Fasteddy

It would be nice if BBO would allow users to save hands from practice bidding sessions.

It seems to be conventional wisdom that 2♣ here shows a good hand, but 2♣ has great obstructive value and should be a viable option when 3♣ would be too rich. If your partnership agrees that 2♣ can be bid with hands like this, advancer shouldn't get carried away. There's room for a cuebid or 2NT (which should be forcing) when pard has a good hand, so the structure can usually tolerate a wide range for the overcall. The Italians, who used 3♣ to show a two-suiter, had no problems bidding 2♣ with these hands, and they did okay:)

Two points: 1) Especially at IMPS, you'd sure like to be in 5♦, not 3NT, when the ♦K is offside. 2) 6D by N is very optimistic when he knows he may be losing a trump trick, can be quite certain he'll be losing one club, and may have a heart loser as well. South can't have much more in high cards than the ♠AK and ♦Q, else he wouldn't have limited himself with 3♦. Bottom line, the auction was reasonable and told North what he needed to know to reach the best contract -- he just stretched at the end.

You and pard conduct the following auction: 1♦ (must be an unbalanced hand), 1♥ (4+ hearts); 1♠ (4 spades), 2♣ (XYZ, forces 2♦; 2♦ (forced), 2NT (denies 5 hearts, the only way to bid 2NT nonforcing); 3♦ (6+ diamonds, nonforcing), 3♠. So far, you've shown a minimum hand with 6+ diamonds and 4 spades; pard has shown a balanced invite with something in spades. The question is, is partner trying to play in a 4-3 fit for a superior matchpoint partscore or does he have a hand that's been improved by your extra diamond length and is now looking for the best game, maybe something like KQx QTxx xx Axx or even Kx Axxx xxx Axxx?

How about Ax AKJxxx Jx xxx?

How about: 1♠ 2♥ 3♥ 3NT (frivolous) 4♣ 4♦ 4♥ P Is it reasonable for responder, having made a serious slam try after hearing a limited rebid from opener, to settle for 4♥ "knowing" that opener may not have three of the missing keycards -- the ♠A, ♠K, ♥Q, ♦A -- and willing to hope that opener will continue if he does? As far as the 3♠ bid is concerned, there seem to be three schools of thought: 1) it's a cuebid promising the A or K; 2) it's a cuebid, but perhaps just the queen; 3) it shows support with no guarantee of a high honor. Even though it doesn't look good on this hand, I don't see how you can have a cooperative auction if responder suppresses 3-card support for opener's major. Opener never assume that's the case, so he could easily misjudge and discover he has an extra loser when there's xxx opposite his Axxxx or AKxxx. Showing support also helps reach 7♥ with something like AKxxx Qxx Axxx x opposite QJx AKJxx Jx Axx.

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=sqjxhakjxxdjxcakx&s=st9xxxhqtxdakqxcx]133|200|[/hv] Assuming you choose to open 1♠ with the South hand, is there a sensible way to stay out of slam? After 1♠ - 2♥ - 3♥, can you make a case for North not bidding 3♠? If he does, even if South tries to sign off in 4♥ how does the auction not continue 5♣ - 5♦ - 6♥? It looks like the slam might be avoided if North doesn't bid 3♠, but is that really the right way to bid the hand? As an interesting footnote, 6♥ is cold if the opps don't lead a spade. Unfortunately, West held a stiff spade which she led, and then even 5♥ goes down.

While it may be possible to come up with a superior agreement about what a double should mean here, isn't it reasonable and effective to play that it shows something like a strong notrump hand (ideally something like KQx Axxxx KJx Ax), especially if you wouldn't open 1NT with such hands? This lets pard do whatever he thinks is right at his next turn. I guess I could double with a holding that has more shape (say KQx Axxxx AKJx x), but then I'd be worried about leaving in pard's double of 3C or even of 2S, or of his competing to 3C over 2S.

Certainly overcalling 1♥ might work out well, but I'll continue to be devil's advocate on this hand: 1) If pard is on lead in notrump with say Qx in hearts and Qxx(x) in clubs, wouldn't we much prefer to have him lead a club? 2) If we're on lead against a spade contract, will we feel much more comfortable about leading a heart if pard raised to 2♥ along the way? 3) If we do buy the hand for some number of hearts or clubs, would we be surprised to find the ♠K was much more useful on defense than offense? 4) If we overcall 1♥, it's unlikely the auction will develop in a way that will ever let us get our clubs in, which could certainly be damaging if we happen to have a good fit there but not in hearts. If we do pass, it's only right to reenter the auction if the opps have found a fit. I wouldn't have a problem doubling after 1♦ - P - 1♠ - P - 2♠, though on some days that too might be killed. Re kfay's auction ((1♦) - P - (1♠) - P - (1NT) - X), I'd be interested in knowing if there's a lot of support for the "modern" interpretation of this double -- something like xx KQJx xx AQxxx. When holding a diamond stack you pass and wait for pard to reopen.

