jdeegan

:D Modern ethics and duplicate bridge have made conventions like Fishbein obsolete. I can recall old-time, rough-and-tumble, relatively high stakes rubber bridge games where psychic preempts followed by dial-a-suit were not uncommon. Fishbein was a necessary survival tool at those tables.

:D Dear Winston, Delightful to be able to enter into this distinguished forum you have sponsored. Perhaps, I can summarize. Over a 1♥ or 1♠ opening the preferred method is always for a 2 level reverse to show extras - a king or better. This also works well over 1♦-P-2♣-P , although you may occasionally have to rebid 2NT with 4-4-4-1 shape and a minimum. You keep the bidding lower with the slightly better hand, a hand which is hard to show any other way. Slams with 15-17 HCP opposite 14-17 HCP plus a little distribution can be hard to bid sometimes because neither partner appreciates the full potential of the combined hands. Overcoming this as best one can is the reason to play 2/1 in the first place.

:) Case for leading the spade ace - spade trick might go away on the heart suit. Diamond tricks may not, e.g. four card diamond holding with stiff spade and three hearts.

:) This answer says it all.

:) I do not think one should lead low from three small against a slam. A problem arises when Kx(x)(x) hits in dummy and declarer has the stiff Q (or Qxx opposite K). You have AJ10(x). You don't lose a trick in the suit by playing the 10, but against a slam that trick may be trick 14 or 15. Against lower contracts, the chances of recovering that trick are much, much greater.

:) [hv=d=n&v=b&s=sqj54h6d32cqj8753]133|100|Scoring: IMP 1♥-P-???[/hv] Playing 2/1 with a good partner vs competent opponents. No Flannery. I used to think it was automatic to bid with this hand with 6 HCP. Recently, I came across a formal way to (approximately) properly adjust for soft values which seems to work fairly well. Add 1/2 point for each ace and subtract 1/4 point for each queen and jack. On that basis, this hand 'revalues' to 5 HCP. My experience tells me it may be worth a bit less than that opposite a 1♥ opener. Even so, it is a sweet looking playing hand in clubs or opposite four spades. What to do? Is it as close as I think it is?

:) The actual opposite hand: A8 A10532 QJ3 K105 Six hearts is a laydown. Possible to reach after either a double or 4H. If you pass, partner may well pass, and you defend 3S for +100. If he balances with a double, +680 or +1430. Ooops, this was actually LHO's hand. If you pass, you go -170 or -420. If you bid 4H, you go -800. If you double and LHO passes or redoubles, partner will bid 4C. You likely can take eight tricks in clubs. You get out for -200 if LHO passes out 4C or -500 if he doubles. If you bid 4H over 4C, -800. The lesson, if any, from this particular hand confirms the panel's choice of double. Its flexibility pays off in more of the possible cases. Pass looks like a decent option. Secondary lesson, preempts are fun, esp. when you are the preemptor. [hv=d=e&v=n&n=s32h64da652cj9762&w=sa8ha10532dqj3ck105&e=skq109765h7d1094c83&s=sj4hkqj98dk87caq4]399|300|Scoring: IMP 3♠-???[/hv]

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sj4hkqj98dk87caq4]133|100|Scoring: IMP 3♠-??[/hv] Indy IMP pairs. First hand of the day. Unknown partner. Whaddya think? :wacko:

I seem to recall old folk wisdom that one should never preempt a preempter... While my D's are very nice, this is still a 11 HCP, 6 loser hand. =AT UNFAVORABLE VULNERABILITY= The only reason to bid here is if the odds favor us being in Game. If there is any question as to whether We are saccing or not, bidding is suicidal. GOP needs 4 cover cards for me to make 5D. We may belong in 4S. For which he needs 3 good cards opposite my hand. Worse, =I'm in front of GOP=. He may take me seriously and put me in 6. Being aggressive about finding red games at IMPs does not mean one should make "Marie Antoinette" bids (those that put our head in the guillotine.). There are too many minuses and too high a risk in bidding. Pass. :lol: I have to agree with this posting. Look at it this way: I have 11 HCP and opener has 8-10 HCP. A 50-50 split of the outstanding high cards would leave about 10 HCP for partner. With minor suit finesses (if any) less than 50-50 on the bidding, his expected 10 HCP usually won't leave me any decent play for 5♦. A red vs white save against 4♥ seems a minor possibility, here. So, opposite the average hand, it seems to me that 5♦ loses. I think this makes it a losing position, on balance. Also, with a strongish hand partner will double or bid 4♠, so passing here is not taking an irrevokable position. At MP's or against stronger opposition at IMP's I would be more likely to take a chance on 5♦.

:P Pass. Automatic.

:P 2♠. Most likely spot for a plus score. Also, I want a spade lead against 3♥. Pass is safe, but it feels like a loser.

So the question is, what is the direct raise to 2♠ worth opposite a passed hand versus the 2♦ rebid. :P For me, the ♦ suit is too good, and the ♠ support too weak to raise 1♠ to 2♠.

:P 3♠. It sounds like partner is 5-6 (maybe 5-5) in the blacks. If only 5-5, I think he should have a good playing hand with decent intermediates in his long suits. Since a very possible 'magic' hand: AQJxx void xx AKJxxx produces a lay down grand, it behooves me to at least leave bidding room for investigating slam. If partner bids 4♠ over my 3♠, should I continue with 5♦? I think so. What do you think?

