luis

I don't dance Tango but if you love Tango then you should have a visit to Argentina in your schedule. My wife parents don't dance but love Tango shows and spectacles, we have a zillion places where you can dance or watch or listen to Tango. So if you decide to visit Tango-Land let me know and we can play some bridge too :-) Luis

My humble opinion is that 1♠ is fine 2NT is fine and 3NT is horrible, why not 4♥ when you have support? Luis

Pass, defensive hand. Not enough trumps for 4♠. Luis

Of course opener must pass, as far as opener knows pd can be very weak with both majors for example. Over the double of Stayman I think you are close to XX to suggest a contract when pd has a good hand and 3 or 4 clubs, I would redouble with 5 clubs or 4 strong ones, probably not with this hand so I think 2♥ is fine. Luis

Corrected, thanks :-) I think that "I don't know, let's foul the board" should be an option for declarer when the opponents make a lead out of turn, it's hard to live with making the wrong decision otherwise. Until this is added to the laws I will design evil plans to foul the board when this happens, LOL. Luis

The hand is probably a choice between 3NT and 4♥ in a 6-2 fit. I bid 3♠ here to show I want him to choose between 3NT and 4♥ and I have no help in spades. 3♥ would show better hearts and can be passed 2NT would be probably with some help in spades (not sure) 2♠ seems to ask for a minor Who knows, maybe 3♠ carries the right message. Luis

My list: Geoff Hampson – Eric Rodwell Fulvio Fantoni – Claudio Nunes Fred Stewart – Kit Woolsey Bjorn Fallenius – Roy Welland Waleed ElAhmady – Tarek Sadek Guido Ferraro – Augustin Medala Luis

Luis and his pd "Mr X" visited a local club for a practice session, non bridge events lead us to a club with a very very poor level of play. Should be ok to practice anyway we decided but we forgot things were different through the looking glass. At table #1 we faced a young lady and a woman that should be his grand-grand-grand-mother. Our bidding was 1♠ - 1N ; 4♠ where by agreement 4♠ is a strong hand missing 2 keycards to play a slam. Properly disclosed to the ladies who said "oh how nice" when we explained. The yound lady leads the heart ace out of turn. My pd switching to his gentleman voice says to the old lady: "Please make your natural lead, I don't want advantage from the infraction" And smiles to the young lady. I knew we were headed towards disaster, I was just thinking "What will happen when she revokes? A dinner invitation?" The old lady analyzes her hand and produces the heart 6 from his hand (!) claiming it was his natural lead, it turns out his hand had J fourth of hearts, Q fourth of diamonds and 3 small clubs. Of course 4♠ makes with 0 overtricks for a bottom without a heart lead pd can discard a heart after drawing trumps. Nothing to be said. Some tables later we face a couple, we bid to 3NT and I was dummy, wifey leads a spade out of turn (common practice), pd calls the TD (not into married women) and after a quick list decides to opt to "forbid" a spade lead. The TD instructs hubby to lead something else and not to play spades whenever he was on lead. I put 4 good spades in dummy but the defense forced to play something else has to reach 5 defensive tricks before pd can do anything. "Nice choice pd" I say, while moving to the next table. Can you believe it happened again? This time it was against two middle-aged men, we reach the contract of 3♥ to be played by Mr X and RHO leads a diamond out of turn. This time I was prepared, I reached for my glass of Coke and intentionally collided the glass with the border of the table spilling the coke on the table while at the same time I tried a quick movement to "clean" throwing all my LHO cards face up to the table at the same time. After apologies and a cleaning process the TD decides the board can't be played because of the accident and scores average for both pairs. "Nicely done Luis, says pd and we move to the next table" Luis

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=sxhxxdjtxcqjtxxxx&w=sxxxxhakxxdakxxcx&e=sxxxxhqjtxdqxxcak&s=sakqjhxxxdxxxcxxx]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] South opened 3♠ in first position (!!) EW reached 6♥ East thinking West was short in spades, West thinking East was short in spades. South doubled 6♥ (!!) South lead the spade ace and cashed 4 rounds of the suit, pd discarding diamonds, then diamond ruff for down 4: 1100

The danger is being called names when you alert "could be very light" when you have 17 and they go for 1400 after pd redoubles their "protective" takeout double :-) I guess there is nothing to alert unless you have special agreements with your pd to handle the third hand opening. Luis Luis, I am sometimes very much surprised about your views on legal issues. If you have a special unexpected agreement about a bid, then you should alert it (details to be left to the SO). Even if you don't have special unexpected ways to handle the followups of this bid. Do you disagree with any of this? If no, the only question is whether an opening bid in 3rd seat that can be this weak is alertable according to your SO, but if in doubt I definitely think you should! Arend Our SO has always understood that openings in third seat can be light and therefore any opening with about 7-10 hcp is non-alertable unless you have some special agreements with your pd that should be mentioned. Playing online with a pickup pd I think it is normal to open 1♠ and not alert anything, it's part of bridge that you can have a light hand in third seat. Luis

