apollo1201

I guess partner has « some values » in a semi-balanced hand (with more distribution he would have bid 4NT or 5 something). Not sure we have more than an 8-cd fit. He could be 6322 or 6331 or 5422 or 5431 with 2 or 3 spades. 5332 strong NT maybe? Of course xx AQx AKxxxx Kx often makes slam, but he would probably bid the same with KQx QJ AJxxx KJx where 5C could be uneasy to handle (even if we often get a good lead). From what the OP says, opener could be a king or queen lighter (or heavier?) and it becomes less appealing to bid more. I wouldn’t even convince opps to save in a non-vulnerable 5S. Overall it is probably better to bid as we get 600+ more often than -100 vs. +300-500, but it is close. Maybe partner’s spirit and mood in the last few boards could help. Or the speed on placing the X card on the table🤣 Anyway, if we decide to bid, 4NT should get the message of 2 places to play, and I trust partner to have H tolerance if he bids 5D on that. Seems we are playing bridge over trouble water.

Was 6SX better for them than 5H+1?

Big 5-cd fit (in case S rebid a 3-cd suit?), no controls or useful honors, I wouldn’t blame partner for jumping (and ruling out 4H at the same time). I’d like 4D to be really constructive (with a high H honor or a black A had they not been already in S’s hand). If that big fit is all partner needs, they are always free to bid slam.

Were you afraid partner would misplay 7D?🤣 More seriously, as all others said, rebid 3D, to save space and describe your hand. Bridge is a partnership game and your hand really lacks the quality to already decide, whatever partner shows, to play in H. And let alone at which level.

I think that even if I had the tools to construct the perfect sequence, opps are likely to sneak a few S bids in the sequence so I probably couldn’t bid properly. Instead of aiming at 6H, my goal would be to convince opps to defend 5HX. Starting with 1H could do that. Hoping partner can X the S in case I’m outwitted after playing I’m the smartest guy around the table vs a brutal high-level H bid like you did.

Yes opener had some kind of big lopsided 2-suiter with spade losers « covered » by the splinter but not as many hearts considering his partner had a wagon of them already! I didn’t focus that much on the hand given the misunderstanding and I am not even sure 7S was a good call. Tbh I didn’t want to step into their « explanation » after the scoring!

A funny number for the score I wrote yesterday after a bidding error from opponents. 1S - p - 4H - p 7S - X - p - p XX - all pass -2 red This illustrates a basic rule for n/b but also for all. Conventions are great (not all, though), but even greater is to play the same ones as partner. Opener played splinters but not responder in that case. The reason to XX except gifting us an extra 500 (at no MP cost for them) remains obscure to me, though. Maybe he was playing SOS redoubles but not his partner🤣🤣🤣

Just wow and all my respect!

We’d have some Drury sequence ending in 3S I guess. P - 1S 2C! - 2D! (ambiguous, 2S promises 6 in our style) 2S - 2NT (not giving up yet cuz it’s IMP!) 3H (cuz it’s IMP) - 3S (definitely not), or 3S directly (I’ve done all I could, p), respected (me too, please pray that I can make it) In MP, easy pass after 2S.

It won’t. We play 2/1 in unopposed auction promises a rebid if opener doesn’t bid a game. So usually forcing up to 2NT or 3 in responder’s suit. Thanks all the other for your comment and semi-confirmation of penalty at 2 but could be different at 3. Actually opps bid 3, partner Xed and green vs red I left it for 500 but should be 800. Partner had a 3460 minimum sth like QJx A987 AT9xxx and would have passed 2H. 9 tricks were there in NT as the hand with the long H can’t gain the lead and clubs split 33.

IMPs, green vs red, partner deals and opens 1D, 3+ cards, 12+ HCP, and you bid a (non GF but almost) 2C with: Kxxx - Qx AKQTxxx LHO bids 2H, partner Xes (penalty),RHO passing again, what now? And if LHO bids 3H, Xed again? I heard some ppl after a jump change the meaning to T/O. Is this standard? I guess you are less likely to hold a trump stack but more likely to be short with a few extra HCP over a preempt vs. a sandwich 2-level overcall?