I guess I'm showing my age, but there's a lot to be said for passing red at IMPS: 1) You have no texture in your suits. 2) You want partner to lead whichever unbid suit he prefers. 3) With both opps bidding, there's a good chance your ♠K is worthless, giving you a working 7-count. 4) Sometimes when you pass, it will go 1♥ on your left and you'll be very happy you kept quite. Once you choose to pass, though, it's dangerous to enter the auction later iunless the opps show a fit. Opener might have rebid 1NT on 1=4=4=4 or responder may be planning to rebid 2H on 5=4=1=3. Finally, as the auction went I think partner should bid a confident 2♣ over the double. This might induce opener to bid 2D or 2S with a 5332 pattern and get you off the hook. If it doesn't, you can always consider 2♠ later.

One thing overlooked in the discussion so far is that if North held four diamonds, 6♦ would be a very good contract even if North held no other HCP. Give North x xxxxx xxxx Axx and there are 12 tricks if diamonds are 3-2 and hearts not 4-0 (South's club loser goes on the fifth heart). How would one reach 6♦ if North held that hand? Maybe opener's new-suit super-acceptance should always promise a 4-card suit, with 3NT showing 4333 and 4M 5332. With this hand, opener would bid 4♦ over 3♦, and responder could judge to sign off with no extra values and no help in partner's suit. Give him a 4th diamond, though, and he's worth another call.

You hold: x JTxxx xxx Axxx The auction begins 2♣ (strong) - 2♥ (2 controls) ; 2NT - 3♦ (transfer) ; 3♠ (non-specific super-accept). What's your next call? Bonus question: If you bid 4♣ and pard says 4♦ (last-train), do you bid 4♥ or 4♠?

[hv=d=s&v=e&s=sqxxxhdaqxxxxxckx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] Say you have a hand such as the above. After opening 1♦ and hearing 1♠ from pard, perhaps 2♠ is best. Any other call highly overstates your values, and there's a good chance the opps will let you bid again even if pard passes 2♠. However, is 2♠ still right if RHO makes a 2♥ overcall? Unless pard is at least 5-5 in the majors, the opps have at least a 9-card heart fit. It's easy to construct hands where there's a double game -- or even slam -- swing, and surely you'll always bid at least 4♠ if 4♥ comes back to you. After all that preamble, I'm suggesting that after 1♦ - P - 1♠ - 2♥, opener's jump to 4♠ should always show a hand of this type. With, say, 19 HCP and 4252 distribution, he needs to bid 3♥ at his second turn. Agree?

[hv=d=e&v=e&s=s98xxhxdaxcakq9xx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

[hv=d=e&v=e&s=s98xxhxdaxcakq9xx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

[hv=d=e&v=e&s=sxhaj1098xdjxcjxxx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

[hv=d=e&v=e&s=s98xxhxdaxcakq9xx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

[hv=d=e&v=e&s=s98xxhxdaxcakq9xx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

I think what it boils down to is whether you have a hand that needs to learn more from opener or whether you just want to further describe your own hand. Say you hold AQJxx xxx Kx KJx. After 1D-1S-2C, you'd much rather learn whether partner has spade support, hearts stopped, or a fifth club than make a forcing bid that misdescribes your own hand. In a third-suit auction, e.g., 1D-1S; 2D, the Bourke Relay says the cheapest unbid suit is an artifical game force while any other nonjump is natural and (except for 2S) invitational. It's reasonable to reverse the forcing and nonforcing meanings as you suggest, but again you may want to learn more about partner's hand than to further describe your own. What forcing rebid would you make with the hand above after 1D-1S; 2D?

You can make even better use of the intervening double. After a transfer, give up on the business redouble and instead play that it shows 3-card support and a hand that would accept an invitation. That way, after say 1NT - 2D - * - 2H, responder with invitational values can comfortably pass while after 1NT - 2D - * - **, responder can jump to game (retransfering if he wishes). In either case, the opponents are in the dark as to responder's strength. A similar scheme can as be employed over a double of Stayman.

A lot of "modern" partnerships would have no trouble opening 3D first seat white with Qxxxxx. Does having 5 hearts on the side make it a better or worse bid? I'd say better: 1) you'll take more tricks on offense than, say, a 1363 pattern; 2) you have a possible landing place if 3D* is in trouble; 3) if you've missed a heart fit, the opponents have probably missed a black suit game/slam; 4) your shape may come as a nasty shock to the opps if they declarer. When the hand was played, if you open 3D pard raises to 5D and RHO comes in with 5H!

I'm not sure 2S shows hearts and a minor without prior agreement. Might it not simply be a takeout of spades? I'd bid 3C. If I could bid spades at the 3-level, I'd do so. Over 3NT, I'd pass.