pbleighton

Misho writes: "Note: After 9-11 ( or 10-12 ) you need different responses and different bids after opp intervention!" I have read that I need different stuff. Can you provide me what you use, and/or a link(s) to such a method?

I won't even attempt to answer your question on its bridge merits, but I have one of my own: "Partner now insulted me by playing the Diamond Q." Assuming that it was a foreseeably bad play not to give you a ruff, why would you consider this an insult, and not a mistake?

Assuming you are playing 2/1, not SAYC, I interpret your partner's bidding to show one of two hand types: 1) Long (6/good 5) diamonds, 4 spades, and 2 hearts. 2) 4-5 diamonds, a spade stopper, and 2 hearts, balanced distribution. He may have 3 clubs, but probably not. Don't bid clubs now. 3H could be slow arrival, but could just be showing 2 hearts, to give you the choice of 3NT and 4H. Even with extra values, partner's values are in your void and singleton, and you only have 10 hcp. You probably can't ruff a club in dummy. You have at least one trump loser. Bid 4 hearts. The real question is: why did you rebid that terrible heart suit arather than bidding 3 clubs?

This thread continues Misho Part 2 (Precision), on a subject of particular interest to me. My partner and I, playing SA, have been playing 11-14 NT for a couple of months. We will shortly be switching to Precision, and are trying to decide what NT range to use initially. With another partner, I have played Precision using first a 12-15, no 4 card major, in an off-shape Precision variant (since abandoned), and then 10-12 NV/14-16 Vul, which seems to be OK. I am considering: 1) 10-12 NV/14-16 Vul 2) 10-12 all vuls 3) 11-13 all vuls 4) 11-14 all vuls 5) 12-15 all vuls 6) 10-12 NV/11-13 Vul 7) 10-12 NV/11-14 Vul 8) 10-12 NV/12-14 Vul 9) 10-12 NV/12-15 Vul I'm looking for some guidance from those who have played a weak NT. Any general comments/recommendations, plus: 1) We very much like weak NT. We are inexperienced, and perhaps enjoy its preemptive nature a little too much. Richard (Hrothgar) suggested to me using 10-12 at all vuls. My gut says YES, but I'm wary of my gut. Does anyone have experience playing 10-12 Vul? Is 11-13 much safer? 2) We started playing 11-14 with only "good" 11s, but in practice this has changed to most 11s (open 11 unless very bad). The 4 point range has given us problems a couple of times, though we like the opening frequency. What do you think of 11-14, and even more, 12-15. We are thinking of 12-15, plus opening (34)-1-5 shapes 2D, so that 1D will always have at least 3 diamonds, almost always 4, and never be balanced. What is you experience with 4 point notrump ranges? Peter

I can't find a link to this Forum on the main bridgebase.com page. Am I missing it? Is this intentional?

"It seems to me that in the long run destructive bidding by the opponents over a weak/strong system would gain you a lot of good results. Do you find this to be so? No the exact opposite. Over 80% of the time the 1C opener will hold a WNT type hand. If you bid destructively over this you run the risk of not finding your own optimum contract. " I believe you misunderstood my (probably unclear) post - I was supposing that destructive bidding BY THE OPPONENTS over a weak/strong club would benefit YOU.

"I don't know where these people have been playing weak/strong club systems but against your average club player or on-line player I've found those people tend to ignore the weak option and bid destructively. Even though the weak option is more common, it reminds them of precision and so they adopt their normal precision defense even though it is silly. It might be much better in countries outside the US. I've never run into anyone playing a weak/strong club system and so people don't know they need to bid constructively over them. " Regardless of the frequency (which it seems varies considerably by location and maybe level of play), It seems to me that in the long run destructive bidding by the opponents over a weak/strong system would gain you a lot of good results. Do you find this to be so?

1) When opening traditional weak 2s (2H = hearts only), what limitations are there on strength and suit length. I have read about the "Bergen Rule", and have read that it has been repealed. The only thing I can find in the GCC is under Disallowed: conventional responses after: "...weak two-bids which by partnership agreement are not within a range of 7 HCP and or do not show at least five cards in the suit." Does this mean that: a) 0-10 hcp and 3+ cards is OK, but you can't use conventional responses to it? :o 4-10 hcp and 5+ cards is absolutely OK, no restrictions? 2) If I used B), would this be alertable? How about using it only when NV?

