Robert

Hi Hannie What do you bid with 12+ balanced? Do you also put it into the 2D* cuebid? An 8+ raise or 12+ balanced??? :lol: Several decades ago I played Blue TEam Club with 3-12/13HCP overcalls and suits of K10xx+ We normally ignored partner when he bid except to make a single raise with some pretty good hands. Times were much less interesting. Weak jumps, weak jump shifts and bid with almost anything has made the modern game much more interesting. Regards, Robert

Hi ArtK78 neilkaz was correct, I checked my "Two Over One Game Force, Max Hardy(1982,1983, 1984) Page 4, exanple C) is AQ AQ KJx xxxxxx If your counting is not that good, the shape is 2=3=3=6 here. :lol: Page 4 example D) is AQ AQ xxxxxxx KJ If your counting is still not that good, the shape above is 2=2=7=2 :) Max Hardy is a well known writer in America on the 2/1 method. This is the red cover version. I also have the later(?) yellow cover version, however, one quote should be sufficent to educate ArtK78 on the contents of some bridge books. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone #1 You have a lot of winners opposite short hearts and decent 4+ card diamond support. I would go slowly because partners needs 4 'decent' diamonds or the hand could fall apart. #2 I wondered what your 1NT opening range was here. Does 2C-3C show extra values? It apparently does not promise much in the way of club support. :( *****If 4NT is 'probably' RKC, your agreements need a lot of work. Kickback* anyone with 4D* being RKC with clubs as trump. You can even ask for the trump queen at a decent level.****** I do not like 4m being RKC and prefer Kickback(4D*=RKC for clubs) Blackwood with a minor suit as trump feels wrong most of the time. Checking for the queen of trumps after 4NT as RKC with a minor as trump, often leaves you more than a little short of bidding space. #3 1NT. When they misdefend, you should get a good score. :) I rebid 2C if 1D-1H-? Spades may be wide open and partner should be the one to declare NT. after 1D-1H-2C-? #4 Double of (3D) should be a full blooded raise to 3Hs. A direct 3Hs should be a decent single raise. Those spades are nice, however, those xxx heart spots are not. Regards, Robert

