Quantumcat

Yeah not much point asking for a major if he can't have one.

Maybe there is a double squeeze. I'm not good at squeezes but I'll give it a go. West has the spades and East has one of the diamonds or clubs, probably diamonds given the ♣9. So you want to reach a position like this: [hv=n=sxhkdxc&w=sjhdjxc&e=shdqxcj&s=shdaxct]399|300|[/hv] Where when you play the last heart, if East throws a club you have 1 heart, 1 diamond and 1 club, so he throws a diamond. Now if West throws the spade, you have 1 heart, 1 diamond and 1 spade. So he throws a diamond. Now you have 1 heart, and 2 diamonds! Making. How to reach this position? Play out AKQ of spades, then the two kings and the ace of clubs, then all the hearts, throwing all the spades from dummy and keeping 2 diamonds. If during the play you think the minors are reversed in the opponent's hands, keep Ax of clubs and T of diamonds in dummy. I have no idea if this is right, I am probably talking rubbish. I don't think there can be any other kind of squeeze since West with the spades plays after dummy (where the long minors are).

Strong jump shifts don't really make sense since 1H is forcing. Wouldn't a splinter be better? All the better for splinter to be a level lower after a minor open, room to investigate 3NT if necessary.

Some other words that might be helpful: To bid = Encerir -I bid J'enchere -You bid Tu encheres -He/She bids Il/Elle enchere -They bid Ils encherent cards = cartes ("cart") table=table ("tahbl") chair = chaise ("chez") hand = main ("mahn")

Tell me exactly why! Or better, come up with 5 or 10 hands where you lose out (and keep in mind with the bidding I only play with and against fellow youthies).

Responder always responds as per normal. Only when you are extremely strong and not shapely but somehow couldn't bid 2NT or 3NT is the auction likely to go out. Shape means other people are going to bid! It doesn't matter that your p will pass. If you lose out it would have to be very unlucky circumstances, couldnt happen more than once a year. And this losing out doesn't take into account the fact that even on these hands, other people will have misunderstandings (esp likely with a 2C open) and get into the wrong slam or game, or the slam that seems cold has no play and you stay out of it accidentally. You only lose out on the hands where these sorts of things don't happen as well!

Here's what I think. 2C openings mostly serve as an ego boost for those who open them and don't serve much purpose besides this. Indeed, most people seem to open them with really really shapely hands ("I had five losers, partner") but not particularly HPC intensive, so not only would it be very unlikely that partner will pass due to having few HCP, but it's also likely there will be a LOT of bidding (if you're shapely, so are the opponents and/or partner). The only point of the strong bid is to stop your partner passing when a 3 count could still land you a cold game, isn't it? In addition, must people get confused in 2 club auctions, even partners who play a lot together, because they come up so infrequently. It's quite likely that even though you got your partner to not pass, you still end up in the wrong spot. This can be remedied by having a normal, natural auction. It helps of course to understand what bids are forcing and gameforcing in your system but any competent pair can do that. It seems much better to use 2C as a pre-emptive bid, which would come up fairly often compared to a "true" 2C. I like: 2C = C&S (2D=D&S, 2H=H&S and 2S=S) and third seat 2C=C&H (2D=D&H, 2H=H and 2S=S) So anyway what do others think? (I have no idea if this has been discussed before)

A gambling 3NT with an opening hand. Qx Jx AKQJxxx xx

Does anybody play 1NT 2C 2D 2S as absolutely nothing 54 and was hoping to pass a major response?

I am also a bad declarer but I am slowly getting into the habit of counting tricks and planning before I call for a card ... although it can be hard in real life bridge with everyone is looking at you! You feel under pressure to know what you're doing, immediately. I would think like this: (I am probably wrong, lol) 1. 3 spades, 4 clubs, 1 heart = 8. 2. If they play a heart or a diamond from the left, you get a bonus trick. The spade finesse loses to the left. So my plan would be: 1. Take spade finesse. -If it wins, aim to ruff a heart. 9+1=10. -If it loses and they return a heart, you have 9 if RHO wins king, 10 if he doesn't (get Q, A, and ruff a heart). If he wins the king, hope diamond finesse works I guess. Lose a spade a heart and a diamond then. -If it loses and they return a diamond you have 9 tricks, and ruff a heart for ten.

Double isn't so bad? You will live if p bids 2S, happy in 3 of a minor, and can bid 3NT over p's 3H. If they bid 3H you are quite happy for them to play there doubled. If you pass p may pass too (although I guess he isn't allowed to with short hearts).

It should make sense that rebidding your suit should be a bad hand. Often you will reply without the full 5 points because you have an interesting hand. If opener has a minimum for his GF, how else are you going to stay out of game? Would you respond 1S after 1H with QJTxxxx - xxxx xx? Or pass? Surely you would respond?

My problem was, eliminating the minors and throwing him in with a spade hoping he doesn't have all three doesn't really help, if he gives you a minor ruff/discard you are only ruffing in the long hand, and not gaining yourself any tricks?

How do you show 5♠ 4♥ invitational? I think that was the invitational 5S 4H? 2H perhaps would be the 5H 4S.

First shows 5 hearts and 4 spades and is forcing. 2nd I agree is splinter. I don't know about the 3rd. 1NT 2H 2S 4H is the same as 1NT 2D 2H 3S. I don't know about 1NT 2D 2H 4S.