In the first or second seat, playing with my regular partner, I would open this 1S (pickup partner = Pass). In the third seat, too many losers for game. When I read the post at first, I thought 2S. I think Richard may be right, however. So: At the table, 2S. In this post, 3S. ;D

Misho writes: ""Commander" can make GREAT tactical and bluff bids, like: strong "preempt" raise to 4 level, waiting opponents to bid for dbl them; crazy "preempt" without fear from strong opener; bluffing in suit and close to game" I am familiar with the first two, and like them very much. Could you explain the third? Also any other bluffs/tactics specific to systems with limited opening bids? Also, Ron mentioned the sequence 1H 1S 3C/D. What sort of hand would you do this on - max (14-15) with a decent 4+ card minor? Peter

Ron writes: "Today a more common method is for responder to use the step bid to limit his hand to 9-12, and to bid something else with 13+ eg 1C 1S 2C 2D shows 9-12, nothing to do with Ds. Other bids show 13+" I have been wresting with this issue, and the approach you cite is interesting. Questions: 1) Does the step bid exclude bids of suits previously bid by either party? How about NT? What are the step bids in these auctions (opps silent): a) 1C-1S-1NT ;) 1C-1S-2S c) 1C-1S-2D 2) When the opener has no convenient rebid, is there a "waiting" bid designated? 3) Does opener use slow arrival to signal reciprical interest in slam, or is there another mechanism? 4) Would you use TAB and CABs in auctions where there is immediate support for responder's suit by the opener?

I regret that circumstances prevented me from watching any of the match. Can I use myhands, or something else, to look at some boards? Who were the participants to look for? BTW, who won (though it proves nothing as Ron says), and by how much?

Luis - you are showing off ;)

Here's to learning from your (my) mistakes: a) Nobody vul, do you open this hand: 954,A2,76,AQT975 ? 1C opening light, 3C with sound-opening partner :) All vul. Do you open this one: AKT953,5,9753,QJ ? Open 2S. Opening light, you could open 1S, but it looks like a good weak two to me. c) All vul. Your hand: A942,K,KT873,AJ6. You open 1d, RHO bids 3H, pass pass do you reopen? how? I feel lucky, and bid 3S. Very lucky. d) NV vrs vul. AQ, AKQ974, 72, A43 LHO opens 2s, pass, 3s. You bid 3NT, LHO now bids 4s! pass pass. Your bid? Double for penaties. e) Vul all. A8,KQJT832,A3,A4. Nice hand uh? The bidding goes: You pd 1h 1n 2n 3c (x) 1n is forcing for 1 round and shows 5+ spades. 2n is forcing by agreement. Your bid? I don't understand the implications of your bids. However: 4H. f) J,J84,QT96, AK982 You are vul against not, pd opens 1h and RHO bids 4spades. Your bid? Double.

I have a copy of Nightmare, if anyone wants it - email me at pbleighton@hotmail.com

Re- Precision I've been playing it a little. An experienced Precision player at my club says that using a strong NT (she actually uses 16-18, most use 15-17) takes the weakest bids out of the 1C opening, and makes rebidding and penalty doubling easier. She says that she doubles for penalties a lot.

If you play weak jump shifts, you can respond 3C over 1H.

"Thanks very much, how to deal with weak hand with 6 card club suit then?" Bid 2NT. This is a bad bid, but anything else is worse. Think, if you are playing Standard Amercan, and you have 6-9(10) hcp, and your partner bids 1 spade, and you don't have 3 spades. You bid 1NT.

1) 3C (new suit at 3 level) is forcing for one round. 2) With pds hand I would have bid 3NT. Unless you have 4 clubs, 3NT is the place to be, and you have shown 2 suits. Pd has 8, you should have 17, he has a balanced hand and a source of tricks. 3) I agree with Richard that you are too weak for a reverse, though I personally don't bid 1NT with a singleton. 4) In standard bidding (which I define by default as Bill Root's Commonsense Bidding), the auction would have gone 1H-1NT-P (assuming no interference).

Not sure what flaps are, but I am reasonable certain I don't have them ;) - I make these posts so that I may someday acquire them, whatever they are. But note that I wouldn't be the one stopping in 4H - partner would bid 4H with a dead minimum opener, a poor suit for slam, 3 spade losers, and his outside ace in my short suit. I'm not saying this is good bidding (I doubt that it is), but it's what I'd do.

I want to play in 4H. 1H-4D-4H. The chances that spades is a better strain that hearts is very low, and this is MPs. What is the composition of the teams on Friday?

Is it possible to only see your hand and partner's hand when you are dummy, instead of all 4 hands?

I used to be able to find it, but now I can't (I'm losing it :)). Where is it?

Ron writes: "A decent 5+ suit and about 6 or so points should be willing to compete at the 2 level. Need a better suit at the 3 level." You would then use 3x as competing with a good 6 card suit and 6+ hcp? Would this be invitational to 3NT/4M, or to play (I think)? If not invitational, what do you do with inviatational hands? What do you do with GF values and a good 5 card major? I don't yet play Lebensohl/Rubinsohl (2NT is just invitational to 3NT). Do you have a useful link? My online partner wants to play Lebensohl. One of my ftf partners is experienced but doesn't like Lebensohl, another is willing to learn new bidding stuff, but has a limited amount of time to study. He recently agreed to switch to Precision (yes!), so we won't be adding many non-Precision specific stuff any time soon. Do you have a suggestion to use with my ftf partners (no Lebensohl/Rubinsohl)?

I'm looking for general guidance here. NT is 11-14. Let's say first hand opens 1NT, second hand bids 2H - natural. 1) Under what circumstances should responder compete with sub-invitational values at the 2 level, and at the 3 level? 2) What meanings would you apply to 2S and 3 of a suit after the 2H interference?