firmit

Hi It's been a long time since I last posted here - thought I'd share a hand, which me and my new partner did not quite agree on which route to take. [hv=pc=n&s=sk542hakq82d8ct43&n=saj93hdj942ckq852]133|200|North dealer[/hv] We are trying out transfer bids over 1♣. We started like this 1♣-1♦ 1♠-2♦ 3♦ What does 3♠ actually mean here? What type of 3NT would "fit" best here? How would you bid this hand? I question whether 2♦ is correct - what would 3 show; jump i 4th suit? Must be mini-splinter of some sort, right? But I am not sure I like the range, as the bid is limit or strong slam interest.

If I remember correctly: Kx Tx AKxx K10875 - QJ AJxx J10xx AQx Spade lead. Then club A.

From real life. First table against opps. Contract is 3nt. W opened 2S. I have 9, if this clubsuit breaks: K10873 - AQ5 I have communication. From table, I play the 3 to A, seeing a small card from E and 9 from W. I need 5 clubs to make 9. You have no stoppers left in spades. How should I play my clubs? Would it make any difference if east's card was the 4? Is this really a wtp?

I recieved the Bridgemaster level 2-4 as a gift from BIN after having an article published. But I don't have windows installed. However, I am able to use wine with BBO, so I thought it would be easy to install BridgeMaster under wine as well. But nooo - the cdrom is required - and the dreadful cdrom check prevents me from using it under Linux with wine. Is there any - ANY - way around this? I'd really like to try this out... (I have the codes, reciept and everything if you wonder).

Holy crap! This is awesome! Very nice, Fred! B)

I agree. I am no expert - faaaar from it. I have only been playing for a couple of years. However - I do have some feelings with regards to consistency with the system I'm using. (1) Every jump in partners suit is pre-emptive ( obviously ) - regardless of opps interference (2) Bid vs dbl vs pass - is respectively (normally) patterning/weak/strong if initially partner made ANY forcing bid, after opps make any action besides pass. (3) When competing - if new suit is bid by advancer, one always have secondary support in overcallers suit. Everything else is common sense! This works for me. I may be way off, though! ;)

I'm placing ♣K in LHO - why did he not lead trumph? I might lead from Kxx - so I place trumphs Kx - Jxx. I am expecting the diamond finesse to go - if not, I am already down. If RHO has 3 dia's + Jxx of trumph + ♦K - it might just make. Same : ♥K then ♦Q

You hold: ♠- ♥A7xxx ♦K10x ♣K109xx Sitting South. MP - vul N/S - you hear RHO open 1♠. Your call please - and what is your forecast for this auction?

I upgrade to the latest version - 10.0.12.36 on my 2.6.26-686 kernel, using Iceweasel/Firefox 3.0.3. It works on my laptop. Still need to try it on my desktop when I get back home, though, but I suspect it should work now :)

I held this hand yesterday: ♠ AQT ♥ A9xx ♦ xx ♣ ATxx MP - First seat, vul. Playing in a intermediate field - I choose to upgrade this hand. The reason for doing it, was that if I opened 1♣, and partner said 1♠, I felt that I would be to strong for a 1NT rebid... Another thing - I don't use Zar points all that much, but when thinking about upgrading/downgrading, I tend to use it to get a "second opinion" - here I have 14+10+6=30zars - which may be 1 point short - but... swap the cards around, and I believe one can construct numerous hands where 1NT is the "obvious" choice. Do you agree? What is your criteria for upgrading a 14hp balanced hand to a 15hp - so you can open a strong 1NT?

I am unable to login - I am using Linux - Debian with Iceweasel (Firefox) - the Flash loads , but I get Connection lost EVERY time. What is that all about? It worked in earlier versions. This also means, I am unable to use BBOTV for vugraph. Any ideas why this happens?

I read a fairly interesting article about Palin today: http://www.newsweek.com/id/160080/page/1 I must say - the author is well articulated!

Well - that was actually my follow-up question - what do you open with even length in the minors (i.e. 4-4 minors). I guess there is no problem when you have opened 1♦ and respond 2♣ to the 1♠/neg.dbl - it is simply a preference and support bid. But given the agreement to open your lowest 4c suit (open 1♣ with 4-4 in minors) - should 2♦ promise reverse values as in the OP? Or do you always open 1♦ with 4-4 in the minors?

Assume a natural system. Bid them up the line. Lowest 4c suit. 1♣-(1♥)-1♠!-(pass) 2♦ - where 1♠ denied 4 c spades - thus minor oriented or strongish. In the actual situation, she rebid 2♣, holding 4-1-4-4 and 12hp - because she felt any other bid would be reverse. But what is 2♦ in this position - given that 1♠ is "take-out"? Is it reverse, or natural preference?

