smerriman

My thoughts were that after the support double, 3♦ seems to help the opponents far more than it helps us, because it allows LHO to bid 3♥ and confirm the heart fit. After a 3♠ bid, is LHO likely to be able to bid 4♥ (as a passed hand, opposite a possible minimum)? If he passes, is RHO likely to be able to bid over 3♠, opposite a possible minimum which has 4 hearts?

[hv=http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?sn=smerriman&s=SQ874H4DK986CA654&d=w&v=o&b=17&a=PP1DP1H1SD!(Support)]200|300[/hv] IMPs. It seems there are at least 5 ways to raise spades here. Opposite a passed hand, is this strong enough for a cue-raise, or just a mixed raise? In either case, is there any logic to preempting the opponents by jumping straight to 3♠ - or even 4♠?

According to SuitPlay, all other things being equal, you should play low to the ten, but it's close: Low to T: 8.7% of 4 tricks, 69.4% of 3 tricks, 2.781 tricks on average Low to K: 3.2% of 4 tricks, 71.8% of 3 tricks, 2.750 tricks on average This doesn't take into account any chances that RHO will play an honor from QJx to begin with though. And the second line takes 3 tricks more often, so this also assumes everyone else is in the same spot.

A reverse is not forcing to game. 3♣ is a jump shift, not a reverse, and *is* forcing to game.

Those who have qualified for round 2 can start playing their matches. Just a reminder -- another 16 against your group, and 32 against the other group.

Love a tournament where we can all play the same hands. Congrats to icycookie and derppp for two great scores by forum-challenge-eventers! Would be good to see what people think the best result was on each board (as opposed to the highest scoring result). My scores: Board 1: I took immediate 1♦, 2♥, 3♦ route, resulting in having to defend 3♠. Returned a trump at trick 3 to try to cut down on ruffs for a measley 9.7%. Raising no trumps seems insane, and I couldn't see the merit in not looking for a 4-4 heart fit. The other alternative was passing the double and bidding 3♦ the next time, but if you were going to bid anyway, isn't immediately better? Board 2: Knowing partner had 10-11 points I gambled with a takeout double hoping to find spades, leading to 5♦ and another poor result. 4♣ doesn't look right, and my clubs are poorly positioned anyway, so I guess passing was best. Board 3: 4♠+1 for 51.5%, but I guess there was no harm in eliminating clubs and playing a heart on the hope West misdefends which seemed to work. Board 4: Led a diamond and somehow got 68.9% for 4♥=. GIB has 10 top tricks.. so beating it is crazy. Board 5: 4♥+2 for 49% - seems GIB goes crazy, throwing away a trick in diamonds for no reason to give away a 13th. Board 6: Always a hard matchpoint decision.. I went 4♠, +1 for 54.6%. 3NT worked out here but seems a bit dangerous with ♥Jxx? Board 7: Not sure the best way to bid this. 1♠ - 2♥ - 2♠ - 3♣ seems normal - then a choice between 4♣ and 3♠. I went 4♣, passed 5♣, guessed the ♥6 was a singleton and thus finessed East for the queen for 75.8%. Board 8: Not sure how to bid this either. I took the slow route of 2♦ then 3♦ and was punished with GIB's 4♦, -3 for 34.8%. Board 9: 1NT or pass 1♠? I bid 1NT; throwing away all of the diamonds in dummy seemed to get GIB to miss out on a top diamond. 1NT= for 75.3%. Board 10: 4♥= for 47.5%. I made the mistake of just taking the club finesse. Seems the top scorers again managed to find a way to put GIB to a decision that it should have gotten right but didn't.. or was there more to it? Overall just 48.1%.. pretty average start.

Agreed with steve, that's how it *should* work. I don't think GIB understands the sequences here though, since if you try it, it'll continue with 4♦.. Edit - actually, going by this, leb then cue denies a stopper. GIBs descriptions are very unclear, so it's hard to know what it plays.

GIB's whole approach here is stuffed up, both of terms of how it copes with the double (it doesn't), and the whole 3NT cheaper minor thing. See here for more details, including a reply from jdonn that didn't result in anything.

https://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:8edcd33a.b80f.11e8.83a5.0cc47a39aeb4-1536923759&u=smerriman smerriman 6.5 - 9.5 vilgan

I've already mentioned why I don't think it works well (the biggest part being too many matches unimportant for one of the players but vital to others), but if you want to organise one I'll happily play it and am sure others will too.

You mean the human right? :unsure: 4NT is really bad but at least you still reach a slam if the human responds properly.

That should be to sep123, not me :)

I'm pretty sure it is. But if you're using an advanced robot and comparing to a basic robot, of course everything will differ.

