MickyB

Bathurst through with a set to spare, having the evening off feels pretty valuable.

Hurd-Wooldridge had a strange-looking auction to 3N missing a 5-4 spade fit, was there a mix-up over the meaning of 1C (1D) 1S?

Surely this strategy requires knowledge that declarer is missing JT9, and if you know that, you can randomise from all three holdings.

I'd open the balanced hands 1D, either nat/bal or just bal. Opening 1N in third when you "know" you have no game on is putting your neck on the line, even NV.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Sound-Cancelling-Curtain-noise-cancelation-sound-proofing,news-11125.html

I was about to look for the butlers earlier, then I remembered this thread.

Combine and Fantunes leads are both referred to as Slawinksi, but they are different methods. Fantunes lead their lowest spot from an even number of cards without an honour, or an odd number of cards with an honour. I think the file you have linked to refers to the other method, which includes 3rd+5th from an honour and top of nothing. Thanks though :)

Has anyone tried these, any thoughts? It feels like they should work well vs suit contracts, I am less convinced about their merits vs NT. What should the second spot played in the suit mean, normally? Should it clarify both count+attitude or should it be suit preference? Thanks

Our teammates are :)

Playing in a small sim pairs field might increase the chance of you scoring 75% locally, but it will have very little effect on the variance of your score nationally.

The junior events were not open, the Dutch team qualified by finishing fourth out of twenty-three in the U25 Euros in 2009, for which each country could enter one team. Initially, the top five or six teams were awarded places in Philadelphia, but this was later increased to eight.

We play - 1M:1NT is 5-12 NF, opener passes with an 11-13 5M332 [and would have opened 1N with 14-16 5M332]. 1M:2X is natural; either 9-10 with 2M, invitational with 6+X or a game-force 1M:2M shows a good 7-10 if balanced, weaker balanced hands with three-card support usually respond 1NT. We haven't agreed whether we would pass, respond 1N or respond 2M on a 5431 four-count with three-card support. Are 1M:1N and 1M:2M alertable? What about 1S:2D - should we alert this response? Or, perhaps, alert responder's rebid on auctions like 1S:2D, 2S:P promising two spades, and 1S:2D, 2S:2N natural GF? While I am here, am I right in thinking that the only unalertable meaning of 1H-X-2S is a strong-jump shift? Thanks

..... AT3 K984 ... J65 ..... Q72 The suit will be frozen if we do not lead the nine. It also safety plays against partner playing the jack [could be right vs NT and a common mistake for weak players vs suits]. ..... QTx J98x ... Kxxx ...... Ax Not technically a position where leading the 9 from K98x gains a trick, but it does leave declarer with a guess when we lead from J98. I was on the wrong end of this in the Euros, pretty painful.

In the context of leading 4th from an honour, 2nd without an honour, low from Hxx, T from T9x and HT9x - when should the systemic lead from H98 be the nine? I have heard separate suggestions that it should only be led from - H98 and possibly H98x, not H98xx A98, Q98, J98, not K98 A98, J98, not K98 or Q98 Two higher honours, eg KJ98 and others beside, including at least one of "only vs suits" and "only vs no-trumps". Thoughts? Edit: Also, what if you are leading the 9 from HT9 as well?

I would consider passing and bidding, and I would conclude that system was on, and bid 2N/3C.

Yes, we'd open 1D and pass 1NT - same as we would with a 4351 13-count. Our auctions with 11-13 balanced are fine, thus I like to preempt a little more on these hands than 1C-P-1R transfer.

Unsurprisingly, he has made that a 360

I think it's a bit much to expect me to know what question I was asking.

It feels wrong to describe a 4-4-1-4 as unbal with M+D

Sorry, what I said was unclear. I was making the case that rebidding 2C on a 5431 playing natural methods put you in a worse position than rebidding 2C on a 4441 playing the methods described.

BTW, I don't think the problems on this sequence are as big as people are making out. Playing a style where the natural auction 1C:1S, 2C is routinely bid on five [perhaps because you play weak NT, or you just prefer 2C to 1N on a 5431] - The auction 1C:1S, 2C can be a 5-0 and is more likely to be a 5-1 than my auction is to be a 4-2 Partner will respond 1S much more frequently than in my system When they have this auction, they may be missing a 5-4 diamond fit, and possibly even a 5-4 heart fit. We won't have an eight-card fit in any suit. I think I just need to train partner to invite more soundly and to prefer 2NT to 3C when holding three-card support - I can remove to 3C on five cards if it looks right as she will be, at worst, 3-3-5-2. Still, the alternatives I suggested only have small downsides as well IMO, with the possible exception of opening 1NT. Hence the question.

Hey Matt. I have already switched the ranges once, I am much happier with them this way round, for a few reasons - We have enough room over 1D to do what we need to, and it is more preemptive on our weak NTs to bid 1D-P-1M instead of 1C-P-1R. 1D:1N leads to 2N or 3N wrong-sided opposite 17-19. 1C:1S gets the strong hand declaring and allows us to stop in 1N. I want to be able to pass a 1M response with a weak NT opposite a passed hand. It is simpler. You can play 1D:1M to show the other major to get 17-19 bal declaring, and you can play responder's flannery to lessen the pain from having to bid 1D:1S, 2D on a minimum (42)52, but 1D as nat/11-13 works just fine with every response as natural.

[hv=pc=n&s=sqhjt97datcq97542&n=sa32hkq2dkj9432ca]133|200|Given that this hand found its way onto the forum, you might not be surprised to hear that the unanimous majority would have been unsuccessful on the actual deal.[/hv]

You could just play similar 4N/5D bids over the double as you suggest playing on the first round.

I am posting this just for fun, I thought others might like to face the same problem as I did. I am very happy with the methods overall, so don't expect me to listen if you tell me that my system is awful! You play that a 1C opening is natural or 17-19 balanced and a 1D opening is natural or 11-13 balanced. In response to 1C, 1S shows either 4+diamonds [no major unless GF] or 3-3-3-4, over which a 1NT rebid shows 17-19. Let's say you are dealt a 4-4-1-4 hand with between 11 and 16 points. If you open 1C and partner bids 1S, you will have little choice but to rebid 2C. Partner will be aware that this just shows a minimum unbalanced hand, and will try to avoid passing with a doubleton club [3-3-5-2 being the only shape where she will have no choice]. She may, however, raise with three clubs and an invitational hand. So, my first question is - do you open 1C, or try to avoid this rebid problem and treat the hand as balanced? Does it depend on strength and suit quality? My second question - say your partner is a passed hand and you are dealt a 4-4-1-4 thirteen count. This opens up a third possible way to bid the hand [besides opening 1H or 1S] - are you tempted?