mr1303

4S if it does 4S if it doesn't. As far as I'm aware, this should show a good strong suit, but not solid (3S the first time round). I have nothing extra to show, so I'll make a discouraging bid. I won't try 3NT with no stopper in either red suit.

Well, I watched the whole thing, and as a result I'll be driving my car around as much as I possibly can, in protest against these pseudo-communist environmentalists.

Someone (Hrothgar I believe) said that when posting UI problems, you should present them without the UI, to discover whether or not something was a logical alternative. That would be useful here. With no UI I would try 4H (might have tried it at my second go after the double).

[hv=d=s&v=n&s=sakqxxhxxdcakqjxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] What is your bidding plan with this hand? Firstly, what do you open the bidding with? Nothing fancy like MisIry. [hv=d=s&v=n&s=sakqxxhxxdcakqjxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Partner opens 1H. You're playing Bergen raises. What do you try here? 2NT (GF) or 3D (limit) are your obvious choices. If you try 2NT, partner shows a club shortage. What now?

I'm going to be wrong and suggest Angleterre. We did beat Bermuda you know...

I'm following a new strategy with hands like this, by passing first up. I'm awaiting my 9 card suits to try it out however.

I'm ashamed to say I did something similar to that yesterday. I heard an explanation of a bid as "key card Blackwood for spades" at a previous table. I held: AQxx AKQxx xx xx And opened this 1S (playing 4 card majors and a weak NT, so it isn't completely without merit) As it was, the auction proceeded 1S 2D 2H 3NT which I passed out, and partner picked up +660 without much difficulty.

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=s10xxxhkqxdxxcaqxx&s=sakjxxhxxdackxxxx]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] We had the following sequence: 1D (Precision style, 0+ cards, not 15-17 balanced) 1S 2S (may be 3 card support) 3C (natural long-suit game try) 3S 4S Result +480. Who should do more to find this, or are we just unlucky? How would you get there?

I'm well and truly done with this hand. If we make something partner would have been heard from at his turn to bid

Did I read it correct that East led the K of spades after playing the A of diamonds? If so, that sounds wild and gambling to me, in which case a split score does sound legitimate.

Do I play Lebensohl here? If so, can I show a hand with no spade stopper (I'm not too happy on running 9 off the top on a spade lead if partner has nowt in the suit). Otherwise I'll try either double or 3NT, perhaps 3NT without much conviction.

I would bid 2C on this hand every single time, without even considering what might go wrong. Having thought about it though, I think the opponents making 4H is a bigger risk than me going for a number in 2C. And I'll still bid 2C.

Back to Matt's point about the EBU's rule of 25 minimum. It annoyed me no end when I saw people open 2C on something like AKxxxxxxx and describe it as 8 playing tricks etc. etc. and then explain their choice of opening as "wanting to pre-empt both majors". I'm glad to say that they can no longer do that without having an Ave- / Ave+ ruling against them.

For what it's worth, with EVERY partner whom I play any sort of 1NT X runout, I play the DONT escape. I hate having to decide between 1NT XX or a silly 2 level 4-3 fit with my random 6-7 counts.

Humph. England start playing some vaguely decent cricket as soon as I cancel my sky sports subscription. Not fair. Still, well played England for actually winning a trophy this winter. My records suggest that out of the two going this winter, it seems to be 1-1. Therefore a drawn season down under doesn't seem to be that bad a result(!)

Not for me I'm afraid. I must admit my first response was no way ever, but lots of people say it's close, so maybe I'm wrong.

Just out of interest, what do the spectators think of the tempo that us operators went at yesterday? Obviously in a normal broadcast you have to go at the speed of the players, but in this event we have much more control over it.

New Zealand managed to get 317 this morning. I've cancelled my sky sports subscription as a result. I only had it to watch the cricket.

Can we see the complete hands?

I'd expect this to be on the heart finesse. Unfortunately this will be offside. I have reasonable defence to 5 of a minor either way, so I'll let them have it.

I don't see where this thread is going at all. 1) If partner's double is for penalty, I pass. Void or no void. 2) If partner'd double is for take-out, I want to know whether it a) shows 4 spades or :) denies 4 spades. If a) I definitely bid 4S over the double of 3NT, if :) I put down the dummy. Even if I play non-forcing free bids, they only apply if the intervention has forced me to bid higher than I wanted to. I believe this is common. E.g 1D (1S) 2H is not forcing, because the intervention has removed the 1H bid. However 1D (1H) 2C is still forcing, since if the opponent had passed I'd still have to bid clubs at the 2 level.

I understand the basic premise about a double suggesting something extra for the 4H bid, I just don't feel that the North hand is worth it. He's bid his hand when bid 4H, and forced the opponents to guess what to do at the 4 level. They may have guessed wrong by bidding 4 spades, and East may make a slam try that would fail. OK, it got a good result here, but I think this is the ends-justifying-the-means scenario

Why is the North hand doubling 4S? :)

1D. Nothing else occurred to me in 1st or 2nd seat.

Just to confuse the issue. Mike Lawrence in his conventions CD recommends that the only non-forcing bid after 1m pass 2NT is pass. In other words 1D 2NT 3D is forcing.