:) Playing in a BBO indy, matchpoints, where SAYC is the default system. You open 1 NT (strong). LHO bids 2♣, evidently natural. Partner doubles. Is this for penalties or negative? How do you play this auction with your regular partners? How come?

:P :wacko: 5♠. The preempt has done its job. There is very little bidding room. I can't bid an uncertain seven. Six looks like a make, maybe. So, I'm going to try to find the best strain for a small slam. I am assuming that 4NT may be a three suit takeout bid. Furthermore, I do have first round spade control. If pard has a real rock crusher, and he/she hints at seven, I'm going to bid it.

:wacko: 4♥. This may be off base, but by my lights, I am looking at a 'high card heavy' 5♣ bid. So, a cue bid on the way to 5♣ seems properly descriptive. With any kind of casual partnership, I would bid 5♣ to avoid the prospect of a misunderstanding.

:wacko: Pass. wtp?

:wacko: I think I would go for a scramble approach. Hook the heart, ruff two hearts in dummy, and hope LHO has to ruff my diamond loser. I end up winning two hearts, two diamonds, six clubs in hand and two ruffs in dummy. So, hook the heart. Play ace of hearts . Play AK of diamonds. Ruff a heart. Ruff spade back to hand (with small club). Ruff last heart. Ruff spade in hand. Play diamond loser. My hand at this point would be: ----- ----- x K10 Or, if LHO started with only two hearts and discarded two spades on the third and fourth round of hearts, I can ruff the last spade high and endplay LHO into the 108 of spades. My hand would be: --- --- x 108 On some E-W distributions (esp. where my RHO holds the diamond queen), LHO can underruff at trick 10 and let my RHO win the diamond trick in order to get off the endplay. Let them find it, if it is really the case. This is a situation where one's table feel and demeanor might prove to be important.

:P 4♥, I'm not a gambler on this hand unless the state of the match dictates.

:) All you need in partner's hand for a virtual laydown seven heart bid is the ace of clubs and the king of diamonds. You want to develop an auction that leads to cue bidding controls as opposed to wholesale asking bids (i.e. Blackwood). Playing 2/1 a 2♦ response makes sense. Playing SAYC, a 3♦ strong jump shift is a good start. A game forcing heart raise like a Jacoby 2NT should also work well. 1♥-P-2NT(Jacoby 2NT)-P 3♦(singleton)-P-3♠(cue bid)-P 4♣(club ace)-P-4♦(diamond ace)-P 4♥-P-4♠(first and second round spade controls) At this point partner will be momentarily confused, until he works out your spade void. He will be concerned about trump honors, but you will keep pushing. Six is certain, and seven is still possible if partner has the diamond king or six hearts.

:) I don't care for North's bidding. He has, IMO, a 2♣ opener. His T.O. double is not a good constructive call. What is he supposed to bid over partner's 4♦ response? A 3NT bid would have been MUCH better. That said, the blame is South's. He has an easy 4♥ call.

:) One point not mentioned in earlier posts: opener is on an absolute max for his opening bid, therefore, chances are that the contract will make. One club, three or four diamonds, two spades and one or more hearts. My magic hand for LHO is: Axxx AJx Jx J10xx At IMPs its worth ducking to cater to this genre of hands, unlikely as they may be. But, at MPs its best to get our tricks ASAP before something bad happens.

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=skj10872ha84dc8652]133|100|Scoring: IMP 1♦-2♣-???[/hv] :rolleyes: What now? Pass, double, 2♠ or what? What is your plan? I have no clue.

:) Oooops, transcribed the wrong hand.[hv=d=w&v=b&n=saha98642d98c10872&w=skqj96h10dakq742ck&e=s10832hqj753d863c93&s=s754hkdj105caqj654]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] Some might not open the West hand for 1♠. Others might bid with the North hand. The subjective nature of this type of analysis makes it much more useful to the analyst than to anyone else.

:) I generated 100 hands using a loose screen and Pavlicek's random generator. From this I winnowed it down to 49 hands that fit the bidding. As is often the case with forum hands, the choice between alternatives (passing or 2♣ in this case) was fairly close. According to my (admittedly imperfect) analysis, bidding 2♣ was a winner 26 times and a loser 15 times with eight cases essentially even. 2♣ was a big winner five times (club and NT games) and a big loser five times (three heart games). Observations: 1) wide variety of outcomes - no one or two consistent themes 2) the big swings are about even 3) better to balance with 2♣ against strong club systems and WJS opponents 4) worse to balance against old fashioned Eastern Scientific players who open 1♠ with heavy two suited hands 5) on about one third of the hands' outcome depends on skill of players - better to balance vs weaker players - poor play of 1♠ less a factor than opponent's poor competitive bidding and defense versus your contract. Complicate the hand against lesser opponents. One potential double game swing hand showed up. [hv=d=w&v=b&n=saj102ha75d3c109832&w=skq986hj10864dakck&e=s3hq932dq987642c7&s=s754hkdj105caqj654]399|300|Scoring: IMP 1♠-P-P-2♣ [/hv] Would you find the stiff king of clubs offside? Or the diamond ruff versus 4♥?