LBengtsson

Judgement is not the problem but distribution and mirror hands. Personally, I would have opened 2♥ as South. I guess where the bidding go from there?

3♣ is a slight overbid imo, but I say with a human partner that - I hope - is where the contract will end. Robot sees differently.

Bad day at the office lol! :)

Forcing always here. What is the idea of having a new suit here as NF? The pre-empt suit is 99.9% going to be 6+. It may not play well opposite a stiff, but the hand probably does not play well anywhere, especially a level or two higher. Either you use 2NT (Ogust) to determine the quality of the pre-empt suit, or ask for a feature. Some players after a 3 level pre-empt will use a new suit to show controls, but that is not the norm imo. A new suit below game level is forcing and shows a good suit 6+, usually with some fit with opener's pre-emptive suit. There are opportunities after a 2 level pre-empt to show various hands, either with a new suit, or by way of 2NT (Ogust) first then bidding a suit, all by partnership agreement.

What is the point of having a RKCB convention as it stands over a weak two opening? Partner is never going to have 3 or 4 aces, or 3 keycards, and 99% of the time not likely to have two aces. As mikeh said, you need to modify RKCB structure and responses in certain auctions. That is just logic.

I just cannot understand why bridge players use "Canape" overcalls. What is the better suit: spades or diamonds? Just because you have Michaels, Ghestem, or any other two-suited conventional overcall bids available, it does not mean that the hand is right to use them. Imo it is a 1♦ overcall as South 100% of the time: the spade suit can come later (if you can bid later). The KISS (Keep it simple stupid) principle applies here. When partner needs to give preference, what do you prefer? A 6-2 ♦ fit or a 5-2 ♠ fit? length before strength, but here the strength is more in the length, the ♦ suit.

I agree with most of what you say, smerriman, though it may be preferable to play sometimes (as opposed as you say 'most of the time') in a 4-4♦ fit as opposed to a 5-3/5-4♠ fit as one (or two) of North's losers could be discarded on the ♠ suit. That said, I agree 1♠ is better than 2♠ here. The hand with its two doubletons is not quite right for Soloway, and you lose a round of bidding by bidding 2♠ here. I do not know the bots conventions, but humans would have XYZ, New Minor Forcing or Two Way Checkback here as options when opener rebids 1NT, and you want South to be the 'driver' in the auction discovering North's shape and possible ♠ support.

I cannot advise but the bots do not have any idea. When the ♥K is led, West should automatically overtake with the ♥A and return a ♥. That will not confuse partner that declarer is holding up the ♥A (if declarer had that card.) Good human players will do this, so why the bot cannot defend like this I do not know. As for Soloway Jump Shift, my interpretation is that the hand is just a card/honor short to bid 2♠ here with 5242 shape. It is close to a 2♠ bid and I would not disagree with players bidding like this, as you have 4 card support for your partner's minor suit and a good suit yourself, and if he has bid 1♦ on a 3 card suit, he will have 4 card support for your ♠ suit, if he is 4432. The bot was very unfair when it switched to a ♣ where players bid only 1♠. You were just unlucky.

6/5 come alive BUT... One hand has already showed strength. The deal could be a big misfit. 2♦ is enough. If they bid and support ♥s next, I feel I am worth 3♠ but no more. That would show 6/5 imo. It is now for partner to bid on. With 5/5 you would have bid ♠s first without gadgets. I bid the same at MPs or IMPs. It could be disaster but I go for -500 they will have game, I feel. If I go for -800, they must have game. The whole hand may be 3/1, and I find that if one hand is balanced, and one is distributional, the other two hands may be distributional also. If ♥s are not supported by the ops., I might pull back from bidding 3♠ here. The last thing you want is playing in a 5-2♠ fit, playing away from your hand, and then being tapped in the trump suit. You could lose control of the hand. The hand shown might be 6/5 but you still have to exercise caution.

Good hand to post. Two other questions: how to bid and play "what contract"? There is 20-25% chance that West has ♥AJ(x)(x)(x) and you could make the wrong play with the West holding doubleton ♥AJ, so just on odds alone I would like to be in 6♥ as a contract at both MPs and IMPs. However... ...that 3♦ pre-empt say to me that breaks will be more chance to be bad, so 6♠ looks a better contract and safer to play. The chance of East having a stiff ♥ (not including the ♥A) and getting a ruff is just over 11%. The chances of the 6♠ contract succeeding are similar to being in 6♥ contract: the ♥ suit still needs to come in with the loss of one trick only. I do not think it is easy to bid slam here***: aggressive bidders will be in it, and lesser players (thinking of 'the field') will probably not. My honest opinion: if slam is there to bid and made, and we can get there, at any score, you should be there, so if we are in 6♥ or 6♠ and it goes down then we are unlucky. ***seeing both hands makes it easier to bid: bidding slam without seeing partner's hand is guess imo. You either chicken in 5♥/♠ after RKCB or bid one more and hope for the best.