Agree. In most expert system, 2♥ 100% RF. But for SAYC - 2♥ is merely patterning out - is it not? What is taught to beginners, is that a new suit below your first suit is NF, if not FSF. At least in Norway this is common practice.

I would say yes - is this not a pure balancing bid? If dbl is for penalty, then 2♥ should show tolerance for both majors. If dbl is take-out, 2♥ tend to deny 4c spades - at least, that's what I would say. I may be way off!

So you are not concerned about hearts xx AJxxx?

Contract was only 2♠ south, but I guess 4 is more interesting... - weast leads 2/4 leads ( xX / xXxX ) - A small heart, low from dummy - east playing low... plan the play - if different line of play in MP vs IMPS - pls do tell. Dummy ♠ Q J 6 ♥ K 8 x ♦ A Q x ♣ Q 9 x x Hand ♠ A 10 x x x ♥ Q 10 x ♦ 10 x ♣ K 10 x

After 1NT-2♠ - which shows some kind of minor oriented hand (not explicit clubs and not strong long minor), I might have a problem after a 2NT response, which shows preference for diamonds. My Norwegian partner would use repeated stayman - no doubt! Which may be a good alternative when not using 4-way trans - getting the exact distribution. Thus - if partner shows 5 hearts, I'd cue 3♠ for hearts, After p showing a minor cue, I'd feel contempt with bidding 4♥. With any other distribution, I might consider 4♣, which is hiiighly optimistic - planning to pass 4NT/5♣ bidding 5♣ after any cue. That's me - but what do I know...

There happened to be many points in this auction. I was seating West - and felt like "lying". South had just psyched us out of a cold spade game. However, we got him back! At all red - this came up. http://lh3.ggpht.com/ken.mellem/SN6vtx3Vz4I/AAAAAAAAAJc/1BqBBEngRHQ/hand.jpg (tried the Noozit article generator :) at picasa - so the url changes... ) Alerts is as in the OP - 2♥ is alerted by bidder as "forcing" - how his partner understood this is not taken into account. In the OP - I removed the dbl of 5♣. But I suspect this does not change much - or does it? Is redbl now SOS - or do you feel content being in 5♣XX - given the fact that you consider bidding 6♣....

About noozit. I can see they are using the FREE FCKEditor. And they have an extension which generates an image with the actual bridge diagram - thus, you may link to it or just copy it to your own destination. In that way you are only using the hand-generator, and not the blog-tool itself. This may not be a "nice thing to do", given it is their extension (don't know about rights) - but it is possible. In fact - they may be used in BFF, which - IMHO - should consider upgrading the hand-layout-thingy. On the other hand - this made me think - about my template generator. It is not very difficult to generate an image rather than html text. I don't know what is more preferable in a blog - what do you bloggers out there think? Edit: FCKEditor it open-source! Thus, implementing it in BFF and any other place is a peace-of-cake! The extra extension is probably easy to implement.

Bidding goes: (pass)-pass-(1♦)-dbl (1♥)-2♥!-(dbl*)-pass (pass)-3♦!!-(pass)-3NT (pass)-5♣!!!-(pass)- 2♥ is forcing - no agreement. Openers dbl is 3c heart support. 3♦ is not alerted. You hold ♠ K98 ♥ AJ98 ♦ A2 ♣ Q876 Your bid please.

My advice: This should not have an impact on the answer, you may well assume 2D showes 44, say, they play Cappelletti. With kind regards Marlowe I agree - but if dbl is take/out, as in "I think we got them" - the meaning will differ some when the president suit is not bid, no? Is DBL not negative with spades inv+ in this position? And dbl after "2♦=majors", is simply take/out - or the same meaning as after 1m-(2m)-dbl - "I will penalty dbl one of their suits"? Thus, I would think 2♥ is both minors, and 2♠ is 6 c minor suit, weak or strong. 3m could be invitational. And - dbl = spades

Your bid and follow-ups please - if you don't like the system - please elaborate! This is why I ask! 1NT is semi-NF. 2/1 followed by rebid in same suit by responder is NF. Also - 1♠-2♥ is dual - it may be natural with hearts or weak (3-7hp) with 3-4c spades. 1M-2M is 3c 8-11hp. Also, a late support in openers major is GF - thus, 1♠-2x-2♠-3♠ is GF. ( A ) Partner opens 1♠ - you hold ♠ Q x ♥ A J x x x ♦ Q J T x x ♣ x ---------- ( B ) You open 1♦ - 1♠ response from partner - your bid and follow-up pls. ♠ Q T x ♥ A Q x ♦ A K T x x x ♣ A ---- Motivation for (A) is that I want your opinion whether or not the system needs to be changed. ( B ) is just a funny hand - with options!

In Norway - I really don't think you will find anybody bidding 3S. They'd all bid 3H - showing the singleton with 4c spade support and GI.