Quantumcat

lol if it was just diamonds being 3-3 it's not really an interesting problem. I thought there would be more to it than that.

Why so particular passing when playing 2/1? You could pass a forcing NT: if they have a balanced invite, you wouldn't accept it or even be very happy at the 2-level, they don't have 4 spades, and you don't really want to play at the 3 level if they have a weak hand with a minor. A shame if you have a fit, but you might make 7 tricks in both 1NT and 2H so you'd be winning then (don't they say the first side to reach 1NT in MP's will probably win the board?). Plus, if you have a fit, you get to bid to 2H when they had a minor fit, when you might not have had a chance to overcall if you passed and have them be playing in 1nt or 2-minor. As long as your p respects your repeated rejections when he has a good hand and wants to bid a lot you'll be ok. Here's what I think about opening: 1. open all 12's NV (and mildly interesting 11's V) 2. open all mildly interesting 11's NV and 12's V (any nice 5 card, or 5-4 or bal with 6 card) 3. open all interesting 10's NV and 11's V (non bal 6 card, 5-4 with nice suits, 5-5, bal 7 card) 4. open all very interesting 9's NV (nice 7 card suit, any 6-5, etc unless a 4M opening) 5. open 8's if they are just incredibly amazing and not a 4M opening does anybody agree?

You pass with a good hand and bid with a very bad one. You have a very bad hand, therefore you should have bid the first time. It serves you right having passed! Partner will now bid game if you bid, it looks like you think the penalties won't be as big as your game (you would pass if you thought you could only make a partscore, or get them for more than your game) and if you pass obviously you will concede a huge amount.

He should have extra strength because he can pass and wait for another double from responder, and he can also double, too. I'm not sure what a double from opener would show - maybe a good hand with three hearts and four diamonds and not six clubs, and short spades of course.

I can think of some ways to make, but only if they don't lead spades when they get on lead next. I can't find any plan that can work when they lead spades. Can we have the answer?

[hv=d=s&n=shaqt9543dajt72c4&s=sat97h2dq854caj53]133|200|[/hv] Bidding: 1♦ 1♠ 2♥ 4♠ P P 5♦ X XX This was an individual event. I was a little freaked out because I was playing a redoubled contract against one of the country's best players (not the one who doubled). Anyway, somehow at the end there were only ten cards pointing vertically. What is the best way to play the hand? Low spade lead

Here is a method that solves all problems for responder after a pre-empt by his partner. Any bid after a pre-empt by your partner is a transfer! (One round only.) Now you can: * Play in your suit with a weak hand and total intolerance for partner * You can make a forcing bid with a new suit, and also get to bid the next one up naturally without losing a level of bidding * You can make an invite and show your suit at the same time to help pard judge whether to accept * You can splinter * You can still further the pre-empt 2♠ 2NT 3♣ 3♦ - forcing hand with clubs and diamonds 2♠ 3♦ 3♥ 4♥ - want to play in 4♥ 2♠ 3♣ 3♦ 3♠ - invite with a diamond suit, so partner can judge on medium hands whether to accept 2♠ 3♥ - general invite 2♠ 3♥ 3♠ 4♣ - cue, slam interest even after the rejection 2♠ 2NT 3♣ 4♠ - slam invite with a side club suit that needs a little help 2♠ 3♦ 3♥ pass - want to play in 3♥ - long suit, singleton/void spade, weak 2♠ 3♠ - normal furthering the pre-empt 2♠ 4♠ - to play 2♠ 3NT - to play 2♠ 4♣ - splinter

What I meant was when overcaller has something in the range 14-18. Do you try for game on an 11 count with short clubs, and end up in 2NT down three because you had a misfitting 18 HCP between you? If you don't, then you miss all the games when overcaller is between 14 and 18 hcp. Not to mention all the games when you have a mere 8 or 9 HCP. Anybody can try for game when they have 13 HCP.

I don't understand. The reason you miss out on game is BECAUSE you discussed it?

But if you agree that 2C be bid over 1D at every possible opportunity, you will miss out on game more often (you have a good hand, but partner passes since you could be very bad).

