apollo1201

Right that''s why I wasn't sure if X was so obvious. Partner had an unexciting 12-count with 44 majors sth like Kxxx Kxxx Axx Qx and felt he could cue after my passed hand balancing dbl (!),so I ended up (fortunately undoubled) in 4H-2. 3D was just -1. But your answers make me feel better! Thx and nice🎄

All green IMPs, RHO deals and passes, and you pass too beacuse it is only a 10 count, because it's clubs, because you're 2nd, because your suit is not good enough with very small pips...oh well you decide to pass this collection, period: Axx Qxx x Axxxxx LHO preempts 3D which is passed back to you... Now what? Agree w/ first pass? Thanks...

On the first one, partner knows you opened 1NT and knows how to add up HCPs, so is not really going to let 2D unless he made a semi-psych Stayman with some weak 3-suited hand with short C (intending to pass 2DHS from you). With your prime values and 5-cd suit, you could be tempted to bid 3C that at least are better played by partner, but it is not obliged and bidding is not finished anyway. On the 2nd one, your hand was actually not a great candidate for a take out double as the risk of burrying the spades is too importand (you might end up in a 43 H fit instead of 52 or 53 in S, and you clearly do not have enough to X and show your suit next). Now you've doubled, you don't really have extras to show, so pass. Again, partner saw you Xed the 1st round and will know what to do (maybe he is loaded with 4 or 5 D and has no suit to bid, or maybe responder repeats his S and you will be happy defending). In all cases, acing again would be a gross distortion of your values (HCPs and/or suit length).

Should you move the thread to expert section😉? I think it is generally played as showing 8+ to 12 with a stopper. If you play "particularly aggressive" overcalls, advancer should probably be more cautious but the standard range of "overcall is 8-17" is already quite large...so I don't really know if it is advisable to pass all 9-10 counts as advancer.

The opening is a matter of style, if you open all 11 counts systemically it is a better than min. With my partner we play 12 or 11 with extras. Here I'd pass because of 1 too many amongst lack of 10's, main suit a little weak, and the S singleton which will make the rebid odd (I'd prefer having a full opener for rebidding NT with a stiff honor). Reverse the majors, or make the HQ into H&C jacks, or swap H and C honors, or concentrate black honors in one suit, and I go for it. Now having opened short, having my H honors under the bidder, and partner possibly having just 8, passing is signing for -470 too many times. I guess 2NT is the least of all evils.

Playing some "vanilla" 5cM and strong NT with a new partner (some kind of charity tournament), you deal all green and have: KQ9xx x Kx QTxxx What would you do? I opted for a brave 1S after toying with a weak 2 but I had already done it 3 deals before with KJTxx x xxx KJxx and didn't want my unknown partner to think I'd do this all the time. Auction follows 1S-2H (not GF), 2S-3C (semi-natural, GF). Now what? If you passed, you would face a simpler 1H-1S, 2C-? And if you opened 2S, partner probably tried 3H but could also leave you there in a nightmarish contract...

Hesitating between small trump and H. As it is IMPs, I try the H which is a little more aggressive.

😱 We just discovered you make 13 minus the number of tricks made by opps (honors plus their "unusually" long trumps and ruffs). But other situations have yet to surface. Can't wait to know which. 😰

Part 13!!!! Don't decrease your valuable contributions by 10!

Oh right... I should stop thinking bridge after midnight! Playing it at the table and stuck in dummy it is probably simpler. And when Q gets covered you hope for a miracle.

I'd guess the X advertises here a singleton, Ax of trumps, the hope to put partner in (in H presumably) to get a ruff. So I'd cut their communications à la wanoff. I'm not trying +1 with a finesse that will bring me "wanoff".

MPs, all red LHO deals and passes, partner opens 1D (could be 3-cds if 44M), and RHO blasts 5C. Was my 6D so crazy with Axx Axxx KX98x x I thought partner would have Ks since I have 2 aces and RHO probably the CA as well. Or he would be able to finesse through the red 5-level bidder... But feel free to say how bad bidding it is! What if RHO bids only 4C as happened on most other tables?

All red is not the best moment to fool around. I'm so broke it is very likely partner is strong enough to make some further moves if I show any sign of life. And if we're not left to play there, we have spades, don't we?

I've found that escaping NT with a 44 "garbage" is more useful with weak NTs, as others pointed out. In an IMP context (with strong NT...), improving game investigation is more useful. So 54 majors inv (or even just 5 maj and irregular shapes) bid Stayman and correct 2D to 2M. If the auction goes 1NT-2C-2S-2NT, opener should remember to show a 3-card H suit if he wants to pursue. If the auction goes 2D-2M, opener can relay to see if his hand suits responder's expected singleton. So to anwer OP's question: with your strong(ish) NT range and sophisticated developments you seem to have in place, I bet this should have been dealt with when you decided. In a more standard system, it probably makes less sense to try to escape unless you play a weak(ish) NT and lots of MP events. However, knowing majors length rather than 45 each way is probably a need to have.

At least N didn't bid 4C😀

Agree with 1eyedjack. When you splinter, it is that your shortness is the only "special feature" of your hand that is worth mentionning "en route" to game. And youndescribe it immediately so partner can advise. So splintering above a splinter makes little sense since by splintering, your partner told you everything and leaves you to decide (or start cueing). And just imagine the level you'd reach (1S-4D-6C in a worst-case scenario)! Here, 2H followed (if possible, above the 80% expected 2S rebid) by a splinter would be a more accurate description. Anyway, the auction would take a different turn and you'd quickly reach 5 or 6M (w/ some luck required). OTOH, exclusion BW can apply if you play so.

