MickyB

I'd assume spades, but yes I would try to avoid bidding here as responder.

Presumably 5S4H would have overcalled 2C. You are on a bit of a guess. Partner's most likely suit is clubs, particularly as neither oppo have bid them yet. Assuming you are playing matchpoints you have to bid 2S, this will almost certainly outscore playing a 5-2 club fit and may fare well against playing a 5-4 diamond fit. Hopefully, if the auction continues 3C-P-P to you, partner will understand either dbl or 3D as "actually, I want to play in your five-card suit now".

I'd much sooner open 3♦ than 5♦

A possible compromise is to allow posters to play with non-members, but for there to be an expectation that the partner joins BBF to discuss the hands from the match.

The term "semi-forcing" is used regardless of whether maximum weak NTs pass or bid, in my experience. Don't ask me why. I prefer "wide-ranging non-forcing" and alert as "5-11 NF" if all weak NTs are to pass.

Dbl = takeout, Pass then Dbl = penalties

Because 1S:1N, 2H:2S as "5-9 2♠ or 4-7 3♠" works. 1S:1N, 2H:2S as "5-9 2♠ or 8-10 3♠" would not. You'd have to raise directly on weak hands with a doubleton in partner's suit [at least for 5422 and the like - if you were 4432 or 5332 you could respond 1NT then pass partner's rebid instead if you preferred].

Does JEC's schedule get reorganised after each NABC?

Seriously, what's the point of this? If downvotes were still permitted your post would be into double figures.

I much prefer 2H to 3H and I prefer 3S to 3NT. You and your pard have no chance of winning events if you bid like this IMO.

OK, so if responder's third bid is 3♦ instead of 3♣, presumably 3♥ would still have the same meaning? It feels much better for it to show a weak heart stop, or perhaps just club strength, on that sequence, but it would require rather sophisticated agreements for the two 3♥ bids to have different meanings.

1♦:1♠ 2♣:2♥ 2N:3♣ 3♥ How do you play this?

I wasn't suggesting that you shouldn't play it, just that keeping your openings sound and upgrading marginal 5M332s into 1NT is indicated.

3NT is obvious. If pard declines an invitational 3C, then - - we may well still be making 3NT - If 3NT goes off, 3C may be off as well Inviting would be more attractive if we had a stiff, at least then 3C would have a greater chance of making if passed.

Our responses to 1NT have unbalanced responders show their shape. While this is less useful when slam is out of the picture, I don't see why we should dump the whole structure just to be able to invite on this sequence.

I'd describe the raises as "semi-constructive" and adjust how I bid according to conditions - somewhere between your solutions. Vul at MPs, I'd probably only respond 1NT with balanced 6-counts and 3(433) 7-counts. Raise with a 4432 7, pass with a balanced 5. At less scary conditions, I'd respond 1NT on most balanced hands with 4-7 points. With a singleton outside, I'd pick between pass and 2M. BTW, this whole style requires some similar fudging. You can't open 1♠ on both AQxxx Axx Jxx Kx and KQTxx xx x KQxxx as partner has to decide at his first turn whether to play part-score opposite the first hand or game opposite the second, I think you have to upgrade the first hand to 1NT and pass the second hand to keep the range manageable. Playing 1M:1NT as semi-forcing works better with a 14-16 NT.

My favourite hand was a pseudo positional squeeze, which is not the same thing as a positional pseudo squeeze. I was in a slam off two aces, LHO had cashed one and then not found his partner's ace. My only play for the contract was a positional squeeze on LHO, which seemed rather unlikely to work. When RHO decided to pitch out of turn at T11, she squeezed herself.

Bump for the companion poll pls?

Yeah you may be right, I was just in the mood for giving a report rather than posting problems. I don't feel like I've given definitive answers to any of the hands so they can be discussed elsewhere if they are considered of interest. Good job you decided to look for slam off three cashers :rolleyes:

