dake50

You may be onto something. If this is your 3S preempt, flesh out the expected responses. Especially 4m MUST-?? have 2xA and Qxx+?? fit, looking up? You don't lose way much if responses cater to 2xA +side void +one-top 7-suit - the very deviations this hand has. Can your fleshed-out responses get to 6S on this immediate hand? Or just accept the losses when responder has a good hand, but not good enough-??

I agree with the opinion that is sort of coming through that what matters most isn't how much you are ahead or behind other pairs who have had a more "field standard" auction but rather how well defined the opponents hand is and/or how much they need the space to work it out. As others suggest, if someone opens a standard 1♣, pushing to preempt makes sense. Same over a precision 1♦ or even a standard 1♦ (especially when you can bid ♣/♦). I don't think it makes sense to stretch over the weak nt, I think they've defined their hand quite well and you are better off saving your auctions for constructive and try to win it back on the hands they can't open 1nt *plus* the hands you can X for blood and make them pay. - Mbodell *** Agree. Competing wins more when opponents action is poorly defined. If opponents WANT their rebid to clarify their hand, make that rebid painfully high. *** Even to the point of a different defending scheme to their UN-defined openings - especially 'get to the 3-level quickly and often.' Leaving standard defensive bidding against their defined bids.

'jogs' Axxxx, Axxx, Axx, A Every one of those aces are worth a different value. It's mostly not worth the effort to use another point count. The variance of any and all methods of evaluation is extremely high. *** The variance is "extremely high" at an observed value of A=5 +-0.22 in Kxx=3-points?? That's 1/5 of a point! The "extremely high" variance occurs with quacks. The very reason to start valuing them lower. The secret of good bidding is making the proper adjustment during the subsequent rebids after learning more about the cards around the table. *** Absolutly! But adjust down to less than a minimum opening can't be shown by any rebid, can it? Responder bids to help opener promote working quacks in responder's suit(s). That uptick in evaluation CAN be shown in a rebid. Basically I'm saying adjustment from a poor start can't match adjustment from a good 1st evaluation.

Take a look at http://bridge.thomas...com/valuations/ *** That's actually a source along with Aces Scientific (don't count stray Jacks). Instead of comparing evaluators why not assemble a best evaluator? If Andrews evaluator-tester has enough hands to make his correlation test reliable: tricks won to evaluated, doesn't it have inherent a 'best' evaluator? 531 is that.

I'm trying to chart 531 count as is done for HCP for 8-20 points. Need help running sims or calculations. eg. take 12-14 HCP -> 531. The basics of 531. **A=5**, except A-single is 4. **K=3**, except K-single is 1.5. **Q=1**, except Q-single,Qx is 0. J=0 xxx,xxxx is -1. Q=2 if with A or K 3+length. J=1 if with Q or K or A 3+length. I have confidence 531 is better (at least for 1st evaluation) but I am trying to get a handle on the impact of this new evaluation. Is it so small, that my preference is just that, or big enough to publish/persuade experts?

1. I have an Ace in defense and no suggestion 4H-X is not our best contract. I've been in this situation before and gotten and missed our best score. 2. I'll double back to partner. He'll hope for 4xS, but knows I have stuff without a clear idea of our best spot. I expect 1xH-ruff with my 3xtrumps IF he goes 4S in addition to quacks in minors.

RHO opens 1S, you hold Qxx xx KQx KQ10xx. Will you overcall 2C? Do you think most of your peers make the same choice? *** The cheapest space-consuming overcall, lead-directing with HKQx side stuff, SQxx defensive quack, blabbing stuff with a "minor that won't win this declaration", partner with SKx and CA tries 3NT but not 6+C. What upside does anyone see? What hands would be left to reopen - a rag 8? PASS.

I think the danger in this auction is "we have Majors, they're making our finding our M-fit difficult" So, the 8's with 4M-4M get in with double; not having MM or 5+M, even 10's probably can leave partner to continue the fight or not.

