PhilKing

If Aristotle played bridge, I doubt he would have taken issue One Eye's post.

People are basically confused about all the extra space an auction like this gives them. It's really pretty simple - just do what you would have done in a 3M auction but lower. Once opener has patterned out with 2NT, frivolous/non-frivolous just moves down a step, so step 1 shows a minimum for the auction so far and all other bids show extras. Look at it this way - normally we are at the 3M level when we agree trumps, so need to sort out the "extras" issue to give our slam auctions a firm base. With five extra steps available, we can do more. Probably the "best" solution without playing full relay here (I do) is for opener to pattern out with his entire range and for responder to then issue a frivolous/non-frivoulous message. For me, responder has already shown 15+ with 2♠ so "cueing" logically shows 17+. Putting that all together: 1S-2C 2D-2S (15+) 2N(pattern)-3D(17+ cue) 3H(cue)

My head literally exploded when I saw the votes, since this looks like a choice between Pass and 1♣. I avoid preempting with two outside first-round controls, but apparently that is a hopelessly outdated notion. :blink:

Sorry - mis-typed. The auction bidding WAS better: Auction: P P P 1♠ P 2♣ P 4♥ AP

None. Just bid a lot of hands online with the generator cranked up and discuss the issues along the way. This will help identify technical and style issues as you go. At the end of each bidding session document the new things agreed.

Sick brag.

Slightly off topic - how would you play 4♥ as South on a trump lead? Auction: P P P 1♥ P 2♣ P 4♥ AP :o

.

Given that partner followed up his double with a game-forcing cue bid and a 3♠ bid, I am going to go out on a limb and predict that he meant it as take-out.

Under the assuption that both A & B and C & A are highly compatible (otherwise the thread is pointless) I would go with a 0.2 to 0.35 imps per board figure as being the max. I would expect it to be nearer the top end of the range the stronger the opponents, since they will test your partnership more thoroughly in many areas. edit: I have just upped my range after a rethink. Re-edit - calculations are for a very high level of understanding.

Far more teams play in the NICKO than the Bermuda Bowl. I seem to recall Andrew Robson saying in the Times, that the NICKO was more difficult to win than the Gold Cup. By a strange coincidence that was after winning the NICKO and shortly before his first Gold Cup win.

If my partner is not a great striker of the ball, I just overtake with the ♥K at trick one. My ♥9 and ♣J will still be tricks if declarer draws trumps, and I do not have to rely on the ox doing the right thing. :blink: But in "expert class" I will just follow the RHM recommendation.

East might make a negative double of a DONT 2♥ with 2245 2254 1354 1345 1444 etc, and the opener may have five hearts. South may as well saw his own legs off or chew them off with his weasel teeth.

I thought it was done mostly Gold points with arbitrary weighting for overseas players, and some weighting for how one did the previous year.

Double is not "wild and gambling" - more "Walter the Walrus", worthy of at least a 0 out of 10.

The biggest upside for doubling is that it gets us to 3NT when partner has a moderate balanced hand. And I expect partner to rack it up with absolutely no problem whatsoever.

You can't do everything, but it helps to decide what you need to do. For instance, you do not "need" to play that completing to 1♠ shows three spades. It's true that this is useful information, but it can easily be found out later, and being able to stop in 1♠ is just waste of time. Just rebid 1NT with 15-17 balanced. After 1♣-1♥, 1♠ is now available to show a myriad of other hand types. You can include the following: 1. All hands with 4♦ and 5♣ 2. Various hands with 6♣ too good for 2♣ (this means you can play an immediate 3♣ as very sound). You can get to show a 2NT rebid with specifically six clubs, for instance, in most conceivable auctions. 3. good three card raises in spades Over that, responder's life is easy - with less than GF values, he just imagines he is facing 4♦5♣ and makes the appropriate limit bid. And with GF values he bids 2♥(effectively fourth suit). A typical auction might start: 1♣-1♥-1♠-1NT (which is to play opposite a minimum with 45m) Opener now bids: 2♣ = 45m 15-16 2♦ = 45m 17+ 2♥ = 3♠-6♣ at least invitational 2♠ = good 3-card raise to 2♠ (3415 or 3145 14-16, or 3??6 14-15, this being the system solution for your particular problem) 2NT = 6 clubs natural, about 16-17 points 3♣ = nat inv, just as strong as a 3♣ rebid but few points (hence probably 7 clubs) Obviously if responder had bid something higher than 2♣ some of these bids get pushed a little higher, but all the hand types can still be untangled. The further spin off benefits are as follows: 1. 2♦ is a transfer reverse into hearts. This gives you an "out" by just completing to 2♥ showing a minimum response with 3♥ and short clubs. 2. 2♥ shows a good raise to 2♠ with four trumps. In you case that would include 15-16 balanced with four spades and also say, a 4315 12 count. 3. A direct raise to 2♠ shows spanners. The raise by necessity now includes 3415 11-counts and the like, but I just do not believe that is even remotely a bad thing. In fact most hands with four trumps qualify for 2♥. You have a total of three ways of raising to Two Spades, so you get to separate the wheat from the chaff. Oh, and completing to 1♠ is obviously forcing in this scheme.

It's OK - your canaries are just having a snooze.

Never heard of that. Source?

It's a pretty line, but there are other losing scenerios: 1. When you lose to the stiff jack. Since they should have a shrewd idea of your shape, they will switch to a low diamond from Axxx. You will now suffer a ruff when you had 11 on top. 2. When you lose to AJx. They will switch to a doubleton diamond, again securing a ruff. Four rounds of clubs looks pretty solid to me.

It seems to me that even the fact that you think that 5♠ is borderline on ♠AQJxxxx ♥KQx ♦Qxx ♣- makes it utterly pointless discussing what is needed to raise such an overcall to Six. Opposite your idea of an overcall, it is percentage to raise. And opposite me, it is a clear pass, since I would overcall if ♦Q was removed.

This all reminds me of Dune, but not in a good way.

I feel ill. These high level situations are a muddle, partly because it seems common to not really have a clear meaning for 5NT rather than 6♣. If you want to have a bid available to just say you want to take a pot at slam (though I would not recommend it), then please don't ask partner to cooperate and then bid 6♠ anyway! Over 5NT, partner can bid 6♣ to show no clear bid, so 6♦ shows a clear preference for playing in, of all things, 6♦. And don't worry that he is just bidding his lowest playable strain, since he knows that with a genuine big two suiter you would have bid 6♣ over 5♣. My view on the difference between 5N and 6♣ is completely different, but that is by the by.

FWIW I would remove a double to Five Hearts but would pass a Five Spade overcall.

I play them both as strong balanced within a 2♣ 100% GF context. 2NT is simply more definitive.