[the hog]

qwery_hi, on Jun 25 2009, 11:59 PM, said:

Indeed - this is exactly why a wdp or a wdo may be considered against the laws. Chatting away after a hand has been played also may interfere with an opponents enjoyment of the game.

Quite frankly, I think a "wdp" is crass, certainly a "wpp" after the opps have blundered is really rude.. You should play exactly like in f2f. I say nothing at any time, except call for the cards. Don't even thank pd for the dummy - why?
The only time I say anything is when the opps are fighting, and then I agree with both of them to stir the pot.

[jillybean]

wdp/nto, ntp/wdo has become an online etiquette for some, automatic and usualy completely meaningless. Its irritating and sometimes I'll comment on it but I'm probably better just to ignore it.

I have no problems with players who can recognise a well played hand saying so,
at the club some partners will say a quiet 'well played or well defended' I dont see anything wrong with this.

Ron, I always thank my partner for dummy and so do my partners. This is automatic, a thank you for laying the cards down rather than the missing cards theyve promised in the bidding. This is where you are legally allowed to use tone and body language to convey a message to your partner

[the hog]

jillybean2, on Jun 26 2009, 10:49 PM, said:

wdp/nto, ntp/wdo has become an online etiquette for some, automatic and usualy completely meaningless. Its irritating and sometimes I'll comment on it but I'm probably better just to ignore it.

I have no problems with players who can recognise a well played hand saying so,
at the club some partners will say a quiet 'well played or well defended' I dont see anything wrong with this.

Ron, I always thank my partner for dummy and so do my partners. This is automatic, a thank you for laying the cards down rather than the missing cards theyve promised in the bidding. This is where you are legally allowed to use tone and body language to convey a message to your partner

I know a lot of players do this Kathryn. My partners and I don't. just a habit.

[JoAnneM]

The_Hog, on Jun 26 2009, 10:28 AM, said:

qwery_hi, on Jun 25 2009, 11:59 PM, said:

Indeed - this is exactly why a wdp or a wdo  may be considered against the laws. Chatting away after a hand has been played also may interfere with an opponents enjoyment of the game.

Quite frankly, I think a "wdp" is crass, certainly a "wpp" after the opps have blundered is really rude.. You should play exactly like in f2f. I say nothing at any time, except call for the cards. Don't even thank pd for the dummy - why?
The only time I say anything is when the opps are fighting, and then I agree with both of them to stir the pot.

I ALWAYS greet the opponents whether I am arriving at the table or they are coming to my table. And I even interrupt their discussion of the previous hand to do so because I don't want them to be talking about it. I know I already played the hands they just played (unless it is a Howell) but it's a new table.

Saying hello and goodbye is just part of being nice and it takes little effort. Sometimes people act surprised by it but I have never had anyone respond negatively.

[mycroft]

I always thank partner for dummy and wish him luck when I put down dummy. I, again, believe it should be an all-or-nothing thing. But I've learned that it's good to sound like partner dropped all the fitters in exactly the hand I expected, especially if he didn't. I may still get the zero, but it frequently plays one trick better than the "where's the hand you held in the bidding?" brigade.

On a side note, I frequently run team games on American Whist League movements. Wonderful movement, everything Just Works, except for one thing, which I try to make clear to everybody:

"The boards you're talking about on the change are the boards your new opponents will be playing next round. Please don't post-mortem past the change."

[helene_t]

Elianna, on Jun 25 2009, 07:16 PM, said:

Oh please! I've had opponents swearing at me in front of the director, and nothing has happened. Those rules seem to be unenforced.

Of course it usually isn't enforced, but this happened two years ago in Pula:

TD: What's the problem?
Oldplayer: This gentleman told me ***** you.
TD: Is that correct?
Youngplayer: Yes
TD: Please apology.
Youngplayer: If Oldplayer apologies for not alerting his partner's double, I will apology for insulting him.
After a long discussion the TD managed to get both of them to apology.

[qwery_hi]

The_Hog, on Jun 26 2009, 02:28 AM, said:

qwery_hi, on Jun 25 2009, 11:59 PM, said:

Indeed - this is exactly why a wdp or a wdo  may be considered against the laws. Chatting away after a hand has been played also may interfere with an opponents enjoyment of the game.

