broze

Megapeeve: When in a debate or argument, whether online or face to face, people insist on labouring the point that the views they are expressing are 'their opinion': "Well, that is my opinion and I'm entitled to it" ... "You have your opinions and I have mine" - as if that matters in the slightest. Your argument being 'your own opinion' does not make it cogent in any way and certainly does not mean it warrants any respect for that fact alone. Nine times out of ten the 'opinion holder' turns out to be completely uninterested in reasoned debate but merely wants to put forward a weak ill-informed viewpoint without having it challenged.

How about 1S - 2D - 2H - 3C - 4NT(nat 18-19) - 5C(slam accept, nat) - 5D - 5NT(pick a slam) - 6NT? I expect this is how the bidding would go in my partnership, though I wouldn't risk the nat 4NT undiscussed with a new partner.

What hand passes in response to 1NT but wants to double 2♥ for penalty? Having said that 2♠ would be a suity takeout for me anyway - maybe 4=0=(54). EDIT: Have just noticed we are in a weak NT context - perhaps that changes things..

Double cannot logically be anything other than takeout and there is no logical alternative to double here.

No, this is not right. Why would you want to play 4♠ in a 5-2 fit? Some people perhaps lump both the preference hand and the limit hand into 3S but I've never heard of taking preference at the 4 level.

I also asked "What's best?" and personally I think that the people qualified to answer that are per se experts. I did wonder whether to put the topic in natural bidding discussion but the fact that it has been moved to int/adv means I still don't know what I, as a non-expert, can possibly post in the Expert forums section. Maybe I shall stop and just post everything in 'Interesting Bridge Hands' and 'Natural Bidding'. Mgoetze, are there any auctions that you would consider worthy of the expert forum? If it is not the obscure stuff (and fwiw I do not consider my topic to be that obscure - I mean, it's a one-round auction) and it's not the basic stuff, then what? For example, the play of a hand which needs the diagnosis of a winkle squeeze I would consider obscure but I would probably expect only expert players to be able to find it. Whatever the criteria are for posting in the expert forum at least as a non-expert I can rest easy knowing that should I make a topic that isn't deemed suitable, the BBF experts will quickly fish it out.

South can just raise I think holding 3 tricks. North can't be bidding 6 missing first round ♥ control and both minor aces. Certainly can't blame North for blasting (though 5♥ immediately without discussion could be a bit of fun).

:) Nice. That one kind of forced itself on you doesn't it. Bless lefty for not leading a heart.

Trick 13 - Well done partner (and opponents of course)

Vs. weaker opps: open, vs. stronger opps: pass. Generally leaning towards pass though.

Innnteresting. This was going to be my followup question. The bidding at my table continued as follows: [hv=pc=n&e=sq97hkq63dj72c432&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=1h1s2hppd3h]133|200[/hv] Is this just bad bridge or can something be said for bidding this way?

This looks much more like a cup/tournament than a league...

I'm aware that partner can be pretty weak here. My point is that because he can be so wide ranging you'll miss plenty of slams. KTxx x Ax AQTxxx is probably the perfect minimum (13 HCP) and couldn't he be much much better than this?

[hv=pc=n&e=sq97hkq63dj72c432&d=w&v=n&b=16&a=1h1s]133|200[/hv] Teams. EDIT: CRAP. I had the vul the wrong way round!! EW non-vul otherwise WTP...

[hv=pc=n&e=saq94ht52dk86ck82&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=1cp1s4h4sp]133|200[/hv] As far as I can see, p can plausibly have anything from a shapely 12 to a pretty great hand. When should you make a move in this spot?

I think my team mate deigned it wise not to pull in view of the vulnerability. I take it you would bid 3♦ as South over 2♠ - (Dbl) then?

I would ask - why not? Unless of course you want to walk the dog a bit. I bid the same as OP with this hand but when our team mates brought back 6Dx+1 I wished I'd taken it a bit more slowly.

Surprise surprise, the auction from our teammates table: 2♠ - Dbl - AP. -800. Lose 14.

R/W, Teams [hv=pc=n&s=shat9843dqj765ck2&w=saqjt65hk652dk2c6&n=sk87432h7dt983c83&e=s9hqjda4caqjt9754&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=p1c1h1sp3c3d3sp4cp5cppp&p=hah2h7hqhth5c3hjs4s9c2s5dqdkd3d4c6c8ca]399|300[/hv] Any blame?

Transfer responses to 1♣ is basically blood-doping.

I think this is pretty standard rather than being a "point of view". 2NT in the balancing chair showing 18-19; a difficult hand to show if you start with double.

[hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=3s4hp]133|100[/hv] What is the standard way to play new suits here? What about 4♠? 5♥? 4NT? 5♠? 5NT? P and I thought that without discussion 5m would just be to play, but this seems pretty pointless. What's best?

Yes. Easy 4♠. Which means it's bound to be wrong here. :P

Playing natural(-ish) methods. [hv=pc=n&s=skqhaq6432dakt5ck&n=sj8642hkd97caqjt7]133|200[/hv] SOUTH dealer.

I don't want to play any slam here.. I expect I would play 4NT. Something like 1H-1S-3H-4D-4NT-AP.