ArcLight

Not only do I disagree, I will even tell the opponent what his pard alerted, just so they don't have a bidding mixup. If they have a mix up, I'll stop the bidding and ask them if they want an undo. I look at it this way: If I get a good score because 2 stangers had a misunderstanding and we set 6X by 3 tricks because opps thought 2NT was Jacoby when it was natural, I am not having a good time. In fact its a waste of my time. My pet peeve is opps not alerting or being evasive. I am unfamiliar with Polish Club. I asked what a DBL meant (I assumed it was Negative but since I was unfamiliar I could be wrong). The response was "Its Natural". What the heck is "Natural"? How about "Negative" or "Penalty" (or whatever).

A New Approach to Play and Defense - vol 2 by Eddie Kantar Excellent Intermediate Plus/Advanced book. 100 declarer and defense problems, arranced into pairs. You declare a hand and then somewhere else in the book you defend against a similar (but not identicle) hand. As always counting is very important. You must read pards signals. But thats just the beginning. You need to place the unscene cards, and picure what card pard needs to set the contract. You need to anticipate endplays. There are a few sqeezes too, though Kantars problems tend to focus on non-squeeze problems (unlike some of Pottages and Jannerstens books). As the card play progresses you are asked guiding questions (skip them if you are really good!) like "What is the heart layout (after a round of hearts)" At the end of the problem are a few pointers. An enjoyable book, well done, and challenging. Its been a couple of years since reading the first volume, but I seem to remember it not being as hard as this. Same for Kantar for the Defense. Volume 2 was much harder than Volume 1.

Double. Take the sure plus. 3NT is too risky.

I lead a low heart against IMPS. I think the contract will likely make. At MPs I also lead a low heart. IF I had a "safe" lead I would make that instead.

>Well, it may not be *standard* in a 30 year old bidding text, but I'd guess that a majority of current duplicate players would raise to 2H in this situation (at least a majority of the people I play against). Does that make it *standard*? Thats what I'm wondering? Is "standard" not used much anymore? Do most people play that 2♥ is competitive? If you bid 2♥ then what about this that MikeH wrote: >This is the basis of partnership bidding: once you show your values, and if partner has another opportunity to bid, there is no need to show the same values twice. Trust partner.

>If you are playing "standard" you have to pass since you are minimum. I guess this is what I was getting at, though I might have been more clear. Its my understanding that playing "standard" you would pass and not bid 2♥. (The alternative way may have merit, I'm not knocking it. But I don't think its "standard")

>2H. Why don't you want to play in your 8 card fit at the 2 level? Because you might not have a 4-4 fit. Pard might be 3-3-4-3 or 3-3-3-4. We'll probably not 3343 but maybe 3325 with no stopper for NT. Would they bid 1NT anyway? >BTW, instandard bidding, 2H by partner shows 9+ points or so (might include distribution. In any case, you won't have game, but it's crazy not to compete. Pard is showing 0-8. Why not pass, and let him bid again with 5-8, and defend with 0-4. Let them play in 2♣ making some over tricks, instead of risking a bad contract. Maybe RHO has 4 hearts and 8 HCP I may be wrong, I'm just asking what others think. It just seems to me I have my bid (perhaps a tad more) so no reason to bid again.

IMPS, Opps Vulnerable RHO opens 1♣ You Double with: ♠ Q 8 6 5 ♥ K Q 7 2 ♦ A 8 7 3 ♣ x LHO passes, pard bids 1♥, RHO bids 2♣ LHO pard RHO You 1♣ X p 1♥ 2♣ ? What do you do? (Pass, bid 2 hearts, what else? Someone sugegsted now bidding 2 ♥. Is that right? Isn't it up to pard to bid that? Pard can bid with more than 0-3 and 4 hearts.

>Miles - Defensive signals (out of print Stephen, Pelse tell us more about the book. How is it better / more advanced than the other books?