Quite frankly, I think a "wdp" is crass, certainly a "wpp" after the opps have blundered is really rude.. You should play exactly like in f2f. I say nothing at any time, except call for the cards. Don't even thank pd for the dummy - why?
The only time I say anything is when the opps are fighting, and then I agree with both of them to stir the pot.

There are quite a few similarities to cricket, where initially the British marketed it as a gentleman's game, but then sledging happened, fines were imposed, and now everyone accepts that sledging is part of the game and life goes on.

What I've seen is a holier-than-thou attitude is very prevalent among bridge players. When you think about it, it is the only team sport I know where congratulating your teammate is frowned up. Take beach-volleyball or doubles-tennis or ping-pong or what have you - the two partners fire each other up routinely and the opponents don't regard this as an insult to them. But since Bridge Players are Better Than Them ™, it is frowned upon to do this. As an aside, some of the best friends I have made were my fiercest competitors across the net.

[McBruce]

I'm not sure I completely agree with this.

Wimbledon doubles final, Smith & Smyth vs Jones and Jaunes, final set, 6-6, deuce. Smith serves, Jones makes a great return, Smyth reaches for a volley and hits it off the end of the racket, up in the air and dribbling over the net down the middle, bouncing five feet and waiting to be smashed. Jones and Jaunes both call for it, then try to call one another, then both lunge for it and dive headlong into one another and the ball hits the ground along with both players.

If Smith and Smyth now congratulate one another with an audacious high five, as though this was a great strategic masterpiece brilliantly executed, they had better be a fairly low seed or the Wimbledon committee will not be inviting them back next year.

Point being that one needs to be aware that wdp has the potential to sound like an insult to the opponents if they have made errors in the play. It's not the same as the automatic glp or typ. Far better to follow it up with a specific comment on what partner did well, to not give the impression that you are sticking it to the opponents.

[qwery_hi]

McBruce, on Jul 2 2009, 01:56 PM, said:

I'm not sure I completely agree with this.

Wimbledon doubles final, Smith & Smyth vs Jones and Jaunes, final set, 6-6, deuce. Smith serves, Jones makes a great return, Smyth reaches for a volley and hits it off the end of the racket, up in the air and dribbling over the net down the middle, bouncing five feet and waiting to be smashed. Jones and Jaunes both call for it, then try to call one another, then both lunge for it and dive headlong into one another and the ball hits the ground along with both players.

If Smith and Smyth now congratulate one another with an audacious high five, as though this was a great strategic masterpiece brilliantly executed, they had better be a fairly low seed or the Wimbledon committee will not be inviting them back next year.

Point being that one needs to be aware that wdp has the potential to sound like an insult to the opponents if they have made errors in the play. It's not the same as the automatic glp or typ. Far better to follow it up with a specific comment on what partner did well, to not give the impression that you are sticking it to the opponents.

So you partially agree? Also I think you misunderstood "fire each other up".

[gwnn]

Each year in Wimbledon hundreds of thousands of tennis players display joyful expressions, much like a football (soccer) player on scoring, after their opps make stupid mistakes in crucial points. Nothing is done about it and it's spreading like an evil disease.

[matmat]

gwnn, on Jul 3 2009, 01:12 AM, said:

Each year in Wimbledon hundreds of thousands of tennis players display joyful expressions, much like a football (soccer) player on scoring, after their opps make stupid mistakes in crucial points. Nothing is done about it and it's spreading like an evil disease.

people have no class.

[allspice]

I've been TDing lately about 2 or 3 Free tournaments a day (B4F - Irish Eyes - Rush Tournament - Nothing Else to Play) and I can assure you that sometimes I think I am back in Kindergarden!!! Unbelievable the calls you receive on this issues. Please keep in mind that many players don't speak a fluent English, and literal translations (as provided by Google -many use this feature) sometimes might sound rude or not polite, but its not what the "writer" meant. Also, when in writting the phrase has the "tone" of the reader's mood, not of the writer's. Think of a phrase and say it with different tones and it completely changes the sense (try with wdp just for an example). I've had to deal with hundreds of misunderstandings (and not misunderstandings) which is the hardest job a TD has: you must rely on he said she said... (except when you don't have the GIB to ajust hands on a clocked tournament )!
Veronica - allspice