Double !

a jump to 3D here would show a G.I. hand with good diamond suit (as would 3H show GI with 6 decent hearts). To Gonzalo: I judged the hand to be too good for a 3C bid. fwiw: i selected to rebid 3NT but will wait before exposing the success or lack thereof the bid. DHL

Brain not what it should be. Yes, I was referring to 2C response, DHL

Csaba: English can be a tough language, for sure. What would it mean in Romanian language? DHL

It seems as though your friend was trying to include mixed raises into the structure via the 2D response. This structure shows some merit even if I, personally, have the same concern about this that I have about other innovations that cause a convention or treatment to be subject to pre-emption. What is opener to do after responder bids such a wide-range 2D and the next person pops in a bid at the 4-level? But, that's just me. DHL

2NT (Bal 22-24) seems to be the least lie and may be the easiest rebid for responder to field. Stiff K is certainly better than a small stiff club. Try to make partner-friendly bids and rebids when possible. ps: There is no right answer to this one unless playing the old version of Roman 2D or some other method geared for strong 4441's. Be thankful that your distro wasn't 4450! DHL

definitely advocate for 2NT rebid. Reasons: 1) I've described my range and approximate shape 2) it's often easier and people often feel more comfortable/ confident developing the bidding after someone has rebid NT. We have more agreed-upon responder rebids available (nmf, dbl-barrelled checked-back, xyz) to use after the NT rebid. 3) you have probably right-sided the final contract, whatever it might become. DHL

2♣.......! I use to laugh about bidding like this. Or, 2N natural (and others laugh at me :rolleyes: ) No objection to, or laughter about a 2C responses from me at all. It is often easier to develop the bidding after certain responses than after certain other responses. In addition, it is seeming more and more to me that opener often has an easier time rebidding after opening a black suit than after opening a red suit. DHL

I am one of those who initially respond 2D, followed by heart raise, in order to GF and distinguish between 3 and 4-card heart support. I hope my partner doesn't decide to take total control at this point although the worst that could happen would seem to be to wind up in 7 Ds. DHL

Format: BBO MBC Imp Pairs Opps: not bad, both claim to be experts- i don't dispute their claims. Vulnerabiity: Both White Your hand: ♠: VOID, ♥: AJ4, ♦: KT96, ♣: QT9543 (Spot cards are correct) Opponents Pass throughout. You are playing BBO adv 2/1 with Wk NTs Bidding: Partner deals and bids 1 spade, You respond 1NT (f - 1: any disagreements with 1NT?) Partner rebids two Clubs. Your Bid!!!! :P Thank you all in advance DHL

I was having a discussion with a couple of online friends when I asked one of them to explain what bidding is? This person had some difficulty answering the question and threw the question back to me, asking me what my definition of "bidding" is? I answered, "IMO, bidding is a form of communication, like a language. Like many languages, there are numerous different types of bidding." I then proceeded to explain that some bids make statements, some ask questions, some answer questions, etc., etc. I thought that i had given a good, conceptual answer. However, I started to wonder how others, especially those who are Bridge professionals and/ or Bridge teachers, might answer this seemingly simple question?. Do you agree with my definition? If not, how would define the word "bidding"? (BTW, fwiw, my answer to defining the term "carding" is essentially the same.) TIA DHL

Agree with Arend on this point. Don't see the point of the resp X in the first point. Even if you find a heart fit, opps have already established a spade fit, hence can always out-bid you. 3S (to a lesser degree 3♦) comes closest to describing your hand as quickly as possible. Then you're in a better position to rely on partner's decisions. DHL

Do you think that your heart suit is as good as many 6-baggers? Does partner usually have at least a bit of tolerance for your suit when he/she makes a neg. double?. Given your total hand, and partner showing minors, do you think you could withstand spade taps in the trump suit given your overall strength? Visualize a typical neg X after 1H-1s-X: what do you think you can ultimately make? or since your partner made a bid that supposedly shows both minors or a 2 1/2 heart raise, you could pick a minor and see what partner does. But, the quality of the trump suit, albeit only 5 cards,........................................... DHL

What a pleasant thought..... B) Bal. GF for me, too. DHL

Enlighten me, please. Why would a Double of opps 2S rebid not be Responsive? I have cards, likely not 4 hearts (I would bid them), too much to pass with, and support/ tolerance for either minor. 3D just seems rather unilateral to me. DHL

I have significant difficulties with memory and sustained attention span. So, being able to write down the cards played and having some time to think would be quite beneficial for me. Having a pair of Luis' Xray/ see-through sun glasses would also be helpful. BTW: may I also have a Taser to use on all the people that stand near the table and won't shut up while I'm trying to think ("trying" being the operative word)? DHL

