EricK

Shouldn't opener rebid 2NT with the original hand, but bid 3♦ with the red queens swapped? Or do most people demand a full stop rather than a half stop for 2NT? Also, does 3♦ really promise 6 after FSF? What would opener rebid with ♠xx ♥xx ♦AQxxx ♣AQxx or ♠x ♥xxx ♦AQxxx ♣AQxx? I agree with bidding FSF on the original hand, but not if opener isn't going to try to right side NT with ♥Qx. Eric

I play it as "two places to play". It seems unlikely that the 5H bidder also plays it that way. Eric

Upon mature reflection, I have decided that FSF is another almost necessary convention in unopposed auctions. Eric

For unopposed bidding there are no necessary conventions, although splinters come pretty close. For competitive bidding you need a little more science IMO: Lebensohl opposite (2M) X is very useful; also pre-emptive raises and fit-jumps and cue-raises a la Robson and Segal can really improve one's results. Eric

Why do people feel the need to make an undiscussed bid in any case? If you haven't discussed RKCB then simply blast the slam or stay in game or make an invitational bid and then agree something after the hand. The same goes for every convention. Eric

Firstly, when 3rd hand opener rebids, he promises a full opener (at least the way most people play). So here, opener has a weak NT type hand, and he is unlikely to have a 3 hearts in a minimum opening hand else he might well have passed 1H. Secondly, if your requirements for opening are standard, then you are very unlikley to have a game here unless responder is distributional. Thirdly, since opener may be planning to pass your response, I don't think responder should bypass a 5 card diamond suit to bid a 4 card major suit. IMO therefore, 2D is non-forcing showing 5H and 4/5D. 2H now by opener is likely to be a doubleton or 3 in a very flat but non-minimum hand (otherwise he would raise to 2H on first round, or pass 1H). With a 2245 hand, opener should pass. The only "strong" bids by responder on the second round are 2S and above (2S would be a rare bid showing a strongish 4-6 hand, unsuitable for a weak 2). No doubt other people have other ideas about this sequence. Eric

One player used RKCB and couldn't diagnose whether or not there was a slam after the response. Hence RKCB wasn't the correct bid. Hence it was all his fault. QED Erict

I shall hope West guards Spades, Hearts and diamonds. Club King, Spade Ace, Spade King. If spades break, I shall finesse the diamond Ten. Otherwise I will play the Club 9 (discarding a diamond from hand), win the return in dummy, and cash the Club Queen (discarding another diamond) squeezing West. How did I do? Eric

I pass. To rescue would mean playing at the 3 level doubled, so I would need to make 2 extra tricks to improve the situation. With any luck, LHO will bid some number of NT, or partner will have opened 2S with something like 6 spades and 5 diamonds, and will rescue himself. I don't expect either scenario to happen very often! Eric

Find a new partner :P But seriously, I have told partner that I can't stand spades and want to play in clubs (if I could offer him a choice of places to play then I would have redoubled). If he takes me out of clubs, then that is his business. If he redoubles me in clubs, then we're in business. I pass in both auctions. Eric

I would bid 3C. I do not want partner to downgrade his hand if he has a singleton diamond. If my diamonds were KJTxx then I would bid 2D followed by showing spade support. I do not believe that a cue-bid should promise 4 card support. Eric

AQJx AQJx Jxx AJ Eric

I would interpret this as a penalty double. Eric

With regards to psyching and the strength of the participants. Better players will beat worse players in the long run, but to do well in an event, they sometimes have to beat them in the short run as well. If the hands are not conducive to standard expert skill, then how are a good team going to beat a slightly worse team? One way might be with a well timed psyche. Eric

I was going to post the same thing, but there's no point now. Eric

You have to tell your opps what your bid means, you don't have to tell them why you are bidding it. If 4NT asks for partner to tell you how many keycards he has including the HK, then that is what you should tell opps. I don't really see any difference between this, and the fairly common occurence of asking for keycards in a suit before bidding a slam in NT. Eric

I am not sure how I should be replying to this poll! If I played fit-jumps, then both 3S and 4C would be fit-jumps so I would bid 4C. If I played splinters then both 3S and 4C would be splinters so I would bid 3S. I happen to think that fit-jumps are better in this situation, but I don't think that is the question you are asking. Certainly I would bid this one to at least the 5 level as South. Eric

There might be something wrong with my browser (Firebird 0.7), but the bidding sequence you have posted doesn't show any suits. Eric

Since I am unlikely to be able to show every feature of my hand after 2C, I will open 1D. If Hearts and Diamonds were swapped, it would make it closer. Eric

I am not against a weak opening approach, but it does NOT mesh well with a disciplined 2/1 system I had the honor once to have played with the master, Barry Crane. These hands, were of course opened, but we played Drury in ALL seats. That does not fit in with the 2/1 system I play now. I agree that playing 2/1, sound opening is even more important than in other sys. The reason is that with good 12 or better, you will always force to game facing an opened pd. so if pd open too light, u will bid too many bad games. If you play light openings then your partner won't force to game on a 12 count. If your partner forces to game on a twelve count, then you won't open light. That's what partnership agreements are all about. Eric

First of all, both North and South appear to only have 12 cards. Secondly, after a GF opening and negative response, responder must be allowed to cuebid a second round control. How about 2D 2H 3C 4C 4D 4H 6C Eric

As others have said 6C missing two keycards is not a good contract. Playing Acol, there is a lot to be said for not bidding 1H on a hand like this. In the unlikley event that Hearts is the correct place to be, then you will still get there if you support Clubs straight away. What you don't want to happen is that partner downgrades a singleton Heart, which might in fact be the key to making a slam. How about 1C 3C 4C* 4H* 5C I like 4C in this situation to be RKCB. After the 1 keycard response, opener knows that slam can't be good. If you don't play this, then you can cuebid your way to 5C, but this requires more judgement by both players. Playing MP I think the best auction is 1C 3NT Eric

IMO Your partner wasn't strong enough to bid 2H, but should have given preference to 2D. Once he has forced to game and shown both major suits, I see little wrong with your 3NT. Eric

But most play that 1S (X) 2NT is a raise to at least 3S, so now you have two routes to 4NT. 1) via 2NT 2) bid it immediately It makes sense for 1) to be RKB, and 2) to be normal Blackwood. A good rule is that if you could have agreed the suit but didn't then 4NT is not RKB for that suit. Eric

This is a bit harsh, Trpltrbl obviously comes from a place where vowels are in very short supply. Those of us who are fortunate enough to live in places where vowels are freely available should be more tolerant. Eric