart limits what we can play.
As such we will be playing 2/1 with Unbalanced diamond and transfers over one club ONLY in competition.

[jillybean]

Good luck. I assume it is being held on Real Bridge?

[mike777]

Yes, it is over, exhausted as I had no idea how to work the buttons.

Have no idea how we did, hopefully they email me a link
But nothing so far.

Board1 third and final match, probably our opponents are one of the Best teams


Disaster

Hopefully they will send me a link.


We had one bd where apparently we are not playing the same system
Unfav we play int. Jump overcalls
Partner insists it is off as he is passed hand, news to me


My defense on numerous partscores was poor. Turns out we still are winning a few imps

I went passive, passive in the middle of the hands, not best

Next time will be aggressive in the middle..

I have an unusual 2NT auction I will try and post, room to improve there.

Hopefully I will get some link, nothing so far

[pescetom]

Did you try typing "BBO" in chat to see if it was censored?

[mike777]

---

Unfav, imps

your call and plan

[mike777]

---

This type of problem comes up often so I would appreciate if you could post your thoughts and plan on this one

both nv, imps

1 club on your right, your call and plan?

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2026-October-15, 07:57, said:

---

Unfav, imps

your call and plan

1♣ and with these solid 8, I will repeat clubs.

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2026-October-15, 08:04, said:

---

This type of problem comes up often so I would appreciate if you could post your thoughts and plan on this one

both nv, imps

1 club on your right, your call and plan?

1♥, 2♦

If we have a red 2 suit overcall, I'll use that.

So far, no worries.

[akwoo]

mike777, on 2026-October-15, 07:57, said:

---

Unfav, imps

your call and plan

3N if we're playing gambling no outside stopper and we're 1st or 3rd seat.

Otherwise, 1C followed by 3N. (We're a little light on hcp for this but we have an 8th club.)

[akwoo]

mike777, on 2026-October-15, 08:04, said:

---

This type of problem comes up often so I would appreciate if you could post your thoughts and plan on this one

both nv, imps

1 club on your right, your call and plan?

If partner has a way to invite over a 2N call without committing us to the 4 level (you have an agreement for (1C)-2N-(P)-3C?), then 2N.

Otherwise, 1H, followed by 4H over any heart raise and 2D over anything else.

[mike777]

akwoo, on 2026-October-15, 13:42, said:

3N if we're playing gambling no outside stopper and we're 1st or 3rd seat.

Otherwise, 1C followed by 3N. (We're a little light on hcp for this but we have an 8th club.)

Yes first seat

If you choose 1c, then LHO bids 2clubs majors
1c-2c-p-2H
?

[mike777]

akwoo, on 2026-October-15, 13:45, said:

If partner has a way to invite over a 2N call without committing us to the 4 level (you have an agreement for (1C)-2N-(P)-3C?), then 2N.

Otherwise, 1H, followed by 4H over any heart raise and 2D over anything else.

good agreement ty for sharing, if you bid 2nt partner will just bid 3h. do you pass then?

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2026-October-15, 08:09, said:

1♣ and with these solid 8, I will repeat clubs.

I'm ok with gambling on 3NT here, even if I deprecate it as a convention.

Without offence, I also deprecate two interesting boards in the same thread.
It's not as if this is a pulsating forum where one of the two might go without discussion

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2026-October-15, 15:07, said:

I'm ok with gambling on 3NT here, even if I deprecate it as a convention.

Without offence, I also deprecate two interesting boards in the same thread.
It's not as if this is a pulsating forum where one of the two might go without discussion

Do people still play gambling?

[mike777]

 mike777, on 2026-October-15, 07:57, said:

---

Unfav, imps

your call and plan

This was my disaster hand.
First bd final match
Opening 3NT works well
Opening 5C or even 1C then rebidding 5C works as West holds a stiff AD. Partner the KD AH.
Lose 14

We were probably slated to lose imps as the other room was in 5CX

I think I just lost focus..

Fortunately this was our only losing bd.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2026-October-15, 18:33, said:

Do people still play gambling?

I don't, I just meant I would open a natural 3NT as a gamble, which is precisely how the convention originated. I like 3NT as a Namyat in unspecified major, but my partners don't
With beginners, I just play it as natural and stronger than 2C then 2NT.

Unfortunately Gambling 3NT is part of my favourite standard system, so with occasional partners it just stays on the card (it's hardly the biggest problem of playing the standard without tweaks).

[jillybean]

mike777, on 2026-October-16, 07:47, said:

This was my disaster hand.
First bd final match
Opening 3NT works well
Opening 5C or even 1C then rebidding 5C works as West holds a stiff AD. Partner the KD AH.
Lose 14

We were probably slated to lose imps as the other room was in 5CX

I think I just lost focus..

Fortunately this was our only losing bd.

What happened at your table?

[mike777]

 jillybean, on 2026-October-16, 08:47, said:

What happened at your table?

I brilliantly kept them out of their making 4H contract, unfortunately still lost 14. When 5CX rolled home on the stiff
AD

The operation was a success, the patient died.