junyi_zhu

To me, forcing pass isn't a convention, it's just common sense. If common sense says that they may bid to make, it's not a forcing pass situation, otherwise, it is.

Perhaps I like strong two at 4th position.

A lot of nonsense in the replies I have to say. 4 card overcalls are really normal to me and to many if you handle it well. Even the suit quality isn't that important if you have extra value. The situation you want to avoid is to overcall 4 card suits without opening strength. As long as you have an opener, a reasonable 4 card suit, no other suitable bids, and at one level, I don't see anything wrong to overcall with them. Passing is often losing bridge in my opinion. some examples: SKQxx HA DAxxxx Cxxx, over 1D, it's a clear 1S overcall to me and change that SQ to SJ, I'd still overcall 1S. SKQJx Hxx DAx CKxxxx, over 1D or 1H, it's also clear to overcall 1S. SKxxx HAK Dx CAKxxxx, over 1C, I'd still overcall 1S. If you pass, you'd probably never have another chance to bid, or you may not know what to do if it goes like: 1C p 1H p 2H ? The better your hand is, you lower requirement of your overcalling suit is.

North should double 2C as a takeout for H and D. Then over 5C, south can probably bid 5H with 5 hearts and C void and north can still pass or raise if he feels aggressive. That would be a marginal decision because partner doesn't promise much by his 1S.

No good to assign too many nonforcing bids here. It's often more important to have a way to bid naturally on the way to games or slams. Another treatment here is to play 2nt as invitational in either C or S, so now you have a whole 3 level as forcing. The point is that when you play at 3 level, it's often a bad spot in IMPs. So over 2nt, 3C shows minimum, other bids show extra and are natural. 3 level cuebid shows C support and is gameforcing. So with balanced minimum, you still need to bid 3nt. Which is probably fine in IMP.

of course bad bridge, gotta protect your openers with extra value against a preempt.

If you play transfers, you can bid 2nt to transfer to 3C then rebid 3nt over 3C(minimum response), so partner knows you hold long clubs and want to play NT, you give up natural 2nt here though.

If you have a systemic way to show 6th spade, extra value, you should show it first instead of 3D I believe. You may easily belong to 4S. This hand is easy to handle in my 2/1 scheme, but I won't talk about it. In Lawrence's scheme, it is also biddable. 1S 2D 2S 3C 3D 3H(on the way to 3NT) 3N

easy pass for IMP, for MP, I'd double

I bid 2nt and hope for the best. often, you have some play in 2nt and opps may help you when you have no chance.

this is a normal 18 to me. The shape isn't great, no tens, but the control is good. You often make 4H if partner hold 6 hearts and a side suit aces, in which case, you won't bid it if you open 1NT. You have a pretty good chance in 4S as well if partner holds 6 baby spades and a side suit ace. For 3nt, you don't need much as well, all you need is some level of fit in C or H, when in H, you have a block problem, in that case, you want partner to hold magic CJ, side suit A and magic HJ to make 3nt. but your really have a good play in 3nt when partner holds C fit, like SAKx Hxx Dxxxx Cxxxx, and partner won't move if you open 1NT. So all in all, it's really not an 1nt opener in my opinion. For this hand, it's usually easy to play, either go down early or claim early and everybody like easy hands:)

1nt, HQ should be devalued and SKxxx sucks, you are in the right range if you play 1nt to show 12-16. If you hold SKT9x, it becomes tough.

This is a close decision. Gotta know your opps' style before taking the action. If you are in totally dark, it's fine to pass in my opinion. Sometimes, they don't double you if you bid 4S, they just see you go down 4 quietly when you have some play in 5C. 4H doesn't have to be made and 4S also need a great hand from a passed partner to have a good play. I may bid 4S only when I know that RHO is a deciplined preempter, and even in that case, 4S can probably win a tiny amount of imps in a long run, and the fluctuation is huge. Generally, you want to kill their hearts with spades, but facing a passed partner and red vs white, it's really not clear.

I bid 2S which relays to 2nt here, then 3C, 3D, 3H all show minimum hands. so direct 3C, 3D and 3H are gameforcing.

I think a canape style is best for strong C system. In that treatment, you can open 1H easilly. So 2C opening can be one suiter only.

