PhilKing

I'm guessing you are a get-in-if-at-all-possible kind of guy. But bidding 1NT on some semi-balanced filth in fourth seat is madness, even if you occasionally get away with it in the Valley of the Blind. If you want to play RUNT in second seat, I can just about understand it, but to recommend it in 4th seat, when pard could not act over 1♣ is crackers - a huge portion of the hands where you are not getting stretchered are excluded from partner's range.

The postions are not equivalent, since partner's pass over 1♣ precludes many of the hands where coming in is a winner. For instance, I play extremely light overcalls and loose doubles over 1♣ (eg 4234 13 count is an auto double), so fourth seat actions without decent shape should be sound.

Advantage of tox is that pard may have nothing and pass out our non-forcing pass with a bust.

Double for take-out over both is easily best imo, since you can catch them whichever of us has the stack. By bidding 2♠ with four, you give up on that. Over 2♥, 2♠ should show five.

Forrester/Gold play a variant of Montreal relay, and they are not that bad. All the crackpot defences (and I include double showing diamonds in this category) give up a lot for almost no gain. Just play double as a loose take-out double and play everything else as natural. Look at it this way - when they have diamonds, we certainly want to be playing a normal defence, and if we are short in one major, you can just wait. Giving up a natural 1M just to cater for a 4144 that is afraid of being shut out is just bizarre.

FWIW, this assertion is misleading, though it may depend how you define "properly".

It could be my imagination, but I think the font size is increasing ever other post.

Whether or not you play 2♠ in sequence two as F1 or FG, a reverse followed by 3♦ should be game forcing.

South has a much more clearcut bid than North. North has a dodgy take-out double. South has an easy 3♠ call on the first round, and a mind-blowingly obvious "balance" on round two.

I lead a club.

Low diamond. Partner is not ruffing, so I cash his ace. Declarer has a lot of shape, and if his second suit is clubs, pards putative club ace will not go walkies, but the diamond ace may. Conversely, leading the short suit is better when it is likely pard has doubled for a ruff, since the oppo tend to have a big undisclosed side suit when they bash grand.

1♣-1♦ 1♥-2♥ 2NT-3NT A jump to 2♥ by opener is unjustified. Playing Walsh, the raise to 2♥ shows 8-10 with three hearts, since 1♦ denied hearts unless game forcing.

22/50 was OK for us as well given the score ...

My head has just exploded.

Not raising to 4♠ is a case of putting the cart before the horse - our first priority is to find the right game. If Diana has extras, she will bid on over 4♠, and 4NT should be available as a strong try (else pass 4♠ or bid 5♣), so not showing the diamond control should not really hurt us. Anyway, here's the link to Garozzo's line in 5♣. http://www.bridgebase.com/myhands/hands.php?traveller=3663-1382810452-83054283&username=diana_eva Rather elegant.

No - you would have taken longer to play it, so I would have been able to switch to a diamond in tempo. :P

FWIW, I agree with your "ruff losers" line.

That's how I defended it after declarer adopted this line (he threw a diamond on the ♥J), but after a long tank. Declarer rose ace nonetheless - running the diamond is just too big a position.

1♣-3♥ 3♠-4♠ No game contract is exactly solid on the lie, but this feels best.

2♥ obviously.

♦7 - I don't really see how this can be wrong.

I use my 1NT defence, which is Multi Landy. So here I could bid 4♣ to show both majors(and maybe follow with 5♦). However, the better call is probably double (just a decent hand to start with), and I anticipate making a take-out double of 4♣/5♣ as well. We could be cold for 7♦.

FWIW I think this hand is pretty neutral ev for either action. I'm pretty sure I would have overcalled, but I have no confidence it is a winner in theory (despite access to possibly the world's best database on the issue). In practice people generally assume I am a rock, so overcalling gains. If the LHO and CHO hands are switched, we could well end in 6♠ doubled one down for an 8 imp gain if pard plays us for a real overcall, or 14 imps in 5♠ if he gives us lots of leeway. But that assumes team mates have also put it to them at the four level.

Yeah, I've read through your reasoning, and your way seems better in this particular auction type, but I fear this way madness lies. :unsure: On second thoughts, one could have a meta rule stating "in a competitive auction where the suit is not yet agreed and pick-a-game cannot logically apply, a raise shows a slam try with a control in their suit and a cue is a try without a control."