[Creeksider]

With just seven HCP, opposite an opening 1NT, at several tables GIB responded 3NT. At some other tables the bid was 2♣. Isn't this an automatic pass?

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[ArtK78]

Automatic pass??? With 7 HCP and 3 for the singleton club, this is an automatic game bid!

Be happy you didn't get to slam.

[semeai]

2♣ seems normal. This is a game bid if partner has hearts. If partner doesn't have a heart fit, you're close between wanting to play 1NT and wanting to invite, I think (the 5 card suit and two nines help a bit), so you might as well just decide to invite so that you have the upside of bidding game whenever partner does have hearts.

The 3NT bid does seem strange. Why not bid 2C if you're going to bid?

[Creeksider]

Add three for a ♣ singleton when raising a 1NT opener? I must be reading the wrong books.

Anyway, since when does GIB count 3 for a singleton, even in a suit contract?

I'm not unhappy with the result (I made the contract) but this is the first time I've ever seen a bid like this from GIB and I wondered if it was a bug.

[ArtK78]

I was being facetious.

GIB appears to add about a Q to many of its bids. I have no idea why it would bid 3NT on these cards, but then this would not be the first bid that GIB made that I could not understand.

Just last night I opened the bidding and then, in a competitive auction, passed at my first opportunity. I assumed that this would limit the stregth of my hand. WRONG! When I later competed to the 4 level in a ten-card fit, GIB bid a slam. I looked at the explanation for what I thought was a competitive bid that I made, and found out that I was showing a 25 count!

When playing with GIB, I often try to check on the meaning of seemingly normal actions before I make them. The more that I check for the meaning of bids that I consider making with GIB, the more bids I find show 25 counts. What a system!

[xxhong]

There are just many many logical holes in the program.
For example, a very basic one, if you pass a one level opening, it should suggest a hand with less than 19 HCPs. I don't think gib ever has this kind of logic.

ArtK78, on 2011-September-30, 14:01, said:

I was being facetious.

GIB appears to add about a Q to many of its bids. I have no idea why it would bid 3NT on these cards, but then this would not be the first bid that GIB made that I could not understand.

Just last night I opened the bidding and then, in a competitive auction, passed at my first opportunity. I assumed that this would limit the stregth of my hand. WRONG! When I later competed to the 4 level in a ten-card fit, GIB bid a slam. I looked at the explanation for what I thought was a competitive bid that I made, and found out that I was showing a 25 count!

When playing with GIB, I often try to check on the meaning of seemingly normal actions before I make them. The more that I check for the meaning of bids that I consider making with GIB, the more bids I find show 25 counts. What a system!

[chasetb]

There's a thing called "Garbage Stayman", Jerry Helms talked about it a few months ago in his Bridge Bulletin column. Anyway, with 0-7 HCP, any 4-4-4-1 or 4-4-5-0 hand should use Stayman and then pass. You are very likely to find an 8-card fit, and even if you end up in a 7-card fit, it will be a better contract than 1NT. With 4-7 or 8 HCP, you should also use Stayman with 4-3-5-1 or 3-4-5-1, because it will play better as well.

GIB made the wrong lead and had bad defense, 3NT should go down.

[Creeksider]

Yes, this is a good hand shape for garbage Stayman, although with a 7 count I'd probably figure my partner would be okay 1NT. I posted this mainly because responses to 1NT are pretty well defined and a jump to 3NT on this hand shouldn't be within the realm of bids GIB even considers making.

[georgi]

Creeksider, on 2011-September-30, 11:43, said:

With just seven HCP, opposite an opening 1NT, at several tables GIB responded 3NT. At some other tables the bid was 2♣. Isn't this an automatic pass?

Looks like bug. It will be investigated for fix.

xxhong, on 2011-September-30, 14:49, said:

There are just many many logical holes in the program.
For example, a very basic one, if you pass a one level opening, it should suggest a hand with less than 19 HCPs. I don't think gib ever has this kind of logic.

Can you provide an example with auction or hand about your suggestion?

[xxhong]

It is just everywhere. Try pass an opp's one level opening first, then try a bid next round and see whether that bid has an upper limit. Also, the definition of a suit bid after an initial pass is quite bad. 1S p 2S p p 3C, I don't think the current system gives a reasonable explanation and the gib partner would often over react. Another one:
1S x 2S 4C shows 5+ C, 9-12. Usually a free bid of 3C should show this hand. A 4C bid should be reserved for longer clubs with good distributions and also denies NT interest.

Also, recently, I found another design problem:
The bidding goes like:
2S(opp) 3D(your partner) p

You hold xxx - Kx AQTxxxxx, you are out of bid now. 4C shows 17+. 5C shows slam interest. 3S shows a gf D support.
This design is very bad. IMO, 3S should just show doubts in 3NT (any gf hands that denies a H suit and stopper in S). 4C should be natural and gameforcing with a lot of distributions, so it shows 12+, not 17 +.

georgi, on 2011-October-09, 11:34, said:

Looks like bug. It will be investigated for fix.



Can you provide an example with auction or hand about your suggestion?