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Luis' Bridge Page

If your partnership or team need a coach I'm available to help you improve several aspects of your game. We can work on bidding, signals, strategy, competitive auctions etc as needed. If you are about to play a team event or similar we can even prepare some defenses against other systems etc.\nEventually I may be able to travel as a captain/coach if you want me to. Just have to arrange the details.

\nThere's no spoon, there're no points, welcome to my bridge website!

The Gueglio Team won the Argentina National Teams Championship 3 times in a row:\n2003, 2004 and 2005\n\nThe members are:\n\n* Jorge Gueglio (2003,2004,2005)\n* Victor Marinescu (2003,2004,2005)\n* Alexis Pecjasevich (2003,2004,2005)\n* Luis Argerich (2003,2004,2005)\n* Carlos Pellegrini (2004,2005)\n* Roberto Debarnot (2003,2004)\n* Gustavo Muiquelez (2005)\n\n\n\n

Ana Alonso is my mother, I play mixed events with her, we play a variation of Moscito known as [[German Moscito]]. \nShe is also a professional player and teacher so if you need to hire the best female player of argentina just let me know and I will contact you with her.\n

German Moscito is a variation of Moscito a system developed by Paul Marston of Australia.\nBoth Australian Moscito and German Moscito were played in a "Scientists vs traditionalists" match that took place in BBO in 2003. (I will publish the records soon)\n\nThe openings of German Moscito are\n\n|1c|15+ any|\n|1d|10-14 without a 4 card major|\n|1h|10-14 4+ hearts, 3- spades|\n|1s|10-14 4+ spades 3-hearts unbalanced|\n|1N|10-14 4 or 5 spades, balanced|\n|2c|10-14 both majors 4+/5+|\n|2d|10-14 Three suited hand with 4 or 5 clubs|\n|2h|Weak 2 in hearts or three suited with short clubs|\n|2s|Weak 2|\n|2n|8-11 both minors at least 5/4|\n\nThe system uses relays to find the exact shape of the hand, then shows the number of controls and the locations of the honor cards.

Adolfo Madala AKA: Roswell is one of my regular pds.\nAfter many attempts playing different systems we are happy playing a variation of [[Fantunes]]\n

The system played by the great italian players Fantoni and Nunes is affectionaly known as "Fantunes". With my pd Adolfo Madala we play a variation.\nThe basic structure is that 1x openings are 14+ while 2x openings show 9-13 HCP. 1NT is 12-14 and we use Gazzilli and some special responses over 1x to show different hands. Besides this the system is fairly natural and easy to learn. (Proof of that is that we can play it without regular disasters)

I'm available for professional play in the lobby or in the tournaments.\nFor tournaments the rate is U$S 20 every 12 boards.\nFor the lobby the rate is U$S 20 per hour.\n\nI usually play normal bridge, I don't try to "administer" the bidding to play the hands from my side and I don't make strange things to be worked out as a lesson. I just do what I think it's best in the context. \n\nIf you are interested please see [[How to contact and pay me]]\n\nPlease check [[availability for lessons and play]]\n\n

This is an example list of topics the can be studied in private lessons. \n\n* Defensive Signals\n* Defending against NT\n* Defending against suit contracts\n* Card Playing: Elimination and Endplays\n* Card Playing: Basic play with trumps\n* Card Playing: Advanced topics with trumps\n* Card Playing: Basic play in NT\n* Card Playing: Advanced play in NT\n* Card Playing: Squeeze play\n* Leads against suit contracts\n* Leads against NT\n* Special signals and defensive agreements\n* 2/1 Bidding\n* SAYC Bidding\n* Lebensohl\n* Suit Combinations\n* Weaks 2's and Ogust\n* Defending against preempts\n* Two Suiters, Michaels and Ghestem\n* Roman Key Card Blackwood (RKCB)\n* Slam Bidding\n* NT openings\n* Major suit openings\n* Competitive Bidding\n* Forcing Pass situations\n* False Cards and deceptive plays\n\n

!Welcome to my Bridge Website. !!\n\nThis is the Bridge Website of Luis Argerich (lrargerich in BBO).\n\nIn this site you will find information about me, about bridge and about me playing or teaching bridge. \nYou may also find information from other players as the site evolves.\nThis is a very dynamic website and I hope to have it updated quite frequently, it will work both as a Weblog, a wiki and a news site. Thanks for your visit!\n\n!!Luis Who?\n\nI'm a bridge teacher/tutor and prof player using [[BridgeBase|http://www.bridgebase.com]] for my activities. I teach an IT subject at the university of Buenos Aires since 1994 and since I love teaching and I love bridge I decided to combine both and start my way as a bridge teacher.\nIf you think you need a teacher or a pd for tournaments please follow the links below:\n\n!!How to use this site\n\nClicking on the links will open the topic you can close topics when you don't need them anymore. Use the close all function on the right sidebar if your screen gets cluttered. The links on the left can be used as starting points. This page is ''Hello There'' and can be used to restart your navigation if you get lost. That's pretty much all, just click here and there read and enjoy!\n\n!!Activities\n* [[Free Public Lessons]]\n* [[Private Lessons]]\n* [[Playing tournaments or in the lobby]]\n* [[Coaching]]\n\nIf you are interested please read my [[Teaching Bridge Philosophy]]\n\nIf you want to read about my [[bridge achievements]] (sort of) and failures please follow the link.\n\n

