Trump Echo

I guess I'm the scarecrow. I open 2 Clubs followed by 3 Diamonds followed by 4 Diamonds and I let my partner take it from there.

IMO, the average player on BBO doesn't know what they're doing, even if they think they do. Doesn't matter what they have self-rated themselves. If your left hand opponent opened and your partner overcalled 1 NT with 11 hcps, your partner has no idea how to play bridge. OTOH, if your RHO opened and your partner overcalled 1 NT after two passes, he can do that with 11 hcps, and you were wrong to raise. You should pass or perhaps bid a 5-card suit. His correct call with 11 hcps is to bid the 1 NT provided he has a solid stop in the adverse suit and a balanced hand. If he has a better hand such as 15-18 hcps, he would double. Hence, his overcall promises less than 15 hcps. If your partner deals and passes the opening and it goes around the table so your LHO opens, and then your partner overcalls 1 NT, that is Unusual NT asking for a minor.

I am bumping this thread due to today's newspaper column by Frank Stewart. http://www.baronbarclay.com/product/bridgecolumn09-10-14/September2014 Same type of situation, except now, after studying this and the previous column, I am enlightened. Six months ago, I'd have rebid 2 Hearts, and I'd do it with confidence. Note that the poll agrees with me. It currently shows that 80% of forum-participating BBOers would rebid 2 Hearts. As previous posters have pointed out, there is an opportunity here to show strength or weakness. That is, ♠♠♥ shows a weak opening hand. ♠♥♠ shows a stronger hand. It all comes down to how you value the opening hand. I think a reasonable way to look at it is if you hold a 6-card suit and a 4-card suit, and have the strength for a reverse but not the opportunity, you must communicate your strength in the above manner. And if you and your partner agree to that, you must then show your weakness in the above manner as well. Today, I'd rebid 2 Spades. And tomorrow too.

I would pass.

1 ♦

I agree with msjennifer. While the above hand will produce a slam, the chance of having such a layout is so small, it's not worth the risk of missing a laydown game. Bid 2 NT. If partner answers 3 ♦, the odds of a Spade stop is even smaller than before, plus strength is diluted. Bid 3 Hearts. Partner will not pass. He'll either cue Spades (unlikely) or raise to game where you'll pass. If partner answers 3 Hearts, raise to game. If partner answers 3 Spades, bid slam in Hearts.

I find South at fault. If I held South's hand, I'd have jumped to 3 Spades directly as a preempt after the double. Partner would pass.

I think 5-5 is conventional without a partnership agreement saying otherwise

This was my plan too

♦8

No ♠76 ♥A532 ♦AQ63 ♣QJ8 Or even ♠76 ♥A532 ♦AQ63 ♣Q98

I think pass is the textbook call. With a bare bones minimum double hand and the likelyhood of ending up with 7 trumps, I'd pass. If I had a slightly stronger hand or one more card in a red suit, I'd double.

Double

Double. I would expect partner to pass.

2♥

Good point. Declarer can figure I have all three Kings from my lead. I didn't think of that. Maybe some day...

Oh ok. Thanks

I could not discern the location of any aces or queens or tenaces, so I figured each of my Kings had about an even chance of winning a trick. So as it stands holding 3 Kings, I have about an even chance of winning two tricks - unless I lead away from a King. I don't know what my partner holds in trumps, but I do know what I hold. So I led a trump. [hv=bbo=y&lin=pn|x,x,x,x|st||md|1S8H236TKD234KC27K%2CS9KH459AD678JAC8J%2CS346QH78JQD5TC49Q%2C|rh||ah|Board%2011|sv|o|mb|p|mb|1D|mb|p|mb|2S|mb|p|mb|3H|mb|p|mb|4C|mb|p|mb|4S|mb|p|mb|4N|mb|p|mb|5H|mb|p|mb|5N|mb|p|mb|6D|mb|p|mb|6S|mb|p|mb|p|mb|p|pc|S8|pc|S9|pc|SQ|pc|SA|pc|S2|pc|C7|pc|SK|pc|S3|pc|C8|pc|C4|pc|CA|pc|C2|pc|SJ|pc|H2|pc|H4|pc|S4|pc|ST|pc|H3|pc|H5|pc|S6|pc|DQ|pc|D2|pc|D6|pc|D5|pc|D9|pc|D3|pc|DJ|pc|DT|pc|DA|pc|H7|pc|C3|pc|D4|pc|D8|pc|C9|pc|C5|pc|DK|pc|CK|pc|CJ|pc|CQ|pc|C6|pc|H6|mc|11|]400|300[/hv] Thanks for your help! :D

I tried to reason with my partner. I explained that no lead was a good lead, and the best I could do was make a lead that was the least bad as possible. But she was adamant that my lead was a blatant error and threatened to break off the partnership (for the 99th time) if I didn't agree. I still didn't agree. But I agreed to make a different lead in similar circumstances the next time, to appease her. This wasn't good enough. She insisted I agree with her. She insisted my lead cost us a trick. I'll post my lead and all the gory details tomorrow. :D

2♥

The ops bid uncontested to 6 Spades. All four suits had been bid. I hold: S 8 H K10632 D K432 C K72 I am sitting as South. Edit: West opened from first seat and the bidding went: 1D - 2S 3H - 4C 4S - 4NT 5H - 5NT 6D - 6S I could have asked about the 2S but I didn't. Turns out East had only 12 hcps but long Spades to the AJ10xxx. What's my opening Lead? Thank-you

Our 2/1 system. West passes. 1S - 1 NT 2H - 4 H 4S - 5 C 5H - 6H

(delete post)

Ahh, somebody has discovered what I have discovered. I really didn't want to put this out there on the open forums, but ... What I have learned is that, on odd numbered days, finesses will always win provided you lead from dummy. On the other, if it's an even numbered day, you want to lead from your own hand. Finesses win every single time. This little nugget has allowed my partner and I to break the 55% barrier. We're now at about 62% on BBO. I swear I'm not making this up.

:)