ulven

Agree. I don't know anyone over here who plays this as a reverse.

I double and partner sits most of the time (having not bid 4D). Yes, it may make but I've seen too many +100/150 instead of +300/500 to let this one slide. I'm willing to concede to a making contract and expect to come out ahead even in the short run.

2H is GF for me but I still think it's useful to be able to show extra values by raising 4th suit. As for finding the 4th suit as trumps, yes that may be a problem but based on frequency I believe we have a winner... That said, I don't end up in this situation in my regular partnership as we employ relays for GF hands.

Over here the standard meaning of a 3-level "raise" of 4th suit F is extras without a suitable/positional stopper. x/Axx/AKxxx/KQxx or x/xxx/AKQxx/AQJx etc.

The only explanation I can think of would be a minimum hand with 3-0 in the major's. Don't want to make a support XX and don't want to play 3NT, but certainly to good for 2/3sp over X. Say Qxx/-/AJxx/Kxxxxx? Maybe impossible is the correct answer.

3S for me too, which btw isn't F to game in our style. It's forcing to 3NT/4m giving us a shot at game and a chance to bail out with ill-fitting minimum. So, 4C would then be NF and 4D is FG/slamtry for clubs.

Board 9 was 1D - 1S - X - XX; 2C - pass - 2D - 2S; ? North now went for the pass, but changed his mind and competed to 3D instead. The main reason for differing contracts was the X of 1S at our table.

Board 11 went pass - pass - 3C to me. I passed and sat for partners X. South bid 3D around to me. Should I X or bid 3H/4H/3NT?? I went for the middle of the road action with 3H which partner might raise sometime. This wasn't the optimal bid this time. Board 14 I didn't open 2H and they bid 3NT uncontested after 1D-2D GF.

I was East in this Ice-Swe match at one table. What do you want to know? On board 13 for example, Iceland opened 4H, I overcalled 4S and S bid 5H. My partner competed with 5S and I was unable to contain myself and bid the failing slam. Should or shouldn't you bid 5S? Should you pass 5S with my hand?

Thx for your support! Play has been steady across the team but concentration has slipped a bit yesterday and today. It's getting really hot and warm here and for me it gets harder to stay sharp when humidity climbs. Besides the results hasn't really mattered for us these last matches as there is no carry-over Tomorrow the tournament starts for real!

Ken, When it comes to your bidding ideas, I think (more than once) that you are too far off real life bridge playing to appreciate certain aspects. And I don't mean 24-30 boards here and there, I mean 8-14 days of playing at least 40+ boards/day. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. As well as experience of high-level bridge myself, I've also had discussions on the subject with people I'm aquianted to. Such as Meckstroth and Duboin (among others). Duboin says he and Bocchi used to add more and more stuff, get to a point it got too much and then to remove parts. Over time in their partnership they went to one end, turned, went the other way and turned again... Finding optimal solutions to every situation isn't good for your bridge results, which may sound like a paradox. Meckstroth says their system doesn't run as many pages as the legend goes. In fact he claims Eric has a version in shorthand in less than 30 pages. But he never sends it to Jeff, because it never gets read anyway (according to Jeff). Meck also told me about the time Rodwell decided to solve 1C (16+) - 2NT (14+ bal) and came up with 68 pages (!) to nail down jacks/tens in 4333's facing each other to be able to judge whether a grand slam was odds on or not. This of course had to be thrown out the window immediately as it was totally unplayable in practical play even for guys like them. This forum is great for ideas though. To a point. Some inexperienced players may take the wrong ones to heart.

Sorry, Ken, I don't understand what you are saying here. 4N6x^jer. Arcadiad. Hickory dickory dock. Duh! This comment hit a new low. You start a thread and when a participant says he doesn't understand what you mean, you make some mockery reply?? Hell, I don't understand what you mean either, and I know quite a lot about bidding theory. Maybe I should ask Eric. Pls explain.

Frances, What was the layout this time?

With a likely very black hand on your right, isn't there any slaminterest over here? Give partner something like xx/Qxxx/AQx/xxxx and we're claiming at trick 1. Ok, thats' a very perfect minimum, but I still think you should bid 5C or something.

Great to read that David is going strong. Played on a 4-handed team with him in the NA Swiss at the Phoenix 2002 NABC. What a funny and energetic man! I agree with pretty much everything Justin has written here, only difference is that I would actually pass 2S. Probably shouldn't when playing with someone from ACBL-land though. The style over here is to open a strong 2C with many more hands than over in NA, especially with 2-suiters with few losers. Although technically gameforcing, the norm is to do is anyway since partner often has something (statistically). This will get you overboard at times but makes some auctions easier and avoids silly jumpshifts into non-suits. So, while you can still construct a hand that could make game in this approach, I think the odds favor pass. Even if you can make a game you might not reach a making one if you bid. Edit: When I say I agree with Justin I meant his comments regarding the auction ;-)

Agree. Who were the players that bid 3NT?

I've had the eee since early March. I immediately put a stripped version of XP on it and it runs just smooth and fine. There are drivers to be found thru eeeuser forum to emulate 800*600 to be able to put the full BBO klient on it, but I haven't tried it. The flash klient and BBO-tv works fine under IE_7. I'm having unsurmountable connection troubles with Firefox 3 R1. /Ulf

I asked Z (when we met last weekend in Tallinn) and he said some papers where on their way from Polish Fed and Russian Olympic committé. He didn't know then how it would end. They still both have their residence in Poland.

Easy pass for me. Not even close. I like open thin but marginal hands with too few controls always pass. Now we have short spades also.

I would like an option for two partnerships training at the same table. By this I mean: - open a partnership bidding table - you and your partner in one direction - the other partnership in the other direction - set any parameters - deal, bid and when the auction if over, immediately display whole deal - redeal It's like a regular table, but with parameter options and no play. Why this? Because say a team might want to practise bidding against each other, mixing up constructive and competitive auctions and feel playing out the hands slows everything down. Just bid, check layout, bid again. Speedy bidding training in 'live mode'. I would really love this one.

Please, please, can we have this.

Looks like B-Z is onboard: http://www.ecatsbridge.com/documents/docde...ean%5COpenTeams The EBL had a lengthy meeting yesterday, I believe, where the question about representation was a major topic. Don't have any details yet.

Yes, it is strange. Kokish recently came back from a coaching trip to Moscow and told me that it wasn't decided when he left if B-Z would play. He confirmed that the matter, apparantly, would be decided this week. I didn't ask why. It's seems as if it's still possible to amend players.

Latest official copy from Shanghai (same as above) can be found here: http://www.ecatsbridge.com/documents/docde...Cbermuda%2Dbowl

With Qxxxx/AKxx/Kxxx Fred might have bid the grand over 6D. 7S is terrible because you need even splits in 3 suits, spades 3-2, hearts 4-3 and clubs 4-4. You do the math. I think Brad knew 7S was odds against, probably not by this much, but saw a chance to pick up imps. Finishing 11th or 35th doesn't matter that much.