PhilKing

3♦. 3♣ is natural and forcing and I cooperate with a descriptive economical bid. With a choice of plausible bids (3♦,3♠ and 3NT), choose the most economical, since it gives partner more room to probe. In this case 3♦ stands out. If partner has: ♠xx ♥AKQx ♦x ♣J9xxxx He can still bid 3♠. Somehow I doubt partner has anything resembling that. :ph34r:

For me, doubling 3♠ would show a take out double of a minor. Passing and cueing or bidding lots of diamonds by implication will show spades. Oh, and with a freak you should take it slow. Bidding 6♦ just makes it super-easy for them and impossible for us.

I think this one just shows four decent hearts, so I am pulling to 3♠. I want to play it in 3NT.

One could argue that after limiting our hand with 1NT, raising clubs to the four level and expecting partner to treat it as Minorwood is also somewhat risky. 5♣ is fine - well certainly better than 4♣, and it should get you to some slams.

Questions one and two - for me, it's natural and encouraging but non-forcing. Question three - 3♥. This is know as a Bluhmer bid. We can't possibly want to play in hearts after this start, so it is an impossible jump showing exactly nothing in hearts and a huge hand for the bidding so far. 7♣ is excellent opposite: ♠Axxx ♥- ♦AKxxx ♣KJxx And pard can visualise it over 3♥. You can go a stage further and bid 4♥ over 2♣ to show the absolute nuts. Question four - If you play 1♠ as forcing, you can use 3♣ as a GF now. I play 1♠ as NF, so 3♣ is just natural but stronger than 2♣, since there is no shape I can have that can't just bid naturally over 1NT.

I don't see how overcalling 5♠ can possibly get us to slam.

If you want a decent framework, start with the above, but with the following: 2M should show 15+. Jumping to 3M should show a minimum 2/1 (with 3NT in the frame - no need for serious/frivolous). IMO, 3NT is still a possible contract when opener rebids 2NT or 3om over our 2M bid.

For every one time you have a hand that wants to transfer to a minor and pass, you will have a LR in hearts about five times. Heart raises are both more frequent and more important, and the extra two steps available from bidding 2NT can be vital. The limit raise is a fairly broad church, say a decent 9 (8 if you have 4-card support) to a bad 12, so giving room for a return try does not exactly hurt. Also, 2NT keeps 3NT in the ball park when responder has a 3-card LR+ with values in spades. In a limited system there is slightly more case for transfers, since you don't need to stretch to bid 3♥ as often as "natural" bidders, but I would be reluctant.

I'm guessing you play two-way Drury as a passed hand (so 2♦ would show 4+ hearts)? If so, you have to play 3♦ as natural, max passed hand. The auction can just go: Pass-1♥ 3♦-3♠ 4♥ I would open the North hand but I don't hate Pass. 1♦-1♥ 2♦-2♠ 3♥-4♥ Trivial, really.

As it happens, I bid 2♠ on the West hand with or without the double, showing four hearts and denying four spades. East can then bid 4♦ if he wants opener to play it, or just go to 4♥ (as here) when he wants to play it himself. This hand is just a spin-off benefit for the method. Bidding 2♠ is merely a necessary consequence for playing invitational transfers (best convention ever BTW), since 2♣ is bid when we have a sign-off in spades.

I would have ruffed a club at trick 4 and claimed - I was just blowing smoke! But I still suspect it ended in tears. B-)

I've got a feeling this will end in tears when RHO has the stiff ♠Q.

The stats from high level competitions suggest this very slightly: http://www.rpbridge.net/rpme.htm But if you look into the relevant files individually, it gets rather murky. Opening one of a minor with a hand deemed a strong no trump in the other room is a small winner, for instance. However, that could simply be because the players who favour weak no trumps at that level are la creme de la creme, which is backed up by the weak no trump stats.

I think he should have reopened with 2NT (not risk free). Then you would pot 4♥. I prefer his Pass over Double FWIW.

Wow! This problem makes me feel ill. I play my 1NT defence against a 3NT opening (this effectively is), which does not leave me with a suitable option. A 3NT overcall should show a huge two-suiter (not majors - I bid 4♣ with that), but I have not agreed it. The solution is to Pass over 3♠. I am quite confident of that! :ph34r:

It's Irish Ghestem, I believe.

Not sure about my 6♣ flight of fancy when you side had 12 diamonds (though I prefer it to the 5♥ call chosen in the other room since I am more likely to induce a phantom).

If lefty had accidentally exited with a trump we get +1080 instead of -1000, which is a victoy by one imp. :ph34r: It was a horrendous double at the state of the match.

Depends how you play it. Some of us expect pard to remove most of the time, whilst some expect him to leave it in with a normal hand.

From my database: [hv=pc=n&s=s9872hkq842d9843c&w=sk6ht3dajt5caq532&n=sajt53hj9dq7ck987&e=sq4ha765dk62cjt64&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1np2c2hp2np3hppdp4cp5cppdppp]399|300[/hv] N/S were Bocchi/Madala E/W were Hoftaniska/Charlesen Madala thought Bocchi was showing a good heart raise, so they were going to play in 3♥x, although it might play pretty well (double dummy, EW and NS can BOTH make 6 tricks in hearts).

Ring Larry.

Still time for a team of 6? We should be available for some practice with with TylerE and Nigel Guthrie beforehand.

Glad I voted for 5♦. B-) Oh, wait ...

Yep - my bad. But pairs who play 3rd and 5th tend to notice how many cards are indummy. B-)

Well, not for over five years: [hv=pc=n&s=sk654hajt8753d7c6&w=sq87hkq64dt2c7542&n=s92h92dq86543ct83&e=sajt3hdakj9cakqj9&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=2c2hdppp]399|300[/hv] This auction occurred in both rooms during the 2007 Bermuda Bowl. One off with 6♣ making. It seems nuts to open 2♣ and defend 2♥, but whatever.