dake50

(1D) 1S (2H) ??? [?82 JT87 963 AJ3] (1D) 1S (2D) ??? (1H) 1S (2H) ??? --- WesC The **strategic intent** is to inform partner how gamish my hand is. To that end Q82 suffices in each auction. The **tactical intent** is to win S vs H hands. Either by preempting to their danger level or snake-in-the-grass with defense. To that end Pass after 2H force (we are outgunned); 2S over 2D, unless it's a forcing raise, whence pass; 2S over 2H raise only promises a big card (CA here) without a misfit.

Pavlicek assumes the 1Nt:10-12 must still invest in Stayman, etc to search for M-fit. Of course IF 2-level bids MUST look for M-fit AND get too high opposite 10-12 THAT scheme loses. Let 1Nt:10-12 already assess missing M-fit before he opens 1Nt! So take out all those up-level bids. Now test its IMP gain/loss.

Play 2D for this type hand. Good 5+D, poor M-stops, 12-17. Partner will show M-stop/5xM with 2M. Partner tries 3Nt with M-stops. Partner 3D/4D to get our fit uppity in this auction.

Other. Splinter D-raise (or fake splinter)

Are DK with 3S bidder? HK opposite? Does partner have SK10xx so we get 2xS +HA+DAQ+CAK for down 3? I doubt any near that. Will partner over my double choose 4H with HKx? I see little chance double gets this hand best. I have great offense: 6xH, 3xD support, AND S-void! I try 4C: partner, "I DID NOT DOUBLE" Are we going up? He should reason just about this hand. Some support (a misfit would double), good stuff in clubs (that's why I'm bidding them), and my hearts are prime topped (HAK, HAQ). I expect he repeats 4D then I try 4H to show a 6th heart. Off to the races or 4H/5D quits. Partner will make a good decision here.

May I inquiry a bit about the 2♦ bid? 1♥ looks very normal with 4 hearts and a strong hand. *** Exactly. Why no negX? Q-bid raise of clubs? Very strong force? Why not 1H? I would have bid 2S over 2D as Q-bid raise or very strong force, in a quandary if it has another meaning. Now I'm seeing they have a C+H double fit. I try 4S, fearing this bounces them into 6H/6C making. Are they able to see S-control + D-short with their 4xH +5XC +2xS +D-ruff? I'm sorry I blabbed if they do.

I have just started accumpulating and setting up statistical analysis.Some very preliminary numbers are suggesting that when we open 1D,1H,1S in 1st or second seat we are hitting 62% (matchpoint) and about 53 percent when we open in 3rd seat. I need to acumulate more data so that my results become credible. It's almost seeming like first or second seat could be viewed as a 'home' game and 3rd seat is an 'away' game This preliminary data is starting to make me think that maybe instead of the traditional 11-15 HCP , maybe we ought to stretch first seat opening down to 10,9, or even, 8 HCP. Does anyone have experience playing precision with weaker HCP with the 1 level suit openings (1D, 1H,1S) ? If it's relevant, our 1NT is 10-12 non-Vul hitting 67% in first or second seat on a very small sample *** Done. Done. And published. You are onto the forced future of bridge bidding. Light openers win. They will dominate in comparison to 13+ openers. Status quo to hold them back.

Wouldn't redouble last round have shown CA or CK as Rozencrantz? Surely little need for another meaning is there?

The thing that is most important to me, however, is to nail down carding agreements. Even there, I have my pet stuff I like - one of which is that if I lead a trump, the spot I use will have suit preference implications if I can afford it - that has never cost matchpoints, and has gained significantly in some situations. Its also something that opponents rarely ask about, though if they do ask about leads in a trump contract when partner led a trump, I am sure to tell them about the suit preference implications. *** Do you have a big dot "SPECIAL CARDING PLEASE ASK" ? Amazes me opponents even if they look never ask. Rusinow honor leads, unless count honor lead. 3rd and 5th with special exceptions. Upside down att cnt, sp with special cases when att is OF, then even cnt is OFF. Parity echo in trump or designated next suit. Periscope count. Not all I use but I have seen and un asked.

Personally, I think it is insane that one has to start with double to show all 5-7 hands, -- PhilKing *** Absolutly agree. 5-7 with no suggestion double is ok. But responder's first duty is to suggest where to play. Of course, that requires later bids to say not slammy. (More accurately, not slammy unless).

I think that there is a lot to be said for South bidding clubs one more time. Even when North has a very good 6 card spade suit, 3♠ doesn't look like the right contract. Clearly, bidding clubs again is not without risk. But I believe that it offers a better chance at a plus score (perhaps a large plus score). There is a significant difference between having 5-4 in the rounded suits (all that South has promised so far) and having 5-5 or better in the rounded suits (as would be shown by bidding clubs one more time). And, since you could pass 3♠, the fact that you bid again strongly implies that you are not just 5-5, but you are probably 6-5 or 6-6. As it turns out, 4♥ is a very reasonable contract. I would guess that 4♥ is more likely to make than 3♠. If I were 6-4, I would rebid hearts before introducing the 4 card club suit. However, as I mentioned in another thread some time ago, some players play that bidding your suits in this order - M - M - m - and bidding your suits in this order - M - m - M - both show 6M 4m, but the first sequence is weaker than the second sequence. On this hand, none of this is relevant, as you are always going to bid the suits M - m - m since you are 6-5. --ArtK78 *** Even more so when you trust partner won't jump 3S when he sees a misfit. Then 4C infers "We're not in trouble. Which game?"

