benlessard

I agree 100% with Han last post. AK108x Q Qx AQJ10x Close but not a X for me. Queens are not the cards i want after a 4 level preempts.

3C followed by 3S WTP. With nothing wasted in H my hand is too good for 2C. I also prefer 2H to 2C.

The XX main goal is to pusnish them and to show a misfit. If they bid and you cannot double them why would you want to bid on ??? 1S----(X)-----XX------2H ??? Most of the times opener will be minimum and the pts are split 22-18 or 23-17. 2H here is maybe likely to go down but its still tough to X, why would you want to be forced to play 3m here ? At MP it make more sense to have more forcing pass sequences since 2H -1 or 2H making rate to be a bad MP score anyway. But at IMPs there is no reason to change a plus into a minus.

Im playing a strong club system and im not ready to give up my weak 2D to play Roman, so it will rain cows before im going to give up weak 2s in majors.

3Nt is just too lame. If i would make a move over 2C i would just bid 2D. For me 2C doesnt show extra it just say that i prefer 2C to 1Nt. The argument that 2C help the opponent to compete more than its help your side doesnt hold. Responder has 8-10 and a balanced hand and opener might easily have 4M or a balanced 5332. So competing inst safe at all. You might have the agreement that 2C is invitationnal so that with minimum hand you are forced to pass 1NT, I dont really like it & i would consider this not standard.

In MP i think 3Nt is a good gamble. If i thought that 3Nt isnt odd-on I would just pass. My stiff diamond is worth a 2nd trump trick.

On all minors hands he will be much better placed. 1D will show 5 except 4441,4144,1444 and 1H will show 5 clubs except 4414 and with a limited range. What more do you want ?? In standard 5H + 4/5m are the easiest hands to bid but at the same time they are very vulnerable to spades preemption. So it make sense to use the 2 level for park them and keep the premium bidding space for something else however the hands with 6Hs just fit better with the 5H+4m then everywhere else so split the Hearts hands bring a loss. The problem also is to fill these sequences 1H-----1S ??? 2D 2H One of them can be used for a 2nd type of spades raise but its a bit pointless since your opening is already limited and the other 1 is pretty wasted since it mean a reverse with 13-14 HCP 1H----1Nt ??? 2D 2H 2S One thing is sure for me is that if my 1H opening is forcing and show clubs it would contain some strong hands in it.

Im rating my own bids since its easier. A ---4C (1) super obvious Having 5 trumps, being able to ruff 2 diamonds and maybe provide a club trick what more do you want ? B--- Pass (2.5) is better than X or 5C. Partner will often pass the X and the K of clubs is really a dubious values on defense. This one isnt obvious at all. C--- 3H (1) again super obvious. Its very possible that you make 3/4H on this deal while the chance of getting a plus at 2S are so low. Why would you even consider passing ? D--- pass (1) is obvious If partner can provide enough goodies to make 2S than 2H will go down. E--- 5D (2) not obvious but i consider 5D to better than 4Nt or pass. Partner got a huge 5134 or 5125 & having 6D and knowing they probably have a 10 card fit make me go for pulling. Its think its more likely that D play better then clubs since if C dont break ill be able to pitch some clubs on the spades while in clubs i wont be able to pitch spades on the diamonds.

Pass is obvious, if its not obvious for you then your requirement for doubling 4H are clearly not high enough. You are mostly not giving enough credit to your partner 2nd double. I dont like the 2nd double and I know its not fun to miss a double swing game. I remeber having a similar hand and thought at my first time to bid that its likely that the 2nd round of bidding will be back at 4H and i would have a dreadful problem. So ive thought a bit about making a michaels or to overcall 1S :( then the blood came back to my brain and ive visualize what would happen if partner only got 3S. The key to these hands is hoping partner got more than 3S because if hes doesnt you are going nowhere. Partner will rarely have enough values/shapes to make 5m a better deal than 4Hx. Knowing partner will stretch a lot to bid 4S with 4+♠ there is just no need to X 4H the 2nd round without a bunch of extras. Once you realized this you know that the 2nd double is a clear mistake.