For me, it is a 18-19 bal opposite. With 13, it is mathematically short, and I have a lousy suit. But I have a prime 13 with alll those A, 10 and 9’s. So I keycard to stop at 5 if 2 w/o Q and 6 if 2 with or 3.

Ha ha true, but she would not get too excited usually if she xould’not open a 55 hand. Feeling my stoppers we’re not enough facing a low singleton and having an almost fit with AQ, I jumped to 4H, showing 3-cd support. Anyway after 3H, partner would raise to 4 most of the times, so... Making 10 tricks (DQ finesse) gained us 10 IMPs while 3NT goes down 2 with 5 spades + an A to cash, and the other table stopped at 2H. Partner actually gameforced with a very marginal hand x KJxxx Kxxx JTx. I think she could have used Stayman jumping to 4 if I have 4, and correcting 2D to 2H and crossing fingers with 2NT if I bid 2S. Yes, this trick works better when you have 5 spades😅 What would you have bid with her hand?

S might help declarer set up dummy’s suit. C could give away partner’s Qxx or Jxxx. D looks a bit pointless. H under the K is risky but, with the A likely in N, could oblige declarer to go up immediately. It is also a « natural » thing to do to lead through dummy’s control if I had only small H. So I’ll go for that.

Hand 1: 1st pass looks normal, I have no reason to suspect partner has a strong hand with C (given the preempt and my AK, a strong balanced hand looks less likely but could be though), he could have a weak unbalanced and could go down while setting 4S thanks to my AK; as for the 2nd call when partner confirms some kind of strong hand, vulnerabilities could be interesting to know, pass should most of the times give you a plus, partner could have trouble reaching my hand for finesses in 5C. Yes, preempts work sometimes. Hand 2: I’d probably end up in 4S with that hand full of quacks after a Stayman following a 2C-2D-2NT start showing 22-23. Hand 3: partner wants me to X when I can after his XX, and with just 12, I have no reason to believe we have game our way, so X be it

Red vs red at IMPs, partner deals and passes, a pass follow, and you open a strong (15-17) NT with Qxx AQ AJxx Kxxx Partner transfers to H, you duly bid 2H, and she bids 3D, nat GF, 4+ cards and probably a side singleton (given the 1st pass, she can’t have a slammish hand, and with a 5422 average hand she just bids 3NT). The stoppers are a bit weak, aren’t they? Just want to check if what I did was fine!

Is it because you can transfer the H guard to E by leading the highest H twice from S, and E will also be the only one to guard C after ruffing one in S?

I think I’d just bid 4S, as shooting for 6 seems a very narrow target and it could avoid a 5D save by preventing W show a red 2-suiter at a low level and hitting a violent fit opposite. If I wanna play « I’m the smartest around here at the table », or depending on my mood at the moment 😃, I could X. But now that partner bids the almost expected 2D, W might try a C lead if I bid 3NT and that would give me immediatemy 9 tricks without worrying in 4S of playing the H from hand or what am I gonna do with the small C. Direct 3NT is a bit adventurous.

It is by turning those « 50/50 » finesses into « 50+/50- » with context elements (auction incl passes, lead, side lengths...) as mentionned by Stephan that you on the long run make progresses and score above the 50/50 tossers or those who play « always on the right » or « the J follow the Q » beliefs / rules.

Doesn’t the presence of the SJ make it more appealing to play on S (either SQ with S, or SQ stiff or 2nd in N, or 3-3 split)? Because seeing the C situation, it is unlikely we will be able to test both majors.

Thanks *a lot* Mikeh with this structure. I’ll have to twist it a bit before torturing partner😉

Interesting, thanks.

2NT is nat, 3C is D transfer. 3D/H are strong transfers for slammish hands with 6-cd H/S. I know we have to upgrade all that! It just proves it...and having options played by others would help 😃

2S also denies 4-cd H😝 But you made a good advice abt showing my hand to be in the right strain. I will remember that!

Bid 1NT to play the hand and protect all those K’s?