rsteele

When partner can't double 3C you are not earning any matchpoints defending that contract. A bid is obvious and the real question is what to bid? As I am in front of the 3C bidder a double is for takeout and should imply diamond support while a three heart bid is unilateral in scope. As for 2H over one D that is not my style but I will not argue that it is ineffective.

Try 1H - 2NT (Jacoby) 3H - 3S (cue bids follow) 4C - 4D 5C - responder count now count 12 tricks. 5 hearts, 5 clubs and two side aces. Why is this hand a Jacoby problem?

It might interest you to know that Barry Crane did use Drury after 1st and 2nd seat openers

You hold: T73, KQT9, 654, A97 vul vs not at imps (victory points) your pd, in 4th chair opens one heart, RHO passes. Do you or do you not use and form of Drury?

I do believe that the traditional usage of sandwich NT provides to much information on hands that you are seldom the declarer. I have, however with better hands, had great success using the bid only differently defined. "Sanwhich" shows a two level overcall in the lower unbid suit with a tolerance for the 4th suit. So 1D - P - 1H - 1NT may hold KQX, XXX, X, AQJXXX. While with AQXX, XXX, X, AQXXX I will simply make a TO double. With the freak two suited hand : KQTXX, XX, X, KQJXXX I will bid 2NT. I have given up a lot of info but at least taken up considerable bidding space. Obviously if you are a passed hand the parameters for the bid change.

A very well thought out 4 club call. Assume you had set up the forcing pass situation with a 3 Diamond bid. Now over 5 clubs the double would usually portend two losing clubs and that is not what you care about. After 4 clubs ( which should be control showing as you could have bid diamonds or spades) the emphasis shifts to the unbid suit. I think the double shows two or more losing spades and now the remainder of the hand must be solid for you to make 6 hearts.

With a pick-up pard I assume up the line responses so I play one spade as natural and 2S as 4th suit. If, however, playing Walsh Pard will not have a 4 cd spade suit when he responds one diamond so one spade may have alternative meanings. To make matters worse you don't know if the 4th suit is a game force or a one round force. Get a regular pd and avoid these problems.

Assume that one NT shows 6-10 HCP's with either 3-3-4-3 or 3-3-3-4 distribution. I am known to have a 10 card fit in clubs and now a 3 1/2 loser hand. With that in mind 3NT looks a tad conservative so the choices seem to be between some number of clubs (is 4 forcing?), a cue bid or 3 hearts both of which are certainly forcing. Since I am willing to play a minimum of five clubs I will bid 3 hearts and over the expected 4 club response bid 4 spades partner should now recognize a diamond problem and be able to reach a sensible conclusion. I do admit that even 5 clubs may be on a finesse but to paraphrase the Bard "faint heart neer screwed the cook".

Short matches require big scores - the only big score available for your side is 4S's. Bid it like a man.

I am not in love with redouble and 4 diamonds is beyond the pale but what were you waiting for over three hearts? In any good partnership each person should examine his (or her) own bidding first.

With no interference you hold vul at imps Q83, AT, T9652, 973 your pd opens one natural club, you respond one diamond and pd bids one spade: your call?

Stuff happens. At imps the rewards are so great that East will find partner with JXX or TXXX or simply not get a spade lead that not making an effort for the NT game is cowardly. Those looking for perfection should try chess. No great fault, play the next hand.

Five Card Majors, Foster echos, most std leads, weak two bids, idea of preemptive bidding takeout(Mc Campbell) doubles. Rule of 11, though not a convention was common.

He's 86 and having fun - get over it.

Read the intro to "How to win a duplicate bridge" by Marshall Miles. Then make your choice - bridge or a family picnic.

After: P-P-1D-1H D-P-? what is needed to bid 2S? If the bid is one spade what does the negative doubler need to raise to 2S?