Bridge Blogs and Turkish Tournaments
I have just received a bizarre private message from someone who said that my most recent bridge post, 'Honours for Opponent', is 'weird'. I don't know why he thinks it's weird. At least one other person thinks it's amusing. I suppose it's the way I described the play. Not very informative, doesn't give many clues to the reader on how the play should have been. But the thing about the post is that it isn't about the play. It isn't even for the dissection of the play or the bidding. None of my posts about bridge are, and possibly will never be. I blog for amusement. To amuse myself, and possibly (hopefully? haha) others. I'm sure that partner of mine would like others to know he does preempt with SOME quality =D.
Why this blog will (probably) never have a post purely on bridge play/bidding by me
1. This is not a bridge blog. If you want to read a bridge blog, go google for one, or read Jinzhou's bridge blog, or my Honourless Bridge Partner's blog (*gigglez* yes I HAD to do that hahaha).
2. This is not my blog, so it is not my decision as to whether it will turn into a bridge blog.
3. When I was given the access to post on this blog, the owner did not ask me to write bridge posts, or indicate that all posts I write on bridge had to be proper bridge posts as befitting a bridge blog.
So there. Like my DOTA posts, my bridge posts are not so much about the play or the bidding, but rather, amusing incidents that occur during the game that I feel like writing about. Like DOTA, bridge is a game, and many many times, people have reminded me so. And games are meant to be enjoyed. Yes, you can improve at them (which I certainly hope to do), but they are GAMES. Interesting incidents that occur during games just add to the fun. And I certainly like being amused.
A minor thing of interest concerning bridge. Ever since I've started to randomly partner Mr Yeo for bridge once again, the number of people asking me to play bridge with them has decreased sharply. Mr Yeo said he has noticed the same thing happening to him too. We have no idea why.
On to those Turkish Tournaments. Gideon (yes the owner of this blog) keeps signing me up for them on BBO. Why, I don't really know. I'll ask him again later. Ok fine, he's only signed me up for 2 so far. But why Turkish? The first time we signed up, he was like 'Quick! Change your country to Turkey!' I'm like ???!!!, but I complied. So we went in, and obviously, none of the announcements were in English. I started to panic because neither of us could understand the annoucements, and I was starting to worry about knowing what the opponents were talking about. Gideon nicely suggested that if they talked in Turkish or Malay or whatever language that was, we should speak to each other in Chinese. Very funny, Gideon. And let them know we are actually not from Turkey? (Yes yes we could be Chinese immigrants to the country......)
It didn't even bother Gideon that one time when we were at a normal table in BBO, the opponent bid the suit he bid, which we would normally take as a Michael's cuebid, except that he didn't alert it. So I clicked on it, and he alerted it as 'quebit'. I didn't know what that meant, and neither did Gideon. He suggested that it may mean majors in Turkish or whatever language that guy spoke. On second inspection of the word, I realised it looked a little like quiet, so I started to wonder if that opponent was asking us to shut up. So I went on the net, and tried to get 'quebit' translated. Unsuccessful in Turkish, Italian, French and Spanish. But the opponent did mean Michael's by his bid. However, he wasn't that polite an opponent, and neither was his partner, and I started to get the idea that he was scolding us. In the end, it turns out that he was trying to say 'cue bid' in some Spanglish sort of way or something like that. Bleah.
So yeah, after greeting the opponents at our first table hi/hello, and being greeted 'slm', I suggested to Gideon that we should, in order not to blow our cover, greet them the same way too. We did that for all the subsequent tables for that tournament. Then, in the middle of the tournament, we got an opponent who wasn't from Turkey, so I asked Gideon why that guy/girl was allowed into the tournament. I suggested that maybe people from Muslim countries were allowed, since they could probably understand the announcement/opponents/partner. Then we got some Swedish opponent, and another one from some European country, and I was wondering why I was even asked to change my country in the first place. >.<
The first tournament went by rather uneventfully, except for all the masquarading. When we signed up for the 2nd tournament, we both left our countries as they were. But Gideon being Gideon, went in and greeted the opps 'slm' anyway. I have learnt during that 2nd tournament that making a takeout double after opponent's level 2 prempt after Gideon has passed with only 10 points, even with a singleton in opponents suit and a 6-loser hand, is not a good idea *gigglez*. The opponents were very nice and didn't double our 3NT holding a 10 card fit with the KQJ in the preempted suit. Oh yes and Gideon had more points than me hahaha. And then, Gideon says he has to go help someone with her homework before accompanying paw2 to go shopping for her chair. Chairs are very important ok. I think I need a new one too I don't know why mine looks like that. I think it's too hot in my room or something and it had to burst. Bah. So when he asked if it was ok if Rain substituted him in the tournament, I said ya sure, if Rain is ok with it then everything's fine =). So he calls the director to the table, and after 5 minutes, I get kicked out of the tournament, and a stranger is substituting me. Subsequent attempts to get me back into the tournament fail. The box kept appearing to ask if I'd like to be a substitute, and I'd keep clicking yes, but it would keep saying unsuccessful. Gideon quit anyway becausegoodness know which paw was waiting he didn't want to play with a stranger.
