jdeegan

I think most Americans want the Euro to succeed. It may eventually create a rival to the USD as a reserve currency, but these folks are our neighbors. The total value of issuing dollars for that use is 'only' about $30 to 50 billion per year - not much in the overall scheme of things. The Euro's growing pains are mildly amusing to watch at a distance here in America. We had our own problems establishing the dollar back in the 19th century. Imagine, being swindled by a wily Greek. The Greek, much less the German, taxpayers are clearly not amused. The French and German bankers are squealing like pigs, but, alas, hardly anyone ever seems to feel sorry for bankers in distress. A major motivation of the people who created the Euro was to eliminate the possibility of another war between France and Germany. It was also a logical extention of the EEC customs union, which was created, in part, for that same reason. The low countries loved it. Italy, Spain, Greece and (God love them) Ireland got carried along because of the success of the EEC. How will it turn out? Who knows? The core group of France, Germany and the Benelux will almost surely hang in there and give it at least a second and third chance. The rest of the group really have something to think about.

Ahhh... Krugman!! What a success story! Humble schoolteacher becomes the Rush Limbaugh of the American left!

:P 4♥. Am I a favorite to make 4♥? Yes. Might 4♥ go down? With a bad ♥ split or no ♠ ace, yeah. What about a 3♥ bid? Maybe, but it's anti-percentage. How about supporting ♠? See JLOGIC comment.

:P 2♣ for me. Bidding game in spades is for sure. Slam is possible, but I need to elicit pard's opinion and find out more about what he has. My hand is heaven or hell. It is very soft but might have a ton of playing tricks opposite the right holding. Pard needs controls and either a ♥ suit or a ♣ fit. Axxxx Kxxx Axx A is only a king better than a min, but enough for a near laydown six. If it comes up, I might even be able to splinter later. You presented a very interesting hand. IMO and those of its inventors a 4♦ splinter should be what is called a 'picture' bid. Like Goldilocks' porridge it's not too weak and not too strong, and it's major feature is it's singleton. Most of the time it is 4-4-4-1 shape, but it can be 5-4-3-1 if the 5 bagger is weak. You probably shouldn't do it with a void or less than four trumps because you are telling pard to discount any cards in the splinter suit other than the ace. The Jacoby 2NT is an excellent convention which I had a hand in helping Jake invent. It normally shows 4 trumps after a major suit opening, and it forces to game and is unlimited on the upside. There are a myriad of very good bidding systems you can use to continue after the 2NT bid. I recommend you and your regular partners start with something simple. The simplest good system is as follows over, say, 1♠-Pass-2NT-Pass-???: 4♠ shows a weak opener with no singleton or void 3 ♣, ♦, or ♥ shows a singleton or void in that suit 3♠ shows no singleton or void and at least a King better than a minimum 4 ♣, ♦ or ♥ shows a second 5 card suit 4 NT asks for aces or is Roman Key Card Blackwood

:P 2♣ seems clear to me. Other posters have made the point that partner is almost surely short in spades so that the odds of a club fit are excellent. With your HCP power and the spade hook a 10-1 favorite, you can handle almost any subsequent bidding sequence. 3NT, 4♥ or 5♣ are all possible depending on pard's hand.

:P There is actually a decent arguement for NOT playing negative doubles in this particular auction (God forbid, did I really say that?). North almost has a 3♣ bid, but that bid is a little rich because it makes for a potentially very fast auction. A negative double with the idea of bidding clubs later fails if pard responds 3♦. My major candidate for blame has to be South because I, personally, would reopen with 2♠, but you can't really condemn a reopening double. Maybe the use of the negative double in this auction is the real culprit. North can always do a job on this kind of hand with a little subtle UI if he holds a penalty pass, so maybe this is what makes a bad system playable.

:P It is almost axiomatic that if both you AND your partner misbid, you will end up in a hopeless contract. Partner's 2♠ was horrible. Your failure to bid 3♦ was silly. Keep trying, though. The game is complicated, but you will learn it.

:P 3♠, wtp?

