Comments | big_bad_al: (без темы)

big_bad_al

(Untitled)

Nov 27, 2005 02:55

At the moment, I am on Bridge Base Online, watching the final match of the Cambrose Trials in Ireland. I don't completely understand the bidding (for instance, I play that opening 2S shows 5-11 HCP and 6 spades, while at least one of the four partnerships plays that this shows a weak hand and 5-5 in spades and a minor). However, the hands are ( Read more... )

bridge, ireland, bbo

Comments 6

csn November 27 2005, 05:53:44 UTC

Why, how and when did you get so into bridge? You should play some wei chi/go with me! Now that's a real game :P

big_bad_al November 27 2005, 13:00:35 UTC

Um... I learned how to play in the summer after 8th grade. I really got into it after I cofounded the HMC Bridge Club sophomore year. I joined the American Contract Bridge League this past January, and became a Junior Master at the end of August.

I've tried playing go, but found it too monotonous. Sorry :-)

big_bad_al November 27 2005, 17:02:02 UTC

As for why I really got into bridge, it's a very mathematical, logical game. To play it well, you need to count cards, you need to compute probabilities on the fly. There is a surprising amount of teamwork: you can't do anything without the help of your partner. And there are some absolutely amasing, clever bids (such as Puppet Stayman) and plays (such as Vienna Coups) that you can do, but only if you're really paying attention and watching for them. It's a social game, and some of the fun is in chatting with the other players, but its a very strategic game. Competitive bridge is nothing like the bridge your grandmother plays around the kitchen table... y'know, except in the actual rules (the strategies are much more developed).

I'd guess that it takes about 2-3 months to learn the basics well, but you will never, ever run out of new things to learn in bridge. For instance, just yesterday I learned the "Rule of 7" which predicts how long you should hold up a winner in your opponents' suit when you declare a notrump contract.

csn November 27 2005, 21:37:08 UTC

Go monotonous? Go/Wei Chi is the mathematical, logical game! Deep Blue has beat the world's best chess players, but the complexity of Go is s.t. that no program has ever been made that can play at above an intermediate level.

Plus, like many systems of true complexity, the rules of Go can be learned in under 5 minutes.

Thread 6