Double !

I agree, although I don't play with enough "experts" to know what is "expert standard". I have several books from way back when (i.e.: before some of you might have been born) that assert that the dbl behind the suit bidder is penalty. I have rarely, if ever, been fortunate enough to have such a hand. Treating the dbl as takeout seems much more sensible, sort of tantamount to opening 1suit-p-p-2S-X: correct shape and enough to be able to play at the 3-level. Partnership should establish what a 2NT response to the X will be: (natural, minors, Leb, etc?) IMO, the 1NT opener doesn't even need a max 1NT opener to X 2S: just a hand that wants to compete. (Suggestion: check the vulnerability and your ODR. It might be easier to get +200 by passing than to get +110/130/140. Remember also: responder did not take any action over your 1NT opener including transferring to Hts.) DHL

Hi Jon: Is that the new baby? He's precious/ Mazel Tov. Your post or question is rather vague. Not sure what you're looking for or where you would like to go with this. But, I learned bridge playing weak NT's (K-S, etc.) and fwiw, really don't like some of the inherent liabilities of strong NTs. Hence, my real preferred 1NT opening range is 13-16. I once played kamikaze (9-12) in a midnight swiss about 37 years ago but there are positives and negative to that, too. You said to "pipe-up". So, for a friend, I "pipe". DHL

Up until reading Fred's post, if asked which one book I would recommend, the answer would always be Jeff Rubens' "Secrets to Winning Bridge". He teaches a person "HOW" to think. DHL

WHAT? Inventing a Reverse on a stiff Ace suit in order to ensure a rebid from Partner? UNTHINKABLE! Inconceivable. Never heard of such a thing (yeah, right! lol :rolleyes:). I, too, like a 2 ♥ rebid unless I'm sure that partner will not pass a 2♣ rebid. The Diamond suit is an honor short of qualifying for a 3 ♦ rebid with 2/3 of your honor cards being outside of your diamond suit. There are hands that you are able to show/ describe, and there are hands that are difficult to describe and where you need to ask questions/ try to get further descriptions of partner's hand. This given hand seems to fall into the second category. DHL:

Before you laugh and tell me that I'm insane, i would like to state the following: I AM: Csaba said so! The given bidding is how I bid the opener's hand in my previous post. I held: ♠ AKJ3, ♥ A, ♦ A, ♣ QJ76542. Once i chose to open the hand 1C (my f2f partner suggested 2C) and my partner responded 1S, I wanted to 1st of all get some idea of how many spades he had. Therefore, I created an artificial reverse of 2 D, knowing that he couldn't pass. After he rebid 2S, showing 5+ spades, i now wanted to create a way to find out how many club losers we had without getting past the 5-level. It was fortunate that this particular partner played my 3S bid as forcing. His 3NT rebid (I believe) was intended to show a balanced hand with something in hearts and to mark time as spades were pretty much agreed on as being the trump suit. My 4D bid (rebidding a stiff ace) was intended to give partner a chance to describe his hand further. His 4S bid essentially said that, opposite theoretically 3-card trump support, he didn't feel that he could go past 4S. And that's OK because I had a game plan. But when I clearly asked for some sort of club control by bidding 5H, he obliged by bidding 6S. Some have said that he should have shown the ace of clubs after I had supported spades. Some might also suggest that he might have bid 6C to show the ace. Well, he and I don't always agree on certain things. So, we managed to get to 6S, making 7 with the club king onside, without any really conventional bids. The fun part for me was being able to bid a stiff ace twice in the auction (partner couldn't alert that- he didn't know) and to bid a second stiff ace one time. To be honest, I couldn't think of another way to do it other than using 4th suit GF on my 3rd bid, but I was concerned that I might lose a valuable level of bidding by doing so. Disclaimer: I was rather tired when this hand occurred. All insanities are hereby attributed to fatigue. DHL

There's a sort of guiding principle that I've heard from time to time that goes: "If I couldn't make the bid at the first opportunity I had, how can it be right to now make the bid second time around, especially after the opps have exchanged some more information?" DHL

Decades ago, Terrence Reese presented a similar problem hand in his book titled (then) "Develop Your Bidding Judgment". (It was then re-issued under a different name.) He recommended XX with comments about the possibility that partner could have enough to make the contract in his hand and that the XX catered for that possibility. Any other bid (except pass) would take partner out of the decision-making process. DHL

