SteveMoe

Agree with Fee, Lalldon and many others. South should force to game and the second hand is a 1N overcall. Add that on first hand I prefer 2♣stayman, followed by delayed texas transfers over a 2♦ reply. 1N - 2♣ 2♦ - 4♦ 4♥

Yes - I can resist the urge to pass. Dbl, please.

This hand starts with "Double!"

1) No and No - this quacky 8 count is more like 7 in strength and 6 after we consider shape. 2) 3♥ - Of course partner might have a perfect 9-loser that makes 10 tricks....

Yes - I see the situations as roughly equivalent.

Hi Stephen, There is no consensus on what the J shows. Here is a recent Debbie Rosenberg question in Bridgewinners showing the point: JACK. So an agreement is necessary. I use Kantar's Advanced Defense books too as reference, but am unsure they mention the specific situation. Signalling the J when declarer holds the KQ would appear to me to be suit preference not top of sequence. (Signals are context dependent). But that's not what the OP wanted to talk about. Here with Qx in dummy, Signalling with the J can be ambiguous (does it promise the K or deny the K)? I like denying the king for 2 reasons: 1) I often open J109xx suits and don't want partner to confuse the opening bid with an attitude signal. 2) I have other good positive attitude cards without having to play the J. High cards are encouraging, but at some point an honor shows soemthing else. Some make the division the Q so the J is a high card (see Phil's comment) and some make it the J so the 10 is a high card. After a dummy with Kx and I am holding AQJTxx, it would never cross my mind to play the Q as an encouraging signal. Getting back to the NC forum OP, If you agree J is a high card and does not deny a higher honor, then the J will work. So, likely will the 10. your lower(est) cards are discouraging. Finally let me add that a holding like J10987 can test any partner because playing standard signals partner has to understand by reading the other spots available that the 7 is a low card and you do not want a continuation.

That's a matter of choice. I like higher shows fit with partner's suit because we need more bidding room to explore game opposite GF bid in responder's suit.

Great question! - You want to encourage partner's return. If your agreements are standard, then a HIGH card encourages. However the play of an Honor is a special signal that typically denies a higher honor and promises a sequence below the card played. I like to keep the honorcard signal for A, K, Q, and J. It's usually less valuable to show partner 10 9 8 7 .... by discarding a 10. So 10 or 9 can be an encouraging signal. Playing the J here would deny the K for many players. Since you bid the suit, partner shouldn't have too much doubt about encouragement. Having raise the question, the holdings you show are good examples why people like to play upside down signals - here a very low card encourages (hence upside down or reverse signals). The approaches are roughly equivalent except playing standard sometimes we have to "waste" a perfectly good 9 or 10 to encourage. Sometimes that 9 or 10 will take a trick on its own. Upside down allows encouragement with cards that are not winners, and discouragement with high spot cards in a suit we don't expect to exploit. If for example your ♣s were ♣AJ103, better to encourage with the 3 so you preserve the J and 10 as later round winners.

West's pass is normal. East should act. Partner has HCP behind opener and we have 55 distribution. Trot out my Mm 2-suit bid please... East's void is enough to act. I would bid on xxx xxxxx xxxxx ---. Particularly important when methods over !N openings have no clear way to show a big hand...

Interesting alternative. I take it we don't want to stop in 3♠? Am accustomed to play 3 theirs as artificial Inv +/GF and 3 others to play.

1) Control bid or GF. Many paths forward. Slam is on the radar. 2) 2N bidder likely has poorish 4-card ♠ suit. 3) To play - Expect 3-4 trumps in a balanced weak NT. If SOS, which 2-card suit do I expect partner to choose? I do not think SOS makes sense opposite a known weak hand with a 6-7 card suit.

Most play support double through 2♥ so that if we stop in a 4-3 fit we are "Lawful" (7 tricks - 7 trumps). Some play support doubles over 4th seat preempts as in this hand - but this is an exception that needs explicit discussion. It also needs about a Q or K more in strength. This hand is a minimum (13 HCP and 7 losers) and the shape is takeout over their ♣. Support points don't yet apply since we do not have an 8-card fit established. Double here is usually penalty showing a different shape and more strength. At the point we have to make this call we know that our side has at least 18 HCP. Give RHO 7 HCP for the preempt and 15 HCP are yet be accounted for. It is highly unlikely that LHO has an opening hand - if s/he does, s/he holds long ♦s. If responder has long ♣ and a weak hand, defending 3♣ will be a good spot. If responder has 5+[he} and a good hand, they will inform us nowbid and we can support. Will LHO raises to 4 or 5 ♣? NTW: Partner can make a cards double of a 4 or 5 level contract to help. So I pass.