What does your the falling asleep and drooling have to do with getting all this extra time. :( DHL

FWIW: I have not been an advocate of playing the 2H response to 2C as showing a dbl negative but most of the people whom I play with on BBO seem to prefer it. (n.b.: I have played very little actual live bridge in the past 10+ years, so I don't really have regular partnerships except for sometimes playing with my brother, an excellent player, and with my wife. Some of you met her in Nashville.) So, other than via the forums, i have little contact with some of the more recent innovations. Hence, I asked about opener's rebids after 2C - 2N. I was one of the earlier people in the northeast (USA) to play the original Precision system and I still remember most of it. This leads me to the following question or survey: Has anyone ever tried or considered using the same structure of responses to a strong 2C opener that one might use in response to a Precision, or Ultra, or Echo, or even some for of WJ strong 1 Club openers? As a 2C opener likely is at least a trick or trick and a half stronger than a strong 1C opener, I don't see (yet) how this could be any worse and, imo, would seem to be a better set of responses than the current, more common set of responses to strong 2C openers. It just raises the bidding one level higher, but the extra trick- trick and a half stronger hand that a 2C opener implies should be sufficient to cover the difference. Just curious. DHL

I did, indeed, rebid 3♥ only to hear my P now bid 4♦. Well, I thought having ♦ Kx was a good holding, so I Q'd 4♠. Partner now jumped to 6NT, asked for and received an "undo", and bid 5NT!!! (argh. what is 5NT? must be GSF?) Having 2 of the top 3 honors in hearts and 14,000 controls, it seemed like a 7♥ bid by me was now in order. (Wrong!!! or, maybe, right. You decide lol) Partner passed 7♥, and then tabled the following dummy: ♠ KJ9x ♥ QJ8 uh, where did the other 2 hearts go? ♦ ATxx ♣ xx Well done, mikeh. Yes, partner either forgot or didn't know the meaning of his initial 2NT response, so I had the pleasure of playing a grand slam in a 3-3 trump fit. (Granted, a very nice 3-3 fit, indeed....grrrrr.) lho led the ♣ Ten, and rho very nicely played the queen. Finesse for spade queen worked, was able to cash 2 more clubs and 2 more spades without opps ruffing, two rounds of diamonds and a diamond ruff in hand lived. First time I ever made grand in a 3-3 trump fit. (Note that I am not representing that this was the only time I ever bid a grand in a 3-3 fit although I don't recall ever having done so in the past). Seems that the odds of this hand making were less that the approx. 9% odds for making 7NT. got a "vwp" from partner. was ready to shoot him but the drive is over an hour to get to him, not worth the gas (petrol). The hand seemed like something right out of a Victor Mollo book, and I was RR. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting hand. I also was genuinely wondering whether or not some rebid other than 3H was appropriate: so I asked. I wish to thank everyone who responded, and mikeh for the info on Fred's rebid structure.\ DHL :)

This little pain in the butt (for me) came up a few nights ago. I held the following hand: ♠ Axx ♥ AK4 ♦ Kx ♣ AKJ9x Not bad. I liked it until the following occurred. I opened 2C and P (cho) responded 2NT. (We had agreed to play 2C - 2H as dbl neg). Suddenly, I realized that I really didn't know what people play as rebids after P's 2NT. Assuming that partner has made a positive response in hearts, what is the correct rebid with this hand? There is an incredibly amusing follow-up to this. I will share in a few days (I hope). fwiw, being older than dirt but still having much of my hair, I play opening 2C forces to 2NT or 3M (or 4m-rare). I look forward to anyone's/ everyone's recommendations. tyvm DHL

I would rarely if ever open 2S on this hand unless really swinging. Yet, it seems as though so many people now open weak 2-bids with any type of 6-card suit (aka: Pressure Bidding style). Sometimes the bid works and sometimes it doesn't. Personally, I don't like to do so in 1st or 2nd seat, even at favorable. It's too much of a distortion imo. Weak two bids were originally designed to be relatively descriptive bids that also had pre-emptive potential. 6-12, 5-11, 5-10 hcp and a decent 6-card suit (either with 2 of top 3 honors or one of the top honors and decent intermediates such as KJT8xx). Responder then had some idea whether or not to proceed, to introduce a new suit, escape to a different suit, ask for features or hand quality, knowing that a lot of your hand is like in your bid suit and that playing in your suit likely won't be bad. You put partner in a much more difficult situation when you start opening weak 2 bids on weak suits and significant values outside of your suit that might be of more value if playing in partner's suit. Poor suit weak 2 bids makes competitive bidding decision-making and opening lead selection much more difficult for partner. Do you really want encourage partner away from making a more normal lead because you bid a weak 2 which should encourage leading your suit? Perhaps my position on this topic of suit quality is obsolete. Don't know. But consider this: some partnerships have 2 types of opening bids to show weak 2s: one opener showing the weak version and the other type showing a more traditional version. Anyway, you pays your money and you takes your chances. DHL DHL

