clayniac

If partner passes, I bid 3 nt, and he probably will pass. still a better score than 6 hearts down two or three. I should q bid over 4 hearts, then we may find club slam.

miscopied clubs. mike has the missing honors kjxx.

I know I don't post responses on here; I would rather read what the experts say. I don't know that my replies would be as adequate as the other posters. But I do read regularly. That being said, in the Thursday, June 14, 9 am ACBL, my regular partner, jmk114, Mike from Phoenix, Arizona, and I had a friendly disagreement on the following hand; and I bid the wrong slam (♥ instead of the right slam ♣ ) on the following hand after a 2 ♠ pre-empt on my right: I pick up 25 HCPs!!! ♠ A8 ♥ AK8 ♦ AKJ ♣ AQ942. After 2 ♠ on my right, Mike thought I should start with 3 ♣. I thought with 25 highs, I should start with a double. Bidding went: p-2 ♠-double-3 ♠ 4 ♥-p- 6 ♥. Hearts 4-2 with queen off as expected. Mike played for that, but he is down a few. Mike felt bidding should go: p-2 ♠-3 ♣-3 ♠ and he will raise my clubs, in which case we will get to the cold club slam. Mike's hand: ♠ 2 ♥ JTxx ♦ txxx ♣ AQ9xx. ♦ queen is in the slot. ♥ Qxxx off side. Should i start with a double or with 3 ♣? If I start with a double, how can we get to 6 ♣? After Mike's free bid of 4 ♥, what is my best call? Thanks all, Patsy

Thanks all. With Mike, I should have bid 4 clubs over his 3 nt which with him is minorwood. He shows me all missing keycards and the club queen, now I can bid the grand-at mps (which this was) 7 nt and at imps 7 clubs. I don't respond to posts much because I don't feel as qualified as others to give correct input, but I do read the posts. Very interesting hands and other topics on the Forum. Thanks bbo. Patsy

Fri, 5-11, 9 am ACBL game-Partner opens and you have akqxx akxxx j at! Partner opened with: stiff, q8, aqxx, kqxxxx-minimum 13 count with 6-card suit and standard opener. We play 1 club is 3 +, 2/1 with gadgets including minorwood. one club-one spade two clubs-three hearts three no trump-? I bid 6 nt. 9 of 11 pairs were in 6 nt. one pair was in 2 clubs on a pass misclick and one pair in 4 clubs when gerber got passed. I was playing with my long-time regular partner jmk114, Mike from Phoenix; and we have well-established agreements. 4 clubs would be minor wood 14-30 in clubs with mike and me. he shows me all kcs and queen, and i can bid 7 nt. We still won the event, but I certainly should have bid the grand. Thanks, Pats

Playing with an occasional partner on ACBL on bbo (my regular partner online, jmk114, Mike from Phoenix, AZ, is not on at that hour), we had this auction: 2 hearts (weak)-2 nt-double by me with a good hand-all pass. We were the beneficiaries of +800. My left hand tabled dummy, coming down with a weak hand and 6 clubs to the king. (I held up my ace once-only had ace and one, but declarer only had two clubs.) The question is would xx by my left hand be the start of a Moscow type escape sequence? That is would xx require the 2 nt bidder to bid 3 clubs? Now on the actual hand, my left hand passes. With diamonds the auction would then go after 2 hearts-2 nt-double-redouble-pass-3 clubs-pass-3 diamonds playing this treatment. Would an experienced player read redouble as a relay to 3 clubs? I think this is worth discussion, as I had never encountered this auction before. Thanks, Patsy

