pbleighton

Practice bidding Precision, using 2/1 GF over the majors, the bidding went 1S-2D-2H-2S(meant as slow arrival - good 3 card support, some slam interest)-3H. Partner was 55 in the majors, so this was meant as a rebid. How would he have cue bid the heart ace if he had slam interest and 4 hearts? Does it make any difference that the opening is limited (11-15 hcp)? Peter

Ben writes: "...And you forgo preemptive jumpshifts or fit jumps (my preference)." You may have answered my next question - what is your recommended use for jump shifts? Fit jumps - they are game forcing, 4+ trumps, 5+ cards (or 4?), decent suit? You then forego 1M-3M as a preempt, unless all invitational bids go through 1NT forcing? Peter

I have heard of these as a use for jump shits playing 2/1. 1) I understand the requirements are a decent 6 card suit and invitational (but not game forcing) values. Is this right? 2) Do they deny support for partner's suit? 3) What do you think of them? Peter

Tough one. If I had one more trump, I would definitely cue bid the diamond void. Partner may have something like x-AKJ10xxx-xx-KJx I'm feeling lucky today. 5D anyway.

My simple-minded analysis: This seems like a battle of the sacrificers. You want to lose this battle. Pass at IMPs, double at MPs. Who knows :) Please post the result after you get some replies. Peter

I would bid 4C, which is not forcing.

There seems to be general agreement that overcalling on the one level with a good four card major is a good idea, at least occasionally - Richard seems to like to do it more frequently. Moysian fits don't scare me - at the two level. My experience with them at the four level hasn't been so good :) If you and your partenr have agreed to overcall with four, and the bidding goes 1D-1S-P-?, what do you bid with: 1) Kxx-xx-AJxx-AKxx 2) KQx-xx-Axxx-KQxx 3) Kxx-xx-Axxx-Axxx My answers would be 4S, 4S, and 3S, and hope. Can you do better? Peter

May I add a few questions to your thread. 1) How does the overcaller's partner respond with three card support? I would think that with a weak (6-10 hcp) hand, you should raise to the two level. Is this so? 2) If the overcaller was strong and wishes to invite to game, then does he bid 2NT to indicate 4 cards? 3) How does the overcaller's partner invite to game with three card support (differeniated from four card support)? 4) Does vulnerability make a difference in which four card major hands you would overcall with?

This seems like an appropriate thread for this one: Assume that after a penalty double of 1NT, the opener's partner runs to a suit. If the doubler doubles again, is it for penalty or takeout (or optional)? Assume doubler's partner is silent. Do the following matter: 1) NT range 2) Vulnerability 3) Whether it is a suit takeout or a preference by the 1NT bidder based on his partner doing a DONT style (or something else) runout sequence? Peter

"I thought about 4h, but think my hand is too good for it. How about 4d?" 1) Why is your hand too good for 4H? It perfectly describes what you have - a 6-7 hcp hand which has been improved by partner's 2H bid. Your hand is worth 9 or 10 dummy points. 4H is perfect, IMO. 2) What would you expect your partner to interpret 4D as? And what would he do, except to go to 4H, unless he had a monster, in which case he would push towards slam, the same as if you bid 4H? Peter

According to Precision Today (Berkowitz and Stanley), it is not forcing. Logically, your partner may have a minimum hand with club support. You have denied 8 hcp. What else should he do but pass? I would have bid 4H. Peter

Ben - Thank you! Peter

Ron writes: "Luis, Ben et al, what you need to ask is "What is the purpose of this exercise?" If it is to produce a bbo version of moscito that can be played on line etc, then I guess it does not really matter much what shape it takes as long as it is not too difficult to learn. If otoh the purpose is to produce a system that introduces people to relay bidding, then there is no doubt that this system should be based on the Symmetric structure. Why? The Symmetric engine is transportable and has been used as a basis of many systems, not least of which the original Symmetric relay. Having a grasp of Symmetric provides a player with transferable skills." If Ron is correct about the transferability of Symmetric relays beyond Moscito (and from my very limited knowledge he is), I think that this is a powerful argument for using Symmetric relays. It will be more useful for those who learn it, and it will be more attractive to learn, both for relay newbies and for those who have played Symmetric relays in a non-Moscito system. That said, however, what implications, if any, does changing the relay structure have for German Moscito? Are we opening up a can of worms? Just asking. Peter

A bad result (MPs) from last night: Dealer opened 1D. In the second seat, I held: Q10xxx-AKxx-Kx-xx I agonized, and passed. 75% of the field didn't pass, and made 2H, while we let the opps have the contract. I passed because of the combination of 12 hcp and a doubleton in the unbid suit. How important is a doubleton in an unbid suit? I assume it's much worse if it's in a major.

Luis writes: "but the German version is as legal as precision" Is German Moscito GCC Legal?

