phoenix214

The hand is too flat to bid - for sac to be good you need more shape.

Viktor Korchnoi 85: One of the strogest chess players never to become world champion http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/07/world/europe/viktor-korchnoi-chess-giant-who-drew-soviet-ire-dies-at-85.html

I think i had this brawl 7:0 before my first loss

Unless you do some fancy magic 4C

Possible that N should double 4C, he can stand playing in any suit that is not clubs - although I think 4H is straight forward. As for south - well he should be worth a slam invite, HA and the spade points are good. Also I think U20 not having his bid is a somewhat of an understatement, I mean I trust you to not have your bids as well :)

Since you have shape you can afford the pass - both majors is the easiest hand to enter the competitve bidding afterwards anyway so you are not losing much. If you open 2S - as mentioned before the higest risk is missing out on a heart fit. I doubt the bidding would go 2S all pass - just because you are looking at a lot of shape - but the problem is that opening a preempt you are telling your partner that you want to play spades unless he really insists on something else - which frankly is not the case with your hand - you would like to play in any of the major suits. As for 1 spade opening - the biggest problem is that when your partner has minimum forcing game values and you overbid, cause you do not have a full opening bid - although 4M will have some play anyway.

Spades with club tolerance looks like the obvious meaning - something like id raise you in clubs, but showing my spades on the way type of a hand.

I would alert it because of the fact that it denies having 4 card majors.

I like the idea of 2D - although I can imagine trying out some bid such as 3S as well - I like my hand for spade game if partner is not a complete bust.

As most have said - it depends more on your opening style than on anything else: If openings are light then 2H, if opening is sound then 2N - I personaly go with 2H here, as I expect partner to open quite light

[hv=pc=n&w=sk9532h87d3cajt65&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=2h]133|200[/hv] Title - How close of on an overcall this is? IMP scoring.

Normaly in these situations: Push game with 10p Pass with 9. If the 9 is good/gut feeling says I have to invite - then Invite(usually vul/imps 4-4 majors)

There have been a lot of interesting points made: Anyhow going to post what happened at the table: I went somewhat with Ken's logic - that my shape is irrelevent and diamond contract will have more play than 3N, and went with 6D. Funny enough the contract has the same amount of play as 3N with less risk: Partners hand was: ♠xx ♥AJ ♦AQxxx ♣Jxxx No info on his spots sadly , but the slam is on about one of two finesses(if the diamond one fails and we are in 3N, we go down more). Sadly both were off and we went -1(OT was 3N-3). On the given hand the club suit would be better as trump, hence the problem: I figure i am not sure myself what is better but I figure X/4S are the better bids.

Well so declarer has something like a club-spade twosuiter and was missing a bit for slam/game. Happens

Im for - Scoring whatever: Match lenght - 32 is fine - no need to play 64.

[hv=pc=n&w=sa64hkq4djt5caq93&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=p1d(4%2B!D%2C%20unbalanced)3s]133|200[/hv] Scoring is imps 1D bid is unbalanced with diamonds(1C would be opened with any balanced outside of 1N/2N range) What is your bid now? And how close? Note: Im more interested in the point why would you like to make the specific bid - I made a pool on BW as well.

Well you have exactly three ways to get your 12 trick: HA onside Spades behave H+S squeeze So, first we try to lead up to a heart asap. If you lose to ace in the back, then you cash your tricks leaving two small major cards in hand(one of each) and 2 spades in dummy. If opp ducks first round of heart(which is a good line of play) then you will have to try you best to read the hand - but generaly try for a similar situation to the first one

Id go with the following: Rusinow leads, Obvious shift, from conventions sf 1NT(if you play forcing), if not that most likely either some lebenshol or gazilli.

Maybe im missing something, but I think this is clear 4H

[hv=pc=n&w=sakq842h92dj9742c&e=st976hak7dkq53ck9&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1n(14%2B-17)p2h(5%2B!S)3c3s5c5d(undiscussed)p5h(Undiscussed%2FCue)p5sppp]266|200[/hv] In a new partnership had this happen - who is to blame as to missing slam(6D is good, 6S makes on the actual layout). Mostly the argument is about the meaning of 5D - is it cuebid or natural and over 5H, shoud guy with main spade suit move on? Edit: Form of scoring is BAM, although I figure it is not that significant here

I like 2D - with the idea that im going to bid 2♠ over partners rebid of 2♥. The point being, i think my hand has enough extras to justify bidding so. Although possible that direct 2 spades is fine as well.

I second with Kungsgeten - t.i. Like to have a 9-11 2M raise as an option so I could use it on both hands. If I do not have such an option, then simple raise with the first one(although it is close to invite) with the second would invite more - and hate myself with 3S-1 - 1N-then 3S plan is good as well if it is an option.

http://tinyurl.com/gmrlpo6

I really like the challange idea but a few suggestions from my part. First I dislike that the limit is 16 boards. It would be better if it would be a bit more - say I can set a challange with a friend and play it over a few days - lets say a long match like 64 board. Although no idea how much one match takes space up. Anyhow 16 imo is too small as a maximum value. The second idea is that you can implement the challange with vugraph hands as well - I have played with a few friends that we play a vugraph match and then compare it and discuss it out - so it would be nice to able to used saved deals for the challange as well.

I think the hand has a bit more value than bidding 4S - in that way I would like to tell partner i have more values - so in the case of that 2N seems the right bid - although what would be 4H by me now? If I can show more cards in my hand that would be great as well - the only problem with that is that partner might undervalue his singleton H.