Thanks all, Ben told me about this thread. Very sweet! Patsy

♥♦My long-time regular bbo partner, jmk114, Mike, made the following hand vulnerable for +11 imps in the 11 am ACBL today, Thursday 3/22. With silent opponents, the bidding went: 1 ♦- 1 ♠ 2 ♥- 2 nt (Lebensohl, do you have full values for your reverse?) 3 ♠ 3 nt ♣ ten lead-my dummy (west) hits with: ♠ AQ6 ♥ A875 ♦KJ953 ♣ A Mike's hand (east) is: ♠ 9873 ♥ K9 ♦ 8 ♣ qj6432 trick 1. ♣ T-A per force-K-2 trick 2. ♥ 5-J-9-3 trick 3. ♦ 4-8-A-3 trick 4. ♠ 5-6-T-3 trick 5. ♦ 2-3-Q-K trick 6. ♥ 7-4-K-2 trick 7. ♣ Q-5-♥ 8-♦ 6 trick 8. ♣ J-7-♦ 5- ♠ 2 trick 9. ♠7-4-A-J trick 10. ♥ A-Q-♣ 4-♥ 6 trick 11. ♠ Q-K-8-♣ 8 Now North is endplayed in ♦ and must lead from T-7 into dummy's J-9 Mike diagnosed the layout perfectly from the opening lead. South, on lead, held: ♠ 54 ♥ T632 ♦ AQ ♣ T9875 North held: ♠ KJT2 ♥ QJ4 ♦ T7642 ♣ K A very well-played hand. Patsy

I was playing with a long-time partner, friend and teammate. We have established agreements; and our convention card has expanded over time. We play a 2/1 that started with fairly basic 2/1 but which has gotten a bit more sophisticated over the years. Thanks for input everyone, will continue to follow the replies and the poll results. Patsy

♦Noble, you and I seem to agree a lot. I bid 5 spades-2 with the queen. Partner had ♠kqx ♥xx ♦ajtx ♣akjx and got a ♦ lead. Any other lead, he knocks out the ♠ ace and claims 12 tricks in 6 nt. 6♥ is cold on any lead (♥ behave). 6 nt makes on any lead but a ♦. One other pair was in 6 nt down one, and one pair was in 6 ♥ making. No one else was in slam except those two pairs and us. I thought it was important to show the solid ♥ suit. Turns out if I bid 5 nt-2 with a useful void-partner will bid 6 ♥ knowing i have a pointed void. Void can't be in♣. There is also an argument that I could raise ♣ or splinter in ♦ after partner's 2 ♣ bid and then show the solid ♥ suit. Thanks all, Patsy

got it thanks all. gerben helped me. worked.

At the club today, I held ♠jxx ♥akqtxx ♦ void ♣ qxxx 1 ♥-2 ♣ 2 ♥-4nt- ? If I bid 5 ♠ showing 2 with the queen in hearts, partner bids 6 nt. If I bid 5 nt, by agreement showing 2 with a useful void, partner bids 6 ♥ 6 nt went down for a tie for bottom. 6 ♥ makes for a tie for top. Thanks all, Patsy

I am trying to post a poll with only two choices. I keep getting "error-must have more than one choice" even though I am giving two. Could someone tell me how to type in the choices in the box where one is to type in the choices please? Thanks, Patsy

I agree with Noble. I don't like a double; and a pass could be costly. I like a simple 3 spade overcall. If I am big, I will start with a double, so partner should play me for good spades, opening strength and less than a huge hand. Patsy

I am getting 4 clubs splinter, 2 nt jacoby and 2 diamonds 2/1 as responder's first bid-all from good players. Then even after those the sequences vary. This is a fascinating hand to say the least. Keep the posts coming. Thanks all, Patsy

That will work for us; what about for a simpler system for other players? Thanks, Dwayne. By the way, the two ladies who bid the grand were Betty Quaster and Laverne Nimmo.

This hand was held in the other direction at the club today. At our table against intermediate players, the bidding went one spade- (tank) six spades. We played it the 4th play, and one pair bid the grand, others all bid 6. A pair of experienced little old ladies who are not bad players and who are nice people bid the grand. Please post expert bidding to the grand-can use Jacoby 2nt, exclusion blackwood, spllitners, any tools you wish. Just *asterisk and explain the tools for the general readership. opener: ♠ AXXXXX ♥ VOID ♦ XX ♣ AKXXX responder: ♠ KQJXX ♥ AXX ♦ AXXXX ♣ VOID How can each find out about the other's void and second suit? What is the best bidding to reach the easy grand? Thanks all, Patsy

My partner misdefended I think. The other team, all very strong players, said it is cold if declarer attacks the red suits, but I think they are wrong. The full layout: west (me) ♠kqjtx ♥xxx ♦t ♣qxxx dummy ♠xxx ♥jt9xx ♦qj9x ♣x partner ♠xx ♥axx ♦a8xxx ♣xxx declarer ♠axx ♥kq ♦kxx ♣akjtx If declarer attacks red suits, only way to set is for partner to duck ♥kq. Declarer then plays to one of dummy's ♦ honors, holding, and plays another ♥, which partner wins per force. Partner exits a ♣, declarer hopping the ace. Now declarer has to play ♦. If declarer plays ♦k from hand partner must duck and win next ♦. If declarer plays a ♦ to dummy's other honor, partner must win. Now declarer is stuck. This is the only defense to set. Partner misdefended by taking second ♥ with the ace. It is easier to duck the ♥ ace than to know which ♦d to win. Thanks all for comments. Patsy