I think opening 7♣ is obvious - how else can we insure we win the 13th trick with the ♦7! :D

This one seems a bit tricky. There are 2 good paths forward... 1) Start with a fit showing Unusual/Unusual bid - whichever approach you use. Assume 3♥ shows a LR+ with a fit in ♣. South now has the responsibility to introduce the 4 card ♠ suit after which you can develop the auction toward slam... Without a 4-card Major, South will tend toward 3N though blind here about which red suits are really covered. So, 2) A double would show the ability to penalize one of the 2 red suits and invitational+ values - but not as much as North holds. This approach caters to when partner does not hold 4 ♠s and you can explore whether 3N or 6♣ is possible. In either case we have to contend with East who can make our lives difficult by bidding 4 or 5 of either red suit. So I lean toward the LR+ bid because partner will have more confidence when they show ♦s knowing er have a ♣fit and will bid 4♠ on the way to 5+♣.

I think N still bids 4♥....

1N to avoid rebid problems later, AND hoping partner doesn't have the right (54)=1=3 hand that makes 6♣ a lock. We are not likely to find such a slam unless we have a 6 card minor reveal gadget over Stayman (or Jacoby).

2♦ seems best, as long as an asking partner is prepared for a 4♣ rebid. Would love to have a 5-8 HCP 2N minor suit 55 opening bid in my arsenal.... KS had it right years ago - opening minor suit hands at the 1 level needed extra strength or extra length. This hand has length but opponents likely have the major. Let's get in their way now.

I will open this hand 100% of the time. Yes, AAK is great to have. If your bidding style punishes 11 HCP opening bids, then passing might still be necessary. First bid is too much of an advantage to worry. This hand qualifies under the Rule of 22 too... I rate this hand as about 12.5 HCP (2A's 1K, 2-10's)... (4.5, 3, 1.5, 0.75, 0.25) (A, K, Q, J, 10) So Rule of 22 says 12.5 + 8 + 2.5 = 23. 3=4=4=2 means we likely have 3 suits to choose from. Loser count is 8, with an adjustment (for 2A's and no Q's) to 7. Go ahead - compete!

There seem many paths. North could start with Double, 3♠, 4♦(Leaping Michaels). (Would rule out 4♠ as too unilateral). Unfortunately the first 2 are subject to further preemption by East and hearing 5♣ next seems likely. While I agree that Leaping Michaels can be an impediment to slam bidding, I don't think North's hand suffers that problem. I think the following is a reasonable auction: 3♣-4♦-5♣-5♥ P-6♣-P-6♠ P-7♠

Playing in your local club game (MPs, Above avg field, Very strong opponents) you find yourself partnering your Unit's Grand Life Master. You agree to play 2/1 with a few bells an whistles but undiscussed territory is natural by agreement. Here is the auction your perpetrated. What is your call? What do you think is the limit of the had for EW and NS? Here's your hand and auction. The details are in the spoiler... [hv=pc=n&e=st743hj97653dck32&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=p1c1n2h2s3hpp3spp]133|200[/hv] Please comment on the bidding...

Would have expected an auction more like: [hv=d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1s2dp2s3h4hp4sp5cp5sp6cp7dppp]133|100[/hv] North doesn't look like a TO Double candidate - too much in ♠, not enough in ♥. After North's overcall, South has a great hands but needs to know about the rounded suits. Control bidding gets the right information to bid the grand.

While your analysis is correct your application of SST is in error - must use shortest suit from each hand! So I stand by the underlying concept of Working Strength (or points).

If you play split range splinters this hand is perfect for the lower range (say, 10-12). If not, then you have to follow your 4-bid agreements: 1) If extended Bergen, then 1N forcing followed by 4♥ would show 2 pieces outside and long trumps. (4♦ directly would show one defensive trick outside and 4♥ would promise offense only). 2) if not, then you need to manufacture a forcing bid. Your side has 14 losers max and 11 trumps. So choose among 2N or 4♣. Few will play in a partial. Even with the 8-loser 12 count that fails the rule of 22 (and not all will open), game is at least 52%.

3N. Truscott proposed Anti-lemming jumps to 3M after Stayman and the 2♦ denial. Never heard of a similar device after Jacoby transfers. Am more concerned that 3N cannot make (e.g. 2♠ opposite 2♠) than slam being remotely likely. Perhaps someone has a 2♠ rebid gadget to accomplish this?

Pass, showing 0-2 ♠s. Double = Support Double. 3♣ shows an A more than I have.