LukeG

I was kibitzing this hand - it was a different flight than mine. The double endplay is an interesting possiblilty that did not occur to me. But would LHO lead the ♥ Jack from something like Jxxxx, Jx, xx, xxxx? With that hand I might lead a ♣, hoping that we had eight or more of them between the two hands. The actual declarer ducked two round of ♦s, which seems like a give-up play to me. The winning line is to lead a ♠, win the ♣ return and then run your major suit winners. RHO started with Ax, xxx, AQJ, Jxxxx and is squeezed on the fourth ♥. If he discards a ♣, play two more ♣s and duck a diamond. If he discards a diamond, duck two rounds of ♦s to set up the king. This line of requires that you guess whether RHO's distribution was 2-3-4-4 or 2-3-5-3.

I was the declarer and decided that it was very unlikely that LHO had the ♦ AK from his failure to lead that suit at tricks one or three. This means that the ♠ finesse will not work. So I took what looked like the only legitimate play - to pin the doubleton ♠ ten in RHO's hand. Of course, this results in down 2 when it fails but undoubled at IMPs you should be willing to accept that result. Well, a funny thing happened along the way. I drew the last trump and ran my ♥ winners, discarding low ♠s from the dummy. On the fourth ♥, RHO discarded a low ♠ from an original holding of 10xx! So my pin play worked out after all :P

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=skqha954dk763ckq4&s=s9754hkq3d854cat6]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] RHO opens 1NT (12-14), you pass, LHO bids 2♥ transfer, partner doubles showing 14+ and saying nothing about his ♥ holding, RHO passes showing a doubleton ♠, you pass, LHO bids 2♠, partner and RHO both pass, you bid 2NT and partner raises you to 3NT. The opening lead is the ♥ Jack. Plan the play.

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=sq82h32dq82cjt432&s=saj93hkqj9d3cak85]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] You open 1♣, LHO doubles, partner bids 3♣, RHO passes and you close the auction with 5♣. LHO leads a trump (thank you!) and you win in dummy with the Jack. You lead a low ♥ to your Queen and LHO's Ace. LHO returns a ♥ to RHO's 10 and your King. When you cash a high trump, LHO discards a low ♥. How do you proceed?

Keep in mind that if trumps are 4-0, and that you ruff two hearts in your hand, leaving 109 of trumps opposite AKQ7x, and then manage to throw in RHO, he will defeat you by returning the Jack of trumps from his original J8xx.

I would play heart Ace, spade Ace, heart ruff with 9, low club intending to play the King if LHO ducks. When I next get to dummy, with club King or diamond ruff, heart ruff with 10, trump to dummy. I will accept the risk of heart overruff by LHO and guard against trump promotion for RHO's Jxx.

Hello SteelWheel, I share your interest in offbeat systems, and your general geographical location. Although I have no immediate interest in AUC, I do have a bit of advice for you. Most offbeat systems are not GCC legal, and dumbing them down to make them so reduces their effectiveness. I speak from experience, as my partner and I used Svan (a Swedish weak/strong club system not unlike Polish) during this year's GNT Flight B. I was frustrated by the changes that we had to make for GCC compatibility. So my advice is to forgo GCC events and focus on MCC events. Note that for GNT and NAOP, the upper limit for Flight B (GCC) is 2000 master points, so you are not that far from having to play Flight A (MCC) anyway. Luke PS - If you like offbeat systems based on weak NT, check out ETM at Glen Ashton's web site http://www.bridgematters.com/.

Hi Ron, 1. Kxx Axx AKxx ATx, red v. white (P) 4C (4S) ? I would bid 6C, which I think might be safer than 6NT if partner is something like 1-1-3-8. A direct 6NT bid may convince LHO that you are prepared for a spade lead so he may select something else. If they sacrifice at 6S then I'll bid 6NT and hope for a spade lead. 2. KQxx JTx KJx ATx, all red (1C) Dbl (1H) 1S (4H) P (P) 4S (P) P (Dbl) P (5H) ? Pass. Delighted to be defending 5H rather than 4H. 3. Qxx Qx Txx Axxxx, all red (1S) 2H (P) P (3D) 3H (4S) ? Jump preference after failure to give a single raise usually indicates a big fit for the second suit, in which case partner is short (perhaps even void) in diamonds. Partner should have a very good hand to bid again, uninvited, at the three level when it's so easy to get doubled. So I will bid 4NT as a choice of suits in case he has something like xx, AKxxxx, --, KQJxx. 4. x AQ Kxxx QJT8xx, white vs ?? (1H) 2C (P) 3C (3S) ? I bid 4C to invite partner to save at 5C over their 4S. With two likely tricks in hearts, and with partner having the spade length, I don't want to bid 5C unilaterally. 5. K Txxx KJT9x Qxx, all white (1C) P (1S) P (1NT) P (2C) P (P) 2D (3C) 3D (3S) P (4C) ? Partner's most likely shape is 5-2-5-1, with LHO having 3-4-2-4 and RHO having 4-3-1-5. If partner has secondary spade strength (QJxxx) it's right to defend. If he has the Ace of King of hearts, it's right to bid. So it's close and maybe you need to be a good guesser on this one. Luke

I have not tried transfer preempt opening bids, so I can't speak from personal experience. However, my friend Bart Bramley, one of the top players in hte country, plays them and loves them them. He estimates that letting the preemptor's partner become the declarer gains an average of half a trick per hand.

