mikegill

There is a pair in DC who plays Romex and gets reasonable results (although I do not know to what extent that is a reflection on them and to what extent it's a reflection of the system). I do not think either of them are on the forums tho.

I also don't see how you can pass even though it could be right. If partner has 2 hearts to an honor he really shouldn't even be balancing, and if he doesn't they probably have 5+ heart tricks to go with their side cards. I'll join the 3♦ chorus.

We play something sort of like this. In these auctions, we play: 4M = 3-card support for major (we always superaccept with 4), denies a good hand for slam with 4+ in the minor cheapest non-4M step = bad hand for slam in minor, after which 4n, 4M, 5m are to play, and the cheapest other step is keycard in the minor. next step+ = responding to keycard in the minor so here: 4♥ = heart support, usually a bad hand for slam. This allows responder to bid keycard for hearts, or cuebid looking for slam. If opener has a great hand with 3-card heart support he can always respond to keycard in diamonds then correct to 6♥ 4♠ = bad hand for slam, denies 3♥ (or a hand that doesn't want to show them e.g. ♠ AKJx ♥J42 ♦Q4 ♣AKQ2) 4N = 1/4 keycards, ♦ fit, good slam values ...etc To make this really work we play the keycard step responses are 1/4, 2/5, 3w/o, 3w that way responder isn't forced to slam opposite 2+Q. You can play this whenever responder makes a natural 4m bid, like after stayman-response-4m, or 3s->3n-4m or whatever - responder is just showing a different minor-suit length depending on the situation, so opener evaluates accordingly.

Guess he forgot to put the auction in there... p p 1♥ 2♠ ?

[hv=d=e&v=b&s=sjxhjxdaqjxxxcxxx]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♠ 1N 4♠[/hv] What is your choice and why?

[hv=d=w&v=b&s=sxxhakxxxxdxxcxxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP p 1♣ p 1♥ 1♠ p 2♠ ?[/hv] You are playing support doubles but don't have any other special agreements.

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=sakxxhkjtdxxxcqtx&w=sqtxhxxdkqjtxxcax&e=sxxhaxxdaxxxckxxx&s=sj98xhq9876dcjxxx]399|300|Scoring: IMP p p 1♦ X XX 4♥ p p X All pass[/hv] 4HX was -300, and although they are cold for 3NT, they can't make 5♦ with neither of them having any shape (not to mention partner not having any shape either). At the table I decided that probably both sides could make something and that it was time to make them guess. I still think that's true, although in restrospect I think that 3♥ is probably a better bid. However, small changes to the other 3 hands can result in 4♥ being only -100 while 5♦ is making, so I still like 4♥ way more than anything less than 3♥. I really think preemption is called for here. It just has to be extremely unlikely pard has a power double here (even if you routinely power X on 16 - that only leaves 20 for the opponents who opened the bidding and redoubled). I think we should be catering to the way more likely case where pard has a normal takeout double and the opponents have the bulk of the strength and normally 11 (or maybe even 12) diamonds.

Pass by agreement would have not have been for penalties on this hand since we are under the diamonds, so I suppose you can consider that an option if you like.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sj98xhq9876dcjxxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP P P 1♦ X XX ?[/hv] You opponents are very unlikely to have psyched if that matters to you.

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=sa7xxhkxxdxxxcqxx&w=skqt8xxhxxxxdqcax&e=sxhxdjt98xxxct9xx&s=sjxhaqjtxdakckjxx]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv] I bid 3N. Partner's 2nd spade was not quite good enough so -2. I thought 3N was probably the normal action, but I did consider just bidding 3♥. I actually didn't really think X was much of an option simply because it can land you in a silly spade contract at who knows what level.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sj4haqjt8dakckj84]133|100|Scoring: IMP 3♦ ?[/hv] Your RHO is an aggressive junior if that matters to you. Choose your poison.

Here is the most interesting one I've seen, although from a multiple-section game that was scored across the whole A/X field. A <50% won one direction and in the other a 57.5% got you nothin (actually all the way up to a 61% would have got you nothin). It also featured a 25% game which is the worst I've even seen in an A/X field.