Double then bid spades. Easy rule: When it goes (preempt) pass/double (new suit), doubling or bidding shows the same as if responder has raised the preempt instead. So double here is just takeout of hearts (or 3♠ would be natural), and you double followed by bidding a suit to show a good hand. I have yet to regret having this rule on a single hand ever. It also makes psyching by them a big losing strategy, since all he has done by bidding 2♠ rather than 3♥ is given you more available bids without taking away a single bid from you. - lalldonn *** Still have the problem: I have a good 5+S suit AND a good hand. As I play X, then Q-bid 3S still isn't natural. They may have stolen our 4S contract, now misbid into 3NT. OR maybe 6xS with RHO's 2S keeps us out of a terrible misfit. *** That's the intent of preempts, psyches, and many other "hope to trouble opponents" bids. Will they (1) misbid, (2) underbid, (3) overbid, or (4) strain their brains to exhaustion trying to counter?

I was thinking about this position in precison: 1♦(2+♦)-1NT, How strong should it be?, The classical 6-9 doesn't seem good, because since i know the idea of the bid was that when opener is strong lets say 18points then you can find game, but here that isn't the case with 1D being limited down to 15. I was thinking maybe using this rebid as 9-11 as invitational or something similar. This allows to stay to play 1NT when opener doesn't want game, and still allows us to find out openers shape if he is max or doesn't want to play NT, With the weaker 0-8 hands, maybe pass w/o a 4card major or 6/5 card minor, so that means that we bid almost always anyway. Any opinions? *** Agree. Having a limited 1D opener, responder must both find a likely 2M,3m partial AND announce game still possible. *** The ambiguous shapes in pre-1D opener stiffles preempts based on fit, at least until next round.

Agree gszes.

Lucky your 3D rebid promises top-heavy diamonds and little/no club honors. Try Sxxx, HJ, QJxxxxx, CAKQ.

Sorry i miscounted the hcps ( lowercase k) *** Got me too. Must have been a devalued KING to king.

I have a power double here with xfer responses (Overcall Structure). I like that here.

1♣ - (2♦) - P* - (3♦) - ? 2♦ was natural and ostensibly weak. Pard's P denied a takeout shape with 6(5)+ HCPs, a balanced GF hand, a GF with a 5+ card suit, or 6+ card major suit with semi-positive+ suit strength. *** As I play P* as Spades-not-misfit, (X= not Sxxx+, SJx+), NOT bidding 3S denies 5+S, my bid is 3S.

"Who is righty? What methods do they play?" --PhilKing *** Who is partner? Does 2H in a 2-suits forcing auction show 1xS +6+H +no honor save DA under 1D bid? So, C-stuff? If he is that disciplined, 5H is near to making on our double fit with crissed shorts. "I've talked myself into 5♥." *** Me too.

(1) Do you agree with the double? *** No, 2D. (2) What now? *** Pass and hope DAK +SA +CQ. Likely HKJ onside they make.

Our auction blabbed HAQx winning for RHO. And his S-Qxx is working. Be glad he didn't hear his C-single/void makes 6D. Let's not push them into that.

Does balancer here assume one of partner's kings to let aggressive competing? I get in double. S-single is the persuader: the partner with shape competes.

I like 3C. I have shown 11-14 bal, now I show real clubs. Partner should know 3D is ok if he has C-single.

After you go through this a few times, you will realize it's best to just bid 2N over a neg X with a balanced hand regardless of stopper at the 1 or 2 level and take your lumps. Usually your partner has heart help (no raise), even when he doesn't sometimes they don't lead it, or the suit blocks etc. *** Trade stopper ambiguity for bal description. Then 3C has 4+clubs, shaping out. *** Does partner next 3H to ask partial or better H-stop? So losing the 3H control with extras?

Does 3H also show good controls? Or would partner expect good controls to make some other bid/continuation? Is that the jist of your question? Control heavy shown by 3H instead of 3D? Then my hand is well-described. If not good controls in 3H, do I owe a cotinuation? He's looking at HK10x,KJx not HA10x isn't he? With a GF of quacks? Quits when 3H already showed good controls.

Yea. 2S, then 3D or X. Try for a S-fit, limited with a D-fit. If you start X, you owe another bid with 10 when could have been 7. Over partner's 2H, 2S. Over (3C) X.. Pass partner's 3H. I'm done.

Looks like 10 tricks on a crossruff. Bis 4C. The only fear is they make 10 tricks in 4S with 6xS +4xD.

Zelandakh How about if West opens a weak 1NT, Kungsgeten? *** I'm with 1NT on this one. Expect a scramble to 2C. *** Maybe even 2S over their 2H, with 3C runout.