MickyB

I think there was also some mention that 1C:1NT had previously been forcing or even game-forcing for Gold+Townsend, when they in fact played there.

Apologies, some unsuccessful multi-tasking going on there - ignore my last post, I thought the overcaller was still "live" when pard bid 4♣.

On an auction equivalent to this one? Why would pard ever choose 4♣ in preference to 5♣ on the last round, hear that you wish to defend 4♥ then overrule you?

There was some discussion about how David+Tom must have changed some stuff from their CC, and whether that was allowed or not. I'm sure I'd have realised what was going on if I'd not been 98% concentrating on poker. Don't they have flags and names on the screen?

Bidding 5♣ seems like an insult to partner. I can see a case for doubling because my hand is more defensive than he might expect, but I'll pass and hope he does the right thing.

Both sides have either two eight-card fits or one nine-card fit, and you've told the oppo that this is the case - no good oppo will ever let you play 2♣, and how bad can it be to commit to the three-level?

Obviously I've taken your post out of context, but...how about 2♣ as 14-16 without four clubs?

Seems to me that there is a lot to be gained here, does anyone do this already? Cheers

Yes - not only do you give the oppo a double of 1♥ showing spades, but the advantage of transfers - that you save a step - is less likely to be beneficial, as advancer is likely to make a bid. I can think of two counter-arguments. Firstly, it is harder for them to double you if they were about to - presumably they will have to bid 1♣-X-1♥-1♠ to show four cards in responder's suit, rather than 1♣-X-1♠-X if you were playing natural methods. Secondly, the double arguably increases the chance that it is right for opener to be declarer.

Yeah this isn't a particularly precise auction, I would let it go. They may well be in the wrong strain. Most play that opener could be 4♠5m and strong too, sure that wasn't the case?

My first language is English, but I generally think in a Canadian dialect called GlenAshtonian.

I'll double. Just. It would be auto if partner wasn't a passed hand. My style has shifted massively here, it's just safer to come in earlier rather than guess later. Pard might help me get off to the right lead against a heart contract as well.

Pass.

I'm guessing 99% was an overbid but that pard could easily have a flat 11 for a 2♠ complete. I think I like how you bid the hand, Fluffy.

Also relevant - do you have any methods here for partner to show "good preference" to 2M?

Why, 'cos you have such a vile objection to a lead of either red suit? Yeah I'm not considering 2♣ here. I might pass, because the oppo have the boss suit, partner has passed so we can't have game values and I have a balanced hand. Double is much better than 2♣ because it enables us to find fits in three suits, both for competing and for escaping going for a penalty. Also, if I bid 2♣ they are quite likely to take a penalty when it is there, whereas if I double they may well bid something immediately rather than waiting to find out what suit we are about to play in. Think of 2♣ as putting all of your eggs in one basket, while double keeps your options open. The other benefit of doubling on hands like this is that when pard overcalls 2♣, you know he is serious about it, and you can raise more freely.

Ok, thank goodness - everyone in the pub last night (a strong selection of players, including one who is world class) said it was forcing, thought I was going crazy! What would a minimum 6223 look like for the 2S bid, say favourable at teams?

(1♥)-2♦-(2♥)-2♠ Is this forcing as standard? Is that your preferred definition?

We don't know if they open with 5M either. I don't think a system which allows opening most 5M-3-3-2 with weak NT and without ability to show this 5M is to be taken seriuosly. So long as you can find your 5-3 major fits when responder has an outside singleton, you aren't missing much by not being able to ask for a 5-card major.

I'd say most open 1NT freely with a 5cM, and the vast majority of those don't play puppet Stayman, and would still be bidding 3NT directly with (23)xx and (43)33. Mm. Also, on a club lead, declarer may make a mistake that he wouldn't have double-dummy [e.g. pard has AQx, declarer has Kxx] whereas on other leads we may be solving a guess for declarer.

Yes, you are right Csaba - then, obviously, you have enough space to solve the problem.

Agree with Helene's last post - when I play four-card majors, I open the major not just on 4M4m but on some 4M5m 11-13s as well. This is in the context of 14-16 NT and 2/1 GF in 1st+2nd postion, and 15-17 NT in 3rd+4th. It's not an easy style to play, though. As Junyi said, it is usually played with 1M:2C as either GF natural or a three-card limit raise. The reason for this is that you otherwise have no suitable bid to make on, say, a 3145 10/11-count - if you simply bid 2M on these hands it lands up having a very wide range. Weak NT and four-card majors is the worst, theoretically, it has few advantages over weak NT and five-card majors. This is why you get people opening the minor playing Acol, IMO - they've worked out that opening the major is bad, but they can't bring themselves to make the switch to fives, or want their minors to guarantee four cards! Great. Playing weak NT and five-card majors, you have to decide whether 1M:2X is going to be 9+, meaning that after 1M:1NT, 15-16 balanced can pass; Or whether a 2/1 is GF, in which case you have to rebid 2m on those hands. The latter has its benefits, but it make 2/1s worst auction even more problematic - 1H:1N, 2D:2H where 2H shows 5-10 points and opener doesn't know whether to take another bid on a 16-count.

Wouldn't you just redouble? It's true that if 7♥ is making, 5♥xx will score only £420 instead of £453, but it seems unlikely that responder will be sufficiently sure of his ground to want to drive 7♥ for that reason. And if he was, he'd probably just bid it?

Yeah opener has shown 4252 in my world. I've never seen 4SF taught in a book advanced enough to deal with the possibility that it is better to raise immediately on a 4351, so it is hardly surprising that their 4SF structures need to cater to it.

It's pretty good for Chinese food too, and it's reasonable overall, all IMHO of course.