The extra card in ♥/♠ make up for lack of points. If 6-5 is come alive, then 6-6 is worth a bid, even red. Yes, I bid 2♣ Michaels here.

I do not think it is easy to bid, but South must bid 4♣ here after 3NT. The ♣Q10 are good cards. Partner has bid 3♣ on the second round. You have a good hand and good controls so I feel you must go on. (Some players may have gadgets here where 4♦ or 4♥ here show controls and agrees ♣ suit, but that will be few. 4♣ is what most players will bid imo.)

That might be true, but I still think you are worth 3♣ just to take away a level of bidding from the ops. and to tell partner the hand you have. 4♣ is one too many at this vulnerability, though we're playing MPs here. At IMPs definitely not, but it all depends how aggressive you are. 4♣ takes away two rounds of bidding :) And it will be difficult for the ops. to X. The one scene I do not want to happen is to pass, and for them to bid 2♦ (Transfer to ♥) - 3♥ (super accept - I do not know if you play super accept with weak NT) and then for me to try to come into the auction now. I would rather bid that long ♣ suit on the first round than the second.

I cannot comment on how you see the auction but once you find a fit, whether it is major or minor suit, you play in that suit 99% of the time. Sometimes minor suit fits play in 3NT especially at MPs as it will give a better result. If you have a double fit you have a choice. When there is only one fit you should play in it. 4-4 is usually better than 7-1 as when trumps are 3-2 you will gain two extra trump tricks.

I would be p***** if a grand slam went down on a less than 1% chance to the bots. You earned your dollar :)

Agree. Thousands of bridge books on bidding and declarer play, but few on defense. I have less than 10 in my library.

If there are referees in bridge, I guess that they do not have whistles on them lol! But they have red cards, and I think all four players here should have been given one :)

Agree. As much I also agree that GIB is not the perfect partner, when you make 'experiment' bids such as 2♣ with the South hand, then you may not arrive at the correct contract. I wonder, as I do not play with robots, if you can reach 7♥ if South opens only 1♥ here. It would be interesting to see the bidding sequence of an established (no robot) partnership, or whether the robot and a human player can reach 7♥ here?

So did I :) You can 'overthink' hands. A comfort to us lesser players that the experts can do it also.

This 5431 hand with 5m always presents problems whether playing normal 2♣ opening or Benjamin Acol, I feel. Either you lie and open 2♣ rebidding 2NT with a stiff ♥,or open 2NT here, or you gamble 1♦ hoping partner has enough to respond. 'Resulting' with hand like this do not help. Even Precision would have difficulty to end in 4♠ here imo. The only system that might get here is something like Blue Club combined with canape, but that is a guess as I do not know Blue Club well enough myself..

It is a good hand to post AL78. Think you have to play the ♦A on first trick (pitch a ♥) and then play ♣J on trick 2. If it loses it will give you an entry to try the ♥ suit later - that is obvious. But a good North will hold up the ♣K. Now what? Think I will play ♥J at trick 3 if ♣J wins. This is not an easy hand to play. But as you only have one certain entry to dummy, with ♦A, you must use this entry to establish tricks where you can. The opps. will try to reduce your trump holding by playing ♦ each time they are in, and then you are left to play from your hand. I think this line gives you the best chances. Have noticed I am first to comment on the play so it must be difficult lol!

This sort of accusation always happens when playing with a wife or husband :)

Even if the three previous forum commentators prove wrong, and mikeh is rarely wrong ( :)), leading a ♠ seems right. Partner could have X'ed the 5♦ bid but did not. Leading the unbid suit in many auctions works well just on principal.

Agree. Her card play is good, but far from advanced. There are situations where her hand evaluation, bidding judgement, declarer and defensive play is sound, and other times below par. I also agree that there is no point having a large range of different conventions on your card until you have mastered more than the basics. I asked the question as all she uses is TOX, Blackwood (basic), Stayman and Jacoby Transfers, not unlike your rubber bridge club. I just think that with a few more conventions on her card she would enjoy the game more, be more proactive in the bidding, etc.

Thank you, David. A good place to start.