Hi jillybean2 Do not change your bidding simply because someone says so. You should read the various opinions and decide what you think is best. A lot of posts on the net do not offer good advice IMO. That second hand can be further defined by using 2NT*(=Good Bad 2NT*) when a bid is made to your right. Bidding directly shows the values for that level while a 2NT* bid tells partner to bid 3C* and you will either pass or bid your long suit 'with less than forcing values. If doubling without support for unbid major suit and three losers in the suit opened is what you want to bid, do so. My style is different, however, it seems to work. Against stronger pairs, you will find them jumping the level fairly high before you get a chance to show your suit. Poor partner might find himself bidding 4Hs 'thinking' that you have support just because you made a takeout double. Are you sure that your 4S bid over his 4H bid will not be taken as a cuebid in support of hearts? helene-t hit the nail on the head with her comment about partner bidding 3S if he cannot support hearts. Because you showed game forcing values and partner holds a spade stop, he will bid 3NT. With heart support, he can bid 4Hs. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone I would overcall 1D* showing two suits of the same rank(CRO Wonder=4-4 or 4-5 either way) 2C, 2D and 2H show 5-5(+) suits ordered CRO(color, rank and opposite) 1S=some 4441 and 1NT or 2NT is a single suiter. Jumps to the 3 level suggest the lead of my suit. Partner can often make a good guess at which suits I hold and he has a license to steal. I sometimes jump to 2M(with either a short or long holding) with a known fit in some suit. If I have a minor plus a major fit, I bid anything and he 'corrects' one time. Pass showing a fit. After that he does not bid, so we might bid for a while getting doubled in various suits before we arrive at our final contract. Maybe you can always get to the correct contract after the other pair jumps to 2(3?) of your 'fit', however, some pairs find this a bit difficult. Letting Meckwell have a free run with their one club bidding is not a good idea. They bid very well 'if' you leave them alone. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone If you do not have more system information after 2NT-3S-3NT-4C you might want to add additional notes here. We are bidding almost bidding blind by the 4C level with the information that 'partner has clubs.' Five? Six? My methods make the 2NT bidder declarer at about a 99+% rate so that 4C bid showing 'clubs' is not included in my bidding style. What 2NT range are we playing? What is the partnership style on making slam trys, does he need the perfect hand or just a good one? With the kenrexford example hand, I would show 5(+)Cs and 4Ds using my methods, unless partner 'bless him' had already bid 4Ds instead of 3NT. I would also have denied a balance slam try because no CONFIT(control/fit asking bid) was used. kenrexford is correct in that we do hold a moose here. What to bid next is a matter of what partner's club bid really meant and what he expects our bids to mean. :) Blackwood is a checkup bid to keep out of bad slams. I think that six is safe(if partner is sane) and seven should be at least hinted at. :) Hand #2. You play 'modified' Walsh? Isn't standard Walsh GF if responder later shows a major after bidding a minor? I play support doubles and in this auction my double does show three card diamond support. With a 'dog' hand or a hand that 'has dropped' in value, the support double is not always made. :) What is your 1NT opening range? What is your bidding style? Light? Roth Stone? What would a double of that (3C) bid mean? You might want to expand your system notes here. What does a direct 3D mean after the (2H) bid? What would a delayed 3D bid have meant? Using your 'modified' Walsh style is the auction forcing to any given level? #3 3D. wtp? #4 Pass and hope that my partner can either make it or keep the minus number fairly small. #5. Marshal Miles bids 2Ss here. Does your partnership normally pass out a 'freely bid and raised' 2C contract?' If I pass here, I would expect my partner to bid something. If I did not follow the Marshal Miles style of bidding, the problem will be delayed until the bidding gets back to me next time. With four clubs, I am not too worried. If the minors were exchanged, a 2C pass out would be much more likely. Regards, Robert

Hi jillybean2 Point count is a guide and judgement should also be used before you decide on a bid. The three losing clubs plus the singleton Jack of hearts both strongly suggest overcalling and 'not doubling.' Just my style after some four decades of bridge. Very few one bids are passed out in a decent bridge game. I play an overcall style that normally includes 17-18HCP hands. I cannot remember the last time that one of my heavy overcalls was passed out. Several posters have already mentioned that your double and 3H bid on the second hand 'was not forcing.' It normally shows long hearts and that you did not have the HCP to bid 3H 'forcing' at your first call. I am not suggesting a unilateral decision. You should try to make the correct bid at the table. EricK suggested his style of bidding(mine would be that 2Ss was forcing 'because of my overcall range and style) If you are doubling with much less HCP, that 1NT reply might be made on about an 8-11(7-10, I have seen many ranges suggested in both books and on forums) range and a 2S bid showing 15 would not be a forcing bid. You would have to jump to force to game 'if' your ranges were much lower than mine. If you have not read Mike Lawrence's book on Overcalls, I strongly recomment it. Please be advised that there are various styles in competition and you have to play the same one as your current partner plays or problems will follow. Regards, Robert

Hi jillybean2 Doubling with a singleton in an unbid major is a very dangerous bid. Are you sure that partner will believe that your heart support is really "J" after you double and later bid spades? When partner holds Kxxxx of hearts and x in spades is he really supposed to not rebid hearts even at a high level after you show a strong hand? Those three losing clubs are also a warning sign that doubling might not be the best bid. How often do you get passed out in an overcall? It virtually never happens in the modern bridge game 'unless' playing against a very weak pair. Hand #2 I would bid hearts here, partner can raise with three and 'if' you double, partner will need four hearts to bid them since you only promised four. Making a negative double and rebidding in hearts 'without' prior agreement tends to show long hearts and a hand that did not have the values to bid at the three level. AQJxxx and nothing on the side might be bid this way. Regards, Robert

