bigbenvic

If I duck a club, can I set up enough ruffs to make ten tricks. Maybe try and lose 2 ♦ and 1♣ in the North hand and ruff the rest. I may be an entry short if they don't cash diamonds.

YES, it's all about the beer card!

Same for me Gnasher, I'd hope for the higher ♦ if he wanted a ♠ switch so low ♣ it is - Just in case N has Kx and I can make him guess.

I like this auction, though I wonder how it goes if Opener passes 2♠ instead of bidding 3♥.

We have an agreement that to do so he'd need 2263 or eqivalent as 2♦ can be as shapey 6-5. But yes I was releived when he didn't pass!

He is cueing rather than using blackwood so he must be interested in other things than the main control cards. What would 5nt be? for me it's a GS try asking about trumps which doesn't fit this hand. 5♥ should deny a second diamond control and a second spade control but would it be a signoff? Or could it show this hand, (Ax & Axx) or is it stronger but waiting ie Q's & J's in ♦ & ♠? For me it's the weaker signoff option as I could be cueing first or second round controls. If you don't cue that way, then I would make 5♥ stronger than 6♥! So I'm bidding 6♥ either way, I have no extra's but I think I've enough opposite pards mini slam try.

I disagree with that. 29 HCP and fitting shapes ie 1st round control of the 2 short suits, it matters not which Kings they have. Imagine swapping the minor suit Kings out and putting in the Ks and QJ clubs (to balance the points) you now have 4s 4 trumps (losing the Ace) 2 minor Aces for 10 and only need 2 club ruffs for 12 tricks. The whole point of showing singletons is to find these 'lucky' slams, finding no losers in these short suits Especially when 1 hand knopws they have 9+ trumps is a green light for me, not a red one. I agree that if I find I have KQ opposite a singleton I'm sad (wasted values) but not when I find out that he has stiff Ace.

Would Partner bid 2s with that? Is 3d forcing here? What would 3c be? I don't like 3nt here, too many times partner won't have the AD and they lead a spade, we have only 1 stopper and the hand unravels on me. if 3d is forcing I'm bidding that, if not I'm bidding 4d. I want to be in 5d and in g if partner has 2 of the 3 controls I need. If I played 4s exclusion, I would probably bid it!

Should you use Jacoby with a stiff club as North? I would splinter, so auction might go 1h 3c 3d* 3s* (*cues) 4c* 5h** 6h **After hearing partner has both minor aces you only need solid trumps for 6 (AKQ and grand is possible) so 5h asks about trump quality, pass with 1 of top 3, bid 6 with 2 and with all 3 show another feature. So I blame north for not splintering (unless they don't play splinters) say 50% And then I blame south for 50% for just bidding game over 3h with a suitable hand for going further! A six loser hand is worth a kick after partner GF's and shows a mild interest in more than game.

I would have finessed in spades, only as the wk 2 opener 'has' to have the spade king for his bid. Otherwise he opened very weak, even for a weak 2. Best hand I ever held was a 4432 29 count. I chose a 2d opening which showed 4+4+ in the Majors less than an opening hand, when partner bid 2♠ showing a real prefernce but weak, I jumped to 6♠, which made and was on memory an equal top with 6nt not able to make.

1 I'd double 2 I'd pass 3 I'm wary, I double but I'm not sure I'm getting too much out of it.

The double here I like as either hand with 3♠ and GF or better!! (3♥ is GF looking for 3NT) or a near GF hand, that can't bid 2NT, eg a 2263, 1363 15+HCP. It's not penalty but if partner has a misfitting hand that wants to punish 2♥ opposite a 15+ hand then yum. With a ♥ void or a stiff Ace I may bid 3♥ and then 4♠ if I was GF. I would also X with some 55 and 64 ♦/♣ hands, but I'd want a hand that had A's & K's and lacking in QJ10 & 9's.

With no agreements X is a stronger hand, 2♠ shows 3, 3♣ should show shape and a better than minimum opening hand, 2NT is balanced Minimum (if 1NT is weak then 15-16) denying 3♠ so pass is the bid. 2♠ is the next best bid IMO and then 3♣, but I think pass is clear cut.

