Double !

when the better mouse trap is finished, tried, and tested, please let me know. we have some very large rodents in the south bronx.

did you try BBO Announcements and Special Events section. links to download the most recent bbo 4.3.1 or whatever is right there: fred guides you right thru it. If that doesn't work, well,............. just make sure all other windows and bbo programs have been exited.

except for the ones who are?

Made this suggestion once before, and shall make it again. I recommend that the program that scores imps be modified so that the highest and the lowest scores not be used in determining the mean score. This should help prevent skewing of the scale as the result of a few seriously abnormal scores in either direction. (It's annoying to play a hand really well, get a plus score, and lose 1.2 imps because someone just posted a plus 500 the same way as the result of a poor contract at some other table.)

I think this is probably the best solution to the whole problem (unless partner is a BBO forum member). This might result in a genuine "post mortem" discussion, but it should have the effect of stopping partner from making similar bids in the future (unless ghosting a bridge column for someone else). By the way, the daily bulletins and pictures from Tenerife were very interesting. Got a picture or two of Roland in there, as well as one of Fluffy and of his dad. And the level of play must have been extremely high, judging from the match point percentage scores reported for pairs events.

If responder has this hand, playing 2/1 as currently in use, would this hand not qualify for an impossible 2 spade bid? (says to partner, You hit gold with your 2 club rebid.)

What would you initially respond to 1 heart with ♠ KQJTxxx, ♥ void, ♦ AK, ♣ KQJx? This is the only type of hand that I could conceive of that might create such a bizarre bidding sequence. Told you I has a sick imagination.

Responder could have asked for suit quality simply via RKC. (assuming reasonable understanding that, when in doubt or absence of agreed-upon trump suit, the last naturally bid suit is designated as the trump suit for the purpose of answering RKC.) YES? / NO? This bidding sequence seem impossible to me unless responded means 5H as excl. BW. IF that is the case, P initial response of 1NT seems rather strange at first, but could be understandable with some freakish hand that just needs to know about controls outside of hearts and will then place the contract. Just don't bid this way with me, please...........I have too sick an imagination. DHL

I didn't say that. 3♠ is a cue bid, yes, but 2♠ is (semi)natural. A bid without risk, since responder knows that opener doesn't have 4 spades. Roland Roland My sincerest apologies. My eyes are very tired after a very long school year. I mis-read what you had written. Yes. 3S is a free bid, but why can it not show 5-bagger? Opener denied 4 spades but Kx (or, in this case, Qx) could be a pretty good holding opposite a 5-bagger. Opener could conceivably taken a false preference to 3-H over 2-S. Whatever, I still regard 3S as asking opener if he/she has anything more to say? I guess a case could be made for rebidding 4D/3S to imply concentration of honors/ potential source of tricks. If I knew the right answer,......well, I await the wisdom of those more knowledgable than me. Thanx for your contributions DHL

lol is it possible that partner is 5-6 in majors, something like 5-6-0-2? I am passing 5H. So, shoot me! I don't have a club control, and I suspect P will at least appreciate my 2 major suit queens. I keep telling people that I am a bidding dinosaur, but when P bids one suit, and then bids and rebids another suit (usually), I play P for 6-5 (if not 6-6) even though you said that 2S & 3S were cue bids. Whatever P is looking for, I don't have it.

I'll bid what I think I can make: 4H

This is a problem hand, more so at matchpoints. Playing imps, weak NT, I am OK with opening 1NT (unless also playing mini-roman: I might lie and open 2D). I have been playing an opening 2D to show this type of hand 12-15 with 4-4 in majors, and have had mixed results. Primarily, the bad results have occurred when we've wound up in 2NT (and a few times in a 2M 4-3 fit) when the field was going plus in 1NT. I am not OK with opening this with a weak 1NT playing matchpoints. Sorry. Playing Precision, we have agreed to open these hands 1D (again, matchpoint style). Playing 15-17 NT, with most partners we play 5542, so, again, we're not opening a 4-card major. But don't despair. Playing Walsh-style, you can open this 1C and rebid 1NT if partner responds 1D: so you get to bid 1NT anyway. B)

