[roninbc]

In instant tournaments, "mechanical errors," such as someone with shaky hands clicking pass on the way to a bid, cannot be undone.
(If it can, I am unaware of it.)

I understand the problem of letting players rethink an action before changing it, but purely inadvertent errors?

Just today, this auction arose: 1NT (me) - P - 2C - P - P!!! On the way to bidding 2S, I somehow clicked on the pass icon.
End of story, withdraw from the tournament (iMPs, 2C in a 2-2 versus 4S, vul!), pay your money again, and start over!

Surely there is some way to build into the software a short "undo" before the activation of a bidding choice?
A single second would have been enough in a case like this.

[pescetom]

I think you can configure the HTML client to require confirm of a bidding choice. Would you be unhappy if your "Undo" did not work because BBO had paused 1 second and then LHO had quickly bid? If so then you need the confirm anyway, if not it resolves at least partially your problem.

[roninbc]

And you are quite right.
Thank you.

[thepossum]

The confirmation option is good, both on bidding and play. The problem I found is that after a while the double click becomes so automatic I still make occasional errors. I would possibly consider (if I were the developers ) a (small) delay between bids to allow an undo prior to the bid being submitted. But I have no idea how long a delay is reasonable, there is so mcuh variation in speed of internet connections, speed of computers and differences between browsers that I dont really know how it could be done. It could also be regarded as unfair in favouring people with faster reaction times. So I think I'm coming back to thinking that the bid and card play confirmation is a good and fair option that covers many bases. Everyone needs to be made aware of it. Maybe it could be a default and have to be switched off

PS However I know its impossible to stop all errors without runining the experience and the game

[ray_p]

In addition to a confirm option , the screens need to be re-designed better - so that there's more space between buttons.

The current design is poor and is all too easy to hit a card next to the one you intended to play, or hit the wrong suit button, expecially when playing with a screen using ones' fat fingers for pointing

[barmar]

 ray_p, on 2019-August-01, 08:22, said:

In addition to a confirm option , the screens need to be re-designed better - so that there's more space between buttons.

There's only so much space available on phones.

Quote

The current design is poor and is all too easy to hit a card next to the one you intended to play, or hit the wrong suit button, expecially when playing with a screen using ones' fat fingers for pointing

I recommend switching to hand diagram mode.

[maartenxq]

When Bob Hamman joined the Dallas Aces they gave him a set of deadly sins. One of the first was pulling the wrong (bidding) card. Ie be focussed and avoid mistakes you do not need to make.

Maarten Baltussen

[pescetom]

 maartenxq, on 2019-August-01, 08:46, said:

When Bob Hamman joined the Dallas Aces they gave him a set of deadly sins. One of the first was pulling the wrong (bidding) card. Ie be focussed and avoid mistakes you do not need to make.

Avoiding mistakes you do not need to make is always good advice, but pulling the wrong (bidding) card is hardly a deadly sin: you can replace it without penalty if it was a mechanical error (or if you are sufficiently unethical to pretend that was the case).

[Gazumper]

The experience burns, I only ever did it once. Windows has this thing where the clicks register on release so you can at least double check before letting go of the button.

[barmar]

Macs do the same thing. If you press the mouse and then move off before releasing, it doesn't register.

[sacto123]

 thepossum, on 2019-August-01, 03:10, said:

The confirmation option is good, both on bidding and play. The problem I found is that after a while the double click becomes so automatic I still make occasional errors. I would possibly consider (if I were the developers ) a (small) delay between bids to allow an undo prior to the bid being submitted. But I have no idea how long a delay is reasonable, there is so mcuh variation in speed of internet connections, speed of computers and differences between browsers that I dont really know how it could be done. It could also be regarded as unfair in favouring people with faster reaction times. So I think I'm coming back to thinking that the bid and card play confirmation is a good and fair option that covers many bases. Everyone needs to be made aware of it. Maybe it could be a default and have to be switched off

PS However I know its impossible to stop all errors without runining the experience and the game

The double-click problem would go away with the addition of an OK button.