msjennifer

I feel that the 3 Spade bid is usually made,when playing a weak NT,to show no guard in clubs,no 3 card support for hearts and most likely a hand like, AQxx,Qx,Axx,xxxx.Of course this is what I would have gathered and is open to individual partnership agreements,Personally,looking at 109 of hearts(and not xx) there is a uncertainty in ones mind about whether to bid 3 hearts or 3 NT. personally I would bid 3 NT and never 3Spade.

Me and my partner do not play a bid of 3 clubs as fit jump but a natural Game Force requesting partner to bid naturally neglecting the interference totally.

Yes indeed! With all those advertised restrictions the only agreement left is to make a double and then bid the appropriate game or even a slam if partner does show life.I entirely agree with you.

Will partner show a spade feature on 2NT relay ? If so,then his bid of 3H denies it.Play quietly in 4Hearts.!

I strongly disagree with the two club rebid.Playing with a partner,totally a stranger,I will always rebid 1 NT for the reasons I have already given.While practicing today,I purposely gave my partner a hand AJXx,876,Kxx,KQx.Does not one open One Club ?He was least amused when I purposely bid Two Clubs as defended by You.And if you say that with a 4225 with strength in clubs and spades opener will not bid 2 Clubs on my 1 NT,then well good luck to you and your theories !

Even neglecting the CJ there are 9 hcp and hence playing any system pass is ruled out.A bid of 1NT is the correct bid telling partner a hand of 8 to bad 10 hcp and a balanced one at that.It does not promise a diamond guard.If partner has an unbalanced hand he will surely bid again.And after all with a balanced hand don't we all like to play in NT at matchpoints.!

Playing " pairs " there is no time to calculate the percentages.This may be one unlucky hand which could have been made almost double dummy by a HAMMAN,GAROZZO OR FORQUET and not the lesser mortals.Percentages go on changing as the cards are played to every trick. One must not be a slave of percentages.

What was wrong was the INT bid.What is wrong with 2D? You certainly can bid 2 NT if partner bids 2H and 2NT bid limits your hand also as well as telling partner that you do not have even a two card spade support.I feel your partner would have bid just 2H as your 2D is forcing upto 2NT.On your 2NT he would have signed off on the given hand in 4S.

The 2 NT bid was the worst bid ,if not silly.The hand has 8 plus losers, no ruffing values.The hand is also not suitable for NT from his side.It is not a hand where redouble and then bidding spades will show defensive values.With a nine card fit and a very likely singleton in either opponents hand the spade KQ are useless in defense unless the opponents chose to play in NT.Since there is only one possible defensive trick ,no ruffling values,a flat hand it is sensible to make a bid of only 2Spade.If opener really has values which means 6 losers only he is sure to make a SST or LST and not just jump to 4 spades as in poppa-momma bridge.As stated in the given example the 4 Spade bid is poppa momma bid.A bid of 3 Spades is the right bid since the spade suit is poor,no goodish second suit and no other extra values at all.Opener also has to share the blame although 80% fault is with the responder.

novice ! Isn't it.I wonder who taught him!

Two Heart will be my bid.The one spade opening has forced me to bid at the two level.But there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Playing negative doubles I am going to reopen with 3 clubs as I am an aggressive bidder.

See above Poll I fully agree with the expert that 2H is 100% non forcing .What is partner holding KJxxx,Kxxxx,xxx and void club supposed to bid? pass ? ridiculous !If P wants to make a forcing bid he would bid Three hearts and not just 2 hearts.Of course I won't call those who say 2 H is forcing as morons.

I would bid not 2spade but 3spade over 2 hearts.I think the rest depends upon the partnership agreements.

3 spade to keep the level low.

TWO HEART and nothing else.

I have thoroughly read the Keri but you do not know the Explorer.Keri is a third rate development comparatively,pardon me. as regards short and long suit tries described by Klinger which he applies after a 1H/S opening and a single raise are horrible.

Kindly read my edited comments.

No Sir/Madam,the Explorer Relay is vastly superior to the Keri as developed by Klinger.It covers and caters for all possible combinations for a part game hand ,game going hand ,slam ambition hand,and slam forcing hands wherein Responder can find out exact distribution of the openers hand.With Keri ,Klinger nor anyone can depict or find out much about the distribution and strength.Klinger would never be able bid many hands using Keri or Stayman .the Explorer beats all the commonly played conventions outright.The Explorer can be used by a beginner,or upto Experts and gives immense satisfaction.Keri is totally a very inferior convention by Klinger whose short and long suit tries are miserable to say the least.

May I ask the mathematicians what is the percentage of success taking into account the violent distribution the opponents also may have and the MARKED trump lead? Drury is out of question since there is no 3 card support in spades.It is easier to give various sequences leading to 6H when we see all cards.It is very difficult on the table.Partner does not know your exact honor holding in the 3 suits.You may be through or going down in 6 hearts.And if opponents are wise enough they will bid the grand in diamonds.What do you do now? Bid 7H?

With my regular partner there is No Stayman.1NT --2C is a relay promising at least 8 HCP and at least one 4 card major.Opener bids 2D with 15 or BAD 16 even if he holds one 4 card major.Opener bids 2H holding both majors but 15 or BAD 16. opener bids 2 S holding both majors and 17 or Good 16.Over 2 D responder with 8-9 HCP bids his major and opener Passes with 4card fit or if the bid is 2H and no 4 fit bids his 4 card Spade suit.Responder passes with 4 card support or failing bids 2NT which opener passes.The convention which covers all ranges and all patterns is named "Explorer Relay" by my teacher and runs into 20 pages.In a very important event he and his partner bid 7D in a 44 fit after 1NT opening where opponents played meekly using Stayman in 3NT.The biggest gain is many times I have been able to play in 2H/S with a 44 fit where our opponents played 3H/S in an invitational sequence and went one down resulting in 5 IMP gain for us. Aparently,since some have no idea of the Explorer Relay which accurately finds out or describes to partner the distribution and the intention whether to play in apart score ,game (3Nt,4H/S,5C/D) ,slam ambition or slam force.It is far far superior to some run of the mill conventions described by Ron Klinger,Stayman and others.One can find out in detail openers hand pattern ,point count,controls and of course RKC not by 4NT but by 4C/4D/3H /3S. It will be most unfair to criticize it without studying it carefully in details.

I am a beginner.What I was taught by my Granny ,"if there are no long suits then count your losers AND quick winners".I have only 4 winners partner has never shown me any long suit and a weak hand.His 3 NT was a desperate attempt, after all my forcing bids(which I feel indicated a slam AMBITION,to sign off.He certainly would have made some sort of cue bid as per partnership understanding after my 4 club bid.It is ,therefore obvious that his 4 NT is neither quantitative nor any type of Blackwood.PASS and a QUICK ONE AT THAT is the bid.Any adventure seeking Scaramouche South may bid 6NT(or an ambiguous 5NT so that he can blame partner later).

Well! if they have a slam on they WILL bid it.Slam is likeky as it is my LHO who has dbled and RHO has VOLUNTARILY bid 4S in a vulnerable position.5H is not likely to be a successful bid as it is likely to convey that you have no void anywhere.As a beginner I would refrain from bidding 5 H.

I am of the opinion that all these complicated conventions which are meant to totally confuse everyday-bridge players be banned in BBO and such other games arranged for non-professional players.Let the Professionals play such conventions as their opponents know how to nullify these,but let the innocent amateur ladies and gentlemen play the simple game and enjoy it.I entirely agree with the hosts who ban such artificial bids in the homely tournaments.