PhilKing

The defence will start ♥♦ an you will get a count making it a flip. Obviously East should play the ♠8 on the first round to rep HT8, but how many would really do that?

Don't know for sure, but it suggests at the top that basic SAYC agreements apply unless otherwise stated.

His pass was not ridiculous. 3NT would have been right if your ♠Q was the diamond queen, where 4♠ has 4 losers and 3NT 9 winners. It seems likely that you are 14-16 with 3433 and 2 diamond stops and his honour structure makes it likely 3NT is pretty good. I would have bid 3♣ on his hand though. I mean, the hand is not that great (it was terrible before a fit was found), but "five-five, come alive" can't be that wrong opposite a cue. Then you would just pot 4♠.

What a turn-around - 3♠ was winning 8-1 in the poll when I first looked, but it has become a rout. The way I see it, bidding 3♠ means you have not really thought it through, which is borne out by the kneejerk bids in this poll. :P

Check your sources - the one you give looks like a bad April Fool's joke. This is the real link: http://www.fifthchair.org/archive/annam/2-1.pdf The system is well thought out and presented.

Anyone who thinks it might has basically misinterpretted something written in the 70s by Kantar or whoever. Virtually noone plays the -650/750 method of "always forcing at red anymore" - I'd go so far as to say it is not bridge. Bidding 5♣ is a potentially a punt at any colours, and partner then passed it, showing a hand that does not think we can make slam.

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Double = 10 Pass = 7 2♠ = 0 3♣ = 0 I don't believe double is a relay. It should show, of all things, diamonds. With the relay hand, pass the transfer, see what kind of a mess they make of it, then double for takeout if appropriate on the next round. Had they bid a natural 2M, then double should be for take-out. On this hand, worrying about whether partner has clubs or not is an excercise in futility. Put it this way, if partner does have clubs, it ain't our hand (we can't even be sure of beating a grand slam and 5♣ will go for a monkey more often than not), and if partner has the majors, just sit back and enjoy the ride. Double gets ten because if they finish in no trumps, I want a diamond lead (or rather I don't want a spade lead). Pass gets seven, because at least it prevents a fiasco. 2♠ gets zero, because it shows spades, so bidding it on xx is somewhat perverse. Bids like this should definitely not be pass or correct, particularly here. Actually, everything should get a zero, since we are playing a crackpot convention without having discussed our continuations.

Yes - but only if he IS a stripe-tailed ape (which the facts seem to support).

This event is not the European Bridge Championships, it is just a biennial congress called the European Open Bridge Championships - anyone can enter. You can find detailed play records for 2009 here: http://www.sarantakos.com/bridge/vugraph/2009/2009-eoc.html The hands can be viewed using the BBO Handviewer. The effort is such that they have not bothered since. You can find them in the BBO archive though.

I was expecting to see a 2/1 auction. :(

WHY IS NOBODY LISTENING TO HIM?

Maybe you weren't listening.

I played that sim as well. I am pretty sure that it was in the spring of 85, since I was in the second term of my first year at uni. I had actually discussed 5M openings with partner, but he still raised to six with his AK AK(Mark Goodliffe - multiple crossword and sudoku champion these days). To be fair, the hand was poorly constructed, since I had eleven trumps making slam a fair bet. And if he held the queen of the third suit, he could work that out, but obviously the setter would make the trumps break 2-0.

Sounds awesome.

It's a bit early imo.

Noone is putting a gun to partner's head. It's not as if he will raise diamonds with that. My choice over 4♠ - Pass (or 4♥ if they don't raise).

1. Jump to six of a suit The only way. 2. 5NT ♥ + minor, longer minor 3. 5♠ ♥ + minor 4. 4NT, followed by a raise to six Both minors. I never have hearts with a very strong hand this way, since partner needs to know which cards he needs for grand. 5. 4NT, followed by 5♠ Also both minors. I need to tidy this bit up, since we could need a major suit ace. But 4. and 5. are basically the same strength-wise, in that driving a slam is by definition a GS try. 6. 4NT, followed by 5NT Pick a minor - we are stronger in the other minor. 7. 4NT, followed by bidding 5♥ over 5♣ This is the weaker way of bidding 5♥ - a direct 5♥ is strong. 8. 4NT, followed by six of a new suit To play - not choice. Partner's only alternative option is to raise. Typically, we hope partner is filling out the suit he just bid, and we have just bid slam in our solid suit. Example I gave in other thread was: ♠-♥A♦AKQJTxx♣ATxxx which bids 4NT and then 6♦ over 5♣. Unless I dream up something specific, 4NT then 6♥ DNE. Whilst 4NT is often based on a competitive hand with hearts and a minor, my agreement that moving promises both minors helps partner know what the hell is going on. Monsters with hearts and a minor have to bid 5♠ or 5NT immediately. Bear in mind that 3rd seat will often raise spades when we have a freak, so not overloading 4NT is important.

Then 5♥ over 5♣ must also show the weaker heart one-suiter, which contradicts your previous post. I like a lot of system, but giving too many specific follow-ups seems way OTT. And having a way of showing a one-suited GS try that is somehow different from just bidding a slam makes my head hurt. My way simplifies things - if I bid 4NT and then drive slam I have the minors, whatever my next bid (unless it is 6♥, which will never happen), so if I bid 4NT and remove 5♣ to 6♦ I have ♠- ♥A ♦AKQJTxx ♣ATxxx or some such, rather than the reds. Whilst this auction appears to be no longer contested, there are "analogous" positions where further competition is likely, such as when we come in over a 4♠ opening, and so we can't really do it all the slow way, which is why I like (4M)-5M my way, and I'm not prepared to alter it here.

With a one-suited grand slam try, I jump to six of my suit, which I play as showing a good hand. :P This delayed 5♥ thingy doesn't work imo, since you are a bit stymied when partner responds 5♦ rather than 5♣. Granted you will then presumably drive slam, but now it becomes bothersome to unwind the overloaded hand-types. Removing 5♦ to 5♥ now just shows hearts and clubs usually (unless you play my way where a delayed 5♥ is the weaker way of showing a heart one-suiter).

Shouldn't a direct 5♥ be stronger, lest partner respond 5♦ over 4NT?

Forum?

I don't like the frequency argument. If I bid 3♦ on a 5431 shape, I feel this will be way more helpful to the opponents in terms of helping them find a lead than it will be to partner. If I had this agreement I would hope it never came up! If I were to come up with a non-standard agreement, "5431 slam try" would make some sense. Now a raise to 4NT would promise 5422. 3♦ showing 5440 may be infrequent, but has the potential to get us to otherwise unbiddable slams (for those of us who show hearts on the second round with that pattern). Putting it all together, optimal may be two-way, slightly different to your way: 5431 slam try or 5440 any, but a minimum 5431 should keep that information under his hat.

Hand record says Martel was playing it rather than Zia. At the Moss table, I must be being thick, because it looks like two down at trick 8. Oh lol, just spotted the spade discard by East.

Since it's clear that 4♦ did not put us on firm ground, perhaps it was not the right bid. Had we bid 3♥, showing, of all things, a hand with spades and hearts, we could have a sensible auction. A later diamond cue might even lead to an intelligent conclusion - we could even belong in hearts.