http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/51278-speak-up-p/

[hv=pc=n&n=sqthaqt3dt85c8653&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1d(Natural%20or%2011-13%20NT%202+%21D)p1s(4+%21H%3B%20denies%204%21S%20unless%20GF)d2h(4%20cards)pp2sppp]133|200|Are you happy with the final pass or would you compete to 3H? I chose to pass, as oppo could be in a 6-1 fit, and my hand hardly screams offence. At the other table, South opened 1C, and in a similar position my hand competed to 3H, perhaps hoping to find a double fit. Both 2S and 3H made so this was 7 imps out.[/hv] After 10 boards, we were 35-0 down, and I was regretting taking a safety play on board 1 where we could have gained an IMP! After 16 it was 42-4, then we had a satisfying win 5 when we bid 1NT-AP with a 9-card spade fit. My partner wrapped up 8 tricks in 1NT while 2♠ was one off at the other table. [hv=pc=n&n=sakq94ht986dt9ca3&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=2h(5H4+minor)p4h]133|200|Pass or 4S? While partner is marked with short hearts and failed to act, you don't need to give partner much to have some play for game here. It does feel like RHO has bid game to make, as we know they don't have a huge heart fit. I suspect pass is the correct action, but thankfully it wasn't the one that I chose. Just after I bid it, West alerted their 4H bid as showing 17+! Obviously this is nonsense, but it made me even more anxious waiting to see the dummy in 4S X. Partner put down a weak 4-0-4-5 and on favourable breaks this made, with 4H also making. Teammates managed to save in 5H in the other room, and we were back in the match.[/hv] [hv=pc=n&n=sqj93hk7543d84ck5&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=ppp1n(14-16)p]133|200|I felt I had three reasonable routes on my hand. The first thing to note is that we don't play 1N:2C, 2M:3M as invitational, so even if you would like to bid that on this hand, you can't. If partner has a four-card major, we will be playing it in game from his side. What we do only matters when partner has no four-card major. a) Show a game-forcing 5-4 b) Bid Stayman then 2NT, losing the 5th heart c) Bid Stayman then 2H, to play If partner had opened in first, he would be more likely to have 14 points than 16. When he opens in fourth, that's not the case, so I didn't think Stayman then 2H was right. I decided to invite and give up on the fifth heart. Partner responded 2D to Stayman and RHO doubled. We hadn't discussed this situation [it isn't common as RHO expects to be on lead], so I felt like it was still a choice between 2H and 2NT. The double didn't bode well for prospects in 2H from my side, I felt, so I stuck with my initial choice of 2NT to put the doubler on lead. Partner passed and this went one off, either 2H or 4H would have been a better spot to alight. In the other room, partner's hand fell into the 12-14 range and they had an easy decision to stop in 2H.[/hv] [hv=pc=n&s=sa3hakqtdakj72ck8&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=2c(GF%20or%2020-21%20NT)p2d(Waiting%20%5B2M%20would%20be%20NF%5D)p]133|200|One from my partner's side. Your options are 2NT [natural GF] or 3H [4H5+D GF]. Partner chose 2NT, this seems fairly clear to me. I rebid 3H, showing 0-1 hearts and denying precisely five spades. Do you bid 3NT or 4D? While you have a lot of wastage, your shape is good. Slam is huge opposite xxx x xxxxx Qxxx and if partner has four spades the heart ten means you might have three pitches for them. Partner chose 4D and we reached the good 6D when I held Jxxx x T9xx Axxx. With both hearts and diamonds coming in this made thirteen tricks.[/hv] This left the match fairly close, and we were 11 behind with three boards to play. Sadly my partner and I made a hash of this board, and then we lost a few more on each of the last two to lose by 32 imps. [hv=pc=n&s=sa84hdk7652cat753&n=s63hk7daj9ckqj864&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1d(Natural%20or%2011-13%20NT%202+%21D)p2d(WJS%20in%20%21H%20or%20GF%20unbal%205+%21C)p2hp2s(GF%2C%20various%20%21C%20hands)p4h(Splinter)p5cppp]266|200|When opener is balanced, we go into full relays here - I would have shown 2(32)6 with two low spades. Relays aren't really suitable when the asker is unbalanced, but we haven't got all our relay breaks sorted properly to cater to these hands, in many other auctions opener is already known to be balanced so it hasn't been an issue. Clearly with better agreements Simon could have shown his shortage at the three-level. Oppo did find the spade lead, so if the QD had been offside we'd have only made 11. Teammates saved against 7C for -1100 so even small slam would have been worth another 17 imps.[/hv]

Thanks Timo, Phil and teammates - I enjoyed it. Sorry, we were a bit sloppy in places. I'll post some hands from the match in due course.

Ty. Match delayed, start time is in 1hr15

I'll be unable to be reserve for 23rd, apologies.

I'm happy to play with either of my regular partners, who are both occasional posters [slmplicity if available, else Sasioc]. Sorry, I'm not interested in playing in a pick-up partnership. Happy to play or not as required and I don't need much notice which it'll be. It might be more appropriate for Wank's alter-ego to take his place.