Vulnerable at imps in a club Swiss, how would you play this hand?: 2nt-(p)-3 diamonds-(p)-3 hearts-(p)-3 nt-all pass. same bidding at both tables spade king lead. dummy hits with ♠xxx ♥ jtxxx ♦qj9x ♣x you hold ♠axx ♥kq ♦kxx ♣akjt9 partner showed out on 3rd spade, so declarer knows I have kqjtx. scroll down for winning line as cards lie. not necessarily the best line won, but our opponent chose the "right" line. Our opponent took the winning line as the cards lie, our teammate the losing line as the cards lie. -600 and -300 for a loss of 14 imps. This was our only bad board of the day, had some small losses but lost this board and match (other boards 4 pushes and one -1 on this match); won our other 3 matches handily, second to this team. had this board been a push may have well won the event, a small club swiss where 2/3 of the teams were good A teams, one competent B team, one weak B team. Played 3 A teams the first 3 matches, so per force one of the B teams (the better one) on the last match. Our opponent knocked out red aces, partner having both red aces. our teammate played some red cards, ducked, then in dummy with a diamond, took a club finesse. Partner has both red aces. Our teammate figured I was odds on to have one of the red aces, so chose the club finesse. Not necessarily the best line by our opponent nor the wrong line by our teammate, but alas our opponent chose the winning line. opinions please. thanks, patsy

At the club last night with a good player, the auction below occurred. Is partner showing extras? 1 ♥ on my left-double by partner-pass-1 nt (8-11 and a ♥ stopper) 2 ♥- 3 ♦ by partner ? Does partner's 3 ♦ bid show extras? I had a ♦ fit with him, so I bid 3 nt. He said he was just competing; I said it showed extras. Some said he should just overcall 2 ♦ on his first turn (which I also said-and with a nice fit will raise), others said he should double again, asking me to bid, showing support for the other suits. Partner had ♠KQXX ♥ A ♦ ATXXX, ♣ JXX Thanks, Patsy

A good player was a partner of mine at the club today, we were east/west and had some big hands, 4 biddable slams, but one should not be bid, and we didn't bid it. We bid two of the three others, but want to know how to bid the missed one and how to get to a grand on one other. Playing 2/1 and 30-14 with this partner, but no other fancy conventions like kickback, exclusion, minorwood. However, you can use whichever bidding tools you like in your responses, Believe it or not this was an average board for 4 spades making seven. You pick up: ♠ AKTXXX, ♥ void, ♦ KX, ♣ AJ9XX Partner opens 1 ♥ bidding goes (silent opponents): 1 ♥-1 ♠-1 NT- how to procede? (scroll down for opener's hand please) opener: ♠ QJ, ♥ KXXXX, ♦ ATXX, ♣ KQ Missed grand-we got to 6 nt for a good board, but belongs in a grand: You pick up: ♠ KT9X, ♥ AKX,♦ KQJX, ♣ TX Partner opens 1 ♦ and bidding procedes (silent opposition) 1 ♦-1 ♠-3 ♣!! how do you get to a grand? at matchpoints do you want to be in 6 nt, 7 ♦ or 7 nt? (scroll down for opener's hand please) ♠ AQ, ♥ 9X, ♦ A9743, ♣ AKQX Thanks all, Patsy

opener-♠ K95, ♥ A, ♦ JT95, ♣ AT842 responder-♠ A-spot, ♥ T-spot, ♦ AQ32, ♣ KQ763 Partner and I were east/west in an 11-table club game today. Not one north/south pair found the minor suit slam. I checked the traveler out of curiosity after the game. Even the clearly strongest n/s pair in the room missed this slam. Should opener open 1 ♣ or 1 ♦ since not good enough to reverse? How should the bidding proceed playing sayc, playing inverted, playing various forms of criss-cross, playing blackwood, or rkc or minorwood or kickback? Of course how this is bid depends on various minor suit agreements and on various forms of ace asking agreements. Input from top players on best way to bid to the club slam would be welcome. Thanks, Patsy

