junyi_zhu

The key to a successful 4 card major system with strong NT is probably a 2C response as a two way bid to show either true clubs or 3 card invitational hand. Also, suit quality might not be that important IMO, as long as the players focus on games and slams bidding more. Also, a 2/1 system based on the above assumptions is very playable IMO. weak NT isn't a wise choice IMO if you want to take full advantage of 4card majors, because it would seriously lower the chance to open 1M. Also, constructive bidding is more difficult playing weak NT. Inverted minor raises are just better than standard treatment and should be played no matter one plays 4CM or 5CM IMO.

you may want to play transfers and bid 1S as a transfer to 1NT...

The technically correct bid for this hand is 5NT to ask for trump strength, or some type of ERKC in S. Also, if you play 4S as kickback, it's possible to use 4NT as ERKC in S.

I played Rusnow for a while, then I found that I sometimes forgot the convention which may lead to bigger disasters, so now I just stick with the standard treatment. Q from KQ is quite counter-intuitive to me...

It is an 1NT bid. You don't have fit in H so usually you can make low HCP games only when partner has very long H or D fit, in those cases, your would usually find it. It's unlike a hand with some moderate H fit: x Ax AQJxxx xxxx, for this hand, it's probably ok to bid 2D, because you may only need 6 H or some D fit to make low HCP games.

My system is simple, I open 2D to show about 19, single suited or balanced. So 2D 2H(relayed) 3D 3H 4H looks quite normal.

I usually use 2S as a weak relay to 2NT, later you can pass 2NT or sign off at 3 levels (of course opener can bid naturally with gf hands after 2S). 2NT would be gf with spades. This treatment is very simple.

The basic idea of this style is simple, when opps tend to open and respond very light, you really want to get across your value as early as possible. When you pass first and balance later, you lose a lot of space to investigate the right suit or games. That's why a lot of off shape doubles come nowadays. That's also why people tend to open light, because if you don't, your opps will and you are often not in a good position later. Still, I am actually not that extreme. I tend to double with a minimum with at least 3 cards in unbid suits with a few exceptions (for example good unbid major and doubleton honor in minor). Also, I tend to overcall with 4 cards at one level when possible. Of course, this overcall may not show your shape immediately, but it also place you well in some sense because you show your value early. For example, with xxx xxx AKQx Kxx, IMO, it's a perfect 1D overcall instead of a double against 1C. Playing this style, the responder really don't have to jump with 8-10 HCP and a bad 4 card suit. Often, the right bid with Qxxx Axx Kxx xxx against partner double over 1C is 1S, not 2S. Also, it's often right to bid 1NT with some stopper in opener's suit and a 4 card minor. like this hand: Axx xxx Qxx KJxx, it's better to bid 1NT facing 1D x pass, although it plays better facing a traditional double with 4-4-1-4. More likely what you are facing nowadays is 4-3-2-4 or 4-3-3-3, or even 4-4-3-2. Actually I guess that in the future, the 1NT overcall strength will be lowered to 14-16 when white for many.

Really? I thought you are way better than most playing Venice cup.

Responder's 3NT shows at best a bad 16, so opener's 4NT should show something like 17 or slightly more.

1D 2C 2H(extra, 5 or more D) 2S 2N 3C(6C) 3D(6 diamonds) 4C(strong C suit) 4D(RKC) 5C(two KC with CQ) 5S(SK, no holes in trumps) 7N(piece of cake)

Responder should bid 4NT over 3C as an invitation.

2C is probably ok, now 3C is too dangerous.

Well, I think total playing tricks and defensive tricks are actually way more important than total points. Defensive tricks help to determine whether to sac or double opps. Total tricks help to determine how high you want to play. In slam biddings, a good count of total tricks is the key to good slam and grand slam bidding.