I guess my issue with all this is that, while I ask about people's style of weak twos all the time, most people do not ask (in fact, once they know it's a weak two, most people don't even think to ask about anything else). This seems like it is the biggest problem when they're on defense - they have information about one of their hands that you do not that could be valuable to either side. And, they can't even volunteer this information because they're on defense. If they're declaring, it seems like they really ought to offer this information after the auction, but I really haven't ever seen anything like this volunteered. Now, I know it's a club game so who cares, but these people do play in sectionals and regionals too. Certainly, it seems like in the spirit of the game there should be some way for this information to get to the opponents without them having to ask (the rules may be another story entirely, I certainly believe those who say this is not actually alertable).

After a round in a club game the other night, my RHO was discussing with the director who was kibbing our table her thoughts about opening weak twos. Anyway, it came out that she doesn't open weak twos with a 3-card side major, and she (quite vehemently) encourages her partners to do the same. She admitted she "might" open it anyway with 3-small. Both my partner and I commented that this ought to be alerted, since it's information that they have but you don't. The player thought that this was standard and thus should not be alerted (I'm pretty sure this isn't true, although it may have been in the past). The director who was just a club director seemed to vaguely agree with us, but not forcefully enough to convince her of anything. In response, she countered that we ought to alert ours because we would do it with a 4-card major on the side whereas standard is to not do that. I felt that these were not the same but I'm curious to hear what people have to say on this subject.

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=sxxxhaxdqt9xcxxxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP 1♥* x p 2♣ 2♦ 4♠ p p 5♦** 5♠ 6♦ 6♠ p p ?[/hv] * limited to 15 HCP ** partner could have bid 4n to show a 5♦ bid with a strong heart preference You're playing a swiss if that matters to you.

At matchpoints this is much harder - 6♥ probably won't make and 5♠ probably won't make either. You just can't take this chance at IMPs though, especially at all white, where if you go down 1 doubled instead of setting them 1 doubled it's only lose 5. Give partner some hand like Qx AKQxxx x AQxx and both 5♠ and 6♥ are cold. This isn't even giving partner a fit in diamonds - if he has that, then both sides could be cold for 6-level bids. On a side note, you should bid at least 5♥ the first time - now if partner doubles he knows you have a real freak and you can sit.

I'll go with 6♠. It seems so likely that they are making a slam somewhere, unless their spades are 1-1 AND partner finds an outside trick. Surely I'm not letting them play small slam, so lets bid this now and we can always choose to sack against grand later if they bid that.

yes

Seems like a normal 3♠ to me - this has lots of ways to win. I would not X 4♥.

I would lead a heart, whatever is systemic. RHO probably would have inquired about LHO's heart length if he were remotely interested. Surely RHO has the cK at least, so maybe partner can win and push clubs through him.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sxxxxhajxxxdaxckx]133|100|Scoring: IMP 1♦ 1♥ 3♦ 4♥ 5♦ ?[/hv] You're playing a swiss, opponents are not experts if that matters to you. You also play intermediate jump overcalls so your 1♥ could be on a weak 2. First of all, do you X or pass? 2ndly, how do you expect partner to react to each of these bids. How often would you expect partner to pull a X? How often would you expect him to bid 5♥ if you pass?

I think standard is very strong hand with a club stopper - probably a hand with running diamonds.

Actually I'm not sure what OS is - feel free to enlighten me (maybe I've heard of it but just not referred to as OS). I guess this means I'm not playing it. 2NT followed by 3♠ was an option maybe that would be better. I think the 3d bid has to be at least 5-5 reds, all equal vul IMPs when the opponents haven't even shown a fit yet. Seems to me that 2542 should just X 3♣ after having already shown 5 hearts if it were a hand this strong in high cards. 2♥ was probably too conservative, but it sounded like it could easily be a misfit hand. In retrospect I think this was a mistake. Agree counting high cards is not the way to go on this hand. Should I really be worried about partner passing 1♣ X with a 3334 6-count? This sounds crazy to me, but I've been wrong about such things before. I thought X was better as it gets spades into play more (I guess 2n... 3♠ does this as well but you might not be able to get that bid in).

[hv=d=e&v=b&n=stxxhj98dqt9xcxxx&s=saxxhakqxxdakjxxc]133|200|Scoring: IMP 1♣ X 1♠ P 2♣ 2♥ 2♠ P 3♣ 3♦ 4♣ 4♦ P 5♦ All pass[/hv] The only maybe nonstandard agreement that you have is X and pull shows ~18-22 and is NF. X and J/S would have been GF. Opponents are bad if that matters to anybody.

Ok, I chose to X, as did many of the other posters, but you end up playing 5d (x or not) either way. Question 2: what do you lead?