Get your partner a hearing aid (to help address partner's deaf ears) and a decent book on competitive bidding. Unless you are playing a way to discriminate between competitive and good 3C bids, just pass. You did fine, except for choosing this particular partner. Never doubt yourself & do what you know how to do or think is the right thing to do. If you try to do something at the table that is unfamiliar to you or doesn't seem right to you, you will go nuts and kill your own game. You can then decide whether or not to seek advice from people you believe know what they're talking about. G.L' DHL

Don't agree with west's initial pass. Am probably in the minority, but I tend to ignore opp's takeout doubles and make the bid (or its equivalent) that I was going to make if south had passed. Probably would have responded 1NT at this vul with 1 Dia a close 2nd and 1H a distant 3rd choice (I tend to not bid poor 4-card heart suits in this situation.). At least partner will know that I have a little something, and 1NT does have some pre-emptive potential should the hands be a little more normal. I prefer to say my piece asap as opposed to having to giving opps more room. If you play 1NT as showing a better hand, then I would respond 1D (at least I'm bidding something that I might like partner to lead if defending.). DHL

A few years ago, Karen Walker wrote a set of articles for the ACBL Bulletin about using a jump-reverse to show a weak 5-6 hand (I guess to allow one to bid a 5-6 naturally without promising extra values in terms of hcps). I've never played this way with anyone. I am curious. Does anyone actually play this treatment? If yes, what is/ are your opinion(s) and experience(s) with the weak 5-6 method? DHL

hi all This is a matter of partnership agreement, and I believe that the meaning should depend on the vulnerability. First of all, most people I know play 1M - X - 2NT as being a limit raise or better with at least 4 card trump support. Not vulnerable, a jump to 3S is played by many as being pre-emptive, less than a constructive raise, with 4+card spade support. However, the requirements for the 3S bid vary somewhat. Some people play that it shows some hcp, 4-6/7, while others play that it could be bid holding very little than just 4 trumps. The partnership needs to make a decision about this because, without an agreement, the 3S can put a lot of pressure on opener as to whether to bid game, to X the opps, or to pass. Vulnerable, It a somewhat different situation. You DO want to try to avoid -200 playing in a partscore. My feeling is that the 3S bid should have 4 trumps and some values, but not enough for a limit raise. As for the meaning of a redouble: so many partnership agreements are needed if you just play that it shows 10+ hcp with little else being clarfied at first. My preference is to NOT play it that way, and to NOT let the opp's t/o X disrupt my system. This is especially true if you have some suits to bid. If you XX first, you might find yourself trying to introduce your suit or suits at a higher level than may be comfortable, especially if the opps pre-empt. Better to bid your suit/ suits first and then X to show extra values or to offer to defend, doubled. At least, this way, opener/ partner will have a much better idea of your hand and will be in a better situation to make an informed decision in competition. My preference is to just ignore the X and bid my hand. However, I prefer to play that a redouble here shows a limit raise in partner's major (in this case, spades) with exactly 3-card trump support. This way, you have described your hand to a reasonable degree in one bid, and you've put partner in a position to make better decisions if the bidding becomes competitive. This specific meaning for a redouble is not commonly played, but I strongly recommend it. At least I know what my wife has when she XX's. Yeah, you occasionally might be giving up a big penalty, but have you and your partner discussed the meanings of follow-up bids by opener and partner after a redouble? Unless you are an established and polished partnership, my suggestion is to keep situations as clear as possible, especially in potentially competitive situations. Caveat: Many expert players will not agree with my style. But, at least I usually avoid misunderstandings this way and lose out on very little. DHL

Do Not understand why this hand didn't raise to 4C to start with. Failure to support with support, especially 5-card trump support, usually results in partner inaccurately evaluating the offensive vs. defensive value of his/her hand. To pass and then save is like giving the opponents a fielder's choice as well as taking partner out of the cooperative bidding equation. Would you have had any questions about the meaning of partner's double had you initially raised clubs? I doubt it. DHL