Just curious. Why the H*** didn't responder rebid 2♥, (4th suit forcing) over opener's 2♦ if he wanted to set up the GF and go from there. However, playing 2/1 GF except if responder rebids his/her suit, with poor spots in the club suit, a rebid of 3♣ is not that much of an underbid and, in retrospect, with lighter initial action being more common, might actually be the preferred choice. DHL

Question is unclear. If mean the opps pass throughout and the bidding goes 1D -p- 1M-p - 2NT: If my memory serves me well (always a risky assumption), in the original version of Precision, the 2NT rebid by 1D opener over 1M by responder showed a max 1D opener with a solid diamond suit. Perhaps things have changed. A rebid of 2D simply showed an opener with 5, probably 6 diamonds, not solid, and no 4-card support for responder, and not appropriate for a 1NT rebid. 1D - 1M - 3C showed a good 5-5, 14-15 hcp. Again, I strongly suspect that many have their own revisions and interpretations of these sequences. DHL

PASS Partner has a moose, well, maybe a small moose. Partner had 2 bids available to show major 2-suiters (3C & 3D) and didn't bid either. But partner is Big in hcps, and I have no offense. But I have a diamond trick, and partner should be strong enough to handle the situations when I have no cards or major suit support. Pass and lead a trump. I suspect something like 4414 and mucho hcps. Oh, well, wrong again. How much for overtricks these days? DHL

I do not have a satisfactory answer for you. This is not a well-established partnership. In fact, there are a lot of hands that this P and I bid differently. Never really had time to discuss the issue that you raise. I just remembered once passing 3S or 3H on a similar auction and only making 6 because this particular P played the 3M bid as forcing. A lot depends on which suits are involved, the shape of the hand, and the quality of the suits/ ie: trick-taking potential. I usually go with what my P prefers to play (even if I don't like it). So, if reverse followed by support is forcing with whomever my current partner might be, I just might be forced to lie and open 1NT even with a 16/17 count & 3451 or 3415 distro. (again, depending on suit qualities and locations of high cards.) If 3S is nf, then i bid fsf just like everyone else. But, your question is quite valid and legitimate. BTW: I never indicated that I have a preference one way or the other. Was just giving the parameters of what this particular partnership had decided. Since 3S was to be forcing and setting spades as trumps, this particular agreement permitted me to bid my hand in a way that made it clear that I needed club control and still not force the bidding to the 6-level. I find the discussion about whether or not the 3S bid is forcing is quite interesting. Just goes to show that not everyone agrees on what bids or sequences are "standard". DHL

fwiw: i double-checked with my partner for this hand and, yes, we had agreed that the 3S bid by opener was forcing. DHL

A Mazel Tov to East who not only managed to bid the same values twice (with the X), but also managed to hang partner who should've been the one to make the final decision on this auction. Responder showed his/her hand, invited game, and made opener the captain all in one bid. (i.e. responder asked his/her partner a question.) Then responder didn't respect the captain's decision. Opener's pass is not in any way forcing. Opener made the decision for the partnership and East over-rode the decision. I say force East to walk the plank! DHL

I would bid 3♠ if for no other reason than to let P know I have support. Same bid that I would've made over 2H. This is a competitive pressure situation, and I'm the one under pressure. I have good 4-card support, we have 9 trumps, hopefully P won't play me for much defense.......with 3-card support the situation would be much different. Problem is, if I pass and my lho makes some bid, my partner won't have a clue what to do unless informed of the spade support. If a close decision is required due to the opps competing, it is often the responder who needs to make that decision. Such is life after pre-empts. As to assessing blame, an activity I abhor, I'll take it. It's totally my fault. Just ask my wife. In retrospect, this hand isn't about assessing blame at all unless you say it's 50-50, that it's the partnership's fault as a team for not having determined how to handle similar situations. DHL:

Yes, partner can manufacture a reverse on less than 4 (or 3, or) cards and he/ me has occasionally done so in the past. However, it can only be done when opener knows what strain the hand will likely play in, and can always over-ride any bid that responder makes: in this case, converting diamonds back to spades. DHL :rolleyes:

Agree. Partner has been smoking noxious substances. I wish I had been smoking something good. The noxious stuff gives me headaches. I apologize for not anticipating that there might be discussion about whether or not the 3S bid was forcing or not. I was under the impression that this Pd & I had agreed to play it as forcing. Wish I had indicated such in the original post. 'tis an interesting topic for survey. As some have requested responder's hand, here it is: ♠ Q9876, ♥ Qxx, ♦ 7653, ♣ A. This hand may look familiar to some. That was why i was reluctant to post it initially. Again, there were no conventional bids throughout the auction. For example, 3NT was not serious. DHL