Maybe you can explain me why you think your 2C 5H+4os will lead to less problems and better results than the 2C precision. Lets check the preemptive/competive issues. They are more likely to compete and find a fit over a hand with 5 clubs than over a hand with 5H so you might think that clubs have less preemptive values than H but its a an illusion since clubs is more likely to STEAL them a fit than H. Lets say the bidding goes. 1S/2S------(P)-------3S-preempt--------? IF you make a plus at 3S than its was probably your hand all along and the only time you make a real profit (steal something) is if they could make game or 4m or you are +140 instead of +50/100 for 1/3 imps gain. The time when you lose imps is mainly when 4S was making and biddable. If you go down at 3S, you make a profit is if they could have made game or -50/-100 instead of -130 for 1/2 imps. You lose imps when they couldnt make 3m/3H/2Nt. If they compete, go offboard & that without the preempt they would have landed on their feet. 1- being in the wrong game 2- being in game while slam was there. 3- being in bad slam. 4- they double you and it lead to a poor result. Now if you do the same thing with diamonds 1D/2D-----(P)-------3D---------? they will compete more often than over 3S and with seemingly greater ease. But they will loose imps the same amount. 1D/2D-----(P)-------3D---------All pass ---Is of course less likely to happen but ... If you make a plus its more likely that youve stole them (they could have made 3M or 4C). Also as a small bonus its not likely you could have made game on your side while in ♠ 4S is sometimes possible. IF 3D goes down you wont lose imps because they probably make 2M/3C 1D/2D-----(P)-------3D---------(bid) (and they go wrong) They have more room to manoeuver but they will go wrong all the same. 1- being in the wrong game (seems easier but its the same since now both majors are possible) 2- being in game while slam was there. (easier for them) 3- being in bad slam. (easier for them) 4- they double you and it lead to a poor result. 5- They bid game but 3M was the limit 6- They stop in 3M but game was there. Each time ive heard a good player say that 2D preempt is useless i get the nausea.

This depend mainly on the type of stayman you are using. Im playing 10-14 and 12-15 range for quite a while now and for me its obvious that its the 3pts ranges that sucks. (Even if 99% of world champions play 3 pts ranges). If one day i write a bridge book the first chapter will be why 3pts range for 1Nt should be avoided. Ive just had a discussion about it this evening with my old partner and for both of us its was clear that in a sharp system the advantage of unbalanced opening far outweight the drawbacks of offshapes 1nt (5M or 22(54)) In a 2/1 or sayc setup however being able to open 1M is too important.

IMy post wasnt clear enough. What i meant is that if partner perfecto can produce 6 than its worth making a fragment bid or transfering into a m since 5m is a real possibility not just a long shot. If my hand is x AQx Kxxxx Jxxx or Kxx x KQxxxx xxx its pretty hard to construct a hand where 6m is great so with those hand i just blast to 3Nt. I understand that with those hands its possible that 5m/4M is a better spot than 3Nt, its just that the profits doesnt compensate the cost (lead directing X, telling the opps where is your weak suit etc) its the same thing with blasting instead of using stayman with a 4333. Its not because im convinced that 3Nt will be a better spot, but its because I think that the cost of using stayman is higher than the benefits. Like everybody, I agree that fragment bids, MSstayman and minors transfer are primary a way to find the best game and secondly for slams.

Offshape reopening double are a lot safer than offshape take-out double, this is because you already made 1 opening bids and partner already made a call (he pass) However sometimes even thought the X is safe its possible that 1M is a more descriptive call especially if the vulnerability make a trap pass highly unlikely

My rule for those situation is asking myself if 6m possible. xxx KQxx AKx Axx make 6 a great spot. So here i believe that C is an option that can easily be better (& much better) than 3Nt. Make the hand a bit weaker to the point that 6m is highly unlikely and i think that blasting to 3nt is best. A important point to discuss, is a fragment bid (31)(54) unconditionnally GF or is stopping to 4m possible (in mp). I have no strong feeling about it but play it GF

IMO a stiff Q and xxx is a clearcut raise. A SJS suggest a very good suit or a fit for partner. AKJxx isnt good enough, Qxx isnt enough.