Ok this is the section I really didn't want to write since I'm quite humble as a player and compared to others my achievements are so small that I'm embarrased to display them. But my students asked for it so here it is.\n\n* Represented Argentina in 3 Junior South American Championships\n* Represented Argentina in a Junior World Championship (finished 6th)\n* Won the Argentina National Teams Championship 3 years in a row (2003,2004,2005) with the [[Gueglio Team]]. So I won the [[big black octogon]] 3 times\n* Won Argentina Mixed Pairs tournament twice in a row (2004,2005) with my Mother: [[Ana Alonso]]\n* Won the pairs trials for the South American Championship in 2005 with my pd [[Adolfo Madala]]\n* Reached the top category of Argentina: National Master \n* Finished 2nd in the Mixed pairs championship in 2003 and in Mixed teams championship in 2004\n* This year I won 5 butler events with my pd [[Adolfo Madala]] playing [[Fantunes]]\n* Won the BBO First International Bridge Teams Championship playing with team Haspel.\n* I have the record for lowest percentage in our National Major Individual tournament, I managed to do 33% in one session. (MPs). The other sessions (53 and 60) didn't help much :-). What a record!\n

You can contact me by email at \nlrargerich@gmail.com \nI usually answer emails quite fast.\n\nYou can also try to see if I'm online in [[BBO|http://www.bridgebase.com]] my username is lrargerich \nI might also be online in YIM (Yahoo messenger) my username is lrargerich\n\nIn order to pay me I accept [[PayPal|http://www.paypal.com]] so it's easy. If you don't have a paypal account we can work something out, ask me.\n

HelloThere

HelloThere\n[[Free Public Lessons]]\n[[Private Lessons]]\n[[Teaching Bridge Philosophy]]\n[[How to contact and pay me]]\n[[Bridge Articles]]

This is an index of bridge articles that I write, check for updates, something should be new every 1 or 2 weeks.\n\n* [[Leading against 1N-3N with a weak hand]]\n

!Leading against 1N-3N with a weak hand\n//By Luis Argerich//\n\nThe opening lead is many times the only chance you have to defeat a hand and that's why they are very important. In my view the opening lead is one of the less explored areas of bridge by modern tehory. In the old times we based our opening leads in the advice and experience of the most succesful players, word from players that have played a lot at a veyr competitive level was usually "the law" about which lead was better in every situation.\nToday, we can do even better.\n\n!!Enter the computers\n\nWith computers we can run simulations that will help us not only to make better leads but to understand the principles involved in leading in different situations.\nSay for example that you hold this hand: Q532, T62, J4, Q642\nThe auction is 1NT-3NT and you have to lead. You can say this is a "guess" between a spade and a club and since the opponents didn't use stayman dummy has more chances of holding 4 clubs than 4 spades so you lead your fourth spade following the old law: "fourth from your longest and strongest suit"\n\nDo you know if you made the best lead? You can say "how can I tell?" but there's a way, a very precise way. \n\nIf we simulate say 1 million hands where you hold that cards and the opponents bid 1N-3N then we can analyze which is the best opening lead in the 1 million hands. Then by just counting we can conclude which card is the "optimal" opening lead. This is very logical and is quite scary since a computer with enough processing power would be able to make the "best" opening lead in every single hand played. There're no options, there's no theory, no laws, in every hand were you have to lead there's one card that is statistically better than the others, a card that when lead will defeat the contract more times than the other cards, don't you want to know that card?\n\n!!Using the computer\n\nSo we can use the computer to make sets of simulations and determine the best opening lead based on several different situations. I started with the following parameters:\n\n* The opponents bid 1NT (15-17) 3N. \n* You have a weak hand between 2 and 8 HCP.\n* You don't have a 5 card suit or longer. \n\nAfter programming this I run simulations using a double dummy engine to analyze the best opening lead in every hand. The conclusions from my simulation were:\n\n* You have more chances of defeating 3NT by hitting pd's suit instead of leading from your best suit\n* With a strong sequence in a suit lead from the sequence since it's usually the safer lead\n* A 3 card major suit lead is usually better than a 4 card major suit lead (!!)\n\nExamples:\n|Cards|Best lead|\n|Q642, T62, Jx, Q953| Heart|\n|J32, A843, K632, T6|Spade|\n|KJ64, 72, QJT, J532| Diamond|\n|K63, 952, Q632, 872| Heart|\n\n!!Putting this into practice\n\nI've been experimenting with this "new" theory in both face to face and online bridge, so far I think the simulation conclusions are sound, in one of the most spectacular examples I lead from 432 of hearts instead of Kxxx of spades and the opening lead was the only lead holding declarer to 9 tricks and since it was a matchpoints event it resulted in a top.\n\n!!Field protection\n\nThe only problem of this theory is that by making the "best" opening lead you will be , many times, making a lead different than the "panel" lead. So we have to think if making an optimal lead is better or worst than making the "normal" lead that other players make. When you lead the same as the other players even if the lead is very bad the result won't be very bad beause the results will be the same as the one at your table. \n\nHope you find this interesting.\n\nLuis\n\n

