PhilKing

Partner has a bag of spanners (he passed over 1♣), righty has a bag of spanners (he bid 3♣), I have a bag of spanners (I know that because I am looking at it). But they have a big fit, right? Not necessarily. I am going to go out on a limb and suggest there is a very high likelihood that lefty is 18-19 balanced. All the signs point to it. On a bad day, he is 4432 and righty is 2245. And don't tell me people don't bid 3♣ on that - maybe they shouldn't but in practice they often do. On a good day, lefty has a max weak no trump and we escape for one off against their one off. I don't think there is much chance at all that lefty has a natural club given the action so far. When he does, he is strong given partner passed with a stiff or void club, so our double is the equivalent of breaking wind.

You've got to be careful with the kickback auctions. For instance, over 1♦, a 4♥ response is only Kickback if you are a junkie - for the rest of us it shows hearts. But say the auction was 1♠-2♦-3♦ and all you wanted to know about was diamond honours, then I would refer you to Broze's solution above: 4♥ is Kickback and 4NT is Exclusion for the impossible suit (hearts in this case). In reality, you will almost never be interested only in trump honours, but Exclusion caters for this anyway, as well as the more likely position of wanting to confirm one other key card. Personally, I don't care for Exclusion in four-level minor suit auctions - I generally prefer to describe rather than ask, particularly when our critical decision comes slightly lower than in a major suit auction.

They never double me because I have convinced everyone I am a rock!

This convention neatly solves that age-old question - what to to with a 1-0-7-5 when partner opens our five-card suit and righty finds the Pass card.

Wrong forum. N&B players need to nail down basic auctions before adding gadgets.

OK, still no takers. On hand two, West holds something like: ♠Qx ♥xxx ♦AJTx ♣QJxx He bid 2♥, so he is never 1-4 in the majors. Playing West for some sort of 1354 hand with only the ♦ ace as a trick is just nuts imo. West is just taking a pairs shot. The minors are under control, his side have the balance of the points and he wants to cut down ruffs. And what's wrong with leading from Qx agains a nine card fit? We have ample evidence from all the answers above that it is pretty safe when partner has Ax, and is likely generate a trick out of nothing when declarer has AKTxx and partner Jx, or when dummy has Kxxx and declarer JT9xx, when they will rise with the king.

I don't care for the idea, but it's possible, and we could put on "Eye of the Tiger" during the interval to get the audience going. Were I the NPC, I would probably want to have the option of making a late substitution as well, bringing on a "lag" (loose aggressive player) if behind and a "rock" if leading.

The hands in each room are not played simultaneously, so you will not be able to get a running total. But you can probably assume you need a few game swings by this stage. :(

Hand one is somewhat dependent on the opposition. All I know for sure is that I would have led a heart, and I don't even know what West's hand is. One good reason for finessing is that if it loses we are probably level with the field, and if it wins we are probably ahead of tables where a club or heart was led, though one could argue the same to a lesser extent if going for the drop. On hand two, if someone is prepared to offer me good odds I'd like to put a cheeky fiver on the drop (analysis under wraps for the moment). And I know Wank will agree with me, because he LOVES leading a low trump from Qx. Any takers?

I suspect the truth is far worse - op may be a bridge teacher. :ph34r:

I gave this to the Hacketts in 1995. Their need was greater due to their "light" 4CM style, so previously even a 3451 11 count had to raise to 2♠.

It's a common agreement - it's just unusual to stick to it. :(

For what it's worth, North should bid 3NT over 3♥. There is a 0.00% chance that partner has a weak hand with a void heart, UI or not.

Maybe Meckwell have never played it either. Conventions are frequently misattributed (eg Benjamin Twos and Ingberman). Update: I just checked and they still appear to play it. :(

Making a call (3♥) that is the only possibly bid out of a grand total of zero alternatives can hardly be considered "taking any advantage from that unauthorized information."

Come on! Remembering what you play behind a screen is authorised. Remebering after partner has alerted is not. This seems like a routine common situation. LAW 16b?

Over 4♦, I would bid 4♠ since 6♦ rates to be huge even with a 4-3 fit: ♠Qxx ♥AJxxx ♦QJ9x ♣x and now North jumps to 6♦. I don't remotely agree that South can do anything other than bid 3♥ - South has to continue as if he had opened a natural 2NT, even though that's not what they play. The real problem is whether to rule that 6♦ makes. :ph34r:

Obviously not have a penalty double of a mini available is pretty whacky, but that was not the problem. Pard has the world's most obvious double of 3♣.

I think it's a pretty terrible method, since partner can almost never boost the bidding when third player acts, and I would think that even if he had won as many WC's as Hamman (who plays various treatments I also think are not perfect). Trying to win the contract in 2m is a mugs game, particularly where you don't even get to bid your suit directly. But the method was not to blame here. When North bids 2♠, it doesn't show merely longer spades - it shows a hand too strong to pass 2♥, so South should bid 4♥. After all, South could have a weak 2443 in this crackpot defence, and North needs a safe way to show a game try opposite a sign off.

I liked that both East and West were forthcoming that 4NT was Blackwood - it would have been easy to get out of it simply by saying it was a sign-off.

Why didn't pard cash the spade king before shifting to a diamond?

Imo this is upside down.

It's a non-issue. Say you are playing short-suit game tries and you have your bid half the time and an alternative random hand hanf the time, it is axiomatic that the random hands are systemically bidding game after a sign-off.

Tricks - I will fix the original post.

Sometimes you have to put your fastest pair in to avoid slow play fines. :P