SimonFa

Isn't the idea behind Rule of 15 that you are worried that if you open ops can outbid you in a part score auction as they are likely to have Spades and you need to be able to go to a higher level to win the auction? Here we have the boss suit, and 2nd boss, so we are unlikely to be pushed in to the 3 level. With one of my regular partners I pass as he opens and raises on garbage with another more conservative partner I try 1S followed by 2H over 1NT. Simon

If partner is a minimum and you have 6-9 points then ops have the balance of power and it is likely LHO is itching to bid. In this case 1NT has some preemptive value as well as keeping the bidding open if partner is stronger. Furthermore, I have learned the hard way playing against weak NT that 1NT is notoriously difficult to defend against so now I don't worry too much about being left in it.

Thanks all for the quick responses. Sadly we don't play fit showing jumps so I took CHO for having good Clubs and an opening hand. Unfortunately he has a penchant fetish for weak jumps, yes even on this sequence, and 5C went 2 down. However it didn't really matter as 3D was the best we could do and we were destined for a bottom as all other tables played in 2 or 3 diamonds. I shall keep trying to reign him in and suggest fit showing jumps here. Regards, Simon PS This is the only partner I can get who is willing to play 2/1, the rest around here all want to play natural Acol so I will be persevering

MPs, R v R ♠J63 ♥AKQJ96 ♦Q752 ♣Void 1H (P) 1S (2C) ? Playing support double so you can show 3 spades. If you do double it continues: X (3C) 3S (4C) ? Now what? If you bid 4H partner bids 4S If you don't double what do you bid? As it happens the winning line appears to be to open 4H which shuts out ops who can make 5C but that never entered my head. As always, thanks in advance, Simon

Slight disagreement with pard when we got a bottom. MPs, W v W I haven't got the hands but 2D bid was something like: Jxxx Hx AKTxxx K (1H) 2D (p) 4C We playing 2/1. Ops playing Acol so could be 4-card major. What do you expect from pard and what's your bid? As always, thanks in advance, Simon

Thanks everyone, very helpful. Simon

I can't remember the exact hand but as this is just a general principle question it doesn't matter: AQxxx xx AKJTx (I think it was T, if it wasn't does it make a difference? x No interference, I opened 1S and partner responds 2NT promising 4 spades and 13+ HCP. Should I bid 3C splinter, which leaves bidding space and certainly implies a longish red suit or 4D showing the rather good diamond suit, which also implies a short suit somewhere? In the end I bid 3C and partner signed off in 4H AQx in clubs. What are the pros and cons? It was MPs would IMPs make a difference? As I say above would a slightly weaker Diamond suit make a difference? Thanks in advance, Simon PS The More I think about the more I think 4D was a better bid. I know a couple of pairs in the club revers the splinter and long suit levels ie on this hand 3d WOULD SHOW THE LONG SUIT.

But even on hands without the diamond help suit bid GIB missed the play.

Probably a bit much for us to take in at this stage of the partnership, but I'll be puting this aside for later discussion. We are both keen to develop, but baby steps first :) Regards, Simon

That's a good point, I'm not sure what 3C would be over 1NT would be, and I hadn't thought about the 3NT over 3C not showing which minor. As I say in my reply above, I think we need to consider changing our methods. Regards, Simon

I prefer 2s => Clubs, 2NT => Diamonds but partner didn't play this when we met and I didn't push it as I play 2S => minor pass or correct clubs with another, Acol, partner. I haven't heard of using the intermediate step, its an interesting idea and I'll give it more thought and discuss with partner. Simon

Partner had this problem last night: R v W, MPs AKQJ K982 K8 JT9 5 A6 AQ5 Q876532 Its not something we have discussed and when partner bid 5C opposite my 1NT opening I considered he had a similar hand and would have bid 6C with more controls. As it happens 5C making wasn't a great score, 30%, as 3NT plays well. In the circumstances I think partner made a good bid, but is there a better way to bid it? We play 2S as minor transfer with 3C response as pass or correct. Partner was worried that a transfer to 3C and then bidding 3NT would miss a slam. Was he right to consider slam an option? Was he unfortunate to find so many of my points wasted in spades? As always, thanks in advance for your thoughts. Simon PS As a supplementary question, I considered upgrading this hand and opening 1S and then 2NT. Would that have been a reasonable decision? I was put off by the adverse vulnerability, first seat and as a new partnership we tend to be honest with our NT bidding.

