[Fluffy]

Ever since I started playing strong club I have been wanting to introduce a convention just for fun in the system, something like....

4♣; Do you want a drink partner?
...4♦: No thank you
...4♥; Water please
...4♠; Coca cola please
...4NT: Cofee please

I wonder if there is some rule against it.

Also if you advice opponents that they can double to ask for the same drink, could they ask for some redress if their partner understands their double as lead directing?

[nullve]

30+ years ago there was a Norwegian bridge player and artist who notoriously played

4♣ = "Takk for kaffen, makker!" ["Thanks for the coffee, partner!"],

usually with catastrophic result. I guess the opening would be considered "random" today (and therefore be disallowed by the WBF Systems Policy), as it probably lacks the kind of "definition" the policy makers had in mind.

An alternative that looks both legal and not too unplayable is to use some currently natural invitional 2N bids as conversation starters instead. For example, after a 15-17 1NT with old-fashioned Stayman and Jacoby responses one could play

1N-2♣; 2♦-2N = start of topic A
1N-2♣; 2♥-2N = start of topic B
1N-2♣; 2♠-2N = start of topic C
1N-2♦; 2♥-2N = start of topic D
1N-2♥; 2♠-2N = start of topic E
1N-2N = start of topic F.

(Not a new idea, btw.)

[Phil]

This is sort of what Mulberry does.

4D = bid 4H.

Now, go get me some water.

[Vampyr]

 Fluffy, on 2016-October-19, 17:17, said:

Ever since I started playing strong club I have been wanting to introduce a convention just for fun in the system, something like....

4♣; Do you want a drink partner?
...4♦: No thank you
...4♥; Water please
...4♠; Coca cola please
...4NT: Cofee please

I wonder if there is some rule against it.

Also if you advice opponents that they can double to ask for the same drink, could they ask for some redress if their partner understands their double as lead directing?

You seem to have left out beer!

[Fluffy]

Not sure if beer would be GCC legal

I can see opponents claiming damage after a MI because they were informed at one side of the screen that double would bring them coffee, but they got coca cola instead.

[barmar]

 Vampyr, on 2016-October-19, 22:07, said:

You seem to have left out beer!

Wouldn't that be 7♦?

[mycroft]

I have played against someone with such a convention (as I have stated before). Note that the club was - not GCC? Serious, but fun?

But their dream auction (that they never actually bid) was:

---

Mackenzie Myers has in his agreements 2NT-3NT!;4♣-4NT "Partner I forgot again. I want to play 3NT." Explicitly. Is that too related to Bridge?

[pran]

 mycroft, on 2016-October-20, 14:55, said:

I have played against someone with such a convention (as I have stated before). Note that the club was - not GCC? Serious, but fun?

But their dream auction (that they never actually bid) was:

---

Mackenzie Myers has in his agreements 2NT-3NT!;4♣-4NT "Partner I forgot again. I want to play 3NT." Explicitly. Is that too related to Bridge?

I heard this tale about a bridge student coming right from one of his first lessons.
He sat down at the table as North and said "Four Clubs" (they used spoken bidding).

The auction continued as in the diagram, also the 4♥ bid was doubled, and when the auction came back to North he said:

And I have a single spade!

[nige1]

I'm told that some declarers peter from dummy's equals to reassure partner that the contract is making.

[Zelandakh]

 pran, on 2016-October-20, 15:07, said:

And I have a single spade!

Reminds me of the classic Substitute story:

A doctor is called away from a bridge tournament to tend to an emergency. There is still the last board to play. They ask a kibitzer to take his place, even though he knows nothing about the game. They tell him "Just bid what you have and follow suit." He, sitting South, thereupon starts the following bidding sequence:

---

South took the lead of the king of spades with the ace, cashed the ace and king of trumps, came to his hand with the ace of clubs and played all his diamonds. On the last diamond lead, West was hopelessly squeezed in hearts and spades, and ultimately discarded a heart, whereupon South made the last four tricks in hearts. When the opposition saw South's hand, they called the director, who asked for an explanation of the; bidding, and got the following reply:

"I was told to bid what I have, and I have: one club, two spades, 3 hearts and 7 diamonds!"

[pran]

 Zelandakh, on 2016-October-21, 08:02, said:

Reminds me of the classic Substitute story:

A doctor is called away from a bridge tournament to tend to an emergency. There is still the last board to play. They ask a kibitzer to take his place, even though he knows nothing about the game. They tell him "Just bid what you have and follow suit." He, sitting South, thereupon starts the following bidding sequence:

---

South took the lead of the king of spades with the ace, cashed the ace and king of trumps, came to his hand with the ace of clubs and played all his diamonds. On the last diamond lead, West was hopelessly squeezed in hearts and spades, and ultimately discarded a heart, whereupon South made the last four tricks in hearts. When the opposition saw South's hand, they called the director, who asked for an explanation of the; bidding, and got the following reply:

"I was told to bid what I have, and I have: one club, two spades, 3 hearts and 7 diamonds!"

Nice!