[mike777]

Kalvan14, on Feb 6 2006, 06:46 PM, said:

1♠ for me. The free-bid concept is a bit outdated.

Ahh to the woodshed for such logic....something is not winning bridge for no other logic than being outdated?

A free bid is still a free bid, what it means, what values it promises and what is winning bridge style can be debated and bantered back and forth .

[Double !]

i would probably bid 1 spade, but i can see where partner might have a rebid problem on this hand, especially if 2425. Perhaps passing is better. if partner re-opens with a dbl, then I can bid spades. if partner re-opens with 1H, then i might bid 1NT. all of this is assuming that lho passes. however, lho might not pass. If so, I think i would have preferred to get my spade bid in quickly.
so, my vote swings back to 1 spade.

DHL

[HeartA]

benlessard, on Feb 5 2006, 11:34 PM, said:

Easy pass.

If my left hand bid 1s ill be happy to have passed if he bid 1h or pass partner will be well placed to introduced spades or rebid his clubs.

If partner X ill bid just 1s . Not enough to pass nor bid 2s



Defending or playing a 1 level contract isnt a rare disease.

ditto.

[Kalvan14]

mike777, on Feb 6 2006, 07:43 PM, said:

Kalvan14, on Feb 6 2006, 06:46 PM, said:

1♠ for me. The free-bid concept is a bit outdated.

Ahh to the woodshed for such logic....something is not winning bridge for no other logic than being outdated?

A free bid is still a free bid, what it means, what values it promises and what is winning bridge style can be debated and bantered back and forth .

If 90% of good bridge players have abandoned the concept of free bids, I'd assume that there must be a reason.

[P_Marlowe]

Kalvan14, on Feb 7 2006, 05:21 PM, said:

mike777, on Feb 6 2006, 07:43 PM, said:

Kalvan14, on Feb 6 2006, 06:46 PM, said:

1♠ for me. The free-bid concept is a bit outdated.

Ahh to the woodshed for such logic....something is not winning bridge for no other logic than being outdated?

A free bid is still a free bid, what it means, what values it promises and what is winning bridge style can be debated and bantered back and forth .

If 90% of good bridge players have abandoned the concept of free bids, I'd assume that there must be a reason.

Marshall Miles, no advocate of the free bid theory said,
there has to be some merit, if a player like Alvin Roth
still believes in the free bid theory.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: In chess you can observe, that certain openings
die, not because they are bad or out dated, but because
it is trendy to play something els.
The trend starts because someone is very successfull
playing something other.

[Kalvan14]

I remember this quote, but I suppose it goes to prove my point.
Roth is the only big name still playing free bids (and he's not an up-and-coming player, to be charitable). MM is an old school gentleman, and, while he likes to be unconventional, always makes a point of supporting contrary POVs (if I were completely cynical, I'd add that dog does not eat dog ).
The concept of "fads" has merit: otoh, looking at the top players cathegory only, who is still playing free bids nowadays? Isn't it reasonable to argue that this proves that the "fast-in, fast-out" approach has been proven more profitable?