atlantajon

Guess the real question is why are we not in 4h.... but alas we aren't....so I have 2 for sure trump losers...and perhaps a diamond or club....I actually like to force south into playing the minors for me...so I play a 3rd trump.... I am likely to get heart return.....so I lead hearts until he ruffs or shows out....if he ruffs....I will let the club or diamond ride to dummy....if he just shows out I will play 4th round of trump and do the same thing. this gives me 3 spades.....5 hearts and 2 diamonds worst....or 3 spades, 4 hearts,1 club and 2 diamonds. Not an elegant way to make the hand....but 10 tricks are 10 tricks. if I have been fool by opening lead of Q of clubs under the Ace....then I have to south with K of diamond also....with all his spades.... perhaps another short prayer.

The only chance here is to confuse the OPPS into thinking that I am ruffing the next heart and NOT LHO.... this I might be able to do if I play the 5 on trick 1....conceiling the 3...then following with the 6.....hoping to confuse RHO into thinking his partner is playing from 349...and trying to show the Q of spades...this might entice him into trying to cash ace of clubs....to beat the contract...rather than giving the ruff. It's a real long shot....but really the only play I have. If they are playing UDCA.....if standard carding then I need to play the 6 first followed my the 3.....same idea.

You did put yourself in a bad postion by not opening 1d... but you opened 1c....so you have already denied having 3 spades when you didnt raise...the 1s bid shows 5+...so now the best you can do is bid 3s...showing Jx..or something like that.

Well it is clearly shape showing. 2♥ is a weak hand that is of little or no value unless played in hearts. So, with that in mind, the only reason to find a different strain would be extreme shape by opener. Therefore it is not forcing... if the responder likes ♠ better than ♣ he can pass. The opener had other options to show a strong 2 suited hand. a jump-reverse would be the 2 suited 19+ hand. 1♣ ... 2♥... 3♠... is a game going call. 2♠ is likely a 6-5 hand with 0 ♥. For those that think it is a splinter... Slam opposite a weak 2 heart response is not very reasonable.

Isn't this a 2♣ opener? something like 2♣...2♦ (asking)...3♥ (5♥ and longer ♣)...4♦ (end signal)...4♥ forced...6♥.

My regular partner and I would have this auction. 1♣ ... 2♠ (5 spades and 4+ hearts, game forcing)...3♥ (setting suit)...3♠...3nt (serious)...4♣ ... 4♦...4♥ (nothing left to say)... 6♥ (well if you can't show me the K♠ then we are fine here.

If I have to use the bidding as it proceeded...then I think I would choose 3h followed by 4d after west's 3nt call then we are on the way to 6d. But it would have been easier if east had started with 1d intending to reverse into spades on the second round of bidding....it does distort the hand pattern a little,but sets a game force at a lower level with the spade suit involved( usually)...also this will allow us to reach a 6d contract also...which is much better then 6c.

thanks, first link didn't work.... but second one did.

I am using a MACbook, and using Google chrome as the browser....it has always worked before.

Is there some issue with bbo? I have been having issues logging on for the past few days. I haven't changed anything on my MACBook... but can't seem to log in. The left hand ad window seems to load fine, but when I enter my login info...all I get is the rotating lines telling me that it is trying to log on...then after about a minute... I get a connection lost message. Anyone know what is up??

I have to assume 3-2 ♥ since it was said that our spots are not good enough to pick up 4-1 trump. So the whole issue is the ♦ suit. If it is 3-2....we have 13 by ruffing the ♣ lead. However, if the ♦ are 4-1, then I need the hand with the 4 ♦ to hold the long ♠ . So, that line is ruff ♣ and play K♠ and ♠ to A. Then AK ♦ ruff ♦ and ♠ to Q and claim. all the while thinking of a good excuse to tell partner as to why I didnt just pull trump and play on the !d suit...when that was the line.... and trying to explain to partners why we lose 15. atlantajon......LOL

Well. As this is an ACBL question, the ruling needs to be based on the ACBL laws and definitions. Firstly, we need to understand what is allowed and disallowed in the ACBL when it comes to psychs. The GCC says: Psyching of artificial or conventional opening bids and/or conventional responses thereto. Psyching conventional suit responses, which are less than 2NT, to natural openings. are not allowed. So, we have to look at the auction....and determine if any of these are the case here. The auction went: P,P,1C (alerted as could be as short as 2),X XX,1S,P,P P.... We need to determine if the 1C bid is conventional or artificial. The ACBL Statement on Conventions: The latest version of the Laws of Duplicate Bridge defines a convention as a call that, by partnership agreement, conveys a meaning other than willingness to play in the denomination named (or in the last denomination named), or high-card strength or length (three cards or more) there. http://www.acbl.org/play/activeEthics.html#Conventions Since the 1C bid was alerted as "could be as short as 2 cards"... it is a conventional opener. Since it is not a suggestion to play there...and does not show at least 3 cards in the suit. If it showed 3+ cards, then it is natural...and not conventional.... As for the XX. The ACBL definition of convention speaks to that clearly. http://www.acbl.org/play/alert.html It artificially promises values in a suit other than the last named....so therefore conventional. So, If the 1C bid is conventional...then a psych of a conventional XX is NOT allowed in response to it. It reads pretty clearly for me. Thanks, Atlantajon (ACBL Director)

I think I'll try 4 hearts. If it really was a mis-click of 3!s...then I can live with 2 small hearts...and if partner bids 4 spades...then I will pass. If he however bids 5 of a minor...then I am still sitting here thinking about raising to 6. And I hope the OPPS have a sense of humor...as time is still running...