There are quite a few different hand types which you may want to incorporate into your jumpshifts over 1M. 1, constructive or invitational raises that show 4 or more trumps. 2, invitational hands with good 6 or longer suits. 3, invitational hands with 3 cards trumps. Type 2 and 3 are especially important if you don't play a forcing 1NT over 1M. You can certainly incorporate most of them into your systems. after 1H: 2S: gf 4+ trump raise. 2N: invitational raise with 3 or 4+ trumps. 3C asking. 3D: 3 card raise. 3H: 4 card raise. Other bids can show singletons with 4 cards. 3C/D: good suits, invitational. 3H: constructive raise with 4 H. After 1S: 2N: 4+ trumps raise. 3C: invitational raise with 3 or 4+ trumps. 3D/H: good suits, invitational. 3S: constructive raise with 4 spades. You have a problem with clubs here, which is always a headache after 1S opening. You can either underbid with 1NT or overbid with 2C though.

seems a normal 2NT bid, although you may play well in 4S very often. the nature of your hand often means that you need to drive out one or two opps' aces to set up tricks, in which case, 4S is often better when partner is short in D or H. In that sense, 3S also has some merits. Pass seems too chicken even in MP.

Well said. There are two schools of players. One school is trying to find a reasonable spot in every hand, the other is trying to maximize their gain in good hands and don't mind playing a not so great partial. For the first school of players, their 3C/D have to be nonforcing because that's the only way to allow them to play the best possible partial in a certain layout. For the second school, they don't mind playing some bad 2NT, and they have a higher bidding accuracy in determine whether 3NT, 5C/D or slams are good. I certainly belong to the second school.

Well, in a perfect rational world, it's impossible because player would certainly try to find the sensible way to place the best contract. However, human are not that rational and sometimes we are just emotional. When the player is emotional, this kind of behaviors are certainly possible, because emotional people may ignore a lot of things and just to tilt the machine. In money bridge, I sometimes found people overbid 10 points than they actually have and found some lucky slams. Of course that's life and we have to accept the results. In this case, the bid is certainly very strange and anti-common sense. Still, if there is some evidence that the player was quite emotional, the bid is possible without UI. Otherwise, it may prove the the player is rather a poor bidder in that certain hand or he does have UI. I don't really know the player, so I have nothing to say. I did read Wolff's book chapter. Of course that accusation in the book shows that the play did have some ethic related incident in history. Still, if I am a juror, I may vote that this case is lack of important evidence to show that the player cheats. However, as a player, I strongly doubt that the player might not be innocent at all and will try not to play against him if possible.

That's not true at all, many people have. The first example in this thread is hotshot, and there were a number of others in the first thread. It boggles the mind but there are certainly those who believe it. This means that 6♦ is a sensible bid? Wow, I have to brush up my English ..... The bidding here is not a one shot business. It's not that if you don't bid 6D, you can't find 6D. Either double or 4NT may help players finding 6D when partner holds longer D and short C. That's actually why I reasoned that if he knows the hand, he may afraid that his partner doesn't know and doesn't cooperate. Suppose the bidding goes ...4N p 5C or x p 4C it's really not easy to pull 6D now. In that sense, 6D is a very insane bid IMO.

2S 3D p 3H (gf, natural) 3S(doubt in 3NT) p 4D(support) 4S(cue, slam interest) 6D( good enough)

Perhaps MP affects players' thinking. In IMPs, most likely, the bidding would go 3C 5C. Still, it's a nice sequence in MP as well IMO.

Stockman, who still believes in arithmetic, is correct. I would like to see all the Bush tax cuts expire. And I'd like to see a surcharge on top of that to pay for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. (But I'm not holding my breath.) I am wondering two things: 1 who pays the cost of the US troops in those foreign bases? 2 Can US economy really support a global super power and fight and win two regional wars at the same time?

You are certainly not a bad person. Well, not very good either. I think most people are like that including me. I actually think you are my friend despite that incident. Sometimes, I think I am a jerk too if I don't control my emotion. I certainly respect your bridge a lot. I think in some sense, every good bridge player is a jerk....

It's actually not a very bad bid at all if one plays a wide range weak 2 opening and rather aggressive penalty doubles. Of course it requires partnership understandings. Suppose partner shows about 15 HCP stiff or void in H, you actually don't mind playing 3H because this hand is very offensive oriented. Of course you may miss some occasional huge penalties, but that's also the way to get you to pretty good 4H when partner holds a good hand, short H when 3C x isn't very profitable. Often, this 3C double may not be profitable if the overcaller holds very long clubs.

If you play transfers, you don't have to play lebensohl. Some forms of ogust is a must after a wide range weak 2. Sandwich 1NT will be dumped for sure. I am neutral about capp. DONT isn't very good at all. Gambling 3NT is indeed a very bad convention, considering the intrinsic wrong side problem. Smolen and texas are the most useful ones in the list. Namyats is rather bad.