AL78

I only have experience of Acol and 5 card majors (not 2/1), both weak and strong NT, and my limited experience of bidding systems suggests whatever you play, there will be occasionas where it does well and where it does badly, and it will depend on what the field is largely playing. If you are playing a different NT range to most of the field, there will be occasions where you play NT the other way round to the majority, which can work very well or very badly if one of the defensive hands can be classed as dangerous. Ultimately what matters is the core system is something you are comfortable with, and you have good agreements as to what bids mean when the opponents interfere, which they will do frequently at MPs.

In the UK, I don't think the regulations permit opening a hand like that with an artificial strong 2 opening. I'd probably open 4♥ if not playing Namyats. You got lucky.

There is a pair at my club that played 1♦/♥/♠ opening showed five cards so a 1♣ opening could be as short as one. It is the only time I have seen a short club system that short.

If the 5 card major is spades and the six card minor is clubs, there is no problem, open the minor and bid the major next time. If you have 6 diamonds and 5 spades, it depends on how strong you are. If you are strong enough to reverse, open 1D and bid 2S if partner responds 2C. If you are not strong enough to reverse, treat it as a 5-5 shape and open 1S. If you are 5422 shape, think how you would feel rebidding the 5 card suit if you can't show the 4 card suit next round. If the 5 card suit is poor and there is a good chance partner's response will prevent you showing the 4 card suit, open 1NT if in HCP range. Opening 1C does not deny a diamond suit, you could have 6 clubs and 4 diamonds, nor does it deny a 5 card major, though the frequency of hands where you would hold a 5 card major after opening 1C is very low.

I would have also liked a slightly better heart suit at that vulnerability.

You are missing nothing, I failed to notice the 2♣ was artificial, in which case I can see the double is asking for a club lead.

I've never heard of that agreement and would also assume it showed the red suits.

Yes. I went back onto RealBridge and checked the auction again to make sure. Only the player concerned knows why.

If our teammates failed to find the defence to take 3NT down, they may have failed to take 4♥ down as well. :) Most club players in the UK play some variant of Acol, so the standard opening would be 1♥. It is a feature at this bridge club that strange or poor actions quite often are rewarded (kind of makes me glad I'm playing very infrequently now :)).

This hand from the teams Friday evening is what I might call a comical train wreck: [hv=pc=n&s=sjt74haqj95d53c76&w=sak95hk842dak42c4&n=s62h76dqt96ckj832&e=sq83ht3dj87caqt95&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=pp1dp1np2nppp]399|300[/hv] This was the auction at my table (I was West). I got the ♥Q lead and ended up with 8 tricks. You can make 3NT because the minor honors are perfectly placed and South and their heart suit can be cut off. At the time I thought partner should have raised to 3NT (we play 1NT as 6-9 HCP, so she is maximum) which I would very likely make by playing to the diamond jack and the club tenace (I didn't fancy taking the club finesse for an overtrick at the time). The result on the other table was ridiculous: [hv=d=e&v=e&b=6&a=pp1h2nppp]133|100[/hv] 4 card majors on that table. 2NT went six off for -300. After the dreadful overcall South did well to pass, as whatever they try to scramble to, they are almost certainly going to get whacked. That was five imps out. It would have been a good sacrifice against 3NT had we bid and made it :lol: .

[hv=d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1sp1np2np3nppp]133|100[/hv] They were playing a weak NT.

I decided to pass. Stayman is a complete gamble on finding a heart fit, works beautifully if one exists, could be horrible if it doesn't. The full deal: [hv=pc=n&s=sa65432h743dk6c76&w=shq865d9873cajt85&n=sj97ht9daq52ck943&e=skqt8hakj2djt4cq2&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1nppp]399|300[/hv] 6 imps out when opponents made 3NT at the other table played by West. Partner got a spade lead, teammate sitting North led a heart. Evidently North didn't find a diamond lead when in with the ♣K. 3NT can go off with four top losers and the club finesse wrong, but NS only have two opportunities to cash those tricks before declarer has set up nine. Suppose I can put this one down to bad luck.

Auctions that start with 1NT are mostly easy thanks to the limited hand, Stayman, Transfers and other bits and bobs that make slam investigation straightforward. Here is one hand where it is not obvious what to do. Teams: [hv=pc=n&w=shq865d9873cajt85&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1np]133|200[/hv] 1NT is 15-17, your call?

I made a mistake in the defence. I started with the club ace, the eight came down opposite and the queen from declarer. I convinced myself that setting up dummy's club suit was not a good idea so I switched to a trump, hence only two down. I did not picture both red aces opposite.