Hi Rado, 1. A, J98xxx, QJ10x, Jx I would pass rather than open 2H. Maybe partner has something like xx, x, AKxxx, AKxxx which is an excellent 5D and with good breaks may make 6D. After partner's 1S opening bid, I would respond 2H. 2. x, AK109xx, AQJxx, x I would probably bid 4H. But I don't play against Multi often enough to have spent a lot of time or energy devising a defensive strategy against it. I'm just glad the bidding didn't start 2S-p-4S to me. 3. AQ10x, KQx, x, QJ10xx I would start with a forcing raise of partner's spades. Luke

I like to use: Pass - possible good hand (16+) Later double of 1M for penalty Later 1NT 16-18 balanced Double - 13-15 balanced 1D response negative, any shape 1D/1H/1S natural but limited 1NT transfer to clubs 2C transfer to diamonds 2D both majors 2H/2S = weak, 6 card suit 2NT = both mnors Luke

I have been playing Svan for about six months. Interference by LHO is much less than over a pure strong club. As Mishovnbg points out, the best strategy for second seat is to wait with a good hand. For example, there is no need for a natural strong NT overcall vs a two way club. If the opening side is weak, the auction starts 1C-p-1D-p-1M and you can still bid 1NT; the opening side will have between 11 and 20 HCP and it's safe to enter. If the auction starts 1C-p-1M then the opening side will have 19+ HCP and it's dangerous to enter. I don't think that the dual nature of the 1C opening interferes with the bidding of strong hands. In fact, regardless of system, having a bid that promises a minimum balanced hand (which is the least potent trick-taking hand for opener) means that all other bids either have extra high cards or some shape. Luke

Congratulations, Luis. You would have made the hand and won the event. I took a different line of play, based on the failure of my RHO to double the 4H cue bid. I played three round of clubs immediately, ruffing with dummy's seven. If the Queen of clubs was singleton, doubleton or tripleton I was cold. When the Queen did not fall, and both followed, I returned to a high trump and ruffed the fourth club with dummy's King. Now I played Ace and a heart, figuring that LHO would win the trick. Unfortunately, RHO won the heart King and gave his partner a spade ruff :-( Codo, you might or might not make depending on what your LHO would return when he won the Queen of clubs. LHO had 8, Jxxxx, 8xx, Qxxx with RHO having K1097, K10xx, xx, xxx. On the second hand, if you pass you should score an effortless +400, although my teamates lost a trick and let declarer escape for 300. That was still a gain of 4 IMPs because at my table this hand bid 3H for +170. This was the time to be greedy, as 3Cx is +800. Partner has QJ109xx, x, xx, AQ8x. However, I'm not saying that you sit should for 3Cx at IMPs because partner has a super-max for defense vs clubs. But it might be very reasonable to sit for 3Cx at MPs.

Here are two hands from last weekend's tourney. The first is a declarer problem: Dummy: Q65432 A8 K75 102 You: AJ Q6 AQJ109 AKJ4 Your auction, playing a two-way club system, was 1C-1S-2D-3D-4C-4H-4S-5D-6D. The opening lead was the 8 of spades on which RHO plays the 9. Plan the play. The second problem concerns greed, or perhaps folly. At favorable you have: x, AQJ97xx, Axx, 10x. LHO deals and passes, partner opens 2S (weak), and RHO bids 2NT. What do you bid? If you double, LHO bids 3C and partner doubles. Do you sit for it?

Assume that you are on opening lead and have won the first trick, and that it's now obvious to shift to a suit in which dummy has AJx. My actual holding in that suit was 1076 and I shifted to the 7. I always thought that: (1) leading a low spot shows the Queen, so that partner can play the 10 from K10x (2) leading a high spot denies the Queen (3) leading the 10 shows either 109, so that partner with KQ can continue if declarer covers with the Jack, or possibly Q10 to guard against declarer's 9xx. On the actual hand my partner had KQ9, declarer ducked, partner won the Queen but failed to erase a squeeze menace against himself in another suit so we ended up taking only one trick in the suit. He said that my leading the 10 would have made it easier on him, which in retrospect was true :)

I agree with Richard's suggestion that symmetric relay is the best way to get started because it's the easiest to remember. I also agree that you should not use Rigal's book as the basis of a symmetric relay system.

