dB451

Look, Mr. possum (don't you just love sentences that start with "Look"?), unless you think there's some secret conspiracy fantasy cabal of bidding system engineers making different bidding systems available to different players (you don't go that far, do you?), then everyone is playing the same annoying system, and yes, I agree with you that it's annoying, and that the robots are a little off in their bidding sometimes, and that it's nearly impossible to make a standard penalty double that won't be considered to be takeout, but unless you're going to say that "they" (you know, "they" of "them" fame) are specifically trying to mess you up (you're not saying that, are you?), then get a grip. After all, there are some 53 octillion Bridge hands, and they're all actual Bridge hands, right? It is not reasonable to say you only want to play the easy ones. So, if you're wondering whether the system or the hands are "rigged" to take your money, then either accept the way it seems to be or stop giving it to them, but please just stop feeding what seems to be an addiction on your part to complaining. After all, you know what happens if you keep practicing being unhappy, right? You might get good at it! Good luck, and I mean that sincerely.

I play various versions of this general approach with different partners, but picking one, we have: 2C - 2D(1) - 2N(2) - 3S(3) - 3N(4) - 4H(5) - 5C(6) - 5S(7) - 6C(8) - 6N(9) Notes: (1) Game force, showing at least one Ace, one King, two Queens, or a QJ in the same suit (basically, showing one trick, part of Two Hearts Bust) (2) 22-24 pts, not unbalanced (3) Relay to 3N (4) Completing the relay, expecting some sort of minor-related action (5) Keycard for Clubs (where, alternatively, 4C/D would be inviting keycard or a game in the minor, or a bail in NT, 4S would be KC for Diamonds, and 4N would show 5/5 in the minors, asking partner's opinion) (6) 2 or 5 keycards; if 2, then without the Club Queen (7) I know it's not 2, so Wow, we have them all, partner, so let's see whether you have the Spade King; if so, please bid the Grand (8) Sorry to disappoint (no Spade King), but we did reach the good minor slam (9) No reason to not play in NT, so thanks, partner, let's Do This!

I convince my partners to play Kokish Three-Way Game Tries, where after bidding and raising a major, by whatever route (initial minor, interference, whatever), (the first way, of the three ways for doing game tries) 3M says the partnership may have the points for game, but the initial M bidder has poor trumps, so the M raiser is requested to bid game with good trumps (say, more than 1 honor), or pass, if also having poor trumps. The second way is: if in Spades, the first M bidder's follow-up bid at the three level shows shortness in that suit; if the second M bidder thinks that's enough for game, they bid it, otherwise, bail at 3M; or, the second major bidder could make an alternate bid (such as 3D after 3C, which showed Club shortness - here 3D says: your Club shortness doesn't excite me, partner, but I have some stuff in Diamonds - does that excite you? If so, bid 4M, otherwise bail at 3M). But, if in Hearts, 3C/3D shows C/D shortness, but 2N shows Spade shortness; the same sorts of follow-ups apply as for a Spade sequence. Finally, the third way is: after 2M, the next suit up asks: "Is there a suit in which you would accept a Help-Suit Game Try partner?", where the usual considerations for positive Help Suit responses would apply, i.e., honors in the suit (with Q-third being borderline) or shortness (with a doubleton being borderline). So, if the second M bidder has a suit in which they have help, they bid it, and if the first M bidder thinks that's effective help, they bid the game, otherwise bail at 3M; if the responder to the ask thinks they have either honors or shortness in all other suits, they simply bid the game, but if they have help in more than one suit, judgement may be required to decide in which suit to show their help. Note that this avoids the concern of good players regarding normal Help Suit Game Tries - namely, that it reveals a weakness in the asker's hand, thereby suggesting an effective opening lead for the opponents. One additional wrinkle is that for Spades, the asking bid is 2N, so partner's responses of 3C/D/H show help in whichever of those suits they bid, but in Hearts, the asking bid is 2S (remember, after 1H - 2H, 2N shows Spade shortness), so partner's responses of 2N/3C/3D show Spade, Club, or Diamond help, respectively. Finally, Kokish Three-Way Game Tries work well as a sequeway after a Drury bid (preferably Reverse Two-Way Drury), where after Pass - 1M - 2C/D (Drury), if the major opener bids anything else BUT 2M, it's a Kokish bid! Very effective! Sorry, I know this presentation is too tightly packed, but oh well. So, for the original question, for me, 1C - 1S - 2S - 3C shows Club shortness on the part of the first Spade bidder, and requests partner to bid game if that improves their hand, but bail in 3M, if not.

