[jerdonald]

BBO forum,
My partner and I use an ace/king asking convention that doesn't
have a name. We have penciled in "Please Ask" in the section
of the convention card about Gerber, Blackwood, 1430 etc. All
the ace and king asking and showing bids are made at the 3
level and above so do we have to alert every bid?

I know we could announce it but it's quite complicated.

jerry

[Stephen Tu]

Online you should self alert anything artificial or non std. Your partner doesn't see any of your explanations if you use the alert box as you should, so it doesn't cause any UI issues for your side. Remember the spirit of the game is full disclosure to the opps so err on the side of over explaining if in doubt.

Live, the rules are somewhat different. In the ACBL, you should still alert such bids if at 3nt or below, and explain partner's bids when opps ask at their turn. If above 3nt, on the second round of the auction, starting with opening bidder's second bid, you don't alert anything. But after the auction concludes you should post alert and explain any ace/king/keycard asking/showing bids.

[Zelandakh]

jerdonald, on 2017-November-16, 22:28, said:

BBO forum,
My partner and I use an ace/king asking convention that doesn't
have a name. We have penciled in "Please Ask" in the section
of the convention card about Gerber, Blackwood, 1430 etc. All
the ace and king asking and showing bids are made at the 3
level and above so do we have to alert every bid?

I know we could announce it but it's quite complicated.

jerry

Typing in "Please ask" on BBO seems pointless. I would type in "A/K ask" or "control ask" and then alert for the response what that shows. If you have negative feedback for that, the next option would be "relay". Anpther alternative would be to send a PM to both opps (the <-> button) with the full explanation. You can save this in a text file and copy-paste as required.

Note that BBO uses self-alerts that partner does not see so regulations relating to non-alerting above 3NT do not apply.

If you are talking about real-world alerting then you need to provide a jurisdiction. In the majority of regulations, alerts should not be made of bids at 3NT or higher except when playing with screens. And yes, if you are playing an artificial system such as Symmetric Relay, you have to alert pretty much every bid below 3NT - get used to it!

Perhaps if you post the way your convention works, someone here will know it and can offer further suggestions for the CC. The same shorthand options as for BBO would seem reasonable though absent any other possibilities that spring to mind.

[PhilG007]

jerdonald, on 2017-November-16, 22:28, said:

BBO forum,
My partner and I use an ace/king asking convention that doesn't
have a name. We have penciled in "Please Ask" in the section
of the convention card about Gerber, Blackwood, 1430 etc. All
the ace and king asking and showing bids are made at the 3
level and above so do we have to alert every bid?

I know we could announce it but it's quite complicated.

jerry

What you and your partner should do is give as much info as possible on your online profiles and convention cards. If and when the convention is activated,be sure to alert all conventional bids.
In this way,you are informing the opponents the bids are artificial and are explainable
if asked for and you are not hiding anything. it doesn't really matter if the convention you are
using is nameless just so long as you are showing you are being overt and honest.

[ggwhiz]

A common occurrence on bbo is to bid and then realize you should have alerted and the alert box is no longer available.

There is an option button to chat to the opponents only, not the table to be used in that case which happens under time pressure etc.

[Zelandakh]

On the client you can send an alert at any time, even several raounds later. Is that really different on the web version? When players send explanations to the table, they are generally more for partner's benefit than the opps'.

[PhilG007]

Zelandakh, on 2017-November-17, 10:45, said:

On the client you can send an alert at any time, even several raounds later. Is that really different on the web version? When players send explanations to the table, they are generally more for partner's benefit than the opps'.

That should be illegal as you are giving extraenous information. If this does happen,the opponents should immediately
summon the TD.

[ggwhiz]

PhilG007, on 2017-November-18, 08:01, said:

That should be illegal as you are giving extraenous information. If this does happen,the opponents should immediately
summon the TD.

It is and they do but if it does not cause damage that's the end of it. With a warning of course. It is almost always completely benign like announcing a 15-17 notrump that isn't even alertable. Once we explain that they risk (or why they are given) an avg- ruling, there are no repeat offenders.

[Zelandakh]

ggwhiz, on 2017-November-18, 10:24, said:

It is and they do but if it does not cause damage that's the end of it. With a warning of course. It is almost always completely benign like announcing a 15-17 notrump that isn't even alertable. Once we explain that they risk (or why they are given) an avg- ruling, there are no repeat offenders.

Have you ever seen an Ave- ruling in MBC? Players that do this are risking nothing other than an opponent leaving the table.

[PhilG007]

Zelandakh, on 2017-November-18, 16:23, said:

Have you ever seen an Ave- ruling in MBC? Players that do this are risking nothing other than an opponent leaving the table.

If the TD is summoned while the deal is still active,he/she can award an adjusted score. This means the guilty side won't profit from
their misdemeanor.

[Zelandakh]

PhilG007, on 2017-November-19, 03:05, said:

If the TD is summoned while the deal is still active,he/she can award an adjusted score. This means the guilty side won't profit from
their misdemeanor.

Have you ever seen anyone summon a TD playing in the MBC (or any other non-tournament room on BBO for that matter)?

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

you should, but keep it practical. Space is limited, so is time.

A simple hint like "artifical" or "art." in the Alert Box would already be enough
most of the time.
If people are interested in more, than can check back (like clicking on the alert,
requesting a more detailed description).
If you dont alert, you rob them of the option to make a lead directing double.

With kind regards
Marlowe