The biggest problem with negative freebids is when the opponents pre-empt, you doubled to show a constructive hand and you haven't even begun to show your hand. Especially if you have support. There is something that solves this problem, AND lets you make negative freebids: transfers after interference of your 1-suit opening. Then if you have a weak hand, you transfer to your long suit and pass (opener only rejects if he has a reverse-worthy hand that could still make game after a weak bid, or a non-strong hand with like a void in responder's suit and is absolutely determined to play in one of their suits even opposite a very weak hand with hardly anything but their own suit) and continue bidding if you have a constructive hand. If you are not really weak or particularly constructive, you pass and hope partner has a takeout double. (Like you would do if you didn't play negative freebids or transfers.) For example: 1D 2C ? You have xxx, Axxxxx, xxx, x You'd love to play in 2 hearts but you can't bid it. you pass praying for a dodgy takeout double but opener passes. They then make 2C when you can make 3H (or else they can make 3C and you can make 2H). Solution? Bid 2D, transfer, and pass 2H. If they bid 3C after your pass, you can bid 3H without worrying about your partner bidding again. In addition, if you are a passed hand and your partner is on the lower end of weak, has 6 or more diamonds and one or no hearts, he can pass 2D. If you have an invitational hand with support and a pretty suit of your own, you might make a fit-showing jump or have to satisfy yourself with a plain cueraise. But not needed with transfers: Say you have Jxx AKJxx x xxxx and the bidding goes 1S 2D ? You double showing hearts, then bid 2S. This shows a nice heart suit with spade support and invitational. If you have instead, Axxx KQxxx x xxx, you bid 2H showing spades, then bid 3H. This says the same thing, except your spades are more interesting than your hearts. If you just have a plain cueraise, say Kxxx Axxx Axx xx, you bid 3C transfer to 3D: cueraise. Opener accepts or rejects with 3S or 4S, otherwise he cues. Except now he can cue their suit one level lower than he would otherwise have to do. You have to decide where to play them to: either to 3S (transfer to 3NT) so that 3NT is to play (this is useful: if you have lots of queens you probably want to play it) or else only to one below a jump raise of your suit, so the jump raise is as pre-emptive as possible. Whatever you agree though it has loads of advantages!

2C isn't as good as it looks. It lets the responder show 4-4 in the majors with one bid, and if he has only one, or none, then opener will probably make a takeout double. If neither can make a takeout double you are probably going to go a few off, if you bid 2C whenever you have the excuse: responder will be long in your suit if he passes, otherwise he would have a 2D bid if he has no double. Making bad 2C bids when they can bid will get you bad leads from your partner, bad club sacs from your partner, and going for a number doubled or just too many off undoubled. Also if you have a real bid and your p is used to crap bids you will miss out on game sometimes. Sometimes you might get to a good 3C contract over their 2-major, or win in 2C when it only goes 1 off or makes and they can make 2 major but couldnt find it (which requires special distribution, you would be more likely to go off if neither can bid [and don't forget 3D beats 3C]) but that is only 2 good occasional things compared to lots of common bad things with making bad 2C overcalls... so in my opinion it pays to have good 2C bids even after a 1d bid.

I have a burning question about GIBs. Often when I play with them, there will be several in the bridge movie with exactly the same auction, same opening lead, same play by the non-GIB, yet they manage to play differently and make different numbers of tricks. Also sometimes a GIB will make a different bid to another GIB with the exact same bidding by the non-GIB. How is this possible? Aren't they all the same program? It is like adding 2+2 today and getting a different answer tomorrow! Are some people playing with a different program than others? Or is sentinence somehow emerging from the GIBs???

I used to play transfers. You can show every possible hand with them. e.g, a weak hand that wants to play at the 3 level in their suit: 1C 1H 2NT 3D 3H pass a hand that ONLY wants to play in a game and has 5 cards 1C 1H 2NT 3D 3H 3NT a hand with 5 cards and wants to invite slam 1C 1H 2NT 3D 3H 4NT a hand that wants to ONLY play in game and has 6 cards 1C 1H 2NT 4H a hand that has 6 cards and wants to invite slam 1C 1H 2NT 3D 3H 4H a hand with 4 cards and wants to invite slam 1C 1H 2NT 3S 3NT 4NT a hand that wants to keycard for their suit 1C 1H 2NT 4NT ... a hand with 2 suits 1C 1H 2NT 3C 3D ... 1C 1H 2NT 3H 3S ... 1C 1H 2NT 3S 3NT 4C ... You can also make slam tries with splinters 1C 1H 2NT 4D for instance. I bet none of your systems can show as many hands as this can at as low a level :-)

Opening 2C with long diamonds isn't very useful, because the oponents still get to bid over 2C (for whatever reasons you would overcall a 2C opening - sac suggestion or lead directing) and the person passing out 2D would then do their very best to come back into the auction, with their partner knowing they don't have a hand suitable for overcalling a strong 2C. You would do more damage having opened 2D or 3D to start with. Not to mention your partner being pissed off then screwing up the next board. If your partner always responds like you have a normal hand for your bid, and only fields the psyche when it is as obvious to the opponents as it is to him that you psyched, there shouldn't be a problem? Should only be a problem when your partner knows about the psyche but your opponents don't, then fields it.

With my partner I play Spade Twos, where 2C, 2D, 2H show that and spades (2S is normal) and in 3rd seat that and hearts (2H, 2S normal). I would LOVE to to have an agreement where in 3rd seat NV, a 1S opening shows either 5+ spades as usual, or two or less (and less than opening and flattish). This is because if partner had 4+ spades he would have opened something, unless he was flat. Partner then bids where he'd like to play opposite 2 or less spades, and with a spade raise, bids 1NT (or without a spade raise but no 5 card or decent 4 card suit) then if you bid again you show a normal opening. Or you might pass if you don't mind playing in what he bid and there's no hope for game! We also play 10-12 1NT in 1/2 seat NV, so it will be very easy to tell when there is no game, if we were to stick to only doing it NV. This appeals very strongly to my love of psyching, yet it is totally controlled with even less risk than an everyday pre-empt. What forms and levels of competition would this be legal in? Edit: Another pertinent question would be, is this sensible?

