Hyperon

I can play with my regular partner, blink128.

http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=9340-1494698659&u=hyperon Close win 38-37 :)

2NT

4♥ but I wouldn't be surprised if partner has some strong NT like AJxx Kx AQJx KJx and tries for slam and we go down in 5♥ :P

I can barely think of hands that want to double for penalty after passing 1NT and in front of the bidder. Take-out is a lot more useful.

When I transfer to clubs with xxx xx xx KQxxxx and my partner can super accept, I know we have good play in 3NT. This would be impossible to find with your method. I don't understand why everyone wants to get rid of bidding Stayman without a 4 card major. After the auction 1NT-2♣-2♠-2NT, the defense will not know whether responder has 4 hearts or not, which can only be a good thing.

Duck to give partner his potential ♣Qx. There is almost no option to put up a special defense here. Partner's lead is unlikely to be a singleton and partner is unlikely to hold the ♦A.

We do not play unbalanced ♦, just a standard 4+. My side point was that with hands like 4144 or 4054 I may have bid 4♠ instead of double... or not?

If we assume dummy will have a maximum of 2 spades and 3-4 hearts, there will often be too many diamonds between declarer and dummy to be effective. A heart honor blows a trick too often. I'm leading a club.

A board from today's match against JEC: Diagram I'm not interested in how the play went, only the auction. I passed 4♠, Lorenzo Lauria bid 5♣ over it on the other table. I don't understand this fully. Can't partner have a 6322, 5422, ...? Further: would it be useful to seperate t/o doubles with 4 spades from t/o doubles without 4 spades by simply bidding 4♠ with the first type? Two consequences I can think of: 1) You lose the option to play 4♥X opposite the first hand type, but there could be more to gain than to lose there. 2) Your 5x6x hands are buried in the 4♠ bid: neglegible?

A sixth heart means a loser less in 4♥ or a winner more in 3NT, so it is "more invitational" than 2♥. It's always good to inform partner about his degree of support (a 6-3 fit is so much better than a 5-3). Perhaps he can count 9 tricks suddenly and bid 3NT with a combined 23 HCP.

I can play with my regular partner (blink128).

It is true that you could play something like good/bad: 3♣ = 5+♠ & 4+♥, gameforcing 3♦ = 6+♠, gameforcing 3M = natural, not forcing but in reality I would probably never bid on the 3-level with a hand where partner should not raise to game with a fit, so it wouldn't add much.

Could you translate a bit? I would like to know the exact meaning of pass/rdbl/3NT. I chose them in a way that it's possible to rightside in case of a single and double stopper. For example, rdbl should never mean a single stopper/double stopper. The only variation I can think of is a no stopper/half a stopper inversion.

Phoenix214 and I would like to take a shot.

Imagine you are in an auction where the enemy has bid (and perhaps supported) a suit (say ♠) and your partner makes a cuebid (say 3♠) to ask for a stopper in light of 3NT. Your RHO now makes a lead directing double. Since you will for sure get a spade lead against 3NT now, you should be well positioned. Because it matters from hand to hand, you would like to be able to deny a stopper, show half a stopper, show a single stopper and show a double stopper. This could be achieved with the bidding space over the double in the following way: Pass: shows half a stopper or a double stopper Rdbl: denies a stopper 3NT: shows a single stopper 4z: denies a stopper, but a better hand than rdbl (z could show extra shape) Over pass, responder bids 3NT with half a stopper or rdbl without a stopper (over which 3NT by opener is a double stop and 4y is a sign off with half a stopper). Do you think this approach is good or is someone familiar with something better?

http://csbnews.org/the-fine-practice-of-deception-by-victor-mollo/?lang=en http://www.acbl.org/learn_page/intermediatenewcomer-resources/bridge-bites-index-by-topic/

I can think of many terrible auctions for us as well after 2♠. It does not prove anything. My bet is that you will have on average a worse score when bidding on this compared to passing. I'd hope we can get a simulation by someone.

The given hand on its own is not better or worse by definition. It would be worse than a 5332 opposite a partner that has all points in the red suits for example. Knowing there are approximately 24 HCP that have yet to bid, you expect more bidding coming and it could get embarrasing. You need to draw a line somewhere.

I would feel more comfortable when I had an opening... ...so for me at least ♠J is missing.

If 1♦-1♥ 2NT-3♠ is exactly 4-4 in the majors, then 3C would always have 5+H and your sequence would show a 4 card spades and denies 3 hearts from opener. That way responder could bid 3S over 3H to look for an additional 4-4 fit in spades if interested. There are better versions of checkback, yes.

I know it sounds that easy. We play o/e discards normally and just switched to ud in this case because it looks more readable. At the table the last diagram actually occured, in which you have to cash ♥A or declarer's heart disappears on ♣Q. I don't consider it as clear, but it just happened.

[hv=pc=n&w=skj32hkjt6d52cq95&n=s6haq7543d843c863&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=2h2sp3sp4sppp]266|200[/hv] You open a weak 2 in hearts with the North hand. The opps get to 4♠ and partner leads ♥8. A low heart is played from dummy and your queen holds the trick. Declarer -erroneously- put ♥2, so you know that partner has a singleton. Since this is the last time you will be on lead, you decide to cash ♥A, with partner discarding something. You have two tricks so far and it seems that you should act quickly to collect two more tricks before declarer can (a) pitch minor losers in hand on dummy's hearts (b) pitch minor losers in dummy on a solid minor in hand. Basically you have two options here: (i) You continue hearts. This might set up a spade winner for partner when he has for example ♠Q97. As declarer is aware of this trump promotion, he is likely to throw a minor loser if that can save him. For this tactic to work it seems that you need partner to have either minor ace in combination with a 'trump promotable' spade holding. Another win is a lay-out like this, where declarer no longer would have two heart discards: [hv=pc=n&s=s754h8da976ck742&w=skj32hkjt6d52cq95&n=s6haq7543d843c863&e=saqt98h92dkqjcajt]399|300[/hv] (ii) You switch to a minor suit. This would work when partner has the minor king and declarer does not have tempo to get his losers pitched. A possible lay-out: [hv=pc=n&s=sa54h8djt97ckjt74&w=skj32hkjt6d52cq95&n=s6haq7543d843c863&e=sqt987h92dakq6ca2]399|300[/hv] Having considered all this, it follows that partner should give us a hint with his discard as how to proceed. Is anyone familiar with some 'expert standard' in this rather specific situation? Would you follow your regular suit asking method or switch to something like: high in a suit = lead hearts/low in a suit = lead that suit?

Lebensohl would be for me the most important because auctions can get very nasty and vague without it. Playing 2/1, I would not feel comfortable when I don't have a serious/non-serious bid available.

It was a free junior bot and I'm informed that they are basic.