Double !

RHO plays the Jack of diamonds, you play King, LHO wins ace of Diamonds and shifts to the 7 of spades. Your play from dummy.

Thank you all in advance! DHL

[hv=d=s&v=b&n=sak8h8432d86542ck&s=sj42hkq5dkq7cajt3]133|200|Scoring: IMP Playing imp pairs with superb partner. Opps pass throughout. Bidding goes 1NT-p-2C-p-2D-p-3NT. lho leads H-10, small from dummy, RHO plays H-Ace, you play small. Rho plays H-J at trick 2, you win King, lho plays H-7. What is the best line from this point?[/hv]

The Dreaded Pirate Roberts had no trouble violating this one... Inconceivable! lol As you wish............. But, then again, he wasn't the real dreaded pirate roberts, nor was his predecessor, nor his.................. Great Movie.

I am not an expurt on the rules, but I do not believe that you did anything wrong. The acbl GCC states "a notrump opening or overcall is natural if not unbalanced (generally, no singleton or void and only one or two doubletons)." So, IMO, your bid fell within the acbl GCC definition of a natural NT opening. (Had this been an established partnership, then some form of pre-alert that NT openings "might be off-shape" might be appropriate.) The TD's responsibilities when called to the table are to establish the facts of the situation, to determine whether or not any infraction (according to the rules of the sponsor and sanctioner of the event) have occurred, and then to make any appropriate rulings and/or determinations based upon the above. It is not the TD's responsibility to make judgments and determinations based upon whether or not the TD agrees with someone's bid or play unless either was done in an inappropriate manner (example: significant break in tempo). IMO, the TD was way off base in this case, the TD's comment to you of " 'H'S" was not appropriate. My understanding is that a TD should be contacted as soon as a potential problem or conflict arises in accordance with established rules and procedures. Failure to contact a TD at the appropriate time can result in your loss of rights should the board subsequently be contested. I hope the above is reasonably accurate. If not, I am sure someone will quickly make a statement to that effect. DHL :rolleyes:

Rule 1) Never discuss hands/ errors, etc at the table unless to clarify a misunderstanding. Rule 2) Be kind to your partner and kind to yourself. P is on your side (except in certain situations, lol) and is trying his/her best just like you are. Rule 3) Stay out of any discussions that the opps have. When they want your opinion, they will tell it to you. Rule 4) Play within your abilities. Don't try to do more than what you know and what you feel you can do reasonably well now. Learn/ practice/ discuss/ work on the partnership some place else, not at the bridge table during competitive play.

I would play this hand under an assumed name. Seems right to ruff out clubs, using trumps/ trump spots for entries if needed, cash spades, (i.e.: strip the hand as much as possible) and then decide on hearts. I doubt that lho has sngltn H: he didn't lead it. (What is better at that point?: Ace and another, or low to start with?) Oh, well, this is probably not the best line. Will watch and see what others have to say.

I have 13 hcp, give opps hypothetical 25, that's = 38. Where's partner's queen or Jack. A red suit lead doesn't rate to gain anything: at best it ties, at worst it locates partner's red honor if he/she has one. I would not double. I would lead the spade Jack and then shift to clubs if jack holds the trick. (with my luck the spade jack loses to stiff king on my right).

All 52 Cards by Marshall Miles. Master Play a very close 2nd.

Ben: Your web/blog site and descriptions of Inquiry 2/1 (as far as it's gotten) are excellent. There is a lot of good, strong, and useful material there. You are to be commended; where do you get the time to work, moderate/ be a yellow/ play, and write all of this? I study your notes and descriptions when I can (and not so many typos as a previous post might have implied.) But I have a question, actually in 2 parts. 1) Are these transfer weak/ strong openings acbl legal ( I suspect mid-chart = yes). Assuming that the answer to 1) is "yes", 2) have you devised (and submitted) recommended defenses for all of these various bids? Would someone be able to use these structures should they wish to play in an acbl-sanctioned game or event? Or is this still a work in progress? (By the way, last time I looked, your chapter on Kaplan Conversion (aka Granville) wasn't accessible. Keep up the excellent work, friend. You and Misho just might have come up with some better mousetraps. DHL

I have never felt that there is a need to do anything other than accept the transfer even with 4 trumps with a minimum to average 1NT opener. If there is a game to be bid, P will bid again at which point you can choose what seems to be the most reasonable contract at this point in the auction. In fact, IMO, jumping just to show 4-card support shifts the burden back to responder who is now deprived of the ability to make a game try. I use an alternative method whereby bidding a new suit as a pre-acceptance shows a max or near max and a decent 4-card side suit (that might prove to be a better trump suit at the slam level) along with 4-card trump support. I guess it's just a question of which type of hand and information that is needed to help responder occurs more often. It just happens to fit my comfort zone.

OK, another stupid question. Is 2NT definitely lebensohl in this situation where my suit is higher ranking than the weak-2 bidder's suit? One would always have a simple 2H bid available for a weak hand. A lot of partnership discussion (unless a serious, long-term partnership) often doesn't get this far when discussing a convention and various nuances. I think it is reasonable for 2NT to be leb (because P doesn't know what your suit is and it permits for creating invitational sequences), but I don't know if that is the common interpretation.