Bridge is a game of spades, gotta bid 2S over 2H I believe. 2S is from a good weak 2 or weak 3 to a normal opener.

The main goal of drury is that it allows you to invite at 2 level, and I don't like it's current treatment because it does have psyche control involved. Suppose you play 1S 2C 2S to show hands that has no extra, other rebids are natural and at least a game try, then nothing would be wrong here.

When you hold a 8 card suit, forget about your side suit, just bid your main suit again and again and again. When you hold one singleton and one void in your hand, best not to rebid 3nt. Now you get the point. The responder has misbid the hand twice. The right sequence is: 1H 2C 2D 3C 3H 4C(now this bid set up C as trumps and show that C suit isn't solid) 5C pass. Some may rebid 2H here, but that's another issue.

easy pass to me, this is a aceless hand and short in major, give your partner CAxx, DA, SQxx(x), you still don't make 3nt, so gotta pass it. Give your partner AQxx +DA, you still may go down in 4H(3H) easily. That means give your partner a good 10 or 11 HCP hand, you often can't make a game and he'd bid on, so better to stop here. Also, this hand can often belong to opps if your RHO holds 15 and 1-4-4-4 shape, now you will hear what you don't want to here. Your examples seem to be overlooking that if you give partner those hands, 2S by them will be cold. If you change the SQ to the spade ace, 3N by us will be cold unless they have 5 heart runners, and 2S still makes by them. If partner has any of those hands it is GOOD to bid. Well, whether or not they can make 2S depends on partner's spades and other intermediate holdings or fit of clubs. Give him SQJxxx Hxx DAxx CAxx, you really don't want to bid 3C because you can't play there. This is another issue. Sometimes, even if they make 2S, if you bid 3NT and get doubled when partner holds SQxxx Hxx DAxxx CAxx, I am sure you don't feel happy about it. And you may get doubled easily here because opps have defined their hands, especially when partner bids 3nt with Jxxx Hxx DAxxx CAxx, which can be a very good decision if you hold a reasonable hand like: Sx HAQx Dxxx CKQJxxx. The basic principle for me to bid 3C here is that if partner holds two aces and stopper, we may have a reasonable 3nt to play. Also, 3 aces are a lot for a passed partner, the average expectation can't be that high here.

nobody's fault i think. n-s just have no good gadget over the 3nt overcall. If they play the acceptance of the transfer to show fit, then it would be a piece of cake for north to bid the slam. 3NT is aggressive, but reasonable, the 5th club and right sided AQ often provides some good play in 3NT. You only need CAxx Hxxxx SQxx Dxxx from partner to have a good play in 3nt, and partner wouldn't raise you if you only bid 2NT.

easy pass to me, this is a aceless hand and short in major, give your partner CAxx, DA, SQxx(x), you still don't make 3nt, so gotta pass it. Give your partner AQxx +DA, you still may go down in 4H(3H) easily. That means give your partner a good 10 or 11 HCP hand, you often can't make a game and he'd bid on, so better to stop here. Also, this hand can often belong to opps if your RHO holds 15 and 1-4-4-4 shape, now you will hear what you don't want to here.

If your 2nt denies controls, you can now safely cuebid 4D to show DQ and slam interest:) Now partner would go to slam with SAKQxx HAKxx DKx CAx.

easy 2nt to me, you don't commit to 3NT yet and partner still can check for club stopper at three level.

The second pass is bad and a common mistake by many players I think. If you decide to bid, enter the bidding early. Either 2H to show S + minor or 2S if you don't play michaels is fine. Pass and bid 2S later is just an invitation to disaster. Bidding is usually an ever or never issue.

4H is horrible. I can live with 2H. It's not a good overcall, but it's not that horrible as many may think. It may kill opps' minor suit fits and you may get actually more tricks from this hand than some better looking 14 HCP hands like SJxx HAQxxx DKx CKJx, this hand is a big sucker when partner is very broken, only one trick, HA, is probably guaranteed, if you don't revoke, but still people just overcall 2H with them because if you don't, partner may have a serious balancing problem. Change the SQ to HQ, I wouldn't give it a second thought to overcall 2H here, and now, it's rather bad, but not horrible. And 4H is just a no win bid unless against very passive opps or opps you know for sure that won't double you, even in that case, it still can be bad because sometimes both 3H and 3S may not be makable.