Double !

I very much appreciate the replies that you all have offered. However, one suggestion made by several has taken me by surprise, specifically, the 4C rebid by opener. I am quite aware that this bid shows a GF+ hand with 4-card trump support (in this case, spades), but i have been under the impression for a very long time that such a rebid required a better club suit (or diamond suit if one opens 1 diamond), at least something like AKT 6th or better. That was one major reason that I did not select a 4C rebid. So, I am now curious about whether the more current definition or norm regarding a 4C rebid allows for a suit missing both the ace and king, and just shows length in clubs and a GF+ spade raise? I would really appreciate feedback about this. As Always, thanks in advance. DHL

I wish to first officially state: "Yuck!" Phil. Great problem. Where did you find this gem? It seems that the issues here are at least two-fold (fwiw, I'm not very good at folding- ask my wife.) 1) What rebid is the least lie, the least of evils? & 2) what rebid will best allow for partner to re-evaluate his/her hand after my response to 1S. I admit that, on a lot of occasions, depending on whom my partner is, i might rebid 1NT. Balanced 12-14, no 3 or 4-card spade support, etc., etc. Who knows, I might talk lho out of leading hearts against NT although my 5432 of hearts increases the chance that lho would still have a natural heart lead. How well can you bluff? However, at this moment (always subject to change), I think that a 2-spade raise is the least lie and might be more helpful in a competitive auction for the following reasons: I play that my partner's 1 spade bid (after the opps overcalled 1 heart) pretty-much promises 5+ spades. Ax doesn't seem to be such poor support considering the likelihood that one would raise on 3-card support. In addition, partner, in re-evaluating his/her hand, will be placing some potentially wasted heart values in my hand that I don't have when deciding on what, if any, action partner would take if I rebid 1NT. (I would not be thrilled to hear partner raise to 3NT on the assumption that I can stop hearts. Yes, partner could also have a heart stopper.) Granted, partner likely is relatively short in hearts, but so is rho. Partner could be vulnerable to being either tapped in hearts or over-ruffed by rho in a spade contract. But, hopefully, my aces would offer some protection from rho reaching his partner's hand quickly for another over-ruff or trump promotion. In addition to the above, the value of my hand would increase should partner be somewhat 2-suited. I don't know if others would agree with my reasoning, but it is what it is. When do I get to make my pitch for weak or 13-16 1NT openers? lol Again, thanks for the post, Phil DHL

Wouldn't you first like to know more regarding how many spades responder has? DHL

How does one avoid 2 club losers if responder has xx or xxx of clubs? HL

Suppose partner doesn't have the ace of clubs but has, instead, the king of clubs along with the queen of spades (or has a small stiff club and additional trump length)? Blasting into 4NT doesn't help much in such a case. DHL

Scoring format = MBC imp pairs No one vulnerable You hold, I guess, as dealer (irrelevant) ♠: A K J 3 ♥: A ♦: A ♣: Q J 7 6 5 4 3 What is your decision in terms of opening bid? Do you bid 1♣, 2♣, or something else? Playing BBO adv 2/1, Sayc, or Acol with whatever gadgets you prefer. Nothing esoteric, please & not playing any strong club or diamond system. (Actually, Benjamin 2-bids might or might not be helpful on this hand). Please don't look at responder's hand until you've decided on your opening bid and follow-up rebids. Decision #1: If you decide to bid 1♣ (as I did), partner will respond 1♠. Wow. (my imitation of Ben Stein) What is your bidding plan now for this hand. Decision #2: If you decide to open 2♣, partner may respond 2♦ (whether or not you play a response of 2♥ as a dbl negative, or partner might respond 2♠, depending on partnership criteria for a positive response. If partner responds 2♦ and you decide to rebid 3♣, partner will likely bid 3♠. How would you continue at this point? How would you continue should partner initially respond 2♠? (BTW: not advising this, but wondering what 2C - 2D - 4C would mean to people?) Thank y'all in advance for your responses to this post. Enjoy! :) Partner's hand: ♠: Q 9 8 7 5 ♥: Q 4 3 ♦: 7 5 3 2 ♣: A We had what I thought was a sensible (my opinion, only) albeit creative auction to get to 6S, making 7. Is there a sensible way to bid to a reasonable 7 Spade contract? What tools do you have for asking about responder's club holding without committing the hand to the 6-level prematurely? DHL

If 2NT is LEB, then how do you make a game try on a 5332 or similar ilk hand with and without a spade stopper? One way is to play Neg X's here. If not then you have let let the opp's interference disrupt your basic bidding structure when unnecessary. Eons ago i played 3m as GI, but no one else did. DHL

