Apollo81

1♠. Will bid clubs later.

I would rather double on the given South hand than on a 4342 13 count.

Both of you made reasonable decisions. The problem is that both went on the conservative side at the same time. If you moved 1 of North's HCP to South, then North has a clear pass, South has a clear 1NT bid. If you play sandwich NTs then you're screwed there too....what a bad convention.

3♣

5♣.

p-1♥(1)-p-2♣(2) p-2♠-p-3♠ p-3NT(3)-p-4♠ all pass (1) 10-15 (2) 3-card ♥ LR, or natural GF (3) serious slam try in ♠

4♣. Can always correct 4♦/4♥ to 4♠

GIB's play speed is poorly correlated with the speed bar settings. I find that if I do not set it to "fastest possible" then it takes a long time to make its plays. This can be annoying when trying to teach, as it is either extremely bad or slow to the point that the student gets annoyed. I don't expect that there's much to be done about this....maybe instead of a slider put a maximum allowed thinking time textbox?

My comments: (1) I prefer 14-16 to a weaker NT primarily due to interference to the 1♦ opener. Hands without extra values (11-13) are easier to bid than hands with extras (14-16) in these competitive auctions. I think the overall quality of your results after a 1NT opening will be similar regardless of the range. (2) I think you have the right idea to take hands with 4M out of your 2-level openings. I think "one-suited" 2m openings that might have a 4M are a losing proposition mostly because you constantly have to check if pard has 4M when you have a good hand. If you don't have to check, you give a lot less information away and tend to right-side the contract more. You can also play penalty doubles in competition, which I think is clearly better than playing negative doubles catering to opener having an unlikely pattern. You might decide to play 2♣-2♥-2♠ as a 3145/2146 pattern; this may help you find diamond fits and also give you a guaranteed safe landing spot when responder has 5-5 majors. (assume 2♣-2♥ is NFConst) (3) Playing your structure, I would open virtually all minor suit (5332) patterns 1NT or 1♦. It's better to have some shape for your 2m openings. (4) Playing your structure, I recommend playing basically standard responses: 1M natural and forcing, 1NT NF 6-10, 2m = natural inv+. If you are willing to bid 1♦-1♠-2♥ with x4x6, then you don't need 1♦-1M-2♣ as a natural bid. You can use this to differentiate good hands with support from bad hands with support. --- I play very similar methods. The differences are that my 1NT is 14-16, my 2♦ also shows 4+♣, and my 2NT shows x4x6 10-13. I think the latter will cause you some problems if you open 1♦ with it. I can still open my 5-5 minors hands at the 2-level (2♦). If you'd like to look at my notes, you can email me at nobleshore@gmail.com and I'll give them to you.

I'd open 3 at unfavorable and 4 otherwise.

whatever you decide, make sure to have at least 1 "non-serious" superaccept and at least 1 "serious" superaccept

My top 2 choices are (1)2♠ and (2)3♠. If you switched my hearts and spades then I would open 3♥.

I would bid. It's extremely unlikely that (1) partner can balance (2) the opps have fewer than 8 hearts. If they get to game, maybe they will misguess the hQ.

LTC works best when there is a 9+ card trump fit and both sides have 4+ trumps. LTC is much less accurate on other hands. If you don't LR when you have 11 HCP, then opener will have to invite on all sorts of hands that he shouldn't bid on. For every making game you reach, you will go down in 3M/4M several times when you could have made 2M. If opener doesn't change his inviting style based on "partner routinely has 10-11 HCP for a single raise" then you will miss many good games. IMO a Drury-like convention should also be used by UPHs to show this hand type.

I would expect 5♥ to make 10 or 11 tricks. I would expect 4♠ to make 9, 10, or 11 tricks. Given these, passing/doubling seems right only if they make 9 and we make 10. It's possible pard has some hand like Axx xxx x xxxxx where neither side can make game, but it's unlikely. 5♥ seems clear.

1.Yes 2.No

Takeout doubles work very well in these auctions (from experience)

There's your answer. (2NT)

Opener has shown 7+♣ or only 6♣ with no diamond stopper and no biddable major holding. Typical hands might include xx Qx xxx AKQJxx or x Kx Jxx AKxxxxx Slam seems like a favorite to make, even though pard could have something like Qx Jx xxx AKQJxx. There are two ways to get there. One is to take charge by bidding RKC yourself. I would do this if I thought there was any chance partner might pass 4♣. However, opposite a good player 4♣ is a better call than 4♦. If you can get partner to bid RKC, you can easily describe all of your high cards, and partner should know your shape from the bidding. This is better than trying to figure out partner's hand, which is much less well known than yours on this auction. If partner just bids 5♣ over your 4♣, I would raise to 6♣. A good advanced-player rule about 4m is that it is NF when there has been a failed stopper investigation. For instance, 1♣-1♠-2♣-2♥-3♣-3♦-3♥-4♣ is not forcing. However, direct raises to 4m like this one are forcing since there has been no attempt to get to 3NT. This obviously doesn't apply to auctions like 1M-1NT-2m-4m where slam is not a concern.

autodouble

yes

1. 5♦ (the auction was 1♣-1♠-2♦-3♦-5♣, right?) 2. 4♥ 3. invite in spades if I can, otherwise transfer and raise to 4♠ or Texas if that's an option

When LHO has ♠xx ♥xx you lose. When LHO has ♠Kx ♥xx I lose assuming I cannot find the drop after this.

I'd just play hearts without cashing the ♠A. I lose to 4-1 hearts or potentially misguessing spades later on certain layouts. Neither opp has 11 minor cards. Someone might have preempted, overcalled, or bid unusual 2NT with 10 minor cards too....but we obviously cant rule that out.

definitely monkeys