Ben is right - I am proposing a systematic response with 0 hcp - I mentioned Misho's psyche idea because that's what triggered mine. A couple of points: 1) My understanding is that non-game-forcing transfer responses over suit bids aren't GCC legal. Is this correct? I want to play this at my club as well as BBO. 2) Ben - are the transfer responses how you use 2 level raises as 0-6, or do you have another method? Peter

Another direction for the thread! Luis writes: "The problem with this approach is that you completely lose the 1nt contract, playing precision a normal 6-10 or 7-10 1NT bid is very useful since pd can pass 1nt or bid on with a suitable hand. " You then feel that 2/1 with 1NT forcing is inferior to Standard (2/1 = inv+, 1NT = natural) when playing Precision? I have wondered about this, because opening most 11 hcp hands throws a lot into the 1NT bucket. Do you think that there is another reason to prefer Standard to 2/1 when playing Precision, or do you just feel generally that the loss of the 1NT natural bid is a good reason not to play 2/1? Peter

This is probably off the wall, but... Misho wrote about bluffs in Precision (11-15 hcp openers): "1NT response with near 0 hcp in favorite vul. I will pass any response, jump one will be with good distribution" Would it be feasible to SYSTEMATICALLY respond 1NT with as little as 0 hcp NV/Fav Vul, as long as you have 3 card support. If opener rebids 2 of the major, pass. If he bids 2m or 2H, prefer to the first bid suit. The partnership agreement would have to be that a preference to 2M would either be passed, or raised to 3M with a max and a good 6 card suit. In the event of a Precision-specific reverse or jump shift, showing a max and a 5+ card side suit, a preference to 3M would have to be a sign off. 1) What do you think of this, as is or with modifications? 2) If this is no good, is there another way to use the limited openings to be more aggressive? Ben (Inquiry) wrote in another thread (Bergen) of using a raise to 2 as showing 0-6 hcp and 3 trumps, and a raise to 3 0-6 and 4 trumps. This would actually be better preemptively. I was unclear as to how 7-10 hcp with 3 card support would be shown, unless it was mixed in the with preference to 2M after 1NT, which can also be 2 cards. Any thoughts to help me as I stumble along? ;D Peter

"If you opened 1NT or bid natural NT at anytime, you can not pull. If you have limited your hand with a simple rebid, you can not pull." Does this mean that you cannot pull after an 11-15 limited Precision opening? Related question: Would you open the hand you cited S-KQJTx H-void D-KQJT52 C-Q2 1C or 1D in Precision? Make the CQ the K and it's 1C, but...

Richard: 1) The bidding went 2D-P-2H-All Pass Partner was second hand with AJ85-J8-Q109xx-Jx I was fourth hand with 109xxx-AKQ-K8x-Ax (no excuse for passing - I just froze) Looking at the Dixon link - I think the second hand is too weak to speak, though it is unclear. The fourth hand defense is simpler - I just should have doubled for takeout, as I should have done naturally. In your opinion, was the second hand strong enough to speak, using Dixon? 2) What do you suggest for defense to Multi - have met it a couple of times and was clueless. I will leave you to guess where I encounter this stuff, BBO or my local (U.S.) club....

I had read about this, and had been lookin forward to playing against it. My first time, we lost 12 IMPS ??? Our opps were the only pair which opened, and due to my unfamiliarity with it I just plain chickened out, and they made 2H instead of us making 4S. What's a good, simple defense to Wilkosz?

You are in the fourth seat, and the bidding goes: 1D-1S-P-? Your partner never or almost never overcalls with a 4 card suit, but the overcall may be light (8 hcp, or 6-7 with a decent suit). What is your bid with the following hands? 1) xxx-xx-xxxx-xxxx 2) xxxx-x-xxxx-xxxx 3) Kxx-xx-xxxx-xxxx 4) Kxxx-x-xxxx-xxxx 5) Kxx-Qxxx-xx-AJxx 6) Kxx-Qxxx-xx-AQxx 7) KJx-Qxxx-xx-AQxx 8) KJx-KQxx-xx-AQxx 9) KJx-AKxxx-Ax-AKx Peter

I'm against this. In the end, it would turn out to be something for people to argue about. Let's just play bridge.

Oh dear. You should: 1) Curse yourself for not opening 1NT, and 2) Bid 1NT, except, 3) I just started a thread on raising partner with 3. Would anyone raise to 2S on this? Of course, 2S shows a minimum opener, too ??? I will reverse with two four card suits, but not on this hand (give me a queen).

The book I learned Standard American from is Root's Commonsense Bidding. Root says that on the opener's first rebid, it takes four to support partner's suit (except for 1S-2H, where it takes three). Under rare circumstances, you may support with good three card support (his example: KQ2). He implies that in competition, you do whatever you can. I have seen, in play and bridge columns, people raising with three more liberally than this. Example (opps silent): Opener holds K53-642-63-AKQJ6, opens 1C, responder bids 1S, opener rebids 2S. Has this become common, and do you agree with it? If so, what guidelines/examples can you give me for raising with three (major vs minor, 1/1 vs 2/1, etc.). And what of the responder's rebid? I understand that a delayed raise implies fewer trumps, but what of the sequence 1D-1S-2C-3C - what does this promise?