Posted the same thing twice. Late last night. :P Regards, Robert

Hi everyone Maybe they were meeting someone for another game/match? The North player might have left after South managed to avoid bidding hearts holding AK10x 'after' he put in a lead directing bid of hearts. North might not like missing a 3H contract 'after' he had doubled the 2H bid. South should be bidding hearts unless he 'new something more' about the North bidding style. Those kind of lead directing doubles sometimes lead to 2HXXed making an overtrick or two. In standard type methods, I would open 1C and rebid 3Cs(16-18). One NT is a somewhat less likely call, however, not nearly a very bad one. Many posters rebid 3m with 15-17(or less) which is a matter of their opening bid style. Given the light opening bids that some(many?) make, the followup rebids must be lighter if their bidding is to make sense. If you were playing Kaplan Sheinwold methods, this hand would open 1C and rebid 2D*(a KS 'minor reverse' that would be a one round force) and rebid 3C later. A direct 3m rebid in KS is used with minor type hands that would open 2C in standard methods and rebid in a major. I sometimes open 1NT with 15-17HCP and a six card minor. It is used to avoid rebid problems. Some textbooks also suggest 1NT with 2227 AQ AQ AJ xxxxxxx so the BebopKid has led a somewhat sheltered life in bridge bidding terms. The posts about opening 1NT or 2NT with 4441 and 1345 shapes also must have slipped past the BebopKid. Opening 1NT with 2245 and 2=4=2=5 or 2=4=5=2 is often suggested in bridge books to avoid a rebid problem. I do agree with EricK if your 1NT range is 15-17, if you play 16-18 your bidding is merely a matter of following your bidding style. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone Big Club 1C-1H*-2D*-2H*-2NT-3D-3S-4D-4H*-4S*-4NT*-5NT*-6NT 1C=16+ 1H*=5Ss or 11-13HCP(or 17-19 or 23-24) 2D*=clubs 2H*=not three clubs 2NT=balanced 'stall' 3D=natural 3S=two card support(do not raise Ds with 3 because 4-3 fits maybe a problem) 4D=fifth diamond 4H*=Kickback 4130 RKC 4S*=1 4NT*=asks for D queen 5NT*=I do not have the diamond queen, however, I have extra values so please 'pick a slam' 6NT=NT scores higher and we may have 12 tricks even with bad breaks Regards, Robert

Hi kenrexford A 6322 shape with a six card major and 17HCP "opens" 2NT? What system do you play? Hi everyone Big Club(started out as Precision, however, very few Precision methods are still included) 1C-1H*-2C*-2D*-2H-2S-2NT-6NT 1C=16+ any 1H*=11-13 balanced(or unlikely 17-19 or 23-24 ranges) or 5+ spades 2C*=not 3 spades(unless really good heart suit) 2D*=not 3 hearts 2H=six(+) 2S=not a balanced NT, so 5 spades 2NT=you think? 6NT=my methods cannot cope with known 'no fit' and 33HCP :( 2/1 methods 1H-1NT*-3H-6NT 1NT*=5 spades 3H=really ugly, why not switch to a Big Club system? 6NT=I hope that partner has HCP values and not really long hearts for his 3H bid. If Relay methods were allowed in ACBL play... The Power System relays would get you to 7NT, I would guess? Will have to brush up on the relays 'if' I needed to bid this in a relay method. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone If you play 'two way' game trys, you should show the short suit with a 5431 hand. Regards, Robert

Hi jdeegan The auction is at 4CsX when it gets to you. Bidding 3Hs here might be a tiny problem when the TD arrives. Regards, Robert

Hi keylime Nice outline of your methods. I did note that you sometimes showed controls in a long number of steps. In my CONFIT(control/fit) bidding I learned that you can put the maximum number of controls into the lowest step because partner will know what you have or in some very rare case, your added bidding will show the maximum number of controls. It saves a step and gives you a chance to use the bid for some other meaning. hrothgar and akhare also expressed my feelings about relay methods being symmetric. I like the Power System relays because they are the same bids over either major opening. Less memory strain and fewer 'opps.' Regards, Robert

