Instructions on completing Systems Cards
Could someone on this forum please direct me to any instructions issued by the EBU on the minimum requirements that should be followed in completing system cards (convention cards) ?
Specifically, if a player makes a one-level overcall with 4 points and 6 carder in a suit, should the point range under the simple overcall be defined ? The same player described a jump overcall as "WWII" in her system card ! Does anyone know what is meant by "WWII" ?
Thank you for your advice on the above.
Comments
Would WWII be weak/weak/intermediate/intermediate for the four vulnerabilities ?
Instructions for System Cards are in Blue Book section 3 'System Cards'
The relevant text on light overcalls is 3D1
Weak/4-card overcalls should be mentioned on the front of the systems card (in the box 'Other Aspects of System which opponents should note').
In the body of the System Card, a partnership should describe their overcalls according to their agreements. If their agreement is best described by giving a minimum length and a point-range then that is what they should write. If another description better explains their agreements then they can write 'Wide-ranging: could be very weak (0+) and a 4-card suit.'
“ The same player described a jump overcall as "WWII" in her system card ! Does anyone know what is meant by "WWII" ?”
Maybe WWII could relate typically to World War 2 kicking off. Perhaps some extraordinary Bid. ??
I expect that the W/I mean weak/intermediate at four vulnerabilities.
Presumably Weak when we are non-vulnerable and Intermediate when vulnerable.
Thirty years ago it was common to use that notation - I remember playing WIIS with someone.
> Thirty years ago it was common to use that notation - I remember playing WIIS with someone.
Why has this notation become uncommon since then? Presumably you mean WWII and not WIIS ?
I'm sure the acronym of WIIS becomes : weak, intermediate, intermediate, strong.
Absolutely right.
Because people don't vary their style so much based on vulnerability - certainly not into four categories.
No one knows what a strong jump overcall looks like - and does not play them - so 'S' is out.
No one want to appear timid and call their overcalls intermediate - even if they do play them - so 'I' is out.
One expert who does play "Intermediate" plays them much stronger than I would have expected.
Most pairs below the top 20% do not have an agreement about jump overcalls. 30% of players never make a jump overcall and when the other 50% do it is strong. Weak Jump Overcalls are a very rare occurance in most clubs.
I think this may vary substantially from club to club – perhaps based on who's doing most of the bridge teaching in the area. For what it's worth, I try to always ask about jump overcalls, and although I haven't been keeping a list of our opponents' ranges, from memory it feels like a split between intermediate and weak, with intermediate being slightly more commonly bid. (Of course, you would have to adjust for the probability of holding an appropriate hand in order to work out what the most common agreement was – it could be that I've played against lots of pairs who had agreed strong jump overcalls, but they never held an appropriate hand for them. And because I was asking rather than checking system cards, I wouldn't have discovered whether the range varied based on vulnerability.)
I have seen natural strong twos played by opponents (presumably with the exception of 2C, but again that can be unclear), but not strong jumps.
Well those who play on BBO in an EBU game play, for the most part WJO and in my local club also do so. The idea that 50% of players outside the top 20% play Strong Jumps is fanciful IMO.
Just reminds me of Reggie Perrin and Sun hine Des erts talking about the feedback from customer surveys.
I think your opinion is reasonable Jeremy69. However, that said some do go out of their way to do the opposite of the majority, so expect a swing sometime soon!