pbleighton

"I have no quotes about the leading Democrats. Winston do you know where Mrs. Clinton, Edwards or Obama stand on this issue? Do they just think it is phony or manufactured? I am not sure." Your clear implication is that either someone agrees with Bush on "we are at war with radical Islam", or thinks there is no threat or a minimal threat. This is nonsense. You are trying to put your ideological opponents in your (poorly considered, IMO) linguistic box. Peter

I agree you have to bid 4S. The tougher question is switching hearts and spades, what would you do over 4S? I think I'd usually bid 5H, but there are days when I'd chicken out. Peter

"The question posed is given that you know your partner would have passed unless 2D was extremely clear, are you in possession of UI." No. Peter

I wouldn't alert your diamond opener, unless you are frequently opening 10 counts, in which case it needs to be pre-alerted. You need to alert your conventional NT rebids, of course. Peter

I don't care for offshape doubles myself, I was curious as to others' thoughts. I do like overcalls at the one level with 4 card suits (not necessarily good ones either). They let you bid on a lot of hands without exciting partner. Peter

How do you feel about them? What effect do scoring, partner being a passed/unpassed hand, and vulnerability have? Would you give some examples of hands which you would just barely double with, and what you'd take away to make them passes? Peter

"Ya Roth stone may get you there, but I doubt you are playing that." Are you? Peter

No. Peter

"I read the same thing, but came to a different conclusion. GCC is by definition not Mid-Chart or Super-Chart. And I don't think the provisions of Part III cover this case. Glen's 3NT opening is not a "system"." You don't think opening 3NT to play with a variety of hands is as unusual as regularly opening 1S in the first two seats on AJ10xx-x-KQxx-xxx? Peter

"As far as I can tell, by definition anything allowed on the GCC does not require a pre-alert." Not so. From the ACBL Alert procedures: "Pre-Alerts are given before the auction period begins on the first board of a round. Pre-Alerts are designed to act as an early warning of any unusual methods for which the opponents may need to prepare. (See Part III.) Additionally, a pre-Alert is required when playing methods permitted by the ACBL Mid-Chart or SuperChart in an event conducted using that chart. Pre-Alerts are given aloud by saying what the systems or methods are." and "PART III: PRE-ALERTS Pre-Alerts are designed to act as an early warning system of any unusual methods for which the opponents may need to prepare. Pre-Alerts must be given before the auction period begins on the first board of a round or match. 1) "TWO-SYSTEM" METHODS Some pairs vary their system by position, by vulnerability, or a combination of the two. While this is legal, it is also something the opponents may need to know ahead of time. One example of this is agreeing to play a forcing-club system not vulnerable and "two over one" vulnerable. Minor variations such as varying notrump range or jump overcall strength by vulnerability do not require a pre-Alert. These methods still require normal Announcements (notrump ranges; transfers) or Alerts (forcing Stayman over some notrump ranges) when appropriate. As an aside, please note that it is not legal to vary your system during a session for subjective reasons, such as the skill level of the opponents which you happen to be playing at the time or which member of the partnership is making the call. You may, of course, alter your defenses in response to the opponents' methods. 2) SYSTEMS BASED ON VERY LIGHT OPENINGS OR OTHER HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE METHODS If it is your partnership style to routinely open hands with fewer than 11 HCP, preempt with very weak (frequently worse than Qxxxxx) suits, and/or overcalls with fewer than 6 HCP at the one level, the opponents must be pre-Alerted. 3) SYSTEMS THAT MAY BE FUNDAMENTALLY UNFAMILIAR TO THE OPPONENTS Players are expected to be prepared for the vast majority of systems that they may encounter at the bridge table. Common methods include either strong or weak notrumps with or without five-card majors. The forcing opening bid will most often be an artificial forcing opening of 1 or 2 . When you play a system structured along different agreements than these, you should draw the opponents attention to your convention card before the round begins. In short, if you play a system that most players would not immediately recognize (such as a canapé system) or one the opponents may wish to discuss before the auction begins (a 10-12 1NT range with distributional requirements for minor-suit openings, for example), you are required to pre-Alert the opponents." Peter

I think that you should pre-alert. The pre alert should include a brief description of hand types, that you can't fit in the box. To be honest, though, you will cause more irritation than enlightenment, that's the nature of pre-alerts. I wouldn't offer a defense. Peter

3D NF was horrible, no adjustment, warning to NS to get their alerting act together. BTW, "hearts and a minor" with a 3=4=2=4 11 count vulnerable, decent chance of forcing pd to the 3 level is just incredible to me, and I compete over opps' NT very aggressively. Peter

I'd probably bid 4H any time, but vul at IMPs, it seems especially clear. BTW, what is your NT range? Peter

I normally rebid 2H in these situations, but the disparity in the suit quality make me rebid 2S here. Peter

1NT. Peter

"Who are YOU to say that we can't nuke our enemies and potential enemies, and force the rest of the world to kowtow or face nuclear annhilation? Do you think the Romans would have hesitated? I say, if you don't like what we're doing, come and get us. You know where we live." They did, 0n 9/11. This is an extraordinarily foolish attitude. Technology changes everything. Was 9/11 possible 100 years ago? How about a nuke smuggled into a harbor? Get a grip. Peter

"I believe the U.N. did when it made the USA a permenant member of the Security Council." You seriously misunderstand the role of the Security Council, and of the U.N. in general. "There are four other members, but when a job is needing to be done, one shouldn't wait around to see if someone else is going to do it first. One should take charge." As we have done in Vietnam and Iraq, and as the former U.S.S.R. did in Afghanistan? Peter

"In my partnerships, 4♥ overcall of a 1 level bid would have promised 8 hearts. I would have bid 3♥" Even if that "one level bid" is a double? Peter

Shape. Peter

"Partner should know I have long hearts and no points. -Partner has long (4 or on a lucky day 5) spades. The auction suggests this is a Big Misfit. Let's let opps play it." Agree. Peter

Don't wait for nothin'. Peter

"I prefer to play this double as responsive: values, denies heart support, not to many spades. Maybe this is a reasonable hand: xx xx Axxxx QJxx." Agree, but I like the hand to be a little better. Peter

This has turned into a very active thread, going in different directions, but: "Glen points out that the ACBL cannot directly regulate natural opening bids. He's right about that, but it doesn't matter. This bid is not natural. (See the definition of natural NT bids in the GCC). Whether that makes it conventional can be debated" This is my original question. If a bid isn't natural, mustn't it be conventional, and therefore subject to regulation? Peter

Last night in an ACBL tourney, playing as badly as I can remember, I ran into a 3NT opening which was alerted as "play, can be a variety of hands". The hand (pulled to 4S by opener's pd) was a minor two suiter with a stiff spade. After the round, I questioned the opener (Glen from these Forums) whether he thought it was GCC compliant. He said (paraphrasing from a hazy memory) that the ACBL regulated conventions, and that 3NT to play wasn't a convention, it showed a willingness to play in that place. OTOH, the GCC defines a natural NT bid as "not unbalanced, generally no singleton or void and only one or two doubletons". The conventional exceptions granted for the 3NT opening bid are a solid suit or a minor single-suiter. What do you think? BTW, I'd be happy to see this legal, I'd like to do away with all system restrictions except for beginner games. Peter

"What do the Democrats say on this issue? I assume they are against war." Why would you assume that? Peter