smerriman

2♥ doesn't *promise* 6, but you'd still bid it with virtually all 6-4 hands, wouldn't you? If partner continues with 2♠ or 2N, your next 3♣ bid now shows the 6-4; if partner bids 3♣ you're also happy, while if you hear a 3♦ rebid you probably don't want to show 4 clubs anyway.

I suspect you might have missed the part of the first post where 3♣ promised extras.

I wondered about that, but how are you planning to continue if partner has nothing more to show and rebids a default 4♥? Count me for a natural 4N. Even if you don't play some form of kickback, you have 4♣ to agree clubs first so it doesn't make much sense to play 4NT as keycard.

Bids over 3NT were always delayed. The only change is applying this to control bids below 3NT as well.

The alert popup says which bid it's referring to. These also pop up when an opponent clicks a bid asking you what it means, and often this isn't the 'current bid' - I've never had any confusion over which bid is being asked about, nor referred to when the explanation then pops up. Except for the bit when people continually click the explain button to hide the box leading to a ping pong of popups, but that's a UI (the *other* UI ;) ) issue.

West led the 6 - 63 is perfectly viable.

Ah, yes, that's a good point. While this will probably put you off this thread entirely, the robots lead a spade with the 1NT auction. +2 was 98%, +1 66%, = 24%. I'm not sure how to calculate whether the second line is worth the risk, but I think given those odds, it might well have been. Often I find that if you cash all of your other tricks first, the defenders end up having to discard in a such a way that you can afford to gamble the finesse at the very end, as they'll then give you your last trick back if it loses.

Online, if you alert the bid once its proven to be a control, it pops up on their screen immediately - they're forced to notice.

My first thought: a) It's possible that East may hold a 3 card club suit (indeed, in the actual hand, they did). What happens if you duck the first trick? If East switches to a heart or diamond, obviously, you're delighted. If they continue clubs, you will immediately know the club break from West following with something higher than the 3. You can now afford to overtake the spade king with the ace, and finesse diamonds twice - getting +2 if the queen is onside, and still +1 if not. Perhaps it's obvious to a good defender that the only continuation is a spade into dummy (overtaking still works, but declarer no longer knows that), but if you were planning to play to the diamond jack next time, as far as I can see it looks worth putting them to the test first. My second thought: b) What happens if you win the first club, then overtake the king of spades anyway before running the jack of diamonds? If the queen is offside, you've lost the overtrick (though are still making game). If the queen is onside, once the ace is knocked out you can cash your spades, diamonds, and club queen, ending in hand with Ax hearts and x clubs. Now if East started with more than 3 clubs (which you'll know when West plays to the queen), he must hold onto Kx of hearts, so you can exit with your last club for +2. If East had 3 clubs, you cash out for +1. (It's possible I've made a mistake in my calculations somewhere but I think that's all right.) As mentioned by others, the expectation that others would be in 3NT on a different lead is a huge factor - though here (and this is the only part where the robot factor comes in) identical auctions lead to identical leads, and I'd expect several of those - and it's difficult to calculate the odds that the queen is onside, though it seems to me likely as placing it with West requires placing both jacks with East for the opening bid. But it seems worth considering.

[hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?v=n&n=SAQJ8HQ75DJ65C942&s=SK3HA9DKT942CAQ85&d=n&a=P1C1DP2CP2NP3CP3NPPP]400|300[/hv] After a somewhat dubious robot auction, you arrive in 3NT, and West leads the club 6 to East's king. I like playing game after an opponent has opened the bidding, since you can guess where most honors are (though West may still have something). But with entries to dummy limited, what's the best plan at matchpoints?

3♥ is unlimited (10+). That's all you need to show for the time being - you'll have another chance to bid later.

Normally 3♣ is played as nonforcing whether it's GIB or not; if you have a strong hand without a fit, you start with a double. (ref 1 ref 2 ref 3). I'd just start by preserving bidding space and showing the spade fit with 3♥. You want to go past game regardless - you could easily be making 13 tricks even if partner has a 10 count. (Though with GIB's limited tools, you'll end up having to gamble).

If 8 really is attitude, I guess partner wants a diamond. Agree 8 should ask for a heart. But I think I'm with Nigel and lead a trump anyway - if declarer has heart losers, they don't appear to be going anywhere. Ruffed diamonds seem more dangerous.

Partner is allowed to have that hand, but even if you get a 3-2 trump break and the Ace of hearts is onside, you still haven't made 4♠ yet? There are plenty more hands partner is allowed to have which are worse too..

Eaten up what room? The alternative 2NT eats up more room than 2♥ does, and doesn't show *any* suits.. how does that make it easier to find slam? Yes, it's unlikely partner has hearts, but when you have a way to find out that comes at no cost, why not try? I'm gathering you're saying there is a cost in another sequence; I just can't understand what sequence that might be. Perhaps a specific example would help? (If you have a normal GF, you can support partner directly - don't need to show a 5 card heart suit. I'm only talking about your case #2, when you have a weak hand initially - your only plausible bids are 2♥ and 2NT).

Yes - I thought we came to an agreement on this in the other thread :) Here are two typical minimum hands opener may have: x Kxx AQxx AKxxx Kxx x AQxx AKxxx Do you really want to be in 3♣ with the former hand, like you will be after bidding 2NT? I want to be in 4♥, which I'll find by bidding 2♥. If opener has any other minimum, we'll still stop in 3♣, so we haven't lost anything. Discovering the extra heart fit changes responder's hand from weak to game forcing.

From mike's 14-year-old-but-still-relevant primer:

If you don't bid 2♠ now, it's impossible for you to find game in spades when opener is a minimum with 3 card support. (If they have extra values they could bid 3♠ next time over 2nt to show a fragment, but you want to be in game both ways).

5♠x is down three which is worse than 5♥ making - what made you think you got it wrong?

I'm just going to pass. I can't see any way we could throw 4 spade losers to actually make 7♥, while declarer isn't expecting a trump loser in 6♠.

South has the simplest pass in the world, so what happens after that is completely moot. (Though I wouldn't have bid either hearts *or* spades as North for that matter, preferring 2♣).

If it were a hand I wanted to force to game, I would bid 3♦ with this shape. But the club king isn't worth much, so it's just an invitational 3♠ for me.

There is a 0% chance this pair is cheating, given how bad the slam is. Some pairs do play a system where raising 2NT - 3NT is artificial and shows a 5-4 major hand, going through a 3♠ transfer to sign off in 3NT.. though it leads to misunderstandings like this.

I'm trying to understand this (literally, not being argumentative I promise!) I am agreeing this hand is not a game force opposite a minimum. However, are you saying that if opener has a minimum with 3 hearts - ie will stop in 3♣ after lebensohl - you *don't* want to be in game on this hand? You have a double heart and club fit and Kxx in partner's second suit - game is going to be virtually laydown opposite a dead minimum. This is the biggest benefit of starting with 2♥, as you'll reach this good game if partner has a minimum with hearts, and still be in a 3♣ partial if partner has a minimum without hearts. Or are you saying that you're willing to miss out on these games in order to improve sequences where opener is *not* a minimum - strong enough to force to game even opposite lebensohl? In this case.. .. I'm struggling to think of any auction where this sentence applies. If opener is going to make a forcing bid over both 2NT and 2♥, he has no idea you have clubs in *either* case (2NT doesn't show them!). In which sequence do you end up promising club support in one and not in the other?

The GIB button is still there - it's the same frame used throught all forum posts.