No, not bidding 1N, when partner is close to dead broke. No, not doubling when both my pointed suits are in front of West, as is my Club Queen. No, not giving away the Spade or Diamond positions by leading one of those honors, and not putting off the lead problem by leading a top Heart to "get a look at dummy". No, not wasting the Club Queen into the Club bidder; even though they may only have 3 cards, partner is unlikely to have the Club K or A. And, no, not leading a Diamond honor, when West is quite possibly quite short in Diamonds. So, in a rare departure from a most-often-best passive lead, I would choose the Club 8, giving West the option to play a high Club, thinking my partner may have the Queen, and giving me a possibility of getting a third Heart trick with a Club ruff. Then, I sit back, watch partner's signals, and play carefully, hoping for the best. In this case, an active lead is reasonable, since at IMPs, my team is willing to take a chance, possibly giving up an overtrick, if it gives us an opportunity to set their game contract. That's my $0.02.

The only tools you need to bid this slam are Fourth Suit Forcing to Game and Italian Cue-bids, which show first- or second-round control, i.e., an Ace, King, singleton, or void. So, the bidding goes, as others have said above: 1D - 1H - 1S - 2C (GF) - 2D - 2H, then either West supports East's twice-bid Hearts (with their honor-doubleton), or West bids 2N and East bids their Hearts a third time. If the former (West supports with 3H), East shows their Spade King with 3S, then West shows their stiff Club with 4C, after which East realizes he can safely bid Keycard. If the latter (West persists with 2N, and East rebids 3H, West should remember that there's a technical term for a suit that partner bids three times - it's called "trump". So, there, after East's thrice-rebid Hearts, West can show their Italian cue of Clubs, and, again, East can now safely bid Keycard (even regular Blackwood would work). That's my $0.02.

I play a few different sets of things over 2N, but my favorite is this: after 2N, 3S is a relay to 3N, with responder's follow-on bids being: 4C/D = 4 cards in the bid minor/5 cards in the other_minor (then 4H/S by opener is keycard for C/D, with step responses showing 1, 2, and 3 keycards); 4N = 5/5 minors (and opener decides what to do); 4H = keycard for Clubs (then 4S = 2 KCs, 4N < 2 KC, which can be passed, bailing in NT, and giving up on the Club slam, and 5C = 3 KC); 5S = keycard for Diamonds (then 4N < 2 KC, which can be passed, bailing in NT, and giving up on the Diamond slam, 5C = 2 KC, and 5D = 3 KC). So, on this hand, the bidding would proceed: 2N - 3S (relay to 3N) - 3N (completing the relay) - 4H (keycard for Clubs) - 6C (opener realizes the existing structure only supports showing three KCs, but opener actually has four KCs, so they just bid the Club slam. Now, if I was playing in a top-level game in a Regional or National tournament, I might need to decide whether to play the Club slam or convert to 6N, but in a club or lower-level tournament game, I'd just be happy enough to bid what I think is the good Club slam. If it makes 6N and someone else wants to bid it, fine, let them have the top, and I'll settle for a tie for second, probably at the worst. That's my $0.02.

I play a Losing Trick Count/Cover Card (LTC/CC, by opener/responder, respectively), using many gadgets, including Transfer Lebensohl Over Reverses. So, to me, opener's reverse shows a five-loser hand (or better). If I bid 2N, relaying to 3C, I can then pass (if I have long, weakish Clubs), or bid my choice of (long, weakish) suit, which partner should pass. If I bid at the three level, it's a transfer, showing an invitational hand or better (as opposed to regular Leb, which would, generally, be forcing). So, on this hand, when I, as responder, hear opener's 5-loser or better reverse, I think I have a solid-enough two cover cards for partner (from among my three Diamond honors), so I'm bidding 3C, transfer to Diamonds, invitational or better. Then, when opener hears my invitational bid in response to her reportedly five-loser hand, and realizes I think I've got at least two cover cards (right? That would be invitational over a five-loser hand, in the context of minors), she realizes that since she really has a four-loser hand, she can bid a Diamond game (right? Four losers minus two cover cards leaves only two losers, so bid the minor game!). Boom, done. So easy with LTC/CC and a few cool gadgets. That's my $0.02.

I prefer to play a Losing Trick Count/Cover Card game (as opposed to both sides thinking in terms of LTC); given that, this is a very straight-forward hand. Opener is assumed to have a 7-loser hand. When responder invites with 3H, they are showing three cover cards, or the ability to take three tricks in the context of the auction. Yes, like a full LTC approach, these considerations are predicated on having a fit, but that's been established. So, opener, hearing their partner say they have three tricks for them, can easily pass, since they have no better than a 7-loser hand, and partner said they can only cover three of those losers, hence 4 losers remain, so stay out of game. What's a trick? An top honor (A, K, or Q) in partner's suit, an outside A, K (with a K being more like 3/4 of a trick), an outside KQ or even QJ, honors in other of partner's bid suits, or two more trumps than any shortness - for example, with a stiff (singleton) and three trumps, that's 1 cover card; three trumps and a doubleton does not, repeat not, provide a cover card, but four trumps and a doubleton can be counted as a cover card, and four trumps and a stiff may be two cover cards. Given that context, a statistically sounder basis for decisions is provided, within the context of a known fit. So, here, on this hand, the decision couldn't be easier, given any reasonable degree of discipline. So, that's my $0.02.