>There's a great book I got as a prize in a youth event last year, called something like "Bridge Defence Complete" or "The Complete Guide to Defence" (or something else with defence and complete in the title) It's a bit less than A4 in size and is fairly thick, coloured light green and white .... if you ever see it you should get it, it's excellent. I haven't seen anything decent on the web about defence, either. How about listing the author if you can't remember the title? At least that way we can look for it. telling us the books color is not quite so helpful in finding it :) I will take a guess - what I think you are refering to is: Winning Defense For The Advancing Bridge Player ~ More Constructive Thinking At The Bridge Table by Stewart, Frank Its a GREAT book PS Its got a green cover ;)

Hand Reading in Bridge - Roth, Danny Countdown to Winning Bridge - Bourke, Tim & Marc Smith Dormer on Deduction - Dormer, Albert Card reading; the art of guessing right at the bridge table - Jannersten, Eric Card Placing for you - Kambites, Andrew Logical Bridge Play - Kelsey, Hugh How to Read your opponents cards - Lawrence, Mike Inferences at Bridge - Miles,Marshall All 52 Cards - Miles, Marshall Better bridge for the advancing player - Stewart, Frank also Frank Stewarts Winning defense for the Advancing Player Mike Lawrence also has 2 EXCELLENT CDS Counting at Bridge vol 1 & 2

Frances, if the Club suit was Axx instead of Ax, would you raise your rating of 1NT?

Both Vulnerable, IMPS, RHO deals and opens 1 Club. This is a "Level 2" problem, meaning Intermediates, not beginners. What do you bid holding: ♠ A K x ♥ 10 x x ♦ A J T x x ♣ A x The author (Anne Lund) says 1NT "by 5 lengths". I am not so sure thats a good bid. Your Club stopper isn't good enough. If it was Axx it would be a lot better. Axx allows you to duck twice and exhaust one defender if the suit is 5-3. How would you rate a 1♦ overcall instead? I wonder if her objection to 1 ♦ is that we are too good for a 1♦ overcall? The hand is balanced, with no 4 card major.

I voted for 3, rather than 4. My reasoning: There are 31 HCP remaining. Its possible pard has a chunk of them. We can still make 3NT or 4♥, though we may end up in a part score making 4. Pard will need some stoppers or cover cards to make game. Will he know to bid game with them? Maybe, maybe not. Also, there is no assurance that the opps can make anything. If we bid 4, opps might not bid on with a combined 21 HCP. They will defend, or maybe double and we will be down 1 or more in 4♥. Of course they might bid on, to 4♠ or 5♣♦, and pard can double them. I just don't think that its so certain the opps can make anything. Bidding 4 will probably result in us being down 1. Let the opps charge in and find pard with a trump stack. Maybe I'm too timid?

Mike Lawrence makes some of the questions. In the answer they always say "Author: Mike Lawrence" Anne Lund makes the others. They are either unsigned, or signed by her. Prior to about a year ago, maybe till the end of March, Mike Lawrence made all the questions. Then they stopped using him, and the quality dropped dramatically. I archived all the Bridge Clues for a 2 year period, and I stopped doing so when he no longer wrote all the questions.

Does 4♠ really show spades? Or might it be a splinter in support of hearts? What is the "usual" agreement used by "most" experts? We need a swing. OK. - I think 3NT may be down quite a few. - Lets assume RHO has 4 Spades including the QJ. That means all thos ein Slam are going down in 6♠. All we need to do is make a plus. I'll pass and hope we do.

Mike Lawrences advocates using the double of a splinter as calling for teh lead of the lowest unbid suit. I saw someone else use a different meaning, asking for teh higher unbid suit. I'll take a guess - I think XX indicates first round control of hearts (since pard has a stiff), or it might mean 1st or 2nd round control of Clubs (the lowest unbid suit - if opps are using that agreement. It may be a control in dealers suit) It shows Slam interest. 4S is the weakest, denies slam interest. As for Pass, hmm. Pass also probably shows slam interest, because declarer could bid 4S. I don't think declarer wants to play in 4 Hearts Doubled. Pass is probably slam interest, with no Heart control, but why not cue bid or Blackwood? Is declarer worried about trump quality? Or has another open suit? In that case responder should cue bid a minor suit ace, or at least the one matching the X.

Dennis, If you use Invitational Jump Shifts, you can't use the Splinters like you described (at the 3 level). How would you show them in your system? These are NOT fit showing jumps, they are independent suits, not strong enough to make a 2/1.