:P 2NT Pard needs almost the magic hand for six. Might as well see if he thinks he has it.

:P 2NT for me, but there is nothing really wrong with 1♣.

:P I think it has to be a re-transfer. Consider that the only hand that has shown slam interest is the one that is limited, say, 20-21 HCP with no singletons or voids. Responder could have very little, and right-siding the spade contract is important. Or put it this way: if I were the 2NT opener, I would always bid 4♠.

:P Playing pairs games in North America I have tried just about everything legal over the years, and the 6-7 card weak two bid worked out best for me. It comes up fairly often, and it seems to trip up even good opponents more often than you would think. I recommend using it with 4-10 HCP range animal-style when non-vul. My objective is to just get back even with the field when it is our hand but to preempt the opponents when it is their hand. Non-vul even something like: A94 75 1098752 96 would be OK with me, esp. in third seat. I expect partner to raise with three-card support.

:P My dogs are blonde Cocker bitches from the same litter we named Rita and Marilyn, 20 and 22 pounds respectively and about 11 years old. The wife is somewhat larger and older, but she has been behaving fairly well as of late.

:P I completely agree with MrAce. This why partner has to have a bunch of high cards for the double. He is, in part, protecting against getting swindled. Notwithstanding, you still have to bid with 5-5 in the minors.

:P My dogs don't respect me anymore. Should I kick them in the ass, or just roll over and die?

:P My plan would be to take the first 13 tricks. 7♦, 3♥, 2♠ and a ♣.

:P the integral of e to the x = fun.

:P It is a good place to start. Analysis is not magic.

:P I gotta remember to learn kickback and last train before I jump back into the deep end of the pool. The big wtf problem with this hand is the temptation of the big ♦ hand to bid 3NT over 3♠ because the objective of the auction is undefined. This transfers the onus on the duke with AK AK to sniff at slam. Maybe 4NT would work? People get so caught up in the elegance of some auctions that they forget the ugly, conversational invitational bids. Bidding language is so limited that sometimes you just have to trust to chance. I have to add that a 3NT rebid over 1♥ with that hand with no ♠ card makes no sense to me.

:P The bidding does not make sense. Someone has misbid their hand. I have to assume it is my opps and lead the ace of ♥ hoping that a second ♥ lead will be obvious.

:P I'm not sure I have learned anything about bidding since 1976, but I do know thanks to Dorothy Hayden that bidding is conversational. When opener bids 4♥ he is saying that he has enough extras to suggest that slam is possible, but no minor suit aces. Responder is fairly minimal, so a pessimistic 4♠ isn't out of the question, but with AK A in the minors and BIG source of tricks if pard has the ♦ queen (it sounds like he may have it) I think you ought to hazard 5♣. After that, it's easy.

:P You are both wrong.

:P Now I get it. The return of the ♦ deuce calls for a club. But, why did he play the ♦ ace and king in the wrong order? Maybe I should lead the ♣ king? I don't see how that can hurt. Partner opened the bidding, so he must have more than just the ♦ AK. Maybe because he is one of the best players in the world, and you are paying him plenty, he has the ♣ ace and wants to wake you up so that you see that your side needs to cash both clubs before you uppercut dummy with the 4th diamond.

:P Gosh Jon, I can't imagine why that Saddam Hussain follow decided on an unprevoked invasion of Iran in 1980. My Iraqi friends at the time weren't talking, for sure. Perhaps it had something to do with that German or that Italian guy and how that 1870's European experience was later interpreted by a miserable Christian Syrian. Old Saddam ended up messing with the day to day life of the rich countries in the world. The misery he brought down on his own people might have been less in perfect world if the good old USA had behaved differently, but you know about port-mortems.

:P I think getting upset about self-ranking is stupid. If you are one of the better players in your city, then you must be an Expert. If you have won a few well-attended tournament events, you must be Advanced. If you have represented your country, you must be World Class. Duplicate bridge is played mostly for one's ego. I know local non-BBO players who would consider themselves Expert who wouldn't recognize a simple squeeze if it bit them on the nose. The great thing about BBO is that it does throw you into the deep end of the pool.