Will You Remember It?

When one is quoted or referenced, especially something older, one hopes the quote or reference is still something one believes in. I was pleased that the older quote used today was one I still very much believed in, and it's found in this well-written blog entry from Tommy Solberg on the "Secret Move":

http://tommybridgeblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good.html

and allow me to quote from his post:

Also remember there is a difference between knowing conventions and subjecting yourself to the ultimate test of using them under fire.

This was how I determined if a convention should be used in a serious partnership - if we were playing the very last set of boards of a very important event, behind screens (can't see one's partner), and a particular sequence came up, would we both remember it?

Say it goes 1H-1S;-2H-3H;-4H, an uncontested auction. However after reading The Bridge World, April 08 issue, you are using the "Troika" methods suggested by Steve Robinson (with the sidebar improvement for keen partnerships).

Thus 3H = nothing about hearts, shows spades with at least game invite values (3D would show Hs)
4H = nothing about hearts, shows a slammish spade raise (4C/D would show Hs now)

Do you think under stress both of you are going to remember this? Do you think there is some significant chance one of you might pass 3H or might pass 4H?

In addition, when you have this sequence, is some of your focus consumed by the bidding, and then you might not give the play of the hand the 100% effort it deserves?

That's the determining point.

Now having said that, in a few days, once you forgot all about this, I will tell you about a method Karen and I are adding to our bidding system!