LBengtsson

I am opening 3♣ on your hand. No defense. 6/5 minors. Just 2 card support for major, What you did was right imo.

In chess the strongest defense is counter attack. The Ukrainians have done it militarily: the West have done this with sanctions. The ordinary Russians will eventually find out that it is Putin that has caused all this and that civil unrest will occur. If many take to the streets, like the Russian revolutions, then the regime will fall. That is all we can hope for. Countless thousands will die. Its a complete stalemate at the moment. Putin has the advantage. He will play the rest of the 'game' like this until his own forces turn their back on him. Only then will some peace be restored.

I prefer your bid of 5♣, mikeh, followed by 5♥ over opps. 5♦ than helene-t bid of X as the opps could still raise to 5♦ and then partner will possibly bid 5♠ and then you are fixed. My caution is that the partner of the 4♦ bidder knows exactly the sort of hand his partner has, so is in a better position to take action - bid one more, sacrifice, X - than your partner. At the table, in a short time space, it would be difficult to try to work out how the bidding is going forward, and what might happen: I think competitive bidding at the five level is one of the most difficult to calculate. I am indeed a bit old-fashioned preferring caution over aggressive bidding so it is interesting to see that older players bid this these days. I always thought that it were the younger players who bid with enthusiasm :)

I do not disagree with this, however... What I do not want to do is give a passed partner a high expectation of my hand. Any opps. values will be over my hand, and both ♣/♥ suit has spaces even though you have two aces. At Matchpoints adopting aggressive approach can work, and partner can have (some) magic cards for your action to make a good board but when I used to play MPs - I have not played competitive bridge for many years - my psychology was to think the same as IMPs with these hands. At IMPs there are two scenes: double game/slam swing or big penalty. Thats why this board at IMPs is more, more difficult, even a guess as to the right action. My view may be that of a pessimist, but before I make a decision here I would also think about other results of MP session. 6/5 is good shape - agree - but opps. may have difficult decision to make also over preempt. I would better get some matchpoints than minus matchpoints by bidding so aggressive. My style thats all...

Tough call!!! Partner has already passed, and even with this 6-5 I am passing also. Make it 6♥5♣2♠ and I bid 4♥. It is one board. Preempts are made to make life difficult. Without partners pass I think this problem is more difficult and I would go with 4♥ and pray...

I like range 8-11 for free bid, and for it to be a non-force. South knows that North does not have 4♥ or ♠stop most of the time. (There will be some hands that do not fit but no bidding is perfect.) Yes, North has good 11 points but some hands do not fit well. This is an example.

Except if 2♠ is a psyche - and there is nil reason to think it is - I would not get involved with this flat hand with so many losers. If 2♠ is forcing, what exactly has partner got? Very little. And if partner has very little, then the ops are always going to outbid you, plus you give away where the points are on defense.

Yes, agree. Partner does not always have perfect hand. I add that a TOX of a ♥ bid/preempt may not include 4 card ♠ support, but I like a TOX of a ♠ bid/preempt to have 4 card ♥ suit most of the time. Why? Because partner has to respond at one level higher, and if opps have ♠ suit they will try to outbid us, so I want partner to know that I have 4 card support for ♥s. Playing in a Moyse fit a level higher than we should be is not easy.

I do not know how ACBL tournaments operate, and what you can or can not say during bidding or play, but I agree that 'thinking' about a decision is part of the game. And if you get disturbed during the thinking process, that makes it all the more difficult. Some opponents will use psychology of calling director so that you are made to think quickly into a decision: that is not fair as you then may make bad decision. As for using offensive language at the bridge table, I do not agree with that, however FFS is used so widely on the internet that I would have thought it would not offend too highly. You are not name calling anyone, just giving out your own frustration. And if you had a difficult decision at that time, you would have been frustrated that you had not found an answer. Did the TD find what you said offensive? Or was the comment visible to all, and the opponents raised objection? There are always two sides to every story. It would have been interesting to know if all the players and TD were male, or was there a woman involved, as men use bad language so much more than females, and men do not get offended so easy.

Yes, agree. If partner has GF hand himself, then you will take bidding beyond game level with this hand. I would prefer for him to be boss in bidding, but on plus side is that he will probably play hand and keep his hand closed as declarer. Use relay and raise him after his next bid. If he has ♥ suit and bids 3♥ next then there is small problem. You will play the hand, and what do you bid next as a bid, 4NT RKCB? You might have a better fit in ♦s. This type of Acol does stop wonderful Kokish convention being used so I am not quite liking it.

Yes. Agree If partner can not balance with 3♠ then I do not want to be in this auction. It might be a strong hand but when there is no sensible bid available then 'Pass' is always the sensible bid.

Its MPs. Just one board. Decision is close. It all depend on how the rest of the MP evening had been going imo. With 8 losing tricks and unsupported honours I would pass 95% of the time.