This is how I understood auctions like this: I always thought rebidding your suit (as responder) showed absolute crap and you really don't want to hear any more, while fake preference was for when you don't mind too much hearing some more. 4th suit forcing was for when you were quite happy to hear some more and didn't have something else to describe your hand. And NT was for limiting your hand, when you had the 4th suit half stopped, and would be up to about 6 or 7 pts (if a normal reverse, 16+7=23 for 2NT, if 3 level forcing to game, 18-19 + 7 = 25-26 for 3NT). Raising opener's 2nd suit showed something very shapey, but not able to splinter (shortage in opener's first suit for example). e.g. 1H 1S 3C 3S = Axxxxxx x xxx xx 1H 1S 3C 3NT = KJxxx xx QTx xxx 1H 1S 3C 3D = KJxxx xx Qx KQxx 1H 1S 3C 3H = KJxxx xx Qxx Kxx 1H 1S 3C 4C = KJxxxx - xxx KQxxx is this ok or is it completely wrong?

This is the whole point of playing transfers!!! You can show more hands and stay lower. Transferring and bidding a suit shows 54 and is gameforcing. Having to jump a level is a waste of space.

If you lose both the A and Q, you have 10 tricks, or 11, if the heart finesse wins, or you manage to lose only 1 spade. Simplest thing seems to be: no way is any one going to open 2D with a singleton ace of spades, and most people don't pre-empt with voids as a rule. Therefore, finesse the spade and if you see the queen, play the king (obviously) if you see the ace, play low (obviously) if you see neither, you put up the king, expecting to see the queen from west. Putting up the king doesn't work if he has A singleton, cause then you lose to the queen too. But we are pretty certain he doesn't have it. Running the jack works if he is void, but we don't expect that, either. If there is some throw-in solution where it doesn't matter who has what spades, I couldn't see it.

cue raises show fit and invitational or better values, and you dont have a FSJ or a splinter (or you do have one but are not good enough to force game). It's good to play these since you can now play that jump raises are all pre-emptive. When the opps double instead of overcall jump raises are still pre-emptive, and you use NT's to raise. (1NT simple raise, 2NT invitational etc) If you had a normal NT response, you can XX.

West has a singleton club for there to be a problem ... if he has the ace of spades, he can't hurt you (he can give you a free D finesse, or lead a H and let you draw trumps peacefully) But if east has it, he will give W a club ruff and if D finesse doesn't work they may get 3 tricks. But if you have no hearts when West gets his club ruff you can discard a losing D if he plays one. My plan: Win club, play AK hearts. Play spade. If east wins and gives west club ruff, west has to give you D finesse or H ruff/sluff. (He has followed once, ruffed once, east has won AS & you started with 10 so west cant exit one). This looks set up like a textbook problem hand where you learn about throw-ins!

Lott: EW have probably 9 clubs, and we have probably 10 hearts. 19 tricks. If 11 for us, they will get 8 tricks for +500 instead of +650 for bidding, so you want to bid. If 11 for them, -650/-500 for passing/bidding, so want to bid, again. But if neither side can make a 5 level contract, you want to pass for a positive. Looking at the actual hands, we take 3 tricks in 5C, and 11 tricks in 5H. 21 tricks total! I guess because of the extreme distribution.

My p has taught me to play Brad 2's, and I wonder if anyone else plays them? A 2-bid shows that and spades, at least 4-4 and 2-10pts or so (max if 4/4) Any response except 2NT is non-forcing, 2NT is enquiry. Pre-emptor bids his 5-card suit if minimum, and bids 3C if maximum (whether or not he has a 5 card suit) then the auction is forcing at least to game so can be taken slowly. This is only in 1/2 seat, in 3rd you know P has no spades so 2D shows D/H and 2H shows H/C. I have been dying to have an agreement where you bid 1S in 3rd seat and no-one opening, having 1 or 2 spades, (since p has no spades unless he has S/C and spades not good enough for 2S, so the opps are almost guaranteed a spade fit), p bids 2C with a raise and clubs, 2D/H with a 5cd suit or a bad 6cd that wasn't enough for 3D/H, and 1NT with none of the above (3 spades but only 4 [bad] clubs included) Any further bid by you shows a real hand. My p says this will be illegal everywhere except in the top quarter of the field in national events. So sad. I thought it would be heaps of fun to play though.

[hv=n=sqt3haq543da4ca65&s=s62h876dq97ckqj42]133|200|[/hv] Something like this came up on BBO and I (south) was in 3NT. A club was led. I have 8 tricks (if H finesse works) and the only chances of getting a 9th involved losing the lead (setting up hearts or trying a diamond finesse) so I thought I'd lead a spade, and when I lose the lead, maybe they'll be afraid to attack it. So I did ... and the ten won! haha! Took clubs then H finesse, for 9 tricks. I wonder if this happens often? Attacking your worst suit so the opps will think you are trying to set up tricks there?

My p and I have the agreement that not opening a pre-empt means you haven't got one. We also don't open 10 counts @ 1 level unless easy to rebid: 2 good suits or an excellent 6 card one. Therefore not good enough for 1 level, and have to pre-empt (since we have one).

What's wrong with a rebid of 2NT? 12-14 balanced? You should only have to bid 3C on 3 cards if you have 4 spades and 1 diamond? "{exception: many experts play 1m-1M 2M can be 3 cards." I thought this was normal practice?