Sounds fair enough, but 4♦ would actually give the same message (no club control). It is as serious as 3NT in this context since I waste my time cue bidding opposite a partner who has already signed off opposite a limit hand with a singleton heart. Roland OK, fair enough, I sit corrected. My thinking was that it would much easier for the strong hand with the strong trumps to be able to take over captaincy of the hand once the club situation was clarified by P's response to 3NT.

Assuming that I am not playing 3H as a weak 5-6, I like 3H (and I liked it when Luis suggested it in response to a bidding poll question involving a similar hand), especially if P can Q something in the club suit. If P only rebids 3S, can I launch a Serious 3NT with this hand, again to find out about clubs without going past 4S?

Good for u Uday - IMHO this thread has become something NOT related to bridge (or even related to Hog's original post) --- maybe needs to be LOCKED? :( Unfortunately, then he will surely also be accused of censorship. Sadly, the only way to close down this thread is for us to stop posting on it.

I love this game but have no time to play live. Here I can play when I wish and for as long as I wish. I have learned so much from so many people from the forum. I always knew that there were major gaps in my skills but couldn't find the help I needed. Playing online and following up on various references as well as feedback and responses from forum members, even when I have come off looking like an idiot, have been very helpful. I also live in an area where there are many potential places to play f2f, but everyone has established, long-term relationships or partnerships. The number of available potential partners is limited, but I don't anticipate being able to play live much for several more years, so online allows me to get back into the game. I also play online because of the many friends I think I've made (I never confuse cyberspace for the real world), because of the wealth of information available, because of the chance to discuss ideas and and learn from better players, because I can play at my own pace, and because I can "brb" whenever I need to (get food, quickly take care of something, etc.) And, most importantly, if it weren't for BBO & Fred et. al., I probably still wouldn't have resumed playing. I guess I'm hooked again, dammit!!! lolololol

FWIW Dan_Neill and Jeff Goldsmith both have write-ups of "The Overcall System" (Fouts) that includes Power Doubles and responses, and I believe that Jeff Goldsmith has some additional notes. Hope this is helpful. DHL

I personally believe that the bids that show 1-suited hands over 1NT should be reversed so that the know suit is clear for 1-suited hands and the "yet-to-be-determined" hand should be the 2-suiter. i.e. Modified capp: 2C = M-m 2-suiter and 2M is natural, or Modified DONT: DBL = unknown 2-suiter, and bid the one suit that you do have. My personal preference has been for transfer overcalls, especially TRASH, however I don't believe that the "the next suit or the 2 suits above that" is legal over 1NT in acbl. Anything from 2D up has to have a defined suit. So, back to transfer overcalls. The point is, due to competition, partner of the overcaller needs to know what suit P holds to have any chance of making rational decisions when both sides are bidding.

didn't someone report that they were both members of the acbl, will be having a hearing in November, and are temporarily suspended until that time?

matchpoints are a whole different situation. It matters a lot less whether or not I push the opps to a makeable game. If we are being out-bid, we are getting a poor result when the opps go plus when we can go plus be it -170 or -420.

I'm a nonconformist who will usually look for some way to create a forcing situation as soon as possible when I have (or just about have) game in my own hand. This hand is an exception. If one open's 2 clubs, there's a good chance that P will respond 2 diamonds, pushing the bidding up a level if you bid your suits in proper order, and it could make showing your 5 spades awkward. If you choose to rebid spades first, then P will likely think that your spades are longer each time you rebid diamonds. (Got it: play minor suit canapes after 2C openers). Somehow, I doubt that this hand is going to get passed out at 1 diamond or even through the 2-level. This hand likely will have another chance to speak.

Best of Birthdays, friend. Sort of seems criminal that you have to go to work on your birthday. May you have a wonderful day. Best to you, man. DHL

17+-19 support dbls, if played, apply otherwise you can have another meaning of dbl such as an unbalanced 15-17 unsuitable to open 1NT but without the type of hand that might warrant supporting spades. But, if P is on a 5 or 6-count, do you have enough to contract for 8 tricks with no trumps if you have a minimum hand? I don't believe so. So one would pass after 2H as P will still (hopefully) have another opportunity to speak. P will be able to (will likely try real hard to) re-open to show more than a minimum if 2H-p-p comes back to him/her.

The problem is the possibility that partner might now bid 3 hearts with 4-4 or 4-5 in majors, wrong-siding the contract and possibly putting your diamond king in jeopardy. If I'm permitted to assume that P has either appropriate shape or else sufficient values if P's dbl is off-shape (ie, P has a rebid available if I make the "wrong" bid), I might just take control, bash the hand, and start asking about aces and kings and fun stuff like that (and lions and tigers and bears, oh my!). I also suspect that P is more likely to be lite with good shape than having a NT-oriented hand unless the 2D bid was made on a blizzard (known to happen). There are just 40 hcp in a deck and I have 18 plus a 6-bagger (unless the queen of spades is worth 13 pts.).

This structure looks very interesting to me. I have been trying to think of a way to include that 3 card limit major raise into the 2C bid. This leads to a question, please: Can opener pass after the following sequence: 1M-2C-2D-2M? And, with a 3-card spade support, 5+ hearts (or any other suit for that matter), and invitational values, what is the correct response to 1S opening? TYIA