Well, I would bid 3N, but not for the reasons identified. For me, it would be a part of Transfer Lebensohl (all three-level bids are invitational or better, and bidding at the three level one suit below intervener's suit shows a transfer to the suit above theirs), which is better then regular Leb. After all, that's why we use transfers over NT at all, isn't it, to get the lead to come to the strong hand, which is more likely to have tenaces? Also, I still prefer the double to be penalty at the club level; sure, if I'm playing in a higher-level tournament game or an A/X section of a strong unit game (yes, I'm looking at you, WBL), double as negative makes more sense, but at the club level, I think you get more mileage leaving the double as penalty. Anyway, using either Transfer or regular Leb, over 2S, 3N implies game-going points, but without a Spade stopper. If partner has one, he can leave it in, and if not, you go off in the weeds, deciding which minor to play at the four level (at least). Kinda looks like your hand, eh? Anyway, that's my $0.02.

With the Heart interference, North may judge NT to be risky, and realizing his Hearts make it more likely that South has Diamond length (beyond a minimum 3 or 4), North is willing to start a minor-suit slam sequence, which can end in 5D, if slam isn't there. So, the bidding might proceed: 1D; (1H interference, after which opponents pass throughout); 4H (Redwood or Kickback, 1430 for Diamonds); 5D (2 KCs plus the DQ); 5S (we have all the keycards, so I'll make a Specific Suit Ask); 6D (yes, I have the SK, and also the SQ, but I'm not going to go crazy, so unless this is a national-level event, I'll settle for the Diamond slam). Without interference, we might have: 1D - 1H - 1S (perhaps an underbid, since a 4-loser hand, but maybe reasonable, since a low-pointed 4-losers) - 2C (4th Suit Forcing) - 2D (showing Diamond length) - 3D (setting suit) - 4H (Redwood or Kickback, 1430 for Diamonds) - 4N (0 or 3 keycards in Diamonds) - 5H (Specific King-Ask) - 6C (King of Clubs) - 6D (I can count 12 tricks - let someone else risk 7, I'm thinking tying for second in 6D, if 7D makes, is good enough) - Pass (OK, partner).

I like to play 2H Bust, where, absent interference, after a 2C opener, 2D is game-forcing (not alertable, per the few-years-ago rule change), implying at least an Ace, a King, or 2 Queens (also, responder's 2NT would imply 3 Kings, after which systems are on, because we want to transfer, so responder can receive the lead, protecting all their Kings). Anyway, with interference, I like to play "P0D1", meaning Pass shows responder would have made the weaker bid of 2H (represented by the logical "0" in P0D1) without interference, and Double shows responder would have made the stronger, game-forcing bid of 2D (logical "1" in P0D1). Then, over interference, followed by responder's Pass, opener can more effectively decide whether to compete, knowing responder is broke. Similarly, if responder doubles the interference, opener may see a chance for either a game or a lucrative penalty - the latter, for instance, if the opponents were foolish enough to come in red against white (or even white against white). Someone tried this in a recent tournament, where I opened a non-vul 2C hand (4-losers or better), 2S interference, and partner doubles (showing they would have game-forced with 2D). Easy enough pass for me, after which we botched the double-dummy defense by two tricks, but still put them down 500, scoring more than our possible white game score. Fun.

For me, responder's X is unlimited, and opener's 3D reverse does show extras - no worse than a five-loser hand. It's not unreasonable for responder to think that opener's 3D bid shows five cards, so responder, despite having only 2 obvious cover cards in the context of Diamonds (DA and CK, with only a possible ruff in Clubs, since partner bid the suit), may be willing to make a forward-going bid. If North judges NT to be unwise, and has tools to explore minor-suit slams (while being able to land safely at the five level if slam isn't there), they may choose that route. So, playing either Redwood or Kickback (preferring one of those over the possible ambiguity of Minorwood), North's jump to 4H over 3D would be 1430 (or 0314, by partnership preference) for Diamonds (yes, even though their negative double showed Hearts). South would respond 4S (1 or 4 keycards in Diamonds), North will infer 4 keycards, but should probably make a Queen-Ask with 5C (in general, reserving 4N as a bailout, though not particularly relevant here, where opener already decided against NT). Without the DQ, South would bail in 5D, but here, South simply bids 6D (confirming the DQ, and with no outside Kings to show). Given no worse than a 4-2 Diamond split (which will be true 78% of the time), and not suffering a 4-1 Club split or worse (which will only happen 38% of the time), South makes the slam. South wins any opening lead, plays A, then K of Diamonds for safety, then CK, CA, ruff a Club high, back to hand with a major Ace, draw trumps and run Clubs, losing only the last trick.

With methods among my partners, we would bid (OK, on a good day): West East 1D; 1S; 2H (5 losers, reverse); 3C (Xfer Leb., inv. or better); 3D (completing xfer); 4H (Redwood, 1430 for Diamonds); 5C (2 keycards w/ Queen); 5H (Specific King-Ask in D); 7N (w/ all 3 outside Kings)