So, do any of your concerns go through 1Nt-force? What distinguishes 1S-2D =2-fit, 10 from 1S-1Nt-, 2x-2S?

Partner better have S:Qx +DAK + another top card for a game in our future. I doubt that, but 2S is probably better than 1Nt as I have no sure side entry. I'll try 2C, then 2S. Partner is up to bat.

I'm even worse. I'd bid 3D: this suit, no other major fit, lead this, no more to say. Embarassed if DAK +HA+H-ruff beats their 4S and we lose 500.

I have a 3D bid to show M+M. I try that. Partner may jump to 4H with 4+H 10 points, OK. If he says 3H, I try 3S to show S>>H(2>> means 2+cards greater length) and not GF. I really expect C-void and 6-suit to play big.

I have no freaking clue why W redoubled. *** Isn't this "striped-tail ape double" extended to redouble? That is he expects any penalty to be less than their slam.

You miss proper WEASEL technique. The pass over 3C must show no interest as a proper NegX is in tempo; whereas a trap pass double is long BIT.

(1♣)-? •2♣ = 4 spades and 5+ diamonds. •2♦ = 4 hearts and 5+ diamonds. •2♥ = 4 spades and 5+ hearts. •2♠ = Weak jump overcall. •2NT = strong two-suited including hearts. Double, non-jump suit overcalls, and 1NT are normal. *** Except 1D won't have 5+D with 4xS nor 4xH. 1H won't have 5+H with 4xS. Dbl won't have 4xS with 5+H nor 5+D; nor 4xH with 5+D; nor 4xS with 5+H. I've modified OS with 2-bids showing hearts and bid suit, letting 1D, 1H MAY also have spades. Specifically over 1C, 1D. My point is modifying 2-bids also modifies the 1-bids. I like the more frequent 4-5's coming into the auction, rather than waiting for the WJO/Roman shapes.

I don't understand this. Why not just ask? *** You miss my point. Asking works WHEN THEY HAVE A DISCUSSED AGREEMENT as eg. Whirlwind. Of course the answer is often "we have no agreement" but that's to their advantage as they're just annoying. Better to have no agreement and just happen to read this time right. Is that a weak jump overcall? .. Yup. But it has 12 points. .. That's because you bid 1C. That's not disclosed. .. Everyone does that to 1C.

Wish I had a 5-5 MM not strong bid over 3D and got this offensive hand into this auction then. Now I wish a MM bid cheap enough, No Such Bid. 5S it is. Joining what I sense is a chorus on this 6-5 "come alive" hand.

You've hit one of my peeves.[rant on] Opponents fill out a Convention Card, then anything goes against 1C-force. Their overcalls are not as CC-shown, nor their jump overcalls; nor have they disclosed their agreements to *disrupt* 1C (eg. Whirlwind,Suction). If done against a 'natural' 1C those would be both "excessive psyching" and "private understanding".[rant off] Having preferred 1C force, including the conventional wisdom "opponents will try to take advantage of your artificial start so 1C loses", I've experienced 1C-forcing starts to be a BIG winner BECAUSE opponents decide to stop playing bridge. In a 1C-force system, hasn't interference handling been discussed so they are prepared? "Step into my lair" with no experience to compare to ours. This is so wild that we take penalty on our sound games, bounce on borderline games, bid low to suggest slam. This strategy has been a winner even when we alert which one is in play.

It's unfashionable to pass here: I suspect double would be more popular. *** I want some better shape, say 5134 with these honors and only 10, or a near 12 with this bal trash. Mostly, my concern is I want partner to expect STUFF(hcp/shape/defense tricks) when I stay in the fight. My guess is we're about 50% to land in a playable contract (+/-1); 25% too close for them to double when down 2+; leaving 25% doubled and down 500+.

PASS I am close but the rather huge downside of x now is what to do over 3c p p. I have nowhere to go and a theoretically unlimited hand for whatever I decide to do. IMO it is much better to pass now and if the bidding goes 3c p p I can now safely bid 3d which should show dia stop at max for a pass and nowhere good to go. P cannot get too carried away because our upside potential is severly limited I can see the desire to x but I do not see the upside anything we do after x (if p cannot make a move) can easily promise much more than we have. In fact, any action we would take should be game forcing. That's the major advatage of pass we can limit our hand and p will expect around a K leas from us than when we x. -- gszes *** Won't 3H now be just about this hand? Rather than an immediate 3H, this must be flawed, expect QJ,Qx,Kx. Even 3D over 3C shouldn't promise the world. Do you wait for a good 12+ to double? That leaves partner guessing always instead of you guessing WHEN partner can't take a clear action.

Start X. Poor spades to show; short hearts to raise; only 1 stop in each. See what partner does/can do. He may have an easy suggestion. I may be in a nightmare. Let's see.

I wanted answers, not more questions. *** But the answers SHOULD include these discussions as JLOL. I've been in this same quandary. UDCA signals in an unblocking situation clouds the card played. *** That needs to be answered in this theoretical discussion, and surely discussed in any building partnership.