daveharty

Get out there and use it. Then we would have a definitive answer to the "bidding vs. declarer play importance" debate.

I dunno, 2H doesn't seem such a stretch.

[hv=pc=n&s=skt8763h73daqckq3&w=sqj5hakqjtdk86c76&n=sa2h85dt73caj9842&e=s94h9642dj9542ct5&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=p1s2hppdp3cppp]399|300[/hv] EDIT: Imps.

Can anyone point me to a good English-language writeup of Swedish Club or a similar 2-way club system? I'm really interested in trying out something like this, but I couldn't find anything on Dan's systems page or with a quick Google search. GCC-legal please, or at least close enough that it could be with minor modifications. Thanks!

South 100%. North's 3D looks completely normal, I really don't understand the notion of bidding 3H with such poorly placed heart honors. As hotShot said, if South is going to ask for a heart stopper on this auction, he better have spades stopped himself. EW could still find the spade fit after 3D, but if so they might get too high with less room to investigate.

This hand came up at the club last night: [hv=pc=n&s=s852hq6dakqj875ca&n=sakhak985dt9cj643]133|200[/hv] South dealer, EW vulnerable. Nobody got to the cold 7NT here. My friends, whom I was kibitzing, got a shared top for 6NT. Can you suggest a reasonable/likely auction to 7NT, assuming standardish 2/1?

LOL that's priceless, thanks. I knew I voted for the wrong guy!

Um...yes. You caught me. ;)

http://www.i-mockery.com/generalzod/media/zod-scowl.jpg Kneel before Zar!

I was simply saying that I thought Siegmund's theoretical auction was (far) more likely than your suggestion that North might open a skewed 2NT. Surely if you decide the North hand is "notrumpish" you would not upgrade it to 20, would you? If your range for an opening 2NT is 18-20 or something, obviously that is a different story. Again, I wouldn't personally bid the North hand that way, but I can sort of see the appeal of rebidding 2NT rather than 3D, with more than half of your high card strength in your two short suits.

I think this is really stretching it. Siegmund's suggestion looks pretty reasonable to me (something like 1H-1S-2NT-6S); I wouldn't bid the north hand that way myself, but I've seen people do it before plenty of times, and it might work on this hand.

a) I don't think I could bring myself to pass, even though it might be a big winner. It's just too easy to construct minimum hands for partner where slam is at least good. Even as little as x/Axxx/Axxx/QJTx gives you a pretty good play for 6C and that is awfully light for a R/W double of 3S. So I will bite the bullet and bid 4S like rogerclee. b) Agree with others, easy 3NT. c) Good question, I don't really have an answer other than to agree with whereagles: suits are natural and to play, cue with a better hand.

The full hand: [hv=pc=n&s=skj53ht64dkq862cq&w=st9862haqdat43c85&n=saq4hj8753d75cj62&e=s7hk92dj9cakt9743]399|300[/hv] The openers are definitely right on this one. I doubt partner would bid the cold 3NT opposite 3C, but EW are certainly in line for a plus score. I passed, a decision I now think is mildly irrational. At the table I was swayed by the spade shortage.

Agreed, I think the second part of the question is pretty obvious. It looks like most people think the first part is pretty obvious too. :D

[hv=pc=n&n=sak962hadaj876c74&e=st8hkq52dqt9cjt98&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=1sp1n(forcing)p2dp2np3nppp]266|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Your agreements are 4th best leads vs. NT, UDCA, no Smith (sorry). Declarer is a Random Club Opponent, not an expert by any means. Partner leads the ♥4, and the play goes as follows: T1: ♥4, A, 2, 8. T2: ♠2, 8, Q, 3. T3: ♦2, K, A, T. T4: ♠K, T, 4, 5. T5: ♠A, ?

Yeah sorry, should've said it's matchpoints.

[hv=pc=n&e=s7hk92dj9cakt9743&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=ppp]133|200[/hv] EDIT: Matchpoints.

The two hands were: [hv=pc=n&s=sakq74hjt43djca64&n=sj8652h6dakt962c3]133|200[/hv] At the table, the auction was: 1S - 4H 5C - 5D 6S - p Easy game! When I asked him about the 4H bid, North cited its preemptive value (compared to a 4C splinter which he also considered), although I personally think the opps are MORE likely to find a heart fit after the heart splinter. In retrospect I think he likes 2D better. I think the discussion regarding the meaning of 1M-4NT is interesting, but it almost leaves aside the question of whether this hand is appropriate for it, whatever your agreements. I think I would be more inclined to approach it more slowly with 2D, it seems like preventing interference isn't the primary consideration here.

