daveharty

I thought you might be right, so I went back and looked at the hand record. There is indeed a club ruff available, and it comes in the short trump hand, so +620 SHOULD be the max result in spades. The only pair who took eleven tricks in spades was inexplicably playing in 2S, but even their silly score beat ours. :( And you're right about the other hand, I misspoke. There were no 620s, everyone was making 11+ tricks.

1. [hv=pc=n&w=sa7642h953dak2caq&e=s53hakjdj85c98652]266|100[/hv] If you passed intending to pass partner's reopening double, +800. Declarer can't get to dummy. If you doubled, partner will declare NT, +400. If you bid NT yourself, -50. 2. [hv=pc=n&w=sa3hk7djt95ckq984&e=skq9hq642dk862cj7]266|100[/hv] The layout was kind. If you invited, +400. 3. [hv=pc=n&w=sat65hkq95dkck954&e=s8hjt73dajcaqt762]266|100[/hv] If you doubled, I'm not sure that you could get back to the cold slam in clubs, but I'll assume you could stay out of the doomed heart slam (the defense will have two chances to get their club ruff). +650, the most common result. If you bid 3S, +1370 for a shared top. If you bid 2S (as I did, in a momentary brain freeze; I swear I meant to pull out 3S!), +600 in 3NT for a terrible score. I won't let you recover. 4. [hv=pc=n&w=sak5432h6dckt9852&e=s86hajt3dkj8cq764]266|100[/hv] I doubled 4D and partner sat, for +100 and a rotten result. I didn't really agree with partner's bidding, though I have some sympathy. I share Rainer's view that the 3NT bid must be based at least in part on a club fit, so I would have bid 5C in his shoes. If you raised clubs, +620, unless you really think you could have gotten to the cold slam; if so I won't argue! If you doubled 3D, I doubt partner would sit for it, so you might reach 5C too.

Neither bad bidding nor lucky bidding know boundaries, they are universal.

Ah...I didn't read the spoiler. I think the hand is an ace or king short of 3C despite the (possible) spade fit.

Given that you didn't open 3NT, then I think 2C is better than 2S. What's the old saw about "What do you call a seven-card suit?"

1. I didn't say responder won't have more information. In fact, he frequently will. I said the one with more complete information "captains the hand", and the only reason I used that terminology was because I was quoting Scoti. 2. I realized what the context of the comment was. I was stating my belief that Scoti's assertion that "bidding 4 later 'showing a better hand' makes no difference here since opener captains the hand, not P" wasn't necessarily accurate, especially for those who use the jump to 4M (after opening 1M) to show a specific type of hand. 3. I wasn't aware that 1M-1NT-4M guaranteed, or even suggested, a 7-2-2-2 hand. Even if that were the case, however, I can imagine hands where I would want to make a slam try as responder; specifically a hand that had a 3 card limit raise or something similar. Not everyone plays Drury. I'm sure you are correct that the frequency would be pretty low, but again, this specific example was just contrived on the spur of the moment to illustrate my point about responder not necessarily being a non-party in the auction after opener jumps to 4M. I'm sure there are better examples.

Disagree with this. The one with more complete information about the partnership assets captains the hand, not necessarily the opener. Since 1S-1NT-4S (for example) generally shows a certain type of hand, and one that's better than this, it's easy to imagine a scenario where your passed hand partner would make a slam move after that start to the auction.

1. Okay, looks like most are passing here, which is what I did, although I also considered doubling like Phil. I guess the more interesting question is, What do you do when partner reopens with a double? 2. I thought it was a fairly obvious pass too. +150 for a near bottom. DAMN YOU FIELD! 3. I'll wait a little while before revealing my folly on this hand. 4. I chose 3NT. I'm surprised by ArtK78's objection to 1NT; opposite a simple overcall, I thought this was about exactly what I should have. At any rate, the auction continued: (pass)-4C-(4D) back to me. Now what?

Four more problems from last night's club game. You are playing standard-ish 2/1 with a regular partner this week, who is a sound bidder and pretty good card player. 1. [hv=pc=n&e=s53hakjdj85c98652&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=p1s2c]133|200[/hv] Your opponents for this board are a known quantity; RHO is almost certain NOT to have her bid. 2. [hv=pc=n&e=skq9hq642dk862cj7&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=pp1cp1hp1np]133|200[/hv] Worth an invitation? 3. [hv=pc=n&e=s8hjt73dajcaqt762&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=p1c1s]133|200[/hv] The three calls I considered at the table were double, 2S, and 3S. What do you think of each, and what would your plan be? 4. [hv=pc=n&e=s86hajt3dkj8cq764&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=pp1d1sp1n2d3c3d]133|200[/hv] Your partnership style is not to open balanced 11 counts, though this comes close. Your call now?

Mea Culpa! I had intended to alter the hearts so that it was purely a matter of controlling the "danger hand" entries. It's a lot harder as it actually came up at the table. For future answers, just pretend South has KJx of hearts; as it turned out, the only way to make the hand was to play it that way anyway. Sorry, this was really supposed to be an intermediate at best problem.

I moderate a "play and discuss" table every week in the Beginner/Intermediate Lounge, and this hand came up recently: [hv=pc=n&s=sa97hkj4dkqtcqj75&n=sqj83hat2d52ck842&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=pp1nd2cp2dp3nppp]266|200[/hv] West's double showed a single-suited (6+) hand. West leads the diamond 7 to East's nine and your ten. This is a common scenario, with declarer needing to go after TWO sources of tricks in order to fulfill the contract; here, spades and clubs. In which order do you attack those suits? If you choose the wrong order, the defense will be able to set up diamonds before you get to nine tricks. Is it just a guess? How do you proceed? Advanced+, please hide your answers. EDIT: Changed South's heart holding to make this an intermediate problem. Much harder as originally posted.