Hello all, My name is Jonathan Slaney, and I am from Atlanta, GA. I am in need of a contact in the Charleston, SC area. My wife and I will be going to Charleston on the weekend of April 18-20th for a cycling race. She is a professional cyclist, and the team needs a condo to rent. I like using bridge players as contacts. We have a nice place in Altanta that we would be willing to let someone use in the future for a regional here. We have great events in Atlanta. And our place has 4 bedreooms and 4.5 baths. So it is great for a team coming for the regional. We are willing to rent the condo, if a trade if not possible. There are 5-6 woman racing, and I will be there also as a support person. They race for the BMW team. I am a professional bridge player and a teacher. And I am willing to trade lessons or play if that is interesting to someone. I am ACBL_22 also on Bridgebase, and can give a lot of good references for the lessons. I am a national champion, and I am a certified ACBL teacher. I give lessons online....and also play in events as a partner/teacher for a player that truly wishes to progress in their bridge knowledge. However, the most important thing for me now is finding a place for the team to stay. I am sure I can find a place through a real estate office, but using the bridge community has proven to be a great source for us in the past. And also gives us a chance to expand our circle of friends for future enjoyment. So....if this is you...or you know someone...then feel free to contact me... jonathan.slaney@gmail.com 801-699-2362 (cell) ACBL_22 or 'atlantajon' Bridgebase screen-names. Thanks, Jonathan Slaney I look forward to hearing from you.

Well....this one I have to go against the field. I do not believe that discussing a fellow player can come to ANY good, regardless of the situation. The concept of "ZERO Tolerance" should extend beyond the limits of the table. Would you consider acting like a fool in the lobby of an event? I think not....therefore the same should happen here in our forum. Active ethics enables players to compete on equal terms. In addition, the actively ethical player contributes to the enjoyment of all players by continuously striving to maintain a courteous attitude toward both his opponents and his partner and by avoiding any behavior that would make anyone uncomfortable. (Both at the table, and in all activities surrounding our game) These social attributes are VITAL to the game of bridge and duplicate bridge. And BBO, and bridge as a whole will be better if we all take this to heart.... Lets give Jimmy a break...the same way we would give a novice player a break for making a bad bid...... (at least most of us would...I hope!!) Thanks, Atlantajon - Jonathan Slaney, Atlanta, GA.

Whats the problem?? Take-out with a good hand. My grandmother (that first taught me to play) would get that one. An "X" is 99.9% of the time a form of a take-out. And barring a special agreement to the contrary...I fall back on that idea....

You may have an argument about the 1 club precision opener. If your agreement with partner is any strong hand. (a hand that wants to play game opposite a trick), then perhaps opening 1 club with AKJxxxxxx,x,x,x would be acceptable. However, most players agreements are based on high card points. And in that case, opening 1 club with 8 high card points is a gross distortion, and therefore a psych.... As for the 2 club opener.... Most people have the pre-determined argeement that it includes 22+ high card points or 8.5 tricks. Then, this hand is NOT a distortion of what partner expects. And therefore not a psych. I hope that helps....

It is hard for some player to remember that bridge is a game of evaluations. And just because 1 player doesn't think a hand is "strong" doesn't mean another may not believe it is. For example, I have an agreement with a lot of regular partners that a "limit" raise is a hand with 3 cover cards for a contract in that suit. So we regularly give limit raises with a hand like this: Qxxx , x, Axxxx, Jxxx after a 1 spade opener by partner. Since this is a 3 cover card hand, and partner can now go to game with a 6 loser hand. The problem comes when one player believes that his evaluation of a hand is superior to another players. And calls the director on a player for opening 2 clubs with a hand like: AKJxxxxxx ,x ,x, x . I am also ACBL_22 on BBO, and I had a call not long ago about a hand like this. The player opened 2 clubs. and after they ended up in 6 spades opposite x,Axxx,Axxx,xxxx. I was called to the table for a "psych" of 2 clubs. My ruling was clear. As 2 clubs is defined by the ACBL as "a strong hand", and any hand that has 8.5 winners in it is surely strong, I had no choice but to rule that it was not a psych. The player refused to accept my ruling, and came up with all sorts of "club" rules from many clubs that she had belonged to in the past. I tried to remind her that, as ACBL directors, we are required to apply the Laws as the ACBL enforces them. Not as a club in a small town somewhere does. So, as most of the ACBL directors I have polled about this. If a player feels that a hand is strong, then it is strong. I would add, that as long as a reasonable number of the players peers would feel the same, then it is strong. Think about it. Can one players evaluation of a hand over-rule another players? I think not.... as long as it is with-in the spirit of the game.