I used to be able to open this hand 2 diamonds 5-5 or better in majors, 4-10hcp but was told it's forbidden by the great acbl, but I can open 2H to show the same thing. without my toy, i guess I'll open 1 spade and let the opps start competing at the 2-level if they so desire. I'd rather get in the first shot versus being on the defensive and giving the opps the first shot. 5 losers, & I'll let Ben count the zars.

what is so confusing, you ask? examine the posts that followed your post. differing opinions about what does and does not an UNT make. partnerships needs some discussion about what does and does not qualify as an UNT hand, and the responses to be made by advancer (responder). (Weak/strong does not fully clarify whether or not a hand is appropriate for the use of the convention.) My point is, that until a partnership has discussed these issues, i have seen more poor than good scores result from the use of the "convention". And I love to receive +200 or +300 on a misfit partscore hand.

why would one not reopen the hand?

I concur. At some point in the auction one needs to be able to tell partner : "Hey, I have the good hand over here!" I have the points, hopefully you have the shape, let us not get stolen blind!

you are close meckwell plays 1NT = clubs & 1S = hearts There's a significant difference between the two systems: Hamway play 4-card majors.

What is this hand worth? About $4.99 + tax (7 7/8% around here) looks like a sound constructive single raise 8/10 hcp are out of your suits (in & out evaluation), It all depends on what else P has: this happens to be a magic hand.

1NT Indulge a less-than-expurt opinion on this matter, but I think an important issue has been omitted from the discussion (or I missed it--you know, ADHD) Specifically, an important issue is how your partnership plays 2-level overcalls, especially vulnerable (aka: "aware"). There are a lot of opening-type hands (or close to it) that partner can be sitting with over there that didn't warrant immediate action. In such cases, P is expecting you to take some action in the balancing seat unless the bidding makes it clear that partner can't have much (such as P being a passed hand). OK, so passing kept the opps out of slam (this time). Let me know the next time the opps pass out at the 1-level when they have a slam. If you're not taking action with these hands, i believe that you are putting a lot of pressure on partner to overcall with very sketchy hands including the 13 pt 5332 hand. If that's your style, then go for it. OTOH, if you play light or risky 2-level overcalls, then the loss-gain frequency might shift. But, one hand does not a policy make.

I play sandwich NT (hold the mayo, please) and am not thrilled with it. I don't agree with discarding a natural meaning of 1NT in the sandwich position on the position that it's a very dangerous bid; there are some hands that one needs to get off one's chest asap. I see merit in playing 2 of either opps suits as being natural, especially the 1M to your right. So the issue is to differentiate between a shapely 2-suiter and a good hand takeout dbl. Personally, I play the cue of lho's minor, especially if it's diamonds, as the 2-suiter, but to each his/her own. And, oh, btw, does your sandwich show 4M-5+m, 5-5, or have you agreed?

Of all the conventions that IMO a person could do very nicely without, it's the UNT. It usually creates partnership confusion, it helps the opps with the play of the hand, with the advent of numerous versions of U/U, more and more players can field it better, and I have seen more zeros and poor results because people have adulterated the convention almost as often as blackwood, and it is just great to make the UNT bid only to find that the hand is a misfit. Please don't tell al roth that I wrote this. :)

Your partner's pass of 1♣X is questionable at best, his bidding anything with his hand after your second double is, well IMHO, disrespectful to you and very poor judgment on your partner's part. If you have your second double, then you guys are likely ripping 2NTX to shreads. Partner has supporting honors for any suit you choose to lead. and, if you have long diamonds, you either also have a very good hand (3NT?) or else you might have initially overcalled. And if you have good hand with diamonds (besides there apparently being 50HCP in this particular deck), partner should never leave you hanging. Sorry, but you have my empathy, and suggestion: maybe need to refresh your Hebrew. let's see, aleph, bet, gimmel, daled, ....

so, heart lead did well?

3♣ all cards seem to be working: no wasted diamond cards

Pass not thrilled with converting X to penalties but, at this point, the hand looks to be misfit, we have half of the deck (I hope) so it might be easier to defend than to declare.