Joe de Balliol

This is annoying, I agree with all of Owen's thoughts except hand 2. I duck a heart immediately. I intend to win the return, ruff a heart, and then play on diamonds. Still forces them to open up suits, but this way I can drop Axx in hearts with someone. Also, my reasoning on hand 3 is slightly different. I don't mind mis-stating my strength since I intend to take control of this auction, I merely prefer to show my spades and see if partner has a good or bad hand in light of that. And I don't know whether I pass originally on hand 5 as I don't know what defence we play to 1N. But I'm probably passing anyway.

3♠ pretty clearcut with the North cards, don't wanna hang pard for balancing double. 4♠ raise is then the right bid with the South hand. This is only the way I play, because the South hand is pretty big for a balancing double. If you need more for a balancing double, then 4S is a reasonable shot with the North cards. To sum up: Depends on style. With a regular partnership, someone is to blame, but I can't say who for sure. Incidentally, 4♠ is a pretty good contract, assuming you have *some* spade pips not mentioned [fair assumption imo] - win ♣A, ♠A, cross to hearts twice ruffing clubs on the way back. J

I'm not worried about the auction ending here [well not much anyway...] but I am worried that I won't be able to describe my hand, and this is very much a hand where grand is possible so it's important to explore. Double first, I'll follow it up by bidding spades and rebidding diamonds. J

Double since I think pass should be forcing if playing sayc or 2/1. Acol style I'd be more inclined to play pass as NF and bid it. [call it, whatever] J

At matchpoints, I think that since you've already doubled for the lead, I think you should now be able to double safely trusting partner to lead a diamond, and expecting to convert +50 into +100, or whatever. At IMPs I think there is a fair case for a psychic double of 5D and double of 6H designed to request another lead. Maybe this is BS. Maybe I'm on to something. Who knows? But I'd be inclined to treat the double of 6H as cancelling the previous double, despite the example given [how often do good opponents reach a freely bid slam and go for 1400? Though Blofeld and MickyB managed it at the Spring Fours...] J

I pass with an understanding partner. With a partner or teammates who think -670 means you should give up bridge [seem to be the only teammates I get], I bid 3H. But I want to pass as 500 seems not unlikely. J

I initially thought 2H wtp then re-thought after Jdonn's post and I now think 2H, but not without the p. J

Skid Simon had a rule: Your hand doesn't get any better just because you think an opponent has psyched. If RHO has a 5 count, partner will have enough to bid. If RHO has his bid, you'll be very glad to have shut up. But then I play with most of my partners that you protect light but need a lot to bid in 2nd seat. J

I hate going with the majority. But 3N, wtp. J

Holding a four card major headed by the ace I'm always responding if I can bid it at the 1 level. J

I'll go along with 3C the first round. If I'm bidding 2C [which is reasonable] then while bidding on seems silly, I do so anyway. My hand has just gotten so good opposite a few potential hands [Axx Kxxx QJx JTx makes slam excellent] that I can't bid 2C and pass. So 3C is my first choice, with 2C and 4C [right-siding it makes sense and partner will work out I have masses of clubs if I bid 4N, but I can always correct to NT and this is more descriptive, plus it leaves more room to investigate grand which isn't totally out of the question] as my second. J

I bid 2S the previous round. Now I'll have to bid 3S [forcing] and follow up with 4N. J

That meaning for 1D-X-P-P 2D makes sense, but at the table I'd have been massively confused about what it meant. It's not as easy as the others. J

Multi/landy: 2C = majors 2D = a major 2H/S = that major [5 cards] and a minor [4+] 2N = minors Double = pens by unpassed hand, 4 of major and 5+ minor by passed hand. J

I went for 5H and I stand by it - even if 4S and 5H are both going off, 5H gives them a losing option to bid 5S. The flip side of the coin is that double gives pard the chance to take it out to 5H, but that isn't likely, and I'd be thinking about this one for long enough to make a pull unattractive in case of adjustment. J

I was on the England U20s, and you?

The first of these ought to be either pre-emptive or else asking for the top two honours, depending on agreements. The second and third shold be natural, weakish, 6+ trumps. The fourth is to play opposite poor trumps; I'd expect partner to bid a sixth with an actual 3H bid. The fifth I have no idea about. Best guess would be the same meaning as above? Bid 6 with one top honour, or 7 with both. Presumably showing a void or two so that RKCB won't work [possibly voidwood?]

2♣ a cuebid without agreement? What? I don't play it as such and I don't think anyone I play with does. 2♣ from me every time. J

The Knave of diamonds won. I played a club to the Knave. Sure enough, the queen of clubs was singleton offside and team-mates were not happy. I didn't bother arguing with them, as I don't think one of them understood the problem with entries I had. Cheers for replies. J

It's quite frequent that I read a topic and think "Anything but option a is insane" - option a being double here. It's less frequent that others agree with me :) J

[hv=d=e&v=b&w=st3hkdkq42ckj9863&e=s9862ha974dj6ca75]266|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Right, you're East and pass at a highish level competition. It's teams of four, but you'd quite like to do well on the Butler as well :D You pass of course, partner opens 1C [5cm, better minor, weak nt]. RHO bids 1H. You double. LHO raises to 2H and partner bids 3D. You bid 3N. A heart is led. Apart from blaming partner for the auction, what's your plan of action?

4S reasonable at mps, sick at IMPs. Purely to make life difficult for them, whereas at IMPs you're risking 10+ IMPs to gain 1-2. J

We play light 2/1s, so 2H shows a stronger hand than you have. J

♠xx ♥KTxxx ♦AKT8xx ♣- You play 5cm, better minor, light 2/1 [9-10+]. In a Gold Cup match, you're dealer and I vulnerable against not. You have several ways to treat this: 1) Lie about your sixth diamond by opening 1H and rebidding diamonds ad infinitum [possibly supporting spades later on] 2) Lie about your fifth and potentially fourth heart by opening 1D and rebidding 2D over 2C 3) Lie about your strength by opening 1D and rebidding 2H over 2C. 4) Pass to begin with and let the problem sort itself out later on What do you think of each of these ways? At the table, I chose an option which was soundly criticised by all present, including me. When I got to thinking about the hand, I decided my option wasn't so bad, and is in fact reasonable. Advice welcome. J

From the phrase "just accepts" I take it pard can super-accept, in which case I pass at either form of scoring - though if pard knows how to play them and we want to extract the maximum against a weak team I might give it another go at IMPs. J