PhilKing

I presume as a selector, you would take a dim view if a pair played in the Europeans, qualified for the Bowl, and then announced they were playing in the Transnationals instead ...

I stand on my chair and pass.

I said I would expect to go for 800 exactly never. The reality is obviously different ... :angry:

You did get that I disagree with 3♥? An overbid/underbid has nothing to do with your ratios - it is a measure of strength. Here you have bad shape and dubious ODR, which makes it a misdescription rather than an overbid. For instance, if you took away the spade queen I would have no real problem with 3♥, though it would hardly be clearcut, and if partner sacs I would expect him to go for 800 exactly never.

Yep - they haven't played for Poland in the World Championships since, er, 2012 (they got to the final). And before that, they haven't played in the Europeans since ... oh wait, they played in the last two. It's true they have opted out in the past in order to guarantee availability for the Transnationals, but that could never really be allowed to continue from a Polish perspective.

On what basis is it an overbid?

1NT 2♠ p 3♠ p 4♠ Players are apt to pass partner's overcall with the South cards, but with good trumps that would be an error. Game will often make on a low point count holding a good fit, and placing the opposition cards is easy. You have chances of an overtrick on a non-heart lead. There is a Morton's fork in diamonds available - on (say) a trump lead, win on table and play the diamond nine. If West goes in with the king, you can make three diamond tricks, and if he ducks, you can revert to hearts for a diamond discard.

Below are all of the 3 minor overcalls over a 2♥ opening in part 1 of my database. 6.Q83.K97.AKJ854 JT6.K84..AKJ9865 Q97.AQ.4.KQJ8653 Q.63.AJ5.AKJ9753 KQJ5.43.8.AKJ854 K63.A9.A5.QT9863 J982.4.K6.AQJ932 62..7654.AQJ8654 T952.A.J6.KQJ986 AKJ2.A5.8.KT8762 K74.J8.T5.AKJT54 K6.Q65.AJ.A97432 A62.Q85.Q.AK8643 Q.J63.K86.AQJ875 74.5.AKQJ962.J93 K65.2.KQ86542.KQ 8.KJ.AQJT52.QJ73 864.A87.AQ9876.4 K.T75.KQJ964.AJ9 8.A.AKQ932.T9853 Q53.4.AKQT76.JT8 KQT.AT3.KQT873.3 QT6.KJT.AQT642.7 The hand under discussion is stronger than any of those, and way stronger than most. Basically there is no example of any top player overcalling 3m on a hand this strong - you are going to miss too many obvious 3NT contracts. Caveat, I have only looked at first in hand openings so far, and understand that there is scope for a stronger range over 3rd in hand openings, but the sample size is small. One spectacular example though - over a 3rd seat 2♥, 3♣ was chosen on A75.A7.A2.KQJ964 which led to 5♣ down one rather than 3NT up one. The players were almost never both facing a 2♥ opening, so direct comparisons are rare, but Welland did not overcall on the K74.J8.T5.AKJT54 hand where his counterpart did (it made no difference, as it happens). The weakest overcall was below: [Event ""] [site ""] [Date ""] [board "20"] [West "DAI"] [North "FANTONI"] [East "YANG"] [south "NUNES"] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "All"] [Deal "W:83.KQJ764.QT9.32 62..7654.AQJ8654 K754.932.KJ8.K97 AQJT9.AT85.A32.T"] [scoring ""] [Declarer "N"] [Contract "5CX"] [Result "12"] [Auction "W"]2H 3C Pass 3NT Pass 5C X AP [Play "E"] H2 HA H4 D4 C7 CT C2 C4 H3 H5 H6 C5 C9 D2 C3 CA S7 SQ S3 S2 H9 H8 HK C6 S4 SJ S8 S6 S5 S9 H7 C8 [Room "Closed"] [score "NS +1000"] [bCFlags "1f"] Boom!

1NT (2♥) 4♣ 4♠ 6♣ 4♣ is a slam try and sets clubs. 4♠ is a cue. It's important to jump on the first round, since there will often be a heart raise, so it's the last chance you have to define your ambitions.

Why is that relevant? OP asked how to bid the hand - he didn't ask how some muppet who plays all 4♣ bids as Gerber should bid it.

I didn't even look at your second auction (I am sure I am not alone in that). Yes, if they have had an artificial auction, you have a double. After the standard auction, where responder has shown long diamonds, you are just wrong. A double would be considered pathetic by any genuinely good player unless they had good reason to believe they could beat 7NT. Joke scenario is when they switch to 7NT and take a first round hook of the eight with xx opposite AKQT8x (psychic double on stiff jack FTW).

For the actual answer, I would suggest OP consults: http://www.ebu.co.uk/documents/laws-and-ethics/convention-cards/standard-english-system-file.pdf The default agreement for those who do not play Lebensohl is that a minimum bid in a new suit is non-forcing. BTW, the system file is an excellent base for a budding Acol partnership.

This is not correct in decent company. I would regard doubling as a blunder.

I also held the hand and bid 2♥. 3♥ tells an opponent with three low hearts that they may have a good mesh (as was in fact the case). That's fine if we are able to compete further, but this hand is bound to disappoint.

2♦ transfer to hearts 2♥ transfer to spades 2♠ transfer to diamonds Is the way forward. With 18-20 balanced one opens 1♦ in civilised methods.

I didn't. :blink:

Post #2 was fine, if a trifle ambiguous. B-)

Justifying 7♠ (if you are serious) is just silly. 1. Partner can have the diamond jack. 2. Partner can have 3 diamonds, in which case 7♠ is beatable 11% of the time. 3. Spades can be 5-0 either way (another 4%). 4. Even when pard is 4423 without the jack, 7NT is better because the two 4-0 breaks do not balance, since spades probably need to be 3-2 when diamonds are 4-0 offside.

If I did this, they would lead a diamond which would get ruffed. You can count 13 in NTs.

Obvious redouble (or pass, but I think either works. It's nuanced. Redouble edeges it, since it invites game in a minor, which reflects our values.). 3NT may be cold from partner's side opposite stiff queen with even four diamonds failing, so all other considerations will juat have to be patient. ♠xxx ♥Q ♦AKQJxxx ♣xx This way dealer!

My eyes are literally bleeding. Can the guilty please delete their posts?

Pass = 10, 5♣ = 7, stabbing myself in the eye = 6. I really think any removal gets zero, but I am marking a la Guthrie.

Well, if you reread the thread, you were able to ascertain before playing a card that oppo were playing SAYC. So whether superior or not, I agree that you should play East to have doubled for a laugh with a random collection of high cards. You have correctly deduced that I believe such an agreement is beyond bad, but that is not really relevant. Superficially, savvy opponents could exploit me here, but that is not really the case at all, since a psychic raise would run into a sixth seat battering. Therefore, they can only raise with slam values or huge shape (as a pre-sacrifice), so our "penalty" doubles will naturally have short diamonds and high ambitions.

I can see that, but setting up dummy is correct only on lunar menace world. B-) I would just play ♦K ♥J. If they ruff your ace later, it's the same as ruffing air as far as I read the likely order of tricks.

I'm interested why people think there is any merit in playing the diamond jack at trick one. Does the lead not have singleton written on it on large enough letters? (Yes, it was actually a doubleton, but that is pretty unlikely imo).