>If you play SAYC, what does a 3♠ response mean? It probably means a transfer to ♣ or is Minor Suit Stayman. It also means you are playing with someone who is springing conventions on you without discussion. Beware. Not everyone uses MSS. I've played with experts who use 2NT in response to 1M as natural, so I would not like to make assumptions. >How common is Puppet Stayman? In my experience, not all that common EXECPT some of those who use it tend to automatically think the rest of the world does. Be ready for a bad score. >How common are Texas transfers? With an "advanced" pard you have some hope of them completing the transfer. Though you take a risk ... >How common are South African Texas transfers (4♣->4♥)? Without discussion, you will get a Gerber response (if you are lucky). Maybe even a pass. For BIL I'd emphasize that pick up pards may not use the same conventions you do (and expect your pards to know).

Visualization is a core bridge skill. It takes a while to learn. Reading books on defense and bidding can get you used to thinking about what pards hand may be. I suggest reading books like Mike Lawrences "The Uncontested Auction", "The complete book of Hand Evaluation", "The complete book of Overcalls" to see what an expert thinks when re-evaluating their hand. I also like some of Frank Stewarts bididng books, even if not everyone agrees with him. They get you thinking along those lines. Bidders Bible, becoming a Bridge Expert, Bridge Today's One Thousand And One Bridge Problems Workbook (Duplicate And Tournament Edition) . Of course it helps to have a good partner. If a bad player bids poorly, you can't visualize well. Make a point of reviewing the hands and seeing if your visualization was correct.

IN Excel you have PPMT(rate,per,nper,pv) Rate is the interest rate per period. (0.016 inyour case) Per specifies the period and must be in the range 1 to nper. Nper is the total number of payment periods (60 for a 5 year loan paying monthly) Pv is the present value — the total amount that a series of future payments is worth now. IPMT = Interest payment also theer is PV

Lead a trump to hopefully cut down on Dummy ruffs. I assume 5♦ shows 1 key card. Declarer bid blackwood without cue bidding I think declarer has something like ♠ Kx or better ♥ very good ♦ Axx or Axxx He expects no losers here, and would not assume that with xxx ♣ very good Our side probably has ♦ K Q J, ♠AJ, and the ♣ J. Thats 12, leaving them 23, about what I'd expect for a jump to slam. We might have a tad more, like a Q. Lead a trump to hopefully cut down on Dummy ruffs. A trump lead is unlikely to do damage as they are 2=2 or else pard has 1. And they are under declarer. I would be more concerned if we had just 1, implying pard might have 3. Declarer might be short of entries, if he has something like: KQ AKxxx Axxx Kx You lead a trump, declarer can ruff a dime, and reneter via teh Club K for another ruuf, but doesn't have teh entries for the 3rd ruff. I dont see the need to lead the ♣ Jack. Where will declarer build a trick? Not in ♦ or ♣, if our failure to lead a ♣ was to have cost. ♠? I dont think so.

In teh context of 2/1, as expalined in Miek Lawrences CD, there are 2 types of Jump Shifts. 1> Interemdiate jump shifts, showing 9-11 and 6+ cards These will be in the form 1♥ - 3♦ 2> Soloway (i.e. Strong) Jump shifts in 3 varieties - 18-19 Balanced with stoppers - a great independendent suit, does not promise a huge hand pard opens 1♦, you bid 2♥ with ♠ x ♥ A K Q x x x x ♦ x x ♣ A x x - a hand with a good suit and a great fit for pard, again this does not promise a great hand. 1♥ - 2♠ on: ♠ A K Q x x ♥ x x x x ♦ A x ♣ x x After your jump shift your next bid identifies the type of SJS you have. rebid your suit, NT, or pards hand. You will never play in a suit other than yours or pards bid suit. 5-5 hands aer usually not suited

IMPS, Opps vulnerable Pard opens 1♦, RHO Doubles for take out. What is your bid holding: ♠ A J x ♥ Q J T 8 x ♦ x ♣ K J x x Do you bid your hearts? OR Redouble showing 10+ HCP and no Dime fit.

I watched it on You Tube. I thought it was well done. It seemed well suited for non bridge players. Good job all around. Idea for a book "Bridge Psychology - and What causes partnerships to collapse and what you can do to avoid this" In "At The Table" Hamman mentions that Ira Corn hired a psychologist to help Goldman and Eisenberg work on the communications. (not signaling either :) I likes hearing Kokishs comments too.