Thanks everyone, some good advice. I've obviously read too many anti 2C opening bids in these forums to the point of not recognising an obvious opportunity. Regards, Simon

I'm not complaining because for once I was a beneficiary of GIB's seemingly random play, but I was surprised to find only one GIB found the killing return in this tourney: Regards, Simon

A couple more HCP points or a bit more distribution maybe 7321. As I said, (new) partner would have bid 2C on this, old partner wouldn't. The more I think about it the more I think 2C is the call with him and possibly with GIB.

Normally 16+ so its a bit on the strong side.

You haven't seen my declarer play :) Seriously though, a good point and one that passed me by. Simon

I know its a Robot Tournament but this set of results really is weird. 18 tables of which: 10 tables 3S+2 8 tables 4S-1 1 table 4S-2 Just goes to show how important the lead is, I suppose. Regards, Simon

I was stuck on this hand and so got a bit agricultural in the end and would welcome any thoughts? MPs, WvR, dumb robots in other chairs but I'm mainly interested in different agreements rather than the pros and cons of GIB as I'd like to send this hand to partner as a discussion point. ♠ AQ ♥ A8 ♦ A5 ♣ AQT9874 First problem was what to open? Surely far too distributional for 2N even though NT might be the best place? I don't like 2C, not strong enough, although my partner might push it and it is forcing to 2NT in our system. We also play 2H as double negative over 2C so it might extract some info. Against GIB the bidding went: (P) 1C (P) 1D (P) 3C (P) 3NT (P) 6NT All pass I didn't like my options after 1D and in hindsight think 3C wasn't a good bid, but not sure what? In the end I didn't want to bypass 3NT and there is still a chance we have 4 losers if partner has something like Qxxx Qxx Jxxxx x, but it is unlikely. I did consider 4NT as invitational but as you can see just went for it. Thanks in advance, Simon

Of course it not a safety play, don't know what I was thinking about! As to the best line thinking about it further if ruffing the first trick, drawing trumps and then playong A♣ does set up 13 tricks if ♣KQ doubleton, but I make that a bit less than 3% if I understand the theory correctly.

Ok, I appreciate that safety play and MP aren't something that generally go together, but this recent hand struck me as crying out for a safety play. All red and you find yourself in 6♠ after a tortuous bidding sequence that could be a thread on its own. ♠ Q7653 ♥ A54 ♦ 4 ♣ AJT5 ♠ AKT82 ♥ QT92 ♦ AJT3 ♣ Void Lead ♣K. You have no reason to believe that the lead isn't honest and therefore shows the Q, what's your strategy? My thought process: Did I miss anything? As always, thanks in advance, Simon

Thanks everyone, some interesting thoughts. I was concerned about this bid in 4th seat but it looks like it was reasonable, perhaps some of my studying is paying off :) I appreciate that Don's suggestion was a bit esoteric for us B/I, but I do like to see these thoughts occasionally, even if its something that I won't be using. Having said that, I wouldn't like to see this area clogged up with too much A/E stuff. Once again, thanks all for your time and thoughts, Simon

Yeah, stop outsourcing the production and distribution to thugs, psychopaths and criminals. Legalise the whole lot of it start collecting taxes.

Very well organised and worthy winners all, well done. Simon

Hmm should have read the whole thread first; I see its far too late to get on to a team let alone start a new one. Can I request that match times are posted by captains so we can kib ;) (Assuming I ever get my life back from this project in BA)