apollo1201

Time for an unassuming DSIP X😝

Do you play a forcing or semi-forcing NT over 1M opening? In that case, 2M is a more constructive raise, and passing 2M is really pessimistic with the hand, despite its unattractive shape and dubious doubleton Q. Even playing MPs, you need to act. If playing IMPs, regardless of what 2M covers, acting rates to gain more than it could lose, so I’d ask partner’s opinion about 4S, which is enthusiastically approved (and then when dummy hits table, we see if it is to make or not!). If 2M can be a non-appealing 6-count such as Qxx Jxx Jxx Qxx, at MPs, passing the raise has some charms. Overall, I understand that your system is: - 3D invitational with 4 trumps - 3C invitational with 3 trumps - 3M (very) weak with 4 trumps Then I guess that 2M has to include the hands with 4 trumps between 3D and 3M, ie exactly what your partner had (the « mixed » raise, too strong to preempt but too weak to invite). And which explains the further 3S bid. A bit of unluck, though, here, because partner had the C sg, of which you couldn’t be sure of. The « asking and punting » would have driven you to game (while with 4342, partner might have rejected the game try). Maybe other tables had a 1NT followed by Stayman (intending to drop partner in 2D or 2M). If opps remain silent, the auction dies lower.

Partner is a passed hand. 2C is therefore not « auto-forcing » and not even forcing at all. It should show a 6-cd suit of good enough quality (else 1NT might be preferable unless too shapely) and some 8-10 or bad 11. So all really min balanced (or misfitted) hands should pass 2C in a flash. Our likely best strain at the lowest level. Bidding again over that should therefore be either an extreme allergy to C, but you’d repeat your D, or a game invite (or more). 2NT (one of the worst contract to be in) is just looking for 3NT, maybe 14 with all stopped and a complement in C, or more (could be an unbalanced NT opener strength with a sg C honor looking for trouble). Asking partner do you like your hand, do you think we’ll make 9 tricks running your suit. If yes, raise me, if no, bid 3C. If I bid again, a greater destiny awaits us.

With a (very) weak hand, you are generally better if you transfer, as your hand will be useless at NT, while in a suit contract, you can hope to score some trumps that will be used as entries to your hand to lead towards partner’s honors. So it is safer on average to transfer. Especially if vul. Maybe, with a max of a min, scattered values in the short suits and a lousy 5-carder, transsferring to 2M might see you suffer too many trump losers in the 5-2 fit, while if you are 5-3 but still play NT, the suit could establish so you might still cash it, and at the same time your outside values will help partner control opps attacks 1 more round, and eventually make the same number of tricks. Jxxxx Qxx Kx Jxx Passing could be a winning action facing a 15-17 opening, but probably not the field action. No idea to simulate this haha. Jxxxx xxx xx xxx Transferring is clearly better. Unless opps save you from your nightmare (2S could be a cheap save, though, -50 or -100 vs 110/130/140 their way, that will be harder to find now).

It also puts the doubler presumably strong hand on lead, toward partner’s strong hand, a better situation to having partner’s honors tabled as dummy and shot through on the opening lead. But it is a slightly more complex approach than just plain natural.

4C guarantees a bottom only if partner have bid their C for the pleasure of « hearing their voice », while they should have bid 3NT w/o leakage, eg 5422 hands with average strength, or even 5431 with a sg honor. If partner bothers mentioning their C, to me, it means doubts over 3NT, ie: - either a red shortage, which in that case is worrying since those blank aces are not completely adequate stoppers (they’ll find the lead!), and are more appropriate for suit play - or slam interest, and my hand with all those A and a super Kx in partner’s other suit cries for action So I’d definitely not be inconfortable with a 4C raise. If partner is minimum, in the GF context, they can bid 5C (and I’ll have to resist the temptation!), if in between, they can cue and not take control later on, so we are not necessarily bound to bid slam and I’ve already avoided some doomed 3NT for safer 5m or 4M in 52 fits. FWIW, I play a game forcing 2NT rebid for 5431 hands (among others), so 3C guarantees a 55 (or a concentrated 54 with slam interest). 4C is even easier in this context but I’d bid it even if it showes 4+.