Here are the actual results, with a range from -15 IMPs to +25 IMPs. Score yourselves. 1) AJ10x, AKxxx, x, xxx If you double 3C and lead your singleton, +800 for +5 IMPs If you bid 3S, partner bids 3NT for +600 and 0 IMPs If you double 3C and lead a heart honor, +500 for -3 IMPs If you pass 3C and lead your singleton, +300 for -7 IMPs If you pass 3C and lead a heart honor, +200 for -9 IMPs If you bid 4H (or 3D as unbalanced game try), -500 for -15 IMPs Partner has Kx, Qxx, AJ9xx, Q10x. Clubs are 7-0 and hearts are 5-0. He makes 3NT by picking up 4 spade tricks (Qxx onside) and then endplaying the opener bidder in diamonds for a lead into the Queen of clubs at the end. When the opponents do this to you on the first board of a seven board swiss, do you panic and go crazy trying to recover? Or do you trust your teammates to cover for you and continue to play normally? We won this match because a pretty good player tried the former strategy and spoiled a very good set by his teammtes. 2) (void), xxx, xxxx, KQJxxx If you push them to 7H and pass, +100 for +20 IMPs If you let them play 6H, -1460 for +13 IMPs If you push them to 7H and double, -2220 for 0 IMPs Partner has Qxxxx, (void), J10x, 10xxxx. Here is a question for all of you Lightner doublers? What is your track record for doubling a grand slam with a void, as in this case? How often do they escape successfully to 7NT? Suppose that you never heard of a Lightner double. Wouldn't you lead a spade and hope that partner could ruff? My score was 0 on both boards, but we won the event anyway :-)

Hi all, Here are two hands from this last weekend's sectional swiss teams at Watertown MA. 1) At both red you have AJ10x, AKxxx, x, xxx RHO opens 1C, you overcall 1H, LHO passes, partner bids 2D showing a three card limit raise or better, RHO bids 3C and you? 2) At favorable you have (void), xxx, xxxx, KQJxxx RHO opens 1S, you bid 2C (you are playing intermediate jump overcalls), LHO bids 2H, partner bids 5C, RHO raises to 5H and you? Suppose that you pass. LHO bids 6C, partner passes, RHO thinks a bit and bids 6H and you? Suppose that you bid 7C. LHO passes, partner passes and RHO bids 7H. Do you double? Cheers ... Luke

Regardless of whether or not you are playing a strong club system, there are two good reasons to differentiate between limit raises with three trumps and those with four trumps: 1) If you are looking to take a real gamble at a vulnerable game (IMPs) then you want to have nine trumps between the two hands rather than eight. 2) Sometimes you want to play 3NT opposite three card support in a balanced hand (4-3-3-3). Luke

Not that it matters all that much, put the pair that missed game after opening Flannery consists of one of those super-duper LMs (10K points, a national championship) with one of his regular partners.

Maybe the hand is too strong for Flannery and opener should reverse. And maybe responder should have bid more aggressively. But I pay more attention to actual, rather than theoretical results, and I remain unconvinced that this is one of the world's great conventions.

I won a Swiss Team event a couple of weekends ago when, during the last round match, my counterparts missed an easy game after opening a Flannery 2D. At unfavorable I had K10xx, AKxxx, Q9, KJ. We were playing a strong club system and the auction went 1H-1S-3S-4S (our 1C starts at 17 HCP but I would probably open 1H even playing 16+). At the other table the opps bid 2D-2S. This is the second time this year that opps have missed game this way after opening Flannery 2D, and the reason appears simple. Opener doesn't know about the 4-4 spade fit so is loathe to raise unless he has better playing strength. Thus, the onus is on responder to make an immediate decision. The 1H opener can raise a 1S response to 3S because he can depend on responder having at least 4 spades. I am always suspicious of people who "never get bad results" from this or that convention

Let me add my voice to the chorus of praise for this wonderful site. Although my primary playing site is OKB, I am continually impressed by the array of services that are provided here. My favorites, in order, are the practice bidding area, vugraphs, forums and the ability to play back saved hands (including OKB hands!) as bridge movies. This site is a great complement to OKB. Am I about to drop my OKB membership and hang out here all the time? No, I'm not. I've been at OKB for 3.5 years and have lots of friends there. It's easier to locate your friends and it's easier to get an overview of what tables are open. Regardless of my feelings re: OKB, there is no denying the fact that BBO is doing a superb job!

Transfer responses to a natural 1C opening bid are not allowed in GCC events unless the response is game forcing. However, these responses are legal in MCC events.

Hi all, My name is Luke Gillespie. I'm 54 and live in the Boston, MA area. When I was young my grandmother and aunt lived with us. They were enthusiastic card players (all sorts of games) and they got me going. I was around 10 or 11 when I started playing bridge. When I was in my 20's I hung out at the old Boston Chess Club and played in ACBL tourneys, enjoying some modest success. At that point I played a Roth-Stone style and became quite comfortable with it. By the time I reached my 30's I had lost two regular partners to California and had started a family. For the next couple of decades I concentrated on family and community, and played less and less bridge. I was still interested in the game, and followed it via the Bridge World (I bought a lifetime subscription when they first offered it) and the occasional book. I started playing on OKBridge in November 1999 and play there about 95% of the time vs 5% here at BBO. I am interested in different bidding systems and will be playing Svan, a Swedish two-way club system, in the GNT at the Long Beach NABC.