I realize this, but my initial reading of Phil's wording was that he was suggesting that trump length was the determining factor in the 2S/3S decision. My mistake. Phil, do you have any way to quantify this? I am used to playing a style where double-and-bid shows just about any hand from "a little too strong for a simple overcall" up to "just short of a game force". I like heavier simple overcalls than a lot of people, so this range isn't as great for me as it might be, but I can see how this still isn't optimal. Is partner expected to raise your double-and-jump suit with any hint of a cover card or ruffing value? Or, is the OP's hand an exceptional case because partner has already shown some values, so you are just showing a beefier-than-minimum hand (with a 6th spade)?

I find this really interesting. While I agree that 2S doesn't guarantee six spades, I have never heard of a non-jump new suit rebid by doubler denying a sixth card.

I was just kibbing some friends and this hand came up: [hv=pc=n&n=sj8652h6dakt962c3&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=1sp]133|200[/hv] What's your pleasure, and why?

Agree with MrAce. Also, the reason one makes a takeout double is either to solicit partner's opinion about the best strain to play in, OR to show the big hand. With a hand that wanted simply to suggest playing in spades and didn't have lots of extras, you would have just overcalled 1S. Partner's 2D bid doesn't preclude playing in spades, either; the auction is still live, so if 2H gets passed around to partner with say, 6 diamonds and 4 spades, he can still balance with 2S.

I don't think that's what would happen here. "Abusing the rules" and "following the rules" are quite different; "expecting others to follow the rules" might seem to fall somewhere in between in the eyes of some, but you didn't lose this board fair and square. I agree 100% with relaxing your "director alarm" when you are playing in a beginner field; it's silly to call the director for things like tempo issues when the opponents are probably just legitimately trying to figure out how to bid their cards and not drawing any inferences whatsoever from their partner's hesitations. But at no level of bridge is it okay to double and then say "Partner, that was a penalty double, I've got them beat," which is essentially what happened to you. Your opponent very well might be upset about it, even if you are perfectly friendly about calling the director and remain neutral and nonjudgmental about relating the facts to the director. But your opponent needs to understand that A) a director call is not a personal attack; and B) that kind of table talk truly does impair others' enjoyment of the game. As long as you are pleasant about it, I don't think LHO is likely to harbor a grudge.

This is a convenient metarule, but is it necessarily true? What about over a precision 1D? I was North, and while I was 90% certain partner had H+D, he could have bid 1NT with a light distributional takeout, and I assumed he would double with a more value-based takeout hand, so I decided it was just barely possible he had the minors. Since diamonds are the common denominator of the two possible interpretations, I decided it was safest to bid them; also my diamonds were better, which seemed a reasonable factor since diamonds and hearts are in a sense equivalent when the opponents are bidding spades, and I didn't think there was any chance whatsoever we were playing 4H on the hand. I didn't double because I thought, as ArtK78 mentioned, that partner's 2NT was often going to be a weak hand suggestive of a sacrifice. I knew that if partner DID have the reds, then my club suit was a big defensive asset, but I wasn't sure that was enough to double. Maybe that was too timid. Vianu2, I couldn't really parse your comments, other than to understand that you think I am "just insane" for bidding 4D (I assume you meant North in that comment, rather than South). I considered jumping to 5D, but I thought I had an above-average amount of defense for the auction (assuming partner did have the red suits), so I thought 4S--which seemed to me almost certain to be bid--might not be making. Also, congratulations on your upcoming centennial.

[hv=pc=n&s=sat2hq8743dakt64c&w=sqj75hakt5d8ck754&n=s9hj962dqj92caqj8&e=sk8643hd753ct9632&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=1cp1s2n3s4d4s5d5sppp]399|300[/hv] N/S are a new partnership with few agreements. North wasn't sure if South's 2NT bid was "two suits" or "minors", hence the 4D bid rather than 4H. South underled his diamond AK and got a club ruff, so N/S were +300; who should have punished E/W for their aggressive (or suicidal) bidding?