A textbook hand for X

Couldn’t phrase it better than Mikeh! In short, X says it is our hand, bid if you think you can make 11 tricks (given what you can infer from my hand), otherwise it should go down often enough and you can safely pass. Maybe wild distributions with weak hands should consider taking it out as well, sth like xx Jxxxxx xx Qxx, partner’s H tricks will get ruffed and saving at 5H could be less expensive. And sometimes it makes ;-) Of course, 4SX is more often left in than 4HX, as the easier 4S contract is still in the loop. But with Jxxx Qxx xx Kxxx, I’m leaving 4HX.

Partner can’t be sure that you have 4 spades, what to do with a strong 31(54) for instance? The risk of bad breaks and spade overrufs would have tempted me to try 3NT. My professor told me when 3NT is a viable alternative after opps preempted, it should really be prioritized over an equally reasonable suit contract option. Give a spade more, lessen the H stop to Axxx and now 4S becomes more attractive.

I guess you were not the only one, right? I’d really like to pass (the honor structure is definitely not great at red) but nowadays at club level I’d fear being out of the field by passing!

I’d have taken 6S as a huge gamble, eg a AKQ to 7, A to 5 and sg A or something similar, where partner can’t / doesn’t know how to / won’t be sure to intelligently ask and find if all things that matter are here. So I’d have passed in a flash. Of course the given hand could try sth like 3NT, please cue, to discover that the CK is not here. And only because D provided 3 discards that you could make grand. Hard to find at the table…

The fact that « a discussion on what new suits and 2/3NT mean hasn't come up » just means that this discussion should take place soon. However, it will be after this hand, so you are stuck for 2H. Which, btw, is not a bad thing with your hand. Partner will have all space available to show their hand and you’ll be able to make a forcing raise or sth to show your extras (worrying about aces later).

Sorry, should have said, it is not a 2/1gf sequence. If you have no bidding gadget (KC, eg), you would not play 2/1, I guess. In that context, 2S should show a tolerance for S, no H fit, no repeatable D, and no stopper in C, and a non gf hand, sth like Qx Qxx AKxxx xxx Where the 2D bid stuck you (while it is an easy 1NT bid in 2/1). Then 3S the big forcing rase and 4S remains for those « min » gf hands (strength, poor trump support, etc). Of course in 2/1 you can take your time (and that is why it is often said that 2/1 is actually easier, I guess, as you’ve already said you are playing game).

Where I live, we tend to jump to 2M holding 8-10 and 4 cards in the M over 1m X. Clearly with those values, 1M that can be bid on 0 is too low. And you should be in a 43 fit at least. With 11+, you are almost committing to game, but you need to assess first if opener has a 4cM and which one. So the cue bid serves this purpose, and you can still stop at 3M after, eg: 2m (cue) 2H (I have H and maybe S) 2S (I have S « only » so am 11+ otherwise I’d have bid 2S directly over the X) 3S (I also have S but no extra strength) pass (good 10/11/bad 12) or 4S (12+) or slam going move The cue can also serve to look for a stopper and play NT if followed by a second cue, eg: 2m (cue) 2H (H maybe S) 3m (I have no H and no S so presumably looking for 3NT, unless I’m very strong of course) Or 2m (cue) 2S (S, no H) 3m (let’s try NT then, maybe I had H but you don’t have them anyway) That being said, the only hole in this is what to do with both M by 4-cd and 8-10. You can’t jump to 2M as you cannot be sure to pick the right one, but you need to convey your positive and constructive values. So you have to cue, as well. Now, given all the hand types you can have, partner can’t jump with extras as the strain is not found yet and little space would remain below 3NT to find out where to play and how high. So 2H should be forcing to at least 3, partner will pass with a min. As either you have both M and 8-10, or 11+ (with or without M) and are almost committing to game. With 5-cd suits, you are sure of a fit so can bid directly your M (3 level at 8-10, 4 level with 11+). You might object 12+8 in a 8-cd fit should not be sitting at 3M, but if partner has only 12, it is not a flat crappy 12 but some shape or Nice honor combinations, so it shouldn’t be a too shaky contract. And it puts so much less stress in the auctions where game is to be bid that the price to pay for rarely going down in 3M is much less IMP on the long range. At MPs you might be a bit more conservative but the principles should remain.

