PhilKing

The punishment should definitely involve the microphone in some way. :blink:

In before lock ... I have happy memories from Beijing when they raised the white flag halway through the set. And I once ruled against him in committee three times in one tourney. B-)

It's obvious to me. You know you can test the hearts, and if they don't break claim one off, right? And if hearts break, you proceed with the ♦A line, unlikely though it may be. And the potential two imps is worth more at imps than you will save at matchpoints.

As long as everyone is drunk, there is no problem. It's those saddos that are targetting speedballs to improve the rating that are the real problem.

Wrong forum.

Returning to the beginning, my experience is that passing on hands like this is often wrong. You can underwrite a heart game, and have great cards for slam. So at teams, I prefer to show a good raise. But this is matchpoints, so pass is fine - you will get 800 more than half the time, which even when slam is on should be a good board.

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It seems to me that a lot of people are missing the point about the East hand. You have play for game opposite: ♠xxxx ♥AQxx ♦xxxx ♣x Just cue bid 2♣ and raise a red suit to game. If it gets competitive, back in with diamonds at whatever level you have reached. If you can't make it, then the oppo must be pretty close to a black suit game. If neither side can make anything, it's just a cold deck!

Where are the spades? It feels as though pard must be 4-5 in the majors - either that or the opponents have missed a 9-card fit. I think this dummy won't be much use in hearts, so I will start by repeating clubs. In my system, that means 2NT, which shows at least a good 3♣ bid, and I will follow with 3♥. Opposite: ♠Kxxx ♥KJxxx ♦Jxx ♣J Partner should sniff out that we belong in clubs, and if his ♠K is the ace, I expect to reach game. Even if pard is 4540, I think we belong in clubs. (I know some people would double 1♦ with that, but not I)

My favourite bit was when he asked whether it was imps or MPs :ph34r:.

Do honours not count any more? :(

Even if 3♦ is logically game forcing, a jump to 4♥ does not show a bad hand, the way I play it. It shows good hearts and a respectable hand for me. Oh, and I would open 3♥ on your example hand, a la Townsend.

Slam is good opposite a powerhouse such as ♠xxx ♥Axxxxx ♦- ♣Axxx, so I must be worth a move. I'll just keycard and pot it. The reality is that slam should be frigid here after pard jumps to game.

It's difficult teaching beginners exceptions, so when you teach them 4SF, you don't give them any imo, wherever you come from. I don't doubt you are right about how thing are taught on your side of the pond, but I am surprised.

It's pretty standard to play 2♣ as natural in expert bridge, but the default beginner or intermediate interpretation is 4th suit (at least from the point one is taught that the fourth suit is an artificial force). The rationale for the expert consensus is that partner has already described and limited their hand, so there is no need for 4th suit. However, the 1NT bidder frequently has four or five clubs, so opener should be able to bid clubs naturally here.

A support double is worthy of a zero even on the Guthrie index.

I think there is a case for psyching a redouble and floating if it goes 2♦-p-p. The more I think about it the more I like it - it's the way to stop pard bidding 3♣. When LHO is stacked in clubs, RHO will bottle it an run, and then it's a case of mumsky, bring the dogs!

I stand on my chair and Pass. If an explanation is needed, I did not have an opening bid and things have potentially taken a turn for the worse. Light openings work when we hit a fit, but that is not the case here. The only really good scenario is that leftie is totally screwed. Ideally, righty doubled on a 2443 and they are about head into the abyss.

I think you are confused. Where did I say this hand was a preempt? For me it is a down the middle 3♣ bid. Preemptive raises to 3m in comp are for children. I would estimate that the chances of 3nt making opposite a weak NT are less that 1 in 10, so inviting just does not stack up. Cue should invite 3NT opposite decent 14s and good 13s - not the absurd perfectos you gave. But you are are arguing against the world - everyone who has expressed an opinion thought East was crackers, and not just because of the final pass. This just ain't a good raise.

That's not a lot of missed 3NT. It's a few where it has play, plus you will get to a load more that have zero chance.

How?

So, do you have a strong opinion, or not? ;)

Pass in both sequences - partner had an encouraging 4NT available and just signed off.

Curious that Gnasher only got one upvote then .... If it comes down to good judgment, then he erred by trusting his partner. And if East had (say) the spade king (which he has already denied), oppo go for 1100. But as the lone upvoter, I agree that bidding on was reasonable. If East holds xxx x Kxxx KQxxx then it's just a cold deck.

Giving other players at the table too much credit.