bluenikki

In your partnership, what is the minimum strength for a *jump* advance here? If you were playing with a stranger who had agreed to lebensohl, what would you expect that minimum to be?

Yes West is marked with values. But enough to defeat a game if the opponents wake up? YOU have no reason to think they can't make game, other than the fact that they didn't try to reach one. Most obvious danger is that they have 10 cards in a minor and 24 hcp.

To me, the main problem was W's pass over 2♣ . A good offensive hand with tolerance for opener's suit. Why not double, intending to rebid 3♦ over 2♠? Because it might result in a minus?

If you call it extremely unlikely for opener to hold doubleton AJ in clubs, then OK. But most such hands will have no play for 10 tricks. Personally, I would call it merely unlikely.

The fifth and sixth trump *usually* turn out to be waste. But paying throw-ins are available much more often with 5-6 fits than with 5-4.

It is unplayable to restrict game-forcing raises to hands you would have opened. In old Goren, for example, evaluating a prospective dummy added *many* points. Because failing to do so missed *many* sound games. By the way, it's only 7.5 losers, according to Harrison-Gray, but I still wouldn't open it 1♠. And I would not force to game opposite any other suit opening. So what?

In a non-competitive auction, the double jump raise should never have an ace and a king. You could be conservative and bid 3♠ or be aggressive and bid 2NT. Game will be highly likely to succeed if opener has at least two small clubs. Otherwise the duplication will usually do you in unless opener has an extra king. I personally would force to game.

I'm definitely not arguing for the simple finesse. I'm arguing for leading a low club at trick 3, ruffing with the 8. Then ruffing a low club high. The goddess Bridget gave us three trump entries to the long suit; maybe she was hinting.

The lead of the queen is necessary only if club Kxxx accompanies 5+ spades. Odds against. Ruffing low works against Kxx or Kx in either hand. It is not even a *bridge* certainty that the club king is with the overcaller. He could have both diamond honors instead.

In Kaplan-Sheinwold, 1♣ - 1♥ - 2♠ is 6-5 with less than 15 hcp. 1♣ - 1♥ - 1♠ is intended as forcing. That is, responder can pass if it seemed a good idea to respond with xxxx Kxxxx xxxx _ . It's a method that works well.

"The idea that double and 2♦ shows some sort of monstrous single-suiter without reference to the other suits is something of an antiquated concept. If I have some 21 count and seven diamonds, my correct call is 3♦, not 2♦. You can weaken it a little and take away a diamond and that still would be true." Yes, double then 2♦ is 17-20 total pts and 5+ ♦. But partner must not then take an action that presumes 3-card support for his suit.

In a team game some years ago, the pair at our table included Eric Rodwell. Rodwell made some sort of 2-suited call. I asked his partner whether in their style it was a serious attempt to buy the contract or would it often just be horsing around. The partner replied "It's just bridge," which is certainly not true. When the dummy came down, Rodwell explained that they had only a mailed exchange of system notes, with no time to discuss fine points.

It is counter-intuitive, but the only study I've seen of actual (world-championship) deals showed that doubling with 4333 hands was a clear winner. With any strength justifying an intervention. But be prepared to pass smoothly if partner makes a simple suit advance in one of your 3-cards. (If partner makes a simple suit advance with 9+ hcp, this will be a good lesson.)

If you bid to the inferior contract to match the field, it is average minus not plus. By the way, isn't it intentionally making a mistake to deliberately bid to the inferior contract?

Nonsense. Trying to make the same mistakes as the field is just trying to minimize losses. That is just giving up *unless* you already have a big lead. Example: The player on your right has opened with a pre-empt. You end up declaring and have a 2-way guess for the queen in a 9-card fit. The odds clearly favor finessing into the pre-emptor. In the long run you win. But for some reason fields don't know that. So you risk a very bad score on this deal when the odds-on fails. That can *only* be a consideration if this particular score can worsen your standing.

Because only at the end can you judge that a 45% action, say, will not reduce your standing and a 55% action will not improve it.

I believe you misread my comment. Worrying about the field is relevant only in the last round. And then only if an average-minus will not affect your position.

Being with the field matters only if it's the last round, and you will win the event if you avoid a shared bottom.

Believe it or not, Kaplan added a point for doubleton other than suit opened AND a point for the 5th card in a suit (and 2 more for the 6th). He emphasized that the simple advance was a *negative* bid, like the 2NT response to a strong 2-bid. That method *works*. Look for excuses to show strength when your partner doubles.

On the contrary, J10 KQxxx xx xxxx is very close to 2♥. 8 pts, according to Kaplan's valuation in "Competitive bidding ..." A red jack would make it a clearcut 2♥ advance. As it is, advancer will certainly bid again if given a chance at the 2 level. Conservatism by the advancer to a takeout double creates terrible problems. And it does not gain much safety, because the doubler will be tempted to hope that non-jump advance has values.

What feels wrong about passing 1♥? What do you play as the upper limit for the simple advance? For me, it's 8 total pts. For robots, it's 9 total pts. In either case, advancer will strain to bid again with decent 6+ total pts. After a take-out double, it's advancer's job to compete for the partscore. Doubler's further action is looking for game.

"correct bid" ha The bid says "I have 9 tricks, absent extremely bad splits. if you stop your bid suit, we have 3NT." If that is a lie more than once (having only 8), why should your partner ever believe you?

After 3NT goes down twice with the same partner, he will know he can't trust you and will stick you in 5D.

what play have you if they lead a club?

Ax in hearts instead of Kx, sure. As it is, a spade stop still leads you with 8 only. As Terence Reese wrote long ago, the partnership needs stoppers, a suit to run, and *aces*. Carl