Let's come to a consensus if we can. Yellows, please give your opinion of this: Again I agree that there is a time for complimenting with a soft "wdp;" but like Ken said, not on routine hands where declarer takes the tricks entitled to him or her that should be a flat result-though rarely on BBO is there such an animal as "flat." However, an example of my objection just happened again by an experienced, advanced plus bbo regular. My partner made an unfortunate return and dummy said "wdp" after the hand. Had my partner returned another suit, declarer probably would have been set. Players of experience and advanced or beyond playing level certainly should refrain from "wdp" and such when the contract makes due to an opponent's error. Perhaps we can come to a consensus that "wdp" is acceptable and even encouraged on exceptional bids, plays and defenses. Opponents should also readily say "wdopp" for the same, recognizing and acknowledging and appreciating good bridge. What should be discouraged in public green chat is constant "wdp" etc. on routine hands. And what especially should be discouraged in public green chat is "wdp" when the result is due to an opponent's error. What should also be discouraged in public green chat is over the top exuberance such as "WOW!" "YES!" WDP!" "VWDP!" etc. These comments certainly can be made privately between partners in private blue chat. Lastly, constructive criticism to partner should be in private blue chat. And a footnote: Certainly less experienced players, as pointed out, may not know any better and should be gently educated on good on-line etiquette and that some of their comments to the table may be perceived as impolite, or gloating if you will-though I abhor that word. How do the readers of this post feel about this consensus i offer? Patsy

Certainly a quiet "wdp" or "vwdp," "wdopp," "vwdopp", etc. on an exceptional defensive play, bid or declarer line of play is fine and called for. It is the "WDP!" VWDP!" etc, especially when an opponent errs, that I find uncalled for. I also agree that the constant "wdp," "ntp." "wdopp," "ntopp" etc, especially on routine bids, plays and defense, is over the top. I do however agree to compliment publicly and "discuss" privately. The side that is the recipient of a good board should share their pleasure privately; but as I said a quiet "wdp" or "vwdp" in public green chat to the table on EXCEPTIONAL, NON ROUTINE bids, plays and defenses is fine and as pointed out, even encouraged. I strive to meet the etiquette standards of my initial post; I do not always practice those 24/7, but I strive to do so-and we all should. What motivated me to make this post was the dummy's comment of "YES!!!!" after I let declarer make a doubled contract that I can set by giving partner a ruff. Those types of comments are uncalled for, imho. Thanks all for the replies-I welcome more feedback. Patsy

Most players I think welcome and encourage compliements. However, if one side makes an error or the opponents bid a slim slam that comes home, I find it hurtful for the opponents to say to the table "vwdp" "wdp" etc. Tonight, after the opponents made a doubled contract I can set by giving partner a ruff, dummy said righ to the table "YES!!!!" If a pair gets a good board due to the opponents' mistake, that pair should express their pleasure privately in blue chat after the round or after the session. If a pair gets a good board by bidding a thin game or slam or by outstanding defense, they should do the same, If a pair bids or plays or defends well, it would be welcoming for the opponents to say "vwdopp" or "wdopp." Save the "wdp," "vwdp" etc for blue, private chat. Share the "wdopp," "vwdopp" etc with the table in green chat. If partner bids, plays or defends well, a quiet "wdp" in green chat to the table is ok, but not "WDP!!!" Save that for blue, private chat. Always try to compliment the opponents in public, table green chat; ok to compliment partner quietly for something well done in public green chat. But save the remarks on good boards caused by opponents' errors, pushy bids that work, fixes for private blue chat to partner between rounds or after the session. Save the 'WDP!!!" "VWDP" etc. for private blue chat. Always greet the opponents. My standard greeting is "hi and gl." If I know the opponents, I will say a little more than that, and at times, introduce my partner to the opponents. Of course, i should keep these remarks brief and save the extensive socialization for when the round is over if there is time on the round clock. Of course, be kind to your partner. If you must "discuss," do so in private blue chat between rounds or after the session. Thank partner for the dummy, even if partner misbid terribly. Save comments on that for private, blue chat. Alas, I am the first to admit that I don't always practice all of the above 100% of the time, but I STRIVE to do so; and we all should make that our goal-to strive to be the best partner and opponent that we can be. Comments on this post will be most welcome.