Thanks for this explanation, I'm going to bear this in mind in future and try to be more of a nuisance in such situations, and stop worrying so much about the worst case scenario.

Like others here I decided I had shown my hand and with no indication of a useful hand opposite I let them play 4♠. The full deal: [hv=pc=n&s=saq752hq92dt2cqjt&w=sthkjt83dkq43cak5&n=skj84h4dj96c97432&e=s963ha765da875c86&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=1sd3sppdp4hpp4sppp]399|300[/hv] Two red suit slams are there if you pick up the ♥Q, but 5♥ is an easy make. +100 was 11 imps out when the other EW pair played in 4♥. I couldn't help thinking with two aces and a good chance of a double fit opposite a hand that has shown considerable extra strength, partner could have found something other than pass at her final turn. Wanted to check first whether anyone here thinks I should have found another double in the passout seat. On my first bid I considered 2♥ alongside double, but went with double as I didn't think the suit quality was quite good enough for a vulnerable two level overcall (would have liked a sixth heart), I have three places to play, and I am worth a second double if the opps jam the bidding in spades.

I understand your logic. I can appreciate the weak two style overcall if opponents have shown at least game invitational strength with a fit (so you have a fit your way as well) and you want to get a moderate six card major in now or never just in case (partner can work out you are very limited and won't hang you), but in the OP's hand, after 1♠ - 1NT it isn't obvious the hand is anything more than a part score, and a misfitting partscore, so it looks to me to be a bit more dangerous, finding partner with a small singleton in your suit and opponents swinging the axe for example.

Random teams: [hv=pc=n&w=sthkjt83dkq43cak5&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=1sd3sppdp4hpp4spp]133|200[/hv] Your call? Teammates are decent club players but not experts. We have had no discussion over what constitutes a forcing pass in situations like this, and I don't think my partner knows what a forcing pass is or when it would apply (come to think of it, neither do I). If you disagree with my bidding feel free to say so.

I find it incredible that East hand is deemed worth a two level overcall.

Civilized people often behave worse than barbarians, because they do not fear having their skull smashed in. Nowhere more true is this than the online community, which by its nature shields people from consequences, allowing individuals to throw away the thin and unstable veneer of civility and unleash the worst version of themselves.

The full hand: [hv=pc=n&s=s943h83dk2cqj7543&w=skt5hakt765d76ca9&n=sj76hqj42dat4ckt6&e=saq82h9dqj9853c82]399|300[/hv] My friend holding the East hand decided to pass and they stopped in 3♦ making 11 tricks which was worth 88%. A few pairs in 4♥ going off, one in 5♦ going off, a couple managed to find 3♠=. 4♠ and 5♦ make double dummy but they are poor games to be in. I didn't think there would be many hands which are too good for a weak two and not good enough for a one opening but this East hand looks like one example.

♠AQ82 ♥9 ♦QJ9853 ♣82 No-one vuln, MPs, opener on your right passes, your call?

If it is in a suit bid by the opponents natuarally, or not in a suit bid by partner naturally?

Neither was right. How were you supposed to know they were playing in a Moysian at the four level and so to know to double? If West had their bid, they could easily get out for -500 on some layouts where you have 6♣ on. Why do you think your partner should have bid 3NT with no diamond stop and the opponents cashing the first six tricks (based on the bidding)? When you have a disaster at the table, the objective should be to fix the mistake/misunderstanding, not the blame. All that does is fuel your ego, but ego won't reduce the chance of it happening again. You both got duffed up by a psyche that worked. Deal with it and let it go.

This is a classic example of safety play, noting the play on the first two tricks, spotting the danger of a ruff, and spurning tempting finesses in order to prevent that ruff from killing the contract if both red suit finesses fail. It is easy to spot playing IMPs, but what would be the correct way to play the hand at MPs? The safest line of play maximises the chance of making. Taking the heart finesse guarentees 10 tricks if it works. If it fails and the defence get their ruff, 10 tricks are there if the diamond finesse works. It needs both finesses offside to go down when it could otherwise make, which is about the same odds as taking both finesses when they both work, and if the red kings are split, both lines make 10 tricks. Does it makea difference if you play in a field with a high variance of ability, where there is a non-zero chance of a West player not paying attention to the fact that East switched to a club, or East doesn't switch to a club at trick two? One reason I ask was I made a poor judgement some time ago in a game contract where I got an apparently favourable lead. I took the safest line to guarentee the contract which avoided taking a couple of potentially dodgy finesses (or so I thought at the time). I ended up with a near bottom because everything worked so the field were making 11, maybe even 12 tricks in one or two cases.