If you want to play another challenge, make it 13 boards - I will count the other three boards as wins to you (the two played, and the one he may have seen and given up on). If he doesn't complete the rest, I'll calculate a score for the extra 13 boards based on averages (similar to early events) and add those to your 3 board start.

Will be interested to see what experts think about overcalling 1NT with a 5 card major - I've wondered about this topic in the past, and can't find a single forum thread here or Bridgewinners that seems to discuss the merits. Personally in this case I wouldn't bid 1NT with just Ax - you're going to miss out on finding any heart fit, and if you happen to reach 3NT, you're either going to need 9 top tricks or partner to have decent spades to avoid going down immediately. With Axx instead, so you can duck twice, I'd be more tempted. As for GIB's double - never read too much into what GIB does, especially when it comes to doubles. If you lead A and another spade, it does seem like declarer is quite lucky to make 4♠ though. Perhaps next time, you'd get a top instead.

I don't know what 5♠ means but, unlike a double, partner isn't going to pass, so I'll try it.

Nope - this is one thing GIB tends to get right. If you post a link to the hands (finding the hand under My BBO - Hands and Results, and then going to Export deal - Handviewer link), perhaps we can help clear up what you're missing. Note that the suit is mentioned in the description of the bid too.

http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:a1f6d1d2.b1a1.11e8.83a5.0cc47a39aeb4-1536216839&u=smerriman smerriman 8.5 - 7.5 twisterzz http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:81897533.b181.11e8.83a5.0cc47a39aeb4-1536203041&u=smerriman smerriman 8 - 8 derppp

I suspect the 140% might make more sense in the context of this tweet: https://twitter.com/sghasseminejad/status/1010870474266456071?lang=en Namely, that the price of a US dollar has gone up by 140% over that time, vs a 140% decrease in value.

http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:640e5199.b0a7.11e8.83a5.0cc47a39aeb4-1536109361&u=smerriman smerriman 9.5 - 6.5 xbabarx

All that actually matters is the link - I'm parsing them automatically.

http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:2f11b9e5.af58.11e8.83a5.0cc47a39aeb4-1535965391&u=smerriman smerriman 9.5 - 6.5 ranmit

You misread. 3♣ is described as "cheaper minor", which is an artificial double negative, not "better minor". [hv=http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?sn=smerriman&s=SAKQHAQJ54D7CAK83&nn=Robot&n=S7654HKT9D853C952&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=2C(Strong%20two%20club%20--%2019+%20HCP%3B%2023+%20total%20points%3B%20forcing%20to%202N)P2D(2D%20bid%20waiting%20--%20forcing%20to%202N)P2H(Opener%27s%20suit%20--%205+%20%21H%3B%2019+%20HCP%3B%2023+%20total%20points%3B%20forcing%20to%203H)P3C!(Cheaper%20minor%20--%20forcing%20to%203H)P5C(5+%20%21H%3B%20strong%20rebiddable%20%21C%3B%2029-30%20total%20points)P6C(2+%20%21C%3B%203+%20total%20points)PPP]400|300[/hv] During the auction there would also have been a red ring around 3♣ alerting it as artificial (doesn't show up in handviewer links). Cheaper Minor As A Second Negative

http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:894fc1c5.aedc.11e8.83a5.0cc47a39aeb4-1535912285&u=smerriman smerriman 9 - 7 sep123

Do not do this to your partner. (Maybe double is aggressive, but playing matchpoints. Robot is north, due to declarer switching hands). [hv=http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?sn=Robot&s=SQT42HAJT72D5CAQ7&wn=Robot&w=SJ95HQ9654DK62CK5&nn=smerriman&n=S63H83DAQJT94C832&en=Robot&e=SAK87HKD873CJT964&d=n&v=o&b=1&a=2D(Weak%20two%20diamond%20--%201-4%20%21C%3B%206+%20%21D%3B%201-3%20%21H%3B%201-3%20%21S%3B%2010-%20HCP%3B%207+%20total%20points)3C(Overcall%20--%205+%20%21C%3B%2012+%20HCP%3B%2019-%20total%20points)D(16+%20HCP%3B%20biddable%20%21C)PP3S(5+%20%21C%3B%204+%20%21S%3B%2012+%20HCP%3B%2019-%20total%20points)D(2+%20%21S%3B%2016+%20HCP%3B%20biddable%20%21C)P4D(1-4%20%21C%3B%206+%20%21D%3B%201-3%20%21H%3B%201-3%20%21S%3B%2010-%20HCP%3B%207+%20total%20points)PPP&p=SKS2S5S3HKHAH4H3D5D2D9D3DAD8C7D6DQD7S4DKS9S6SASTC4CQCKC2HQH8C6H2SJC3S8SQ&c=8]400|300[/hv]