Pulling the X doesnt make any sense.

Partner could have bid 6S/6Nt as pick a slam to suggest 7H despite clubs being agreed.

AKxxx is not just 2 tricks its a source of tricks. Facing Qx youll make 4 or 5 tricks. Facing Qxx youll make 5 or 4 tricks. Facing xxx its 4 or 3 tricks. Facing xxxx its 4 or 5 tricks. To make a splinter or jacoby 2Nt with AKxxx in a side suit is a mistake ive stop doing 6 months after ive started playing bridge.

This is worse than the classic 2C precision since its allow them an easy penalty X and a type of multi defense. Imo the problem with 2C in precision is not the 5C+4M hands its that the responses and follow up after 2C are obsolete. At one point my partner who never played classic precision told me that our 2C opening was a strenght more than a weakness, I dont think i agree but for me opening 2C is a bit like opening a weak or a mini NT you lose some fit and some slams but you bury opponent fits and slams. With a proper responses structures 2C shouldnt be a big weakness of the precision setup.

I consider pass awful. I tend to pass a bit more then the average expert but here i think pass is the worse of the 5 bids. Its just too ugly. What wrong with double and 1S over 1H ? to play 1S in 4-1 misfit is highly unlikely. 1S in 4-2 spades will score a "+" more oftne than 2H (5-1) or 2NT. If partner has some values I much prefer having started with a X than having started with 1Nt. I think you have to work pretty hard to find a scenario where 1Nt is better than double followed by 1S/2Nt/3Nt. The only minor point is that 1D-----X-----2D-------2H VS 1D----1Nt-----2D--------2H If partner can bid 2H without values in both case then here 1NT might work better then X. I think the opposite. If they bid 1D-----1H 1S-----1NT 1D-----1H 2D 1D-----1H 1Nt----2H etc... Even if you managed to double 1Nt or double something its still tougher to bid game on your side compared to a direct move.

I think double and 1S/2NT/3Nt should pose no problems. X and 1S is better than double and 1Nt IMO. Even if the bidding goes (1D)------X------(2D)------pass (P)------- X-------(P)-------2H (P)--------??? 2S here should suggest S+ clubs Only if my brain is attacked by syphillis.

I would be very disappointed if my partner bid 4S here. Not that slam is likely just that 4S is lazy. Surely a new suit, a jump or a splinter followed by 4S is a better description than a plain jump to game. In short any forcing bid under 4S is a better bid than 4S. I remember a similar hand where the other hand was Axx Axxx axx axx and 7 was cold.

I personnally dont like 2S, but my feeling is that against a light RHO opening bid you can be more agressive since LHO wont gamble a double.

If you want to gamble that the S run its seems better to pass 1Nt than to bid 3Nt. If the S run you will beat the pair in 2S more often then the hands where you need to make game to beat them.

Ive misread the auction ive thought opps overcalled 2S and not 3C. The way i play is that cue bidding in opps suit show the ace since its likely partner got a stiff.I was throwed off by the clubs cue-bid. I must admit that its a different problem now. If i would make a cue now its surely 4S and not 5C. Im not sure if the hand is strong enough for a cue but for me its way more attractive and less compromising to make a 4S cue over a 3C bid than to make a 5C cue over a 2S overcall. Partner with X AKxxx AKxxx xx Will bid 4Nt over 4S. And slam will be reached. With XX AKxxx AKxxx x he will bid 5C to say hes not sure and again slam will be reached. Maybe im on still on acid for this hand but i still dont understand why people cue bid clubs instead of 4S ? Does they expect 4S to show the A ? Over a 2S overcall a 4S cue wasnt available but over 3C overcall 4S is at least an alternative.