Without gadget at all 1S - 2D 2H - 4S (minimum with fit) 6S (partner should have enough stuff among SQ, CA, DA, DK and an extra Q or two but I can’t ask w/o gadget such as RKCB)

Opps have a combined 12 HCP and will tend to lead honor sequences or short suits to get a ruff. Here the HJ clearly looks like a singleton or a doubleton honor, that clearly places E with the Q. Actually, W drew the picture for you and the easiest way to 12 tricks. In all cases, it seems you could recover with the (unnatural and very DD) line of ruffing out CQ to discard a H on the CJ.

Had forgotten the initial pass! Yeah, if you have fit, 4S and a max pass, just CB and a partner who wants to play higher than 2H will introduce S that you can raise, should they be 45 in Majors.

I play 1S by N as forcing, 4+, not denying H support, 8+. S has an easy raise (lacks a few things to cue), and N with AQ in overcaller’s suit is quite happy and could try for game at IMPs (because the rest of the hand is not that exciting), that S would accept. A bad game that makes when picking tight J vs Q and 3 very small. So it is not a big deal to stay out of game for OP, but playing at NTs rather than the 44 S fit means things can be improved.

The solution is to have game tried and keep one bid for slam only (eg 2NT or 2S over 2H) to learn about opener’s distribution (sg, real minor suit, concentrated values, very flat, etc.) and see if hands mesh well. But that is not for b/i and a more natural telling approach like prior posts is easier.

You’ve shown clear extra strength when Xing and bidding 4S over the mere encouragement partner showed when freely bidding 3S. Partner didn’t express any sign of desire of competing after opps continued launching into BW. How could they want you to take out at the 6-level, and to what…with opps virtually advertising the 3 other aces. It basically seems they think 6D is going down with your points and maybe a nasty surprise in trumps (JT9x for instance). At least that is what a sensible partner would do. But given partner is GIB who has no clue about competitive bidding and might just be believing you have 23+ points…

The hardest call in bridge is pass.

IMPs. Partner deals and opens 1D (3 only if 4432), in a strong NT context. You’re vul, and your nv RHO jams the auction with a 4S bid. You have a promising hand but unclear direction. A xx ATxx Qxxxxx Is an (undiscussed) 4NT natural to play (630 better then 500) or for minors (offensive hand with a sort of fit for opener and longer in the other minor)? What if vuln were reversed? What if the opening is 1H (BW or minors)? I (probably too quickly) ruled out X in case partner would bid H with a shapely hand, although in that case they wouldn’t bid 5H directly but 4NT followed by 5D over my 5C to convey the H message and we’d not find ourselves at an uneasy level. In all cases, partner duly answered her HA to my identified as such 4-aces BW (no fit established) 🤣🤣. At least it was an answer I could easily pass, and this made after sg C lead to A, C ruffed, establishing the suit, and no DQ guess to make after that. A nice ending but unsatisfactory intellectually speaking. Any advice is therefore warmly welcome.

E should have kept quiet on their 2nd round to show that they really have nothing special more to say. After all, even if completely normal, the overcall is nonetheless very minimal. The 10-cd fit will not necessarily persuade W to remain silent over 4C by South. The flat distribution and the likely wasted DQ could, however, but over a free bid of 3S, W is completely legitimate.

I’d start with NT first. Very narrowly defined hands, teaches the mathematical addition to invite, explains the « choices » (fit / no fit, game / no game) more easily than in suit contracts. Then some of the elements / think patterns can be used in suit bidding after being mastered in NT. But be sure to play play play rather than just bid. It will not be fun for the students otherwise and they will be discouraged.

Yes, 2S is forcing (almost GF) showing extras and presumably a hand not ideally suitable for NT. Probably with a red* singleton. The idea is not to look for the S fit but describe where the values lay to find the best partial or game. With a dead minimum, responder is expected to go back to 3C with a fit or some tolerance for the suit, unless they can handle NTs with maybe 6-8 and all points in the reds. With a more going fwd hand, responder should find some more constructive bid (3NT, 3 red if only one red suit is problematic). * or specifically a H sg, the D sg being shown with a « natural » 2NT