Hi Hanoi5 I tend to very strongly agree with hrothgar(what am I typing?). His main points are very good advice. I would reorder the choice of systems and add one of my favorites that I think some promising beginners could play. Throwing beginners into an important tournament in a years time is an interesting(?) idea. I hope that they will be playing in a "limited" event. :P Years ago I did play with a future King of Bridge(the high school student with the most master points in the U.S.A.) He had played for about 3 months and I had played for about three years, he was better than me, however, we did just fine. Warren was 15 at the time and looked 12, so some players tried to take advantage of the youngster. A very bad mistake. Doubling Warren on suspicion was a very dangerous idea. My college bridge club had a large number of very bad players plus a few good ones. I would not think about teaching four or more of the new ones to play in an important tournment if limited to a years time. Back to choice of systems. 1. Precision 2. Power System 3. Kaplan Sheinwold 4. 2/1 game forcing 5. any reasonable system(Acol, Polish, etc. etc.) The Power System uses a Polish Club like 1C(11+) with 11-18HCP limited non 1C bids. It also has a very nice bid to show three card major raises by opener. 1C*-1M-2D* shows a 'suitable' 3 card major raise. I prefer a different 1NT range than the book suggests. 15-17HCP so that 1C-1D-1NT=18-20. The reason that I listed Precision above the Power System for beginners is that they could play with other people if they learned Precision. Power players are very few and far between. I have played a lot of Kaplan Sheinwold and know that it is a very good system. My current Big Club system(loosely Precision based) with 2/1 GF bids and a 15-17 1NT is not for beginners. Too many transfers/relays to mess up. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone Great theory and I would trust it 100%. :) Only, why doesn't playing with screens cause all(most?) of the players games to fall apart because they just lost what something like 90% of their communication. I know players that use their voice and mannerisms to exchange information. They are cheating IMHO or are so bad that they need to be 'informed' about the rules of the game. My bids mean what they mean and my voice or posture does not add information to my bids. If you want to exchange non verbal information, lead a singleton and 'rearrange' your hand as soon as you have played the singleton. Some partners will take advantage of the 'non verbal' information and others will either get a new partner or have a stern talk with their current one. Regards, Robert

Hi jillybean2 Standard is 10+ and many(most?) play 'shortness in the suit opened.' Some just play 10+ and bids show less. I like one Italian style where XX shows a co op type hand with two cards in partners major and 10+ HCP 'asking' for an opinion. Do you want to double or outbid them? The other side of this style is that 'pass and double' would indicate a strong suggestion to play for penalties and denies spade support(since you did not XX) Regards, Robert

Hi cherdano Please read my posts more carefully. My "could be a problem" choice of words indicated a possible problem. Jlall is a 2/1 GF bidder here, however, he understands that others might not. This could be a problem in bidding a slam here. :lol: The opening bid style is very wide spread on this and other forums. In SA methods a 2/1 reguires 10+HCP and that makes a 2/1 choice somewhat more easy. You have to decide what this hand is worth in a 2/1 GF style, before you make a limit type raise, use a forcing 1NT* or perhaps even bid a 2/1 GF 2c bid. Playing SA type methods, "some bidders" would pattern out by 'bidding around the clock' to show diamond shortness and mild slam interest. The question was asked how to bid slam here? I suggested one way. ;) Regards, Robert