Count me in for 3NT, but I really hope mycroft is wrong about partner's likely diamond holding, because then 3NT could get very ugly if LHO has a spade to lead. A tougher question for me is, do I run to diamonds if RHO doubles?

Quit sugarcoating, Hog, and tell us what you really think.

Did I just get smooched, or re-redoubled?

How do you play a second round cuebid by the partner of a 1NT overcaller? For example: 1. (1C)-1NT-(pass)-2C-(pass)-2D/2M-(pass)-3C 2. (1C)-1NT-(pass)-2D/2H-(pass)-2H/2S-(pass)-3C Assume opponents are playing a standardish system, so 1C promises 3+. 1NT is standard, 15-18 or so, with systems on. Is there any difference if the opening bid was 1D, promising 4+ except in a hand specifically 4=4=3=2? I can think of several possibilities: natural (especially over 1C), asking for stopper verification, secondary transfer, etc. What is best?

Sadly, I expect that some would, holding AKxxx xx xxx Axx.

Yeah, the more I think about it the less I like 2NT, mostly because if the auction goes 1S-2NT-4S I'm back to a complete guess. I guess I'll jump on the 2H bandwagon, but I do kinda like the Soloway JS idea if available.

Your wording is a little confusing, but I think you are asking for examples of hands where a 4C rebid (after the auction starts 1C-(1H)-1S-(3H)) is the best, most descriptive rebid. Cyberyeti and MrAce have given several example hands where this is the case, and they can perhaps be generalized as "hands that would have rebid 3C in an unobstructed auction which starts 1C-1S" (although Cyberyeti's example hand is pretty extreme; a 1C-1S-3C rebid with that four-loser moose seems a little weak, although nothing better springs immediately to mind).

Bleh. I agree it's too strong for a 4D splinter, unless you play two-tiered splinters where 4D is the more slammish option, but even then I think Phil's right, if partner signs off you are guessing. I guess I'll try 2NT with no clear conviction; a 4C rebid would get me excited, a 3H rebid would raise a red flag, etc. I could easily be convinced that 2H was better, or even 3H if playing Soloway-style jump shifts.

Your logic eludes me. Nowhere did MrAce say he would do any such thing; he simply said, quite correctly, that the auction 1C-(1H)-1S-(3H)-4C did got guarantee spade support, which you had claimed was the case, in a post where you erroneously stated that auction was analogous to the unobstructed auction 1C-1S-4C (the standard meaning about which, I think, you are slightly confused; at least where I'm from, it shows FOUR spades, not three). As far MrAce "being in trouble" if he played with me, I have kibitzed him a few times and he has always struck me as a good player and a fine partner. I would be happy to play with him, and if we did so, I would expect us to do just fine (with him carrying me, of course :) ).

I'm not sure what this is supposed to mean, are you suggesting that bidding 1S with this hand is unusually aggressive? I would say that passing with this hand, when you have five points and a chance to show a five card major at the one level, is unusually timid. I'm not sure what you mean by "3H is invitational for you?"--of course I don't play that 3H in the given auction is invitational, I have either a cuebid or a transfer advance of partner's overcall to take care of that kind of hand. I don't know anyone who would play 3H there as invitational. As for 1S being "forcing", well yes, I don't expect partner to pass it, but it doesn't show any extra strength over the 1H overcall. In fact, I would suggest that it could be made with quite a weak hand, because if the auction threatens to get competitive, it's advantageous to bid your suit/s if at all possible (especially holding spades). I couldn't decipher the last part of your post, sorry.

Agree.

Quite true about partnership agreements. There are many bidding sequences that are not so "set in stone" that you couldn't come up with reasonable (if possibly inferior) meanings for them, and it's better to be playing slightly inferior methods that both partners know well than to be playing theoretically superior methods that one or both partners keeps forgetting or that they haven't discussed in depth. Re. your questions in 4., the "boss" of the auction is the one who has the more complete information about the combined assets of the partnership. On this particular hand, your first question about hand ownership is closely related to this, because if your responses to the takeout double are fairly tightly defined, then the doubler will know which side "owns" the hand. I personally would have bid 3H with partner's hand, but I do think it's pretty maximum for that bid, and not too far off from what I would expect for a 4H bid from my partner. As for vianu2's comment, we shouldn't evaluate the sanity or wisdom of a call based on the results of one particular hand. I agree that bidding 5D at the prevailing vulnerability was probably suspect, but unless we know what opener's hand was it's hard to judge.

Or even less! Wouldn't you bid 1S with QTxxx xx Kxxx xx? Have fun in 4S doubled there.

Huh? I never said any such thing. I said that I would cuebid: 1) with equal length in the majors and an invitational or better hand; or 2) with a game-forcing hand without clear direction that wants more information, or 3) with a hand that is interested in slam. I would cuebid with your third example hand, planning on raising a heart bid from partner or finding out if partner had a diamond stopper if he bid spades. We might land in hearts, notrump, or even clubs. I think you are referring to the example hand that Phil constructed, where I said I would cuebid with Axx AQJxxx xxx x, but not with Axx AQJxxx xx xx. As I said, the reason was that with the first hand, it's easy to imagine partner with a perfect minimum takeout double that makes slam a favorite, e.g. KJxx Kxxx x Axxx, while the second hand needs more from partner. But I certainly didn't say that I would never cuebid unless I had shortness. EDIT: And I will also add that relying on the opponents to keep the auction alive when you and your partner have stopped at the one level on 25+ hcp is not a dependable strategy.