My captain in an event I just played gave us a long lecture on competitive bidding. It was really useful. When deciding whether to overcall, he said to consider these things: 1. Will this help us get to a game if we have one 2. Will this take any space away from the opponents 3. Will we go for a number 4. Do I want my partner leading this suit 5. Are we even going to buy the contract (partscores) 6. Am I inducing a correct sac from partner Number 1: if your partner is not passed, be consistently a decent hand so he knows when game is a possibility (if you overcall any time you have a 6 card suit and some shape, he will learn to not bother looking for game when it's cold) Number 2: Unless you are achieving several other things (getting a good lead, inducing a good sac, winning a partscore) .. not much point bidding if it won't induce any bidding mistakes from the opponents Number 3: Your suit should include many middle cards if vul, because the opponents will be more likely to choose defence than offence if you are vul. Opponents cannot penalise you unless they hold jacks, tens and nines. You can't penalise someone with a holding of A543. QJT987 is a much better suit than AK5432. Number 4: You should have the chance of achieving lots of good things (winning partscore, finding game, etc) if you are risking your partner giving away the contract with a lead from king doubleton because you had a bad suit. Number 5: Don't just bid because you can. If you are unlikely to buy the contract, don't tell the opponents how to play their game. How many times have you taken a bizarre but perfectly right line in a game because an opponent bid Michaels? Number 6: In pre-empting or just overcalling, if you have more defence than offence, you may find your partner taking a phantom sac when the opponents can't make their contract. It's ok if you are expected to be constructive (p not passed, vul) but if it is a situation where your bid doesn't need to be you may find yourself in a few phantom sacs. In summary, look at how many good things your bid can acheive, and if there are no or only one type of risk, then it's ok to bid. If there are more than one bad thing that can happen, reconsider your bid or don't bid at all.

Make sure to win with the ace of spades so your jack will be an entry. After playing some trumps and losing the ace of diamonds, he has only Q and some small spades, and diamonds left. If he plays a diamond great, if he plays a spade you can win the jack and enjoy diamonds, if the Q spades win the K then play T to the Jack. if you are greedy and dont think about it, you will have no small card to enjoy the jack with. I played a similar hand a few days ago: [hv=n=sq986h75dckqjt987&s=skt4hak2dak6542c3]133|200|[/hv] It's not the exact hand but it's similar enough. ♠7 lead, low from rho. I won with the ten, now lho ducked the ♠A when I played the king after the ♣A was knocked out and i could never go back to dummy to enjoy them. If I tried the low one he could pop in with the ace and i dont have another small one. If I won with the king, I have two small ones and he can't stop me getting to dummy! edit: pretend contract is 5NT.

The trick will likely be won by the opposition no matter what you do, either the high card itself if you discard or a trump if you try to ruff. Even if LHO doesn't have the QS and the TS wins, you will still lose a club (AK hearts gets rid of 2 clubs, but you still have 2 in your hand opp Ax in dummy) so you may as well throw a club on a trick you are destined to lose anyway. Dummy won't have anymore diamonds left so RHO can't keep playing diamonds trying to make his partner's Q or QX of trumps make a trick.

LHO can't show out on the QD? That would give him 11 major cards and he would have made some bids surely. But starting with the ace is good in case they are 5-0.

Alright. A, then K, if they break badly try diamonds. To make, the king must be onside, and NOT third (or else we only get 8 tricks, 1 club 1 spade 3 hearts 3 diamonds) or singleton offside. I'll assume that the player with the longer spades was the one who bid, and the one with the more HCP. Different scenarios: -west has 5 spades and 4 hearts. W=9 cards we know of, E= 5, West is shorter in diamonds than east. Play low to ace of diamonds -west has 4 spades and 4 hearts. W=8 cards, E=6. Low to ace. -west has 5 spades and 1 heart. W=6 E=8, but west bid and east didn't. Finesse. -west has 4 spades and 1 heart. W=5 E=8. East bid and west didn't. Low to ace hope singleton offside. Is this right?

What about the rule about not bidding 5/5? Do you have a slam try? The result would suggest not... ?

If spades are 5-4, there is nothing left but to play hearts off the top, surely? a 3-2 break is better than any finesse. And anyway if spades ARE 6-3 then you can't discard anything in dummy on the 2nd discard. It is a bit boring if the answer is "play hearts off the top" but what else is there???

Dummy has 1 heart and 3 diamonds and hearts split 3-4 and you have the heart ace, so seems good. If you don't lead a diamond they can ruff 2 of them and just lose 2 hearts (assuming you will lead a trump when in with a heart) and still lose any trump tricks you are worried about. anyway p could have the jack or the q or something in trumps. If you don't lead a trump when in with heart youll make sure of your trump trick but he will set his hearts up and win them all but 1. this seemslogical doesn't it? We know dummy has 1 or no hearts or else the polite bid after 2D is 2H

the finesses go to west so we dont care about clubs. only 1 needs to work cause we have 8 tricks. overtake qd with k, then when taking the other finesse, play the ace, if anyone is short it is east with the long clubs, you can finesse west's ten if he shows out. if you play low to the k or j or play the AQ in one go you have made everything very awkward.