Gideon, I suggest you take up Turkish if the University of Chicago will let you. Just one module will do. So you can at least communicate with the Tournament Director for the next Turkish Tournament you sign us up for.
Why this blog will (probably) never have a post purely on bridge play/bidding by me
1. This is not a bridge blog. If you want to read a bridge blog, go google for one, or read Jinzhou's bridge blog, or my Honourless Bridge Partner's blog (*gigglez* yes I HAD to do that hahaha).
2. This is not my blog, so it is not my decision as to whether it will turn into a bridge blog.
3. When I was given the access to post on this blog, the owner did not ask me to write bridge posts, or indicate that all posts I write on bridge had to be proper bridge posts as befitting a bridge blog.
So there. Like my DOTA posts, my bridge posts are not so much about the play or the bidding, but rather, amusing incidents that occur during the game that I feel like writing about. Like DOTA, bridge is a game, and many many times, people have reminded me so. And games are meant to be enjoyed. Yes, you can improve at them (which I certainly hope to do), but they are GAMES. Interesting incidents that occur during games just add to the fun. And I certainly like being amused.
A minor thing of interest concerning bridge. Ever since I've started to randomly partner Mr Yeo for bridge once again, the number of people asking me to play bridge with them has decreased sharply. Mr Yeo said he has noticed the same thing happening to him too. We have no idea why.
On to those Turkish Tournaments. Gideon (yes the owner of this blog) keeps signing me up for them on BBO. Why, I don't really know. I'll ask him again later. Ok fine, he's only signed me up for 2 so far. But why Turkish? The first time we signed up, he was like 'Quick! Change your country to Turkey!' I'm like ???!!!, but I complied. So we went in, and obviously, none of the announcements were in English. I started to panic because neither of us could understand the annoucements, and I was starting to worry about knowing what the opponents were talking about. Gideon nicely suggested that if they talked in Turkish or Malay or whatever language that was, we should speak to each other in Chinese. Very funny, Gideon. And let them know we are actually not from Turkey? (Yes yes we could be Chinese immigrants to the country......)
It didn't even bother Gideon that one time when we were at a normal table in BBO, the opponent bid the suit he bid, which we would normally take as a Michael's cuebid, except that he didn't alert it. So I clicked on it, and he alerted it as 'quebit'. I didn't know what that meant, and neither did Gideon. He suggested that it may mean majors in Turkish or whatever language that guy spoke. On second inspection of the word, I realised it looked a little like quiet, so I started to wonder if that opponent was asking us to shut up. So I went on the net, and tried to get 'quebit' translated. Unsuccessful in Turkish, Italian, French and Spanish. But the opponent did mean Michael's by his bid. However, he wasn't that polite an opponent, and neither was his partner, and I started to get the idea that he was scolding us. In the end, it turns out that he was trying to say 'cue bid' in some Spanglish sort of way or something like that. Bleah.
So yeah, after greeting the opponents at our first table hi/hello, and being greeted 'slm', I suggested to Gideon that we should, in order not to blow our cover, greet them the same way too. We did that for all the subsequent tables for that tournament. Then, in the middle of the tournament, we got an opponent who wasn't from Turkey, so I asked Gideon why that guy/girl was allowed into the tournament. I suggested that maybe people from Muslim countries were allowed, since they could probably understand the announcement/opponents/partner. Then we got some Swedish opponent, and another one from some European country, and I was wondering why I was even asked to change my country in the first place. >.<
The first tournament went by rather uneventfully, except for all the masquarading. When we signed up for the 2nd tournament, we both left our countries as they were. But Gideon being Gideon, went in and greeted the opps 'slm' anyway. I have learnt during that 2nd tournament that making a takeout double after opponent's level 2 prempt after Gideon has passed with only 10 points, even with a singleton in opponents suit and a 6-loser hand, is not a good idea *gigglez*. The opponents were very nice and didn't double our 3NT holding a 10 card fit with the KQJ in the preempted suit. Oh yes and Gideon had more points than me hahaha. And then, Gideon says he has to go help someone with her homework before accompanying paw2 to go shopping for her chair. Chairs are very important ok. I think I need a new one too I don't know why mine looks like that. I think it's too hot in my room or something and it had to burst. Bah. So when he asked if it was ok if Rain substituted him in the tournament, I said ya sure, if Rain is ok with it then everything's fine =). So he calls the director to the table, and after 5 minutes, I get kicked out of the tournament, and a stranger is substituting me. Subsequent attempts to get me back into the tournament fail. The box kept appearing to ask if I'd like to be a substitute, and I'd keep clicking yes, but it would keep saying unsuccessful. Gideon quit anyway because
Gideon, I suggest you take up Turkish if the University of Chicago will let you. Just one module will do. So you can at least communicate with the Tournament Director for the next Turkish Tournament you sign us up for.
posted by Shelly at 3:41 PM
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