mr1303

Pass. I'd bid over 2S but 3S is a spot too far.

2NT should be 18-19 balanced here if I play strong (15-17) NT. 3C is an "are-you-sure partner?" bid. suggesting doubt about NT. As Paul said, partner is allowed to show something useful, either a) a solid club stopper (3NT), 3 card spade support (3S), strong hearts (3H) or maybe a useful diamond fragment in an emergency (3D).

Well, the 1 day series was much more exciting. I had the priviledge to be at Bristol for the 300+ a side contest, and England deserved their series win. Who will take the World Twenty20?

I'm certainly not going to blame South. He has a 4333 hand with only 1 useful king, and as has been stated on recent posts, partner has been pressurised by the opponents. I think to bid 5 of a minor with this hand is hanging partner for his enterprise. North I think should be closer to forcing to game with his hand, either by 4NT, or a double of 3S (partner may pass it for penalties when no game is making).

A second question that I think warrants a mention: Is the fact that I bid 3H when 2C was natural AI or UI to partner? In other words, is he allowed to pull 3NT to 4H?

You hold: [hv=d=n&v=n&s=sk10xxhkxxxdaxcajx]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] You open 1NT in 3rd seat, and the bidding proceeds: 1NT 2C 3C P ? Playing on BBO, the 2C overcall was initially not alerted. You ask, and the explanation given is "nat". You bid 3H (in your agreements, 3C here is staymanic). After this, LHO corrects his explanation and puts majors in the description box. You don't have a director, so you can't call one. You request an undo and change your bid to 3NT. Anyway, dummy hits with: Q8xx 109xx KQJx x 1) What is the correct initial action if there had been a director present. 2) 3NT went down 3. 4H is likely to be down 1, as is 4S, but there is a chance of it making on certain lines of play. How do you rule? (The 2C overcall had a club suit, but the partnership agreement is that 2C shows both majors).

Pass, but not a pass wtp. I would happily compete to 3C here, but I think the 4 level is a bit much, and this isn't the hand for a spade moisian.

Another exercise in the bleedin' obvious. My guess is that something went badly wrong (such as 3D going for -800 or similar), else this wouldn't be here.

Have limit raises gone out of fashion these days? I wouldn't splinter on ANY of these.

It is my firm belief that pass = to play. It could be a 4333 or similar hand with nowhere to go, or a reasonable hand that reckons you could make, or a rock crusher that would have bid 3NT. Let the opponents find out. Any system that forces you to decide between running or playing 1NTxx isn't worth it. Over that, I play xx = a 5 card or longer suit that you want to play in, and 2 of anything shows that suit and a higher ranking suit, at least 4-4. I've never had any difficulties with this method, and it's easy to remember as well.

1S is a real spin of the roulette wheel. Sometimes you'll kill the opponents suit and you'll get rich, the majority of the time you'll give them an easy 1100 or worse when partner raises you. If you do decide to psyche a suit you don't have, you're much better off doing it on a 3 card suit, since if partner does raise, opponents will play each other for shortage in the suit and may not double.

I'd be willing to cut pard some slack if this was a fit auction, but it isn't, so partner should have a fair hand for this balance. So 4H it is.

1S for me. Because I have the spade suit. If I held hearts I might well consider a 3H opening, but I see no reason to pre-empt here.

Well, I value this as a 3 card limit raise, and without Drury as a passed hand I make a 2/1 then show spade support later (if there is a later). So I bid 2C, depending on showing spade support later.

Since this is the Beginner / Intermediate forum, what ulven has posted is significantly non-standard. If a 1NT response is forcing/semi-forcing, then the sequence 1M 1NT 2X 2M may contain support for the major if the hand is minimum/sub-minimum, e.g. around 4-6 HCP, and is designed so it sounds like a mere preference (imagine a normal 1NT response to 1 of a major), which is discouraging to partner. The idea is that 1M 2M is constructive (7-10 or so). Typically 1M 1NT 2X 3M is 10-12 with 3 card support, not what ulven has suggested.

I'll go with 5H Presumably this must be a grand slam try, since if I was only interested in 6 I'd just bid it? However I don't expect partner to do anything encouraging on this auction.

No, I think I've said my piece. Partner hasn't really encouraged me here. Whilst I may not have that many losers, I don't have that many winners opposite not the greatest of fits, and I may well need a 3-2 spade break to even have a chance.

In which case a holding like 3 small spades is reasonably likely, which may hinder attempts to set the spade suit up, so I stand by my decision to pass.

As I understand it, partner would have bid 2H holding AQxxx, so he doesn't. Therefore it is possible that we have a trump loser, in addition to the fact that unless the spades run right from the off, we'll have a diamond loser on the guaranteed diamond lead. Therefore I pass. I admit it's close.

No. If we in practise do play 4D here as last train, partner is likely to have too much wastage in clubs, and on a likely diamond lead I think we'll have too much to do. Would partner show 3 card spade support in preference to mentioning his 4 hearts?

Yes, given that I've denied 1st round diamond control I'll show my second round diamond control. This may be a slight overbid, but if partner has a minor he should only open 2C if he REALLY means it.

Well I wouldn't bid 4H on a 3 card suit here. Partner asked for my best suit, and that's diamonds, so I bid them. Whether I bid 4 or 5 diamonds depends on the rest of my hand, but I think bidding 4H on a 3 card suit is asking for trouble.

Yes, the bidding was somewhat less than optimal, but unfortunately rather standard amongst BBO "experts"

I'm ashamed to say my position has now changed as well. I'd be there with 1H like a shot.

Well, I chose 4C, and partner had a big go at me, saying that this bid showed a much stronger hand than I had, and that I should only bid 3S. That aside, doesn't pulling 4H to 4S show spades and diamonds, rather than both majors with significantly stronger spades?