Reporting psyches in the online World
I have read the thread "Recording of psyches and deviations" from last year. Somewhat dispiriting reading for a mild cynic like me. Most players who psyche do so only occasionally, without a set pattern and take their partners by surprise as much as the opponents. But there are some who psyche regularly enough that their partners must have the possibility in mind, leading to either "non-blatant" fielding or undisclosed understandings.
On to the questions:
Last night in a friendly BBO match between two affiliated clubs, one of the opponents psyched 3 times in a 16 board match.
Is it intended that this type of psyching is reported to the EBU centrally ? And if so how ?
Would the answer be different in an official EBU event such as the daily duplicates or the Lockdown League ?
At least hand and bidding records are very easily produced !
Thanks for your advice
Comments
The Laws and Ethics committee will accept records of hands from any events, but the reality is that they rarely get them from event that are not run by the EBU, with the exception of a couple of county events. However, if someone does seem to be doing it enough that it is hard for his partner to avoid being aware of the tendency, it would be a good idea to report them and sending links to hands does make it easier for everyone.
Many thanks
Somehow, it feels as though "self-alerting" makes psyches into something less morally acceptable.....the psycher alerts the bid as meaning x, whilst looking at a hand which is very different from x
As I consider that it seems to me that a knowing psyche is just the same regardless of self alerting or waiting until partner alerts the known system.
In my experience (limited..... and imvho) psyching is a part of the game which is not extensively used for good reason, 3 boards in 16 seems excessive and if not systematic at least showing a consistent and therefore known style. I understand your concern and recording it at the very least seems reasonable.
An occasional, well reasoned and judged psyche in a field of matched players can be a thing of beauty to be admired. But too often done and it becomes an entirely different thing.
3 boards out of 16 is definitely excessive and is practically worth a penalty in its own right because an undisclosed understanding is almost guaranteed (by the third psyche, the player's partner must at least know the mood their partner is in and their tendency to psyche in that session).
Psyches should be recorded by the club that they occur in at the very least (if opponents notify the director that is) and are worth sending onto the EBU if they occur repeatedly in a short timeframe and the player is likely to participate in events beyond club level. Of course, there are lots of other factors to consider, including the type/standard of club, the nature of the psyche, whether the partnership is the same each time, whether the psyches are repeated and the strength/reaction of the opponents. Two psyches in two weeks might seem very excessive in a particularly strong field (especially if the psyche is of a similar nature each week), whereas it would almost feel normal in a university club; The settings are not comparable.
I agree that a central EBU database where TDs can submit psyches with the type of event, hand record, any relevant discussion etc. and EBU numbers of the player and partner involved would be ideal but it's quite a lot of work. I don't think the online setting really changes the need for that other than it's easier to psyche when your partner and opponents can't see your facial expression :)
A database wouldn't be too difficult, would it? The forms have prescribed fields to be filled in; it would be relatively easy to do but, of course, 95% of psyches are unintentional as they are misbids anyway.
If your LHO opens 1D and your RHO bids 1NT with SAQJxxx, is that a psyche? Ask and they say "I had to bid 1NT show my 5 to 8 points" - what can you do?
Likewise (same opponents, very next hand) LHO bids 1D, partner bids 1S and RHO bids 1NT with 5 to 8 points and a small Spade doubleton. "I had to bid 1NT to show my 5 to 8 points, I already told you that on the last hand".
Do you record these as "gross distortion of strength and shape"?
A psyche is deliberate. An unintentional misbid is not a psyche.
It appears to me that this is their system - or at least it is what RHO thinks is their system. Of course, LHO might not be on the same wavelength, in which case a one-off occurrence might constitute a misbid.
But if RHO always bypasses a 1-of-a-major response, or bids 1NT without stoppers in their opponents' suits, then this is not a departure from system (but might merit an alert).
Just because it doesn't match your system, that doesn't make it a psyche or misbid!