Do I have much more than promised? Not that much it seems from OP. Are my HCP prime and need upgrade? Hell no (stiff Q, aceless, lack of concentration in H). Does my shape compensate? Not that much (ok I could be 5422, but partner hit my 4-cd suit). Does partner seem to have extras? I guess he could have bid 2NT or some kind of relays, so he probably has some "nice" 8-10 with 4 hearts. Am I red at IMPs? Yes, but this time it won't be enough, sorry...

Kaitlyn, again great job in exposing why talking for no use in the bidding is not good (reveals hands, help leads, leaves more space for intervention or X of artif bids, etc.). And pls dont interpret my post as sharp criticism but more of a side note. Again, I really like your efforts to illustrate concepts and the "why". Your explanations are truly pedagogical for b/i (hence my feeling to where your posts belong: more than novice, less than advanced, but this forum doesnt exist haha). The #1 example is (to my mind) not the best you've produced, because even with the methods you indicate after 2NT, I believe you can diagose KQxxxx Kx(x) xxx(x) x. The usual continuation after a feature is shown is indeed to answer shortnesses at the 4 level on 3M by responder which is 100% forcing considering opener showed a positive hand (I dont answer features when I have a minimum hand). Maybe it is more advanced, I dunno, but it is what is taught in my country to people who learn weak 2 (so b/i level kindof). So no need to be world class 😉 Make the hand a little weaker and the ex. will really be illustrative - no chance for slam, only game, so bid it rather than tell your life to anyone. At IMPs I would definitely investigate slam as likelihood of giving up game for a penalty of 3-500 is low and not too costly anyway, at MPs I would probably blast 4S to try to get an extra trick after the lead. I actually had a similar hand some yrs ago and found the fitting hand opposite to reach a good slam and +13. On other cases (more numerous, I admit), we safely stopped at the 4 level when opps went to 5 (making, down 1, plus 1) or whent down in slam.

+1 for MrAce

I thought it is actually more played for a 2-suited minor hand. The other major + a minor can bid 4m if strong enough otherwise just bid their major.

Yep. I have 2D as the only gf opening. It prevents playing multi and 2-suited 2M opening obviously and having 2 strong openings (2C, 2D) and 3 if you consider 2NT is probably too much. My dear p and I resumed bridge last year after a 10-yr breakand we took back what we played but things evolved in between. Our next steps is use an ambivalent 2C (strong or gf) but it will require some work...

As I said, 2C is not gf. It is a 22-23 NT or a strong one suited hand around 8 playing tricks, usually 6 card major 18-20 or 7 card minor 16-18 with no 4-cd side suit. 6 card minors when strong we try to stick in some NT range if semibalanced or we open 1 and jump or reverse in a 3-cd suit if 6331 eg. So on hand a, I end up in 3D while you play 1D provided opps allow you to play there with 20 HCP and D shrotness. If responder is greedy I might arrive in 3NT on b or c. Hand d is a nightmare and cant pull the brakes if responder makes a creative 3H bid.

6♥ looks like a very decent slam, and is probably better than the average slam lots of us usually reach! With my usual partner, we would bid like this, not too scientific but not too revealing, FWIW... 2♣ (strong, artificial, but not GF) - 2♦ (waiting, could be bust, but bidding a suit requires 8+ and 2 top honors out of 3, which you don't have, and you fear partner has a strong D-based hand) 3♦ (I usually hate this sequence because things start very high) - 3♥ (natural, 5+) 4♥ (broken ♦suit, unsure ♠ values, and patner either has a not too great suit, or has less than 8) - 6♥ (I have lots of extras vs. what I've shown and partner has around 18 HCPs, he wouldn't fit with xxx or Hx only, it is unlikely I'm making 7 because of the ♦ void and shaky trump suit, and maybe they don't lead C if I have 2 quick losers there)

All red you deal and open 1D with this very nice collection Jx KQx AKQTxx QT LHO bids 3C and while the tray is on the otehr side of the screen, you wonder whether you'll be bold enough to balance with 3NT faking a Qxx stopper and hoping for some quick tricks in front of you (actually, both NS and EW can make 3NT on this deal...provided they are on lead). But partner Xed for a major-oriented take out... what now? 3NT seemed further away now so I tried 4H hoping she was 45, and I quickly lost 5 tricks after she tabled a (subminimal? well if you read my previous post you know she had eaten lion for breakfast) hand with an onside SK and only 4H with a 42 break... KTxxx Axxx xx xx Do you agree with her X? What should I do after that? And if she had passed, what could be my call (the other room quietly balanced with 3D for 110)? Thanks again!

IMPs, green vs red RHO deals and opens 3D. You hold Kxxxx Kx - AQTxxx What do you do (we didn't know until after that deal that 4C can be played as C + major, but I'm not sure the hand is strong enough)? My partner opted for 3S (urgh!) and ended up down 3 undoubled when after a long hesitation I bid 4 with Tx AQTxxx AJxx x I was considering but wasn't sure if 3NT or 4H should be better (I didn't think she would venture to the 3 level with a lousy 5-cd suit). Although here nothing seemed to be making in our line (H 5-0, SA in preempter's partner, etc.). Without resulting anyway, what could be the best way to handle? Thanks!