A BBO user with administrative powers over the BIL club.

I teach a Free Public Lesson in [[BBO's|http://www.bridgebase.com]] BIL (Beginners and Intermediates Lounge)\nThe lessons are on Tuesdays at 1pm EST (East Coast Standard Time)\n\nTo attend the lessons you must be a BIL member, that is FREE. To join\nfill in the Application form on the homepage of the website\nhttp://www.bridgebase.com/clubs/bil\nYou can also access the site when on BBO through Explore Bridge! > BBO\nTools > BIL > website. If you have any queries you can contact\nBILManager on BBO or write to Maureen at hall@timaru.com\n\nAs of this writing we are alternating playing sessions with theory about competitive bidding, each lesson is a self-enclosed module so you can attend even if you missed the previous ones.\n\n\n

This a short essay about what I think about teaching bridge\n\nI teach all my students as if they were able to become World Championships in a future. Why not? That means that I won't hold back ideas or comments thinking you may not understand them, I'm aware some things will not be understood by players of some level but what do we lose by just saying them? Maybe you can understand them in the future as long as you have memory or a notebook to remember :-)\n\nI will never claim to be the only source of bridge truth. I recommend my students, if possible, to have several bridge teachers or mentors and study how we agree and disagree on several subjects that will help you have a better persective of options and ideas. If you only care about what I say you will never be better than me and if you have the potential of being better I will be happy to help you. \n\nI think every bridge player regardless of his level has a lot to learn ahead, and yes that includes me as well. Even if you manage to know all the "theory" there's a lot to learn to improve your bridge judgement and know what to do in each situation. When a player claims to "know everything" then he will never improve, he will never be better we don't want to be among those. \n\nI know what I know and I know there's a lot more to learn. I like listening to different opinions and contrasting them, I like to study how experts think and why. I like debating and testing different ideas to see how they result. I like to develop my own ideas and test them both in theory and in the field. I like the search for new things, new knowledge and new adventures. If you think your mind works in a similar way then we may have a match!\n\nSo if you are really interested in learning and improving your game you can find my lessons or comments worth your time. I'm very open to suggestions, comments or ideas about how to teach, what to teach, when and in what way.

!The Legend of the Big Black Octogon\n\n(Picture of the Big Black Octogon to be published soon)\n\nIn 2004 we won our National Teams Championship for the 2nd time, in December we went to the annual prize giving party with a big smile since the tournament is probably the most important tournament in our country and we won it for the second time in a row.\n\nSo we were there expecting to get our beloved prize. Some other tournament prizes were given, plates, photo-frames in a silver immitation, pots, jars etc. We are a poor country so we are used to poor prizes, someday I guess I will get a painted piece of cardboard. But for better or worse the prizes were in some way cheap but normal. Then our team was named and there we went.\nAstonished each member of the team received a big black octogon with an inscription.\n\nIn some sports you get a cup symbolizing the toss you make for your win, in other sports you may get something related to the activity where you succeded such as a ball in golf, sticks in hockey etc. The Lombrady trophy awarded to the superbowl winner is a football, you can also get a plate, a crown and other symbols but what the hell is a big black octogon?\n\nSince that day, specialists in symbolism around the world, documentalists and others are trying to determine the meaning of the Big Black Octogon. Maybe the secret is that the acronym for Big Black Octogon is BBO as in Bridge Base Online but what does this mean? Is it a secret message from our Bridge Organization telling us to play online and live them alone? Is this a secret way to advertise Bridge Base Online? A plot by Fred Gitelman? Who knows? \n\nSo if you know anything about black octogons and their relationship with sports, bridge or anything you are welcome to drop me an email.\n\n