The danger is being called names when you alert "could be very light" when you have 17 and they go for 1400 after pd redoubles their "protective" takeout double :-) I guess there is nothing to alert unless you have special agreements with your pd to handle the third hand opening. Luis

I think 1♠ is normal, not a psyche nor tactical and close to autmatic for any good bridge player. I have no objections to 2♠. I will risk that any good player will open either 1♠ or 2♠ in third position. Luis

Pass but I would bid 2NT with QJTxx of hearts instead of AJxxx Luis

Queen, but I'm not so happy with the play.

Pass, my hand is neutral in terms of offense/defense so I see no reason to bid 5 over 5. Luis

I think I would pass, even with the information you give me I can't try for 1400 based on pd's inabilities Luis

3♣ looks healthy. Luis

We are cool, just talking bridge bro :-) It's a pitty my name is not Josh, otherwise we can form a club of Joshes and rule the world, imagine you Jdonn and me...

To spice the discussion Two bermuda bowl champions agreed with 2♠ disregarding the 3♦ splinter some reasons where: "Splinters should show a very limited and clear picture of opener and the hand doesn't fit" "Never splinter without an honor in the trump suit" What do you think now? Luis

Sorry I thought I had addressed this point. Playing weak 1NT I open 1C with 1-4-3-5 and 12-14, intending to rebid 2C over 1S. This is symmetrical with the strong NT openers who open 1C and rebid 2C with the same shape and 15-17 points, in as much as both methods distort the Club holding, but with the exception that the weak NT style hand has NOT distorted the overall playing strength of the hand when rebidding 2C. That a-symmetry is the key to my suggestion that the problem illustrates a benefit of the weak NT. Agreed, and that may be why 1♣ followed by 2♣ should be the "natural" bid when playing strong NT without special agreements. But of course each others mileage may vary. Luis

Luis: Please note that Fred and I agree that a 1NT opening is the smallest lie. If you find Fred and I agreeing about bidding, I'd hardly consider this a rare/special agreement. Ok that I understand but if this ever happened or if you have discussed then the 1NT bid becomes alertable and you have to disclose this kind of hand as an option right? While if you open 1♣ and rebid 2♣ you don't have to alert "Clubs may not be 6th" is that correct? Then what is natural and or standard and what is not in the US? I'm way confused LOL.

Well let's say you then have 12-14 and the same shape 1-4-3-5 Playing weak NT do you open 1NT or do you open 1♣ ? And what do you do over 1♠? Aren't the problems symmetric? Since the weak 1NT has higher frequency than the strong 1NT if you open 1NT here you are in a bad 3NT game a lot more often than the strong NTers.

Don't you think a 3♠ raise should always be balanced? That's another discussion that emerged after this hand. What do you think? The problem of 3♦ is that it is usually a singleton and not a void. Some players don't care about that and others do, I wonder what is the better approach... mmmmm

No opener doesn't want to play 4C he wants to be able to invite game on a hand the would have opened 1C and rebid 3C (a very common hand). That player doesn't want to play 3C either. He wants to invite a game without forcing to game. So you are giving him the choice between overbidding by 2 levels or selling out? I don't believe in invitations when pd doesn't have the information he needs to take an educated decision. If 4♣ is an invitation when is pd supossed to pass and when is he supossed to bid 5 ? Maybe he flips a coin or something? Invitations may be fine when you ask pd to pass or accept based on some criteria, I hte general invitations, pd will always bid game when in doubts and since he will always be in doubt in this auction then the 4♣ bid becomes forcing. Luis

I thought your problem was trivial but it turns out it has suprised me. A 16 count 1-4-3-5 is not something rare so I guess you need to know what you open and what you rebid over 1♠ with that hand. Or am I nuts? Whatever you have agreed is what is right. If you have agreed to open 1NT then 1NT becomes alertable as "may contain 1♣ substance with no apropiate rebid and a singleton" If you have agreed that reverses can be light you open 1♣ and then 2♥ is probably alertable. I thought 1♣ and 2♣ would be almost universal because you don't need a special agreement to do that. Note that Fred who refuses to open 1♣ and rebid 2♣ has the special agreement that a 2♣ rebid shows 6 cards or a good 5 count and can't be as heavy as this hand. But that is a special agreement or is it not? Luis