Hi kenrexford A splinter shows 4(+) card support unless the suit has been shown to be 6 cards is the normal understanding in most systems. If classic bidding methods are in use, bidding 'around the clock' would show shortness in diamonds 'after you bid clubs, spades and supported hearts.' Classic mthods 'jump' holding four card suppport(if room is available) and simply support with three card support. SAYC used properly is not that ugly. Any method used badly is ugly. Playing 2/1 GF methods, this hand could be a real problem. Playing SAYC a 2C bid is warrented and could very well lead to an auction where it showed clubs, spades and 3 card heart support with slam interest. The opener should 'come alive' after he hears about slam interest with 3 card support and short diamonds. I often smile when modern bidders think that splinters are something new under the sun. The good bidders of many decades ago could sometimes bid very well using classic bidding methods. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone joshs listed a very good outline of 4 card overcall style. If you use it with the correct hand types, it works very well. To the players that worry about playing a 4-2 fit, how do they avoid a 5-0 fit after it goes overcall in a 5 card suit and all pass? I foolishly overcalled a 3C openings holding 16HCP and AQ10xxx of spades, it went 'voice of thunder' DOUBLE and I went for 1,100 or 1,400 points. Should I give up overcalling with suits like AQ10xxx and 16HCP because my hand seemed to call for a 3S overcall? Sam Stayman has a convention called Stayman that I use and I am not nearly as good as Sam Stayman. Why should I not adopt good bidding methods if they produce good results? Standard bidding? Depends on the system and style. In England 4 card major openings are standard or at least very common. The Italian of decades past kept beating the rest of the world opening very weak 4 card majors. They also overcalled 4 card suits. Papi(an oldtime Italian great) CC lists 4 card overcalls and a very light overcall range. He stills plays against very strong pairs and still wins. :) I actually feel much safer when I ovrcall with a strong 4 card suit, values in the opened suit and an opening bid(+) type hand. Overcalling a 5 card suit with the modern style of bid 'almost at every legal turn' is a much more dangerous style in my opinion. Hi Quatumcat Why is your partner raising a 4(5?) card overcall in competition at a high level holding 2 card support? Most(almost all?) good pairs play some version of card showing doubles at high levels in competition. Miles and several of the Italian system books show numerous examples of four card overcalls(openings?) catching 4(5+?) card supoort and getting to contracts that other methods would be shut out of the bidding. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone Playing basic methods, I would bid 2NT-3C-any-4C and hope that partner took control. If he just raises to 5C, I would pass. Playing my normal methods, which are fairly complex, 2NT-4S*(a club slam try that might pass(I would pass with this hand) a 5C signoff bid. I would like to get partner to play any club contract and the 4S* invite will normally place the contract in the 2NT bidder hand. Regards, Robert

Hi Hannie Thanks. Did you read the post before or after I finished it. I have been losing a lot of posts, so I start one and edit it to save time and effort. It seems to save a lot of work. My pearls of wisdom are often ignored, it appears that you know good work when you see it. :) Regards, Robert

Hi everyone Unless they are a far better pair than you, ask for a high stakes money game. #1 A really sick bid. Raise the stakes as high as you can afford. #2 Re raise the stakes. #3 Depends on the style and vul. If partner was a passed hand, I would certainly bid 2H vul. in my style. Would not disagree with 1H or a 2H bid playing my style of overcalls. #4 Not in my methods. #5 I know some(many?) on the forum hate Raptor 1NT bids. If partner made one of these, 4SXed(in tempo and also asking to call my broker...) is indicated. Sometimes silly bidding goes unpunished. Down four should be a decent score, down four doubled should win a short match by itself. Tighten up your defense, if you are not playing them already try using TO doubles from both sides of the table even over NT. I am getting more penalty scores and bigger ones from using this method. It also avoids defending a nine card fit at the two level because one player has 10+ HCP and the other player bid a weak NT. Regards, Robert

Hi everyone I learned bridge in the U.S. Army. Tight budget, $90.60 a month before taxes. Public library and used book stores. I found a number of good used books for .25 to a dollar. Try to find a copy of Bid Better, Play Better by Dorothy Hayden Tuscott. A very good book for starting out in bridge. Stewart and Root are very good. Almost any bridge book is good when you are starting out. Regards, Robert