PhilKing

This looks remarkably like a 5♦ bid.

It's a bad idea in Acol, for the reason Helene_t gave - it puts too much strain on the 1NT response. Opener should not have to worry about missing game by passing a balanced 16. If you play strong 2/1, opener will be forced to raise 1NT to 2NT with a potential combined 22, which just haemorrhages equity.

1♥2♣2♦ is a catch-all with a minimum (possibly 3-card) balanced raise as one of the three main options. 1♥-2♣-2♥ shows six. Partner now bids 2♥ on most non-shapely hands as a relay. Once we bid 3♣ pard can relay with 3♦ or do something else if he pleases.

Feels like lefty would have led a stiff ♣ or ♥, so he is 6322 some way round - most likely 6322 precisely. I'll bang off a few trumps, but I intend to play the ♣AK and fall back on the heart Qxx onside. Essentially, I am taking a 20% equity hit in clubs when West is 6223 in order to have a second decent horse in the race. It feels pretty close but I'm guessing this is a 2% better.

1♥ 2♣ 3♣(15+ - direct spl weak) 3♦(relay) 3♠(strong ♦ splinter) 4♦(cue) 5♦(sand wedge RKCB) 6♣ 7♣

I think responder can bid on with a perfecto. ♠AJT♥T9x♦JTxxx♣Kx bids 2NT. 3N could be huge/cold. ♠ATx♥QTx♦JTxx♣Kxx bids 3♣. 5♣ likely makes opposite Kx AJxx x Axxxxx and has play for slam. I might bid 3♣ with less - this is a 2♠ bid, showing a perfect hand. 2NT is just on the way to 3♣ - opener will remove to 3♣ or bid 3NT.

This thread has put me on monkey tilt. THREE people are prepared to play in 2♠. I mean, we are obviously loads down in 2♠ when 4♥ has got to be pretty close. What can possibly go wrong if you respond 2♥? Lefty may even have a 2♠ overcall. If you don't like 2♥ bid 4♣. Partner will bid 4♥ (showing spades) and we keep them out of their possibly stone cold 3NT.

I think the diamond is indicated for another reason - declarer's line looks very odd if he has the second hand you quote. I think at the very least, he should start with a low heart from hand. On the first, leading the ten is also "wrong", but he may just think he has loads of tricks and hasn't spotted the transportation problem.

Oh, I see. No - if partner encouraged I would continue diamonds. If partner wants a heart switch, he has to play second lowest from four small playing UDCA hoping I can sniff it out, but I doubt that works here.

Well that's all I was asking for. Without the statement that one would discourage with that hand (and I don't agree - I would play a Rosenbergian fudge card) I was too thick to work out what his point was.

I still have no idea what his point is, since when pard encourages, I don't play a low club. :( A low diamond is not totally clear though, and I'm never playing a heart.

My experience is that a slow 2♠ is generally strong or just means partner's mind wandered - but you can usually tell which.

I don't understand your point. Do you mean on hands where West encourages diamonds? Give an example.

A small club can be right even when West prefers hearts. For example, if West has x Axx Q9xxx Jxxx.

I think its split there. I play that one as non-forcing. There are two main reasons they are different: 1. Playing in partscore is a much larger target when we are aiming for nine or ten tricks. There are fewer hands where they make exactly nine tricks and we make ten, than hands where both sides make nine, so utility is lower. 2. At a lower level we can double for take-out and still get to show our suit below game when we are strong. Playing 4♦ as non-forcing is trying to land on a pinhead.

Yeah, that might be best, since some of the times we don't make four of a red suit, the 4-1 break scuppers 3 as well (eg partner has xx Qx in the reds and they keep leading clubs). On a good day, we make 4♥ opposite a yarborough.

There'll be plenty of strawberry jam to spread on that doughnut if you are wrong.

1. Partner has a hand that I will never allow to play in spades. 4♥ will almost certainly be a better spot than 2♠. 2. 2♥. Then over partner's presumed 2♠, 3♦. I play this as showing the red suits, invitational (a delayed 3♣ shows ♣s and ♥s). Other hand types are handled as follows: after responding 2♥ and hearing the inevitable 2♠, 2NT puppets to 3♣, then you pass with clubs, bid 3♦ or 3♥ to play, or 3♠, invitational. 2♠ makes no sense. Even with no methods, just bid 2♥ then 3♥(or 4♥) - this should be better than flying off in a ridiculous 2♠. And partner can raise with an honour or three small. 3. Opposite a stong balance hand I want to play in no trumps. I keep going off on ruffs these days. Time will tell where we are headed.

I've changed my mind on this one - I was having a bad day when I answered the first time. Pass and collect 500 or 800. LHO should be 2416, therefore partner is 3352, and RHO is 5440. A low trump from Axx will lead to a bloodbath. Tell me I'm wrong! Meh, changed my mind again. I think dummy's spades may set up - 3♦, lol.

This made me happy, even though you didn't mean it.

It seems like you've got it cracked.

Because it's standard.

Don't I have enough aces to double? There must be good chances of +800.

Because we have a 3-3 fit. :P

I suspect it is optimal to play it as Last Train for hearts (no promise of control), but I would not really want to play it that way unless I could identify other sequences where the same principle could be utilised. It does put more strain on double, since I will have to do that on some good diamond hands.