3♠. It would be good to know if the opponents have Stayman only, Puppet Stayman, or Muppet Stayman on their convention card. I like the ♥ top of nothing lead but it might lose time. If you had ♠J109x you would have lead the ♠J and I see no reason not to lead ♠3 here. It will not deceive partner and might put declarer on a guess at trick one. I know at MP the idea is not to give away overtricks to the ops but you should still play as if you can break the contract also. It is a guess whether partner has useful cards in ♠ or ♥ 50/50 I guess, but you have extra card in ♠ and possible useful ♠J9. It might be losing lead also, but you do know that until board is over :)

No spoiler. I thought same idea but.... Good hand to post. YouTube video helped me understand bidding also :)

I like your idea but there are many players who have experience and have tried to create a new bidding system. Perhaps it is easier to use a simple system as a start and change some ideas in it. EHAA (Every Hand An Adventure) could be a option. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EHAA I do not like 10-12 no trump bid in it - my opinion - but you could change it to 12-14, 13-15, 14-16, 15-17.

Yes, I agree it is easy with 2/1 but many players outside USA do not play this system, and many older intermediate players still play SAYC style even if they come from USA. I guess on intermediate/advanced random games I see less than 20% play 2/1.

I was watching a intermediate/advanced game and this hand appeared. The traveller the next day showed that less than 40% reached 6♠, with one reaching the worse contract of 6NT (-2) at IMPS. For a minute you are not a expert or very advanced and playing with a pick-up partner and are using a basic system such as Vanilla 2/1, SAYC or Acol, and only have Blackwood or Roman Key Blackwood on your convention card, what do you think is the best or right auction to get to 6♠? (Some of the ones that I saw were not good, just gambling.) White vs. Red. IMPS. No opponents bidding. West Dealer. [hv=pc=n&w=sak8764hakj3d6ck9&e=s952h5daqj84caj75]266|100[/hv]

Poor suits, stiff ♠K, no 4 card ♥ suit I would pass. You only get in to trouble if you bid here: partner will expect better. The opponents will probably outbid you in ♠s. The last thing I want is partner competing in an auction that goes 1♠ - X - 3♠/4♠ (weak) - ??? By passing that will not happen.

That is so right. Agree. West is not thinking :o 1. If you can not open at 1 level why overcall at 2 level? 2. Lead-direct. NO! N/S have found fit and South will play hand 3. East did not make bid in 3rd hand so no shape and/or weak. 4. Partner will think you have more shape than 5422 to overcall 2♦ 5. Partner will be confused why you did not open 2♦ - flaw? 6. You have some defense AK and A 7. If they play in Moyse fit, partner will have 4♥. Leading ♦s could make South lose control of hand. 8. Three quick tricks is always opening hand imo. So West should open 1♦ 9. West has easy rebid after 1♦ opener. If was 3343 shape agree with 11 points in Acol could make next bid difficult, but not with 2254 and suit with AKxxx 10. Bridge is opening bidders game, not a overcallers one lol :)

I watched this afternoon the Team Champions table with world class players playing. This looks like a difficult grand slam to bid as key card is ♠Q, and both pairs ended up in 6♥ only also. (I know that the grand slam on a ♣ lead could be a problem and require certain splits in the other suits but it seem a percentage grand slam to bid, and you may not get a ♣ lead so 13 tricks can be claimed.) Both used various conventions and gadget such as transfer responses and splinters, however is there a natural way to reach it, or do you need gadget to find 7♥. Here are the two hands. All red. No opponents bidding. West is dealer. [hv=pc=n&w=saqt63hq4d83cak64&e=skhakj8752daj97c9]266|100[/hv]

Very good problem, mikeh. Its not a easy hand to bid. The 3♦ bid seems only preference but you have enough to make one another bid. In 2/1 it would be also a interesting hand to bid if partner had only♠xxx ♥A109xx ♦xx ♣xxx and had tried to improve the contract with a 1♥ response. How to stop below game now? Thanks for posting.

Very simple (general) rule: Takeout X not in a competitive auction. Takeout X in non-competitive auction. Having all X as takeout in any auction is wrong when X screams penalty To fellow forum members extra interesting question? What would you lead be on this auction against 6♦X

The percentage play is ♠10 as finesses win 50% of the time :) But with two honours out I guess that comes down to 25% :rolleyes: Finding ♠QJ doubleton is less chance.

I am guessing you play Precision/Schenken-style Big Club. If one of this is your system, then you need to open this hand 1♣ as the (competitive) auction you have posted will make your choice difficult later if you open 1♦ as you have done. This hand is far stronger than 14 points with its two AK and a seven card suit. However, on the auction given, as you have not only ♦xx (minimum) but ♦AKx and a max hand with a good ♣ suit that could be established, I feel you must make a slam try with 4♥ here even though partner has given preference only.

X then let partner decide. 5/5M is nice shape but you are vulnerable with no extra values. if partner can only bid 3♦ then I would pass. With 5♠4♥3♦1♣ you would make same call - X. The ops. have made life difficult by pre-empting 3♣. You cannot have the perfect shape every time you try to X or overcall a pre-empt. It part guess game or luck finding the right contract. Bidding 3♠ instead may lose the ♥ suit if ops. then go to 5♣. Pass is timid. 3♥/3♠ nearly but not right. 4♣ shows extra values. So X is best of all choices imo.