As a precaution, I put the STOP card on the table first, then my bid, and I leave the stop card on the table for about 10 seconds before I remove it. lol. I have absolutely no idea what this accomplishes other than ensuring that about 10 seconds have passed before my lho slams the red X card on the table. DHL

The opps pass throughout the game is imp pairs location BBO -MBC your partner is a fairly regular partner of yours on BBO, skill level from adv to expurt, depending on opinion and how much sleep he/she's gotten B) . the vulnerability really doesn't matter (which means that I forget) I am only giving the bidding, not the hands. What is partner doing? what is partner looking for? Any idea what Partner hand is? Partner: 1♣, You: 1♠ Partner: 2♦, You: 2♠ Partner: 3♠, You: 3NT Partner: 4♦, You: 4♠ Partner: 5♥ !!!!! What is partner doing, what is partner looking for, any idea what partner's hand is? (Hint: Partner is not 4-suited) BTW: There were no conventional bids in this auction with the possible exception of your 2 spade rebid meaning only that you had 5+ spades. Enjoy: DHL

PASS not neg X too much of your strength is wasted in the opp's suit. Even if P has spades, you have little to offer other than good trump support. DHL

I guess there is a trend these days toward making takeout doubles on flat minimums, just to get into the bidding. But, while I have occasionally done it, it's not something that appeals to me because of the limited trick-taking potential in isolation, and because it is so far from the template pattern for a takeout double. It's hands like this that contributed to my becoming a strong advocate of 13-16 1NT overcalls, Not Vul. That given, I think the 2NT rebid (which should be better than a 1NT overcall range) was inconsistent with what you had the right to expect. You still has another bid coming and, you might have competed with 3C. Don't base your decision-making on results: Bridge is a game of percentages. Except for some players, there is no perfection every time. (btw: how good would 3NT have been had the diamonds split badly?) DHK B)

You are unlikely to totally eliminate such comments if playing with people you don't know in the main bridge club. So, you might wish to meet some people first or play in other places as already suggested. If, as you said, you are new to Bridge, you might also wish to consider becoming a member of the BIL (Beginners and Intermediate Club) on BBO. The people there are very nice, you might find a mentor whom you like, and you will learn an awful lot and at your own speed. DHL

Csaba: 2 rules of thumb for imps that I've been told repeatedly: 1) When in doubt, avoid big swings as much as possible. You can tolerate small swings. 2) Avoid doubling the opponents into game as much as possible (i.e.: almost never), and do so only when you are absolutely sure: when you are reasonably sure that the contract to go down 2 or more tricks. Even then, rethink before doubling. Doubling for a 1-trick set, while often clear at match points, is risky at imps. I would not double! I would either pass or raise to 4C. I'm not even sure that you are beating 3SX or, if you are, it's not clear that it will be for more than a trick. The opponents, unless they are oblivious, see the vulnerability and have heard you already show stuff in spades by your 1NT response. Partner is 2-suited and, likely with 3 or less hearts and no spades and, i suspect, the opps have some distribution, too. Club lead is my choice, too. DHL

You rang? DHL

Simple answer for me (since I play a rebid of 1S as forcing 1 round). 2♠: another one of my insane toys or specialized bids: shows a running minor, a spade stopper, and very much looking for a club stopper and/ or, in this case, 5+ hearts (and is very much alertable as it denies 4+ spades). Responder's first obligation, however, is to show a club stopper if possessed. I promise another rebid. Just ask one small favor. Please, Please! Don't laugh too hard at me for presenting this treatment. Self-disclosure has its risks. DHL :rolleyes:

I admit that I "might" open this mess 2D in 1st seat w.v.r and have done so, but I don't like it and I don't think it's a good bid. Call me obsolete but, in 1st & 2nd seat, I would want to have a better suit or, at least, a suit that I want partner to lead. I don't want my 2D opener to redirect my partner away from some other lead that might have been a more normal and advantageous lead, especially holding the queen of hearts. In addition, in competition, partner might make a decision based on anticipated suit quality in diamonds should I open the hand 2D. OTOH: while there is the pressure or preemptive value of such a bid, when I do open such a hand 2D, a poor result usually occurs and/ or I wind up helping the opps by announcing the location of a key card that otherwise wouldn't have occurred had I not bid. In addition, partner has often decided to lead my suit when another lead would have been better. Now, give me this hand in 3rd seat w.v.r. and it's anything goes! DHL: