jdeegan

:P America has a currency union that is almost 200 years old. It has been based on a common language and freedom for labor to relocate within the union. The Euro is sort of coming apart. I gotta go back to Larry Lindsay who said that the real motive for the Euro was to evermore prevent Germany and France from going to war again. All of this is now old news. Let's let the DmarkEuro find it's proper place, and get on with it.

:P Just saw a video clip of Neftali Felix showing Yu Darvich how to throw a knuckleball. 25 year old Darvich has five or six big time different pitches already. Can you see him at 40 with a crazy knuckleball?

:P Music is such an emotional thing that it is hard to choose, even from one's personal life, what might (or might not) stand up to some standard. The best in my life was Elvis at the Cotton Bowl in 1956.

:P Pissy, pissy pissy. It is just the Goldilocks problem. Is the porridge too hot or too cold. You cannot have any sort of market in financial claims that deals with ordinary consumers without some sort of uber mensch (eg. government and THE LAW) standing behind and vouching for the deal. We have health regulations that make restaurant dining not a health issue. How is the market in financial claims any different?

:P El Paso, no problemo. True you might have a combined 25 HCP, BUT the frequency of 15, 16 and 17 HCP hands for partner isn't 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. The probability of the 17 HCP hand is LESS than 1/3, and you generally need the 17 HCP hand just to have a reasonable play for 3NT, and you are not even vul. You have imo an average eight count with no obvious source of tricks. By the way, let me pile on a bit in my disdain for KnR. I am sure it means something in some bidding context, but I don't know what that might be. Everyone knows that the Milton Work count is defective in that it undervalues aces, overvalues jacks and doesn't properly account for the power of high card combinations. There are maybe four or five legitimate ways to evaluate a bridge hand in the context of an auction. I don't see how KnR fits in, plus I don't carry a computer to the card table.

:P I sorta hope Barry loses, but the chances are slim to none. Romney will have to come up with an economic plan that makes sense in today's situation. If he is that smart, more power to him. He might prevail.

:P Thanks for the reference. George is almost always good imho because he keeps a firm grasp on the obvious. Iran's foreign policy for centuries has been derived from a position of weakness. They are masters at it. So, American armies on their eastern border and on their western border - no problem. All of which means, I think, they are going to fold on the nuclear question - for sure at least until Barry is re-elected. I'm not sure I see George's point on the Syrian situation. An apostate ally is under siege from Sunni (ie. real Muslims) supported by America and Germany and Saudi Arabia. Assad the dentist has no real balls. How can this be good for Iran?

:P Well, well. A month later things have settled down. Oil prices are below $100. Bibi ♥ Barry. Even the mullahs seem to ♥ Barry. The Democrats appear to own foreign policy this election - major, but not huge. Worse for the Republicans, their conservative ideology is off in left field for the current situation. However, they have nominated a serious person who may be able to come up with an economic program that trumps that of Barry, who has a resume that is somewhat distant from the realities of business and economics. Republicans just keep in mind that tax breaks for the 'rich' (formerly known as 'job creators') will not fly with today's electorate. If they don't respect this, even silly Barry will squash them like a bug in November.

:P 4♠. To me its more important to maximize our chances to make our ♠ game than to investigate the very unlikely ♣ slam. Two things can go wrong with bidding 3♣: (1) we draw a road map for the defense, or (2) the opponents find a useful red suit contract.

:P I am of the opinion that the Christian Science Monitor blog you reference is probably correct in its conclusions, but its author has done no fact checking and offers only the merest unsubstantiated opinion. I guess when you know you are right, irony is not relevant. What makes me highly skeptical is that as far as I know, there is no basis or antecedent in religious texts for the "six hour rule". Where did it come from? "Rigor mortis (Latin meaning "stiffness of death") is one of the recognizable signs of death that is caused by a chemical change in the muscles after death, causing the limbs of the corpse to become stiff and difficult to move or manipulate.[1] In humans, it commences after about three to four hours, reaches maximum stiffness after 12 hours" I would think something like a "four hour rule" would make better scientific sense.

:P Freaks are always hard to bid. If you bid 5♣, pard will know that you don't preempt a preempt, so he/she should raise to six with the king or maybe even the queen and another trick. This should give you a play. Otherwise, you have bid a likely level. There is a name for eight card suits - it's called TRUMPS.

:P Double. I like to play lebensohl. Plus, you have to take some chances in a competitive auction. If pard bids 3♦ he may have 5 or six cards.

:P I don't think 4♦ makes any sense - pard has not really promised the suit. I hate to pass despite Timo's example. Double is too moderne for me. I would just bid 4♣ knowing it was a crapshoot. Odds are the opps don't have 4♠, but they might. I really think it is our hand, so make the otherguys make the last decision.

:P May I quote you. "Mathe would not have bid Mathe" Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....... This is what irony all about.

:P Sorry to hear the news. Best of luck. Hope for the best.

:P The basic idea in the usual club duplicate bridge game is that of a level playing field. You are playing just two or three hands versus the opponents. Trickery is effective, but doesn't make for a good contest opposite unwitting opposition. The idea is to best the enemy within the rules. It also important to understand the rules. Just in case.

:P Lew was a baaaaaad.. dude from the left coast. He would have drooled when he passed. Let those turkeys get outttaa.. this one. MFYL

:P I would bid 3♠. You are a dead minimum for the bid, but you do have an ace, and once in a great while that will be all partner needs for slam.

:P 3♠. Not a bar bid. I thought it was the weakest of the game tries. Fortunately, I was the declarer, so we ended up making five.

:P Thanks to all for your votes and comments. At the table in a Speedball game I made a game try which was accepted putting me in a terrible contract. Later, as I thought about it, I realized these types of hands usually play wretchedly. One hand is 4-5 opposite a four card fit, and the 5 bagger doesn't run. Plus, my ♣ king is probably not much good on offense. So, I tried two types of analysis. LOTT tells a strong story. Most likely both sides have one eight card fit - 16 trumps. Evidently, no voids or very long side suits. My ♣ K973 is a negative adjustment. Looks suspiciously like a 15 trick hand. If we make 4♠ (unlikely), then their limit in clubs is five tricks. Hard to buy that. Going plus at 2♠ also looks pretty good. I Fought the Law tells a similar story. Assuming pard has a stiff ♣, then our total of 'working points' is likely 10 in ♠ and 4 or 5 in ♦ (or maybe the ♥ ace) for a total of, say, 14.5. According to IFL tables (pg.149), we have nine tricks. Turns out partner had: A1094 AK982 Q4 108 This is a good hand for the earlier bidding so they accepted my stupid game try.

:P Well, 3♣ is a cue bid of the opponents' suit. One does need a general purpose game force since my hand is unlimited.

:P I can see two variants in a non-thru-the-lookinglass world. Both start with 1♥ - 2♦ - dbl. Now, south can bid either 4♦ or 5♦. Either way, the worst N-S can do is -300 in 5♦ doubled.

:P It's not the worst contract in the world. You need either a club lead and split spade honors, or split spade honors and the club hook. If the opps give you enough time, there might even be a squeeze. Still, you shouldn't bid it. North was at fault pushing with 4-3-3-3 and 14 HCP opposite 15 or 16 HCP and a fit with a six-bagger but no big spade fit. W/o a ruffing trick in the north hand, your side just does not have enuf stuff for slam. Just settle at 3NT. Consider that w/o the spade 109, which didn't figure in the auction, your play for 6♦ is minimal.

:P Actually no, but the BBO software kept typing that in for me when I was setting the question up, so I just gave in to it. It would be a good use for the bid, however.

:P Playing BBO SAYC plus support doubles. IMP pairs. White vs red. Partner deals and opens 1 ♥. RHO passes and you hold: KQJ8 10 J1098 K974 You bid 1♠. LHO overcalls 2♣. Partner raises to 2♠ (showing 4). RHO passes. Your bid.