Csaba: do you mean as responder (advancer) or as an overcall? DHL

I'd open it 2♣ which I play as being forcing only to 2NT or 3M, not game. (How archaic and K-S'ish) DHL

what sort of hand does partner have the right to expect (at least) when i overcalled 2♦? answer: this hand PASS DHL

I don't know if anyone plays it, but there exist a convention (can't recall the exact name) whereby responder bids over the 1NT overcall as if partner had opened 1NT. Therefore, 2C would be Stayman, 2D transfer to hearts, etc. This is even more helpful when partner has opened 1 of a minor. A long time ago there was a thread on this type of situation with a number of different ideas regarding how to bid when the opps overcall 1NT. DHL

I have always thought of a weak 2 bid as being a hand that, at minimum, would invite game opposite a 15-17 1NT opener. If the bidding went 1NT - 2h-2s-3s, would you bid game? Yes, you would, so i think that responded should have bid 2NT in order to decide which game is more likely (3NT or 4S) based on opener's rebid. However, you need to have some agreement regarding what constitutes a bad vs a good suit. If you regularly open J 6th, then you get what you deserve. DHL

lololol I thought this was a universal given!!!! And, it is a given that, should the woman suggest that she might have made an error, it is due to something the male had done. DHL

I have a few rules to consider: aka Don's Rules (lol) #1) Never get involved in the opponents "discussions" at the table. Wait patiently and keep your mouth shut. #2) Never get involved in discussion about a hand or play with your partner at the table, at least until the remaining boards are completed for that round. Make notes and discuss the matter at a more private and convenient time. Remember, your partner is trying just as hard as you are. #3) Pay attention to the time clock during the round just before a hospitality break& try to finish on time. Gives you more time to wait in line at the bathrooms or to run outside for a quick smoke,..... or just to get air and clear your head. #4) If partner suddenly bids some form of ace/ keycard asking bid and a trump suit has NOT been clearly agreed upon, assume the last naturally bid suit as being trumps for the purpose or responding. #5) Do NOT take my Diet Coke from me when you leave my table. DHL

3♠, NF or F. I have Axx in partner's suit, so i have a theoretically safe retreat should someone put a red card on the table. Maybe a neg X implying 5+ spades is a reasonable alternative. DHL

A lot depends on the meaning of the balancing dbl. We play that it is primarily for majors, so the fact that partner passed indicates that he/she has some decent cards. I am not passing 3♣. I'll gamble 3NT: I need a couple of tricks from partner which he/she should have considering the pass of my initial double. DHL

Is 2NT by responder after 2H forcing and asking for clarification of the 2H raise? DHL

Seeing the title of this thread, I thought I had done something wrong. lolol Pass: you are still on a minimum, balanced opener, and I suspect the an X here is more card showing. I would like to dbl, i don't think they can make it, but to do so would also give rho another chance. Partner still has another chance to bid. I know. Wrong again! my excuse is that I am a poor bridge player!!! (another plug for 13-16NTs. makes life so much easier.) DHL

Someone, many, MANY years ago once told me to play partner for 6hcp in immediate seat (i.e.: 3Y-?), and about 9 hcp in balancing seat (3Y-p-p-?). BUT, listen to the bidding!. DHL

I personally like transfer overcalls. I don't like defenses that show an unspecified 1-suited hand because the bidding could wind up at the 3-level before I get to show my suit. I want partner to know my suit asap so he/she can co-operate in the bidding. DHL

Bid 4♠, and hope partner doesn't get overly assertive. (Easier to decide if playing 13-16 NTs. just a plug lol) DHL

What was the bidding & final contract? Other things being equal, especially since I lead A from AK, I would probably suspect the the standard lead is the King. (Queen if playing lower of touching honors.) DHL

FWIW, Kantar had 23 chapters available online before he pulled them off and completed the book. So, to say that RKC is relatively simple might not tell the whole story. Actually it can become rather complex if you play the whole structure. More points are lost on errors and misunderstandings when using conventions, so why not keep it relatively simple and make sure you agree on the basic responses and rebids. Also, why not simply play kickback 4S when hearts are trump, and 4NT rkc when spades are trump. DHL

Please explain to me why I bid with this hand without a rebid in the first place? I have nothing in the majors, so where am I going? DHL

Are we playing 2/1? If the answer is yes, then consider a 2♥ response followed by spade support. I want to find out more about my partner's hand and to give him a chance later to show a heart card if he/she has it. Nothing wrong with a splinter (even with the king) except that the hand is too good and one won't be sure what to do if P rebids 4♠. My 2nd choice might be a 2♣ response to slow things down and give P a chance to clarify his opener. I abstain from Jac 2NT because I really do not like the convention (I want my natural 2NT response available). Unless opener has some sort of 2-suiter, his/her holding in hearts is likely to be crucial. Never a conformist, always have to be different. Best to all: DHL