PhilG007

"Many players forget that 'pass' is also a bid;one that you will make more often than not and,in the long run,is often the most profitable" -the late Jeremy Flint

Cyberyeti you have a poorly development sense of danger. As I said in another post on this site, assumption is a dangerous word in bridge..the outstanding clubs could all be stacked on your left then the next thing you will hear is DOUBLE and you can get ready with the sackcloth and the ashes...bid your own hand..not your partner's(!) :angry:

Fibbing is OK...as long as partner is also deceived...(!) ;)

On more than one occasion,I've held a good suit but,annoyingly,RHO bids it first(!) Many moons ago in my novice days,my bridge teacher,an excellent player,once told me, "If you know where you are going,go there quickly;if not hold back" This is exactly that same situation Partner has passed. LHO has not yet bid Assumption is a dangerous word in bridge. Difficult though it might be,pass is the correct action on this hand and await developments. Never try to guess or hope. Rely on luck and you may find,to your sorrow,what a fickle mistress she is(!)

South has 21 points and both opponents have come into the bidding.How many points are in the North hand(?) If I were in the South seat,alarm bells would be sounding. Common sense is needed here. You have 21 points and if North(as is very likely)has a Yarborough,you STILL have 21 points. It may seem cowardly but the correct action is to pass and defend and hope to put the contract down.

I would pass 3♠ What started out as a discussion is rapidly turning into an argument and a tug of war. The bidding clearly shows a misfit...and one partner should give way and the sooner the better. Misfits should be played at as low a level as possible.

:)

Agreed Vampyr but remember that partner has been dealt 13 cards....and not all of them will be spades(!) :) The example hand given is very unbalanced and this is likely to be reflected around the table. Anyone with a highly developed sense of danger will instinctively realise it's better to defend on this hand than declare. Enterprise is an admirable quality for a person to have in their upper storey provided they have common sense on the ground floor(!) ;)

Agreed Vampyr but remember that partner has been dealt 13 cards....and not all of them will be spades(!) :) The example hand given is very unbalanced and this is likely to be reflected around the table. Anyone with a highly developed sense of danger will instinctively realise it's better to defend on this hand than declare. Enterprise is an admirable quality for a person to have in their upper storey provided they have common sense on the ground floor(!) ;)

The villain in this deal was most definitely East. If you make a bid that partner doesn't understand the meaning of,it's YOUR FAULT. In a strange or casual partnership,I always try to play as simple a system as possible. This is especially important if the partner is a beginner/novice.

I would pass this hand. The bidding is already too high to make any red suit bid a safe one. And the shape suggests the trumps will break badly. If partner had anything to say,he would have come in over 2S. The mark of a good player is to know when you have been outgunned....and go quietly (!):)

I would bid 3♥ Partner has shown 6-9 points and 3+ ♥ There are 4 possibilities Partner can hold 6-7-8 or 9 points. 3♥asks "How good are you? Bid game if you are maximum or pass if you are minimum." It makes sense to check and confirm. Many a contract has foundered on the reefs of assumption(!) :)

I would bid 3♥ Partner has shown 6-9 points and 3+ ♥ There are 4 possibilities Partner can hold 6-7-8 or 9 points. 3♥asks "How good are you? Bid game if you are maximum or pass if you are minimum." It makes sense to check and confirm. Many a contract has foundered on the reefs of assumption(!) :)

Bid 1NT over the double. This shows 6-9 points and values in the unbid suits (in this case,the minors.)

I would give support to ♥. Partner is showing a major two suiter at least 5-5. The ♥King is a very useful card indeed. No Trumps are out of the question with two such very unbalanced hands with voids and singletons highly likely. 6♥ is looking very good.

I would pass this hand unhestitatingly and wait for developments. There are too many losers. If it was unbalanced and had ruffing values,then maybe I would chance my arm if non vul. But there are too many unknowns. Is p strong or weak? LHO hasn't yet spoken and could be hiding a monster hand. If you know where you're going,go there quickly. If in doubt,hang back. Better to be safe than sorry! :)

I wonder if other players have been frustrated like me when an opponent bids 4NT during an auction to investigate a slam. You click on the players profile and you see one of two things.... either it says "Blackwood" or it says nothing about the bid. So what version are they using? Are they using Blackwood at all??? Roman Keycard Blackwood or 0314 as it is known in shorthand has become widely popular since its invention by the legendary Italian Blue Team in the 1970s. The tournament directors should make it a stipulation that all players profiles should state clearly what version of Blackwood is being adopted. It would save a great deal of time and discussion if this was done. What do others here think?

North's 3 Clubs is a weak take out showing at least 6+ clubs and 7 losers. South has 6 losers. 7+6 =13 24-13= 11 tricks South should jump to 5 Clubs.

Too much baggage for a Novice/Beginner to commit to memory Zelandakh At that stage,it's all about simplicity.

Agree lebensohl and rubensohl are also good methods,Eagles. But remember this topic was posted on a section aimed at Novices and Beginners who may find them a tad too high brow. My suggestion is simple and easy to understand and remember. A no brainer. Lebensohl and Rubensohl are best left until passed the elementary stages.

How often have you been in the situation where you want to use Stayman but your pesky RHO beats you to it by overcalling 2C? There is a way around this though it requires partnership agreement Indirect Stayman. Using this device,a double of 2Clubs takes the place of the robbed bid. One example should suffice:- East West North East South ♠AQ10x[ 1NT 2♣ ? ♥KJ10x ♦Kxx ♣Jx East has a perfect hand for Stayman but North butts in with 2♣ first. Using Indirect Stayman, East doubles but it's not for penalties. The double tells West,"They pinched my bid,partner. Do you have 4 card major suit?" If West has a major he bids it in the normal way. If he doesn't,he responds 2♦ the statutory denial. A very useful convention worth committing to memory.

In the first problem,I would pass(yes you read it right)if partner doubles for takeout,you can pass it for penalties. Dont be seduced by the pretty pics in the diamond suit Yes,you have 7 of them..but where are the other six(?) If luck is against you,they will be with South.Then the next thing you will hear is "double" on your left and you can make ready the sackcloth and ashes. Preempts give warning that there is wild distribution around the table. It will pay to proceed with extreme caution. In the second problem,it's tricky ground. Partner has doubled for penalties and partner,however suspect,must be trusted. Taking the double out into 7D would be bad for 2 reasons. Firstly,you are,in effect,calling your partner a liar. Secondly,if 7D also fails where 6H is doomed,you will have some explaining to do. On the other side if 6HX makes,you can be justified in bawling partner out (!)

I would bid 2S next,a forcing reverse showing longer hearts than spades and at least 16 + points and 5-4 in the majors. N should bid 4H It's true he only has 2 cards in his partners suit,but they are 2 very good ones and the trumps may break evenly.

West should bid 2H over the double,which is showing a club suit, just as though South had passed. East should then bid 4H. No convention needed(!)