[Phil]

My Dad helped me set up my afternoon club game today. In order to fill out a 1/2 table, I conscripted him as my partner.

Bob Clayton is the nicest guy in the world and has never played a day of duplicate in his entire life. Our pre-game consisted of:

"Do you know Stayman and Transfers"

"No"

"OK, Strong 2's and Blackwood then"

"Fine"

In the end, I basically bid as though my father did not know what a single call meant. I think we had one auction our way that had four bids; otherwise it was jumping to game and slam. Nearly 56% got us a section 4th and his first .42 blacks.

One humorous hand:

Scoring: MP

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He led the ♣A against 6N and shifted to the ♦TEN. Now, declarer should never get this wrong, but strange things happen in weak games. She won the Q and hooked against my "Jack". She was fit to be tied and thought the lead of a T from JT was 'unethical'.

He explained later that he knew he was going to have to hold onto diamonds on the endgame and that retaining the Jack would help him keep better track of the suit because its higher of course. LOL.

[G_R__E_G]

Great story Phil. Your father and mine sound a lot alike and this story reminds me once again that I need to find a way to play a game with my Dad at some point while I still have the chance.

[barmar]

I didn't learn bridge until after I graduated from college, and wasn't living near my parents any more, and my father died a couple of years later. So I never got to play with him. My mother says they didn't use conventions, they just bid what they had and thought they could make. She took bridge lessons a few years ago, but didn't like transfers.

If she and I ever tried to play together, I suspect we would both find it frustrating.

[Fluffy]

When 1♠-2♦ shows just diamonds and nothing else it is hard to play.

However, I think that playing for a while with ultra basic system with no conventions other that what bids show strenght and what bids do not enhances your judgement.

That trick of playing lowest from the equivalent cards would had helped my aunt, when she used to play she often only drawed 1 round of trumps with the ace. Because on the next trick she already forgot where the ace was and though the opponents had it.