I use double to show the other 2 suits at least 4-4 1♠ shows 4+ so I'd pass the first round. When partner doesn't re-open with a double he has heart length, so I'm going to bid either 2♠ @mps or 2♣ @imps. 2♥ would be a hand that wanted to smack 1♥ and is probably invitational or better which I'm not. Is Txx a half stopper? Is that what he's asking for? I think it might be better for partner to play 3NT than I so I'll bid 3♠, hey maybe we play there!

I don't understand your post. Unless you explain their system and the nuances that exist, by agreement, then you cannot know if they are wrong in bidding this way. I wouldn't open a weak hand 1♣ but might do if I was Stronger, especially if the ♠ was Qxxxx but it all comes down to agreements though. As to the cueing of 4♥ over 4♣ what did the jump to 4c imply since 3♣ was available? Could it have shown a good 1 loser ♥ suit and a ♣ slam force, whereas 3♣ might have been just a ♣ force, maybe a balanced strong hand with 4 ♣? In which case the most important thing is to show the honour in ♥ as it is the KEY card. Ask questions (the best way to learn IMO) but try not to be accusational as you can upset the people who can improve you and they won't want to help.

Not Pass! Double is an option (I have 4♥) 3♠ would be a stopper ask, so that's out, 4♠ as strange as it is has to be to play. What would a 4♠ direct bid be? Some kind of voidwood? Since I don't play that it's natural. Partner is going to struggle to believe me but it can have no other meaning for me.

3♦ is to play so I bid 2nt and 3♦ (presuming 3♣ is his response) and if he bids 3♠ over that I'll play in 3nt. If they bid again I gets my doubles ready!

4♠ and why did I pass 2♠? It can't be slam try as I cannot have a hand that good that passed 2♠. I'm thanking partner for balancing and hoping he trusts me!

I'm passing and I accept that i'm in the minority. I have a 7 loser hand, stiff stiff in the majors and partner couldn't bid! If he has a ♠ stack and great values and was waiting for the double then he's going to pay for being optimistic. I've seen this before, I bid 3♦ opener bids 3♥ and now they find 4♥ and partner wants a piece relying on me to have defensive tricks (K♥ a maybe) I suspect I run to 5♦ whacked -1 or 2 At this vul, with partner passing I need a miracle to make game, pards clearly has 4 or 5 ♠ so 2♠ is where I'll play.

Ok, not the original Acol, lets just call it a weak NT system with 4card suit openings up the line. The 2's aren't acol based and neither is pretty much anything else, HOWEVER we still write Acol on top of the Sys Card as most recognise that we play a wk NT and 4 card suits from that 1 word ;-)

Playing Acol with my partner we'd go 1 ♣ 1♠ 2NT* 3NT 4♦* 5♣* 6♠ 2NT is 19-20 Bal or 19+ with 4♠ (no singleton) (can include 20 counts 4225 that are now effectively 22counts with fit) 4♦ is cue(1st) agreeing ♠ 5♣ is cue(1st denying cue in ♥) should be 8-11 as less just bids game! 6♠yep that's plenty!

blackshoe, South opens and the way I read your bidding, north doesn't have 17+ (or 18-21) so a nice set of auctions but won't work here.

Depends on what I know of my partner, would he open AQT (or KQT or KJT) to 8 with an outside King? If yes have we a method to find this out. 2nd Unfavourable isn't the time or place to get frisky so pards has a genuine (or very near!) 8pt hand. I have 3 certains and many chances of an extra, if his trumps are solid (1 loser or better) then 6 rolls home. I liek 5♥ here to say I have the outsides covered, trumps are my worry bid on if they are good.

Ditto.

Would there be any benefit in not playing trumps at trick 4, rather A and ruff a ♦ then AK of clubs? If East ruffs, you over ruff (need to save the Ace!) if not then you get a more accurate picture of the hands and shapes to make a decision? You only lose when East has a stiff Diamond, finding a side suit 6-1 (or 7-0) would count as bad luck in my book! On the hand, I'm expecting east to ruff a club (the ♥3 seemed to request a ♣ shift) and now the hand makes, if he pitches instead, I'll cash a third one, dumping the ♦'s and I'll be back to guessing his shape.