Quantumcat

What exactly is BBO-TV? It'd be awesome to have world events screened on TV (like poker nowadays!), but I have a feeling that's not it :D

Plug your laptop into your television, and use a wireless keyboard and mouse. Voila: internet on the TV (a friend of mine plays her computer games and surfs the internet like this).

Can you give us the answer, Ralph? Surely it has to be impossible with only one ace, LHO always has another card besides his long suit, with one ace there is always the other one they can cash...it'd be easier if it was 6NT, then we could have blocked suits etc. However, if it was 7 of a trump suit, you'd only need 5: [hv=n=saj432h98765432dc&s=st98765hd8765432c]133|200|[/hv]

Why don't you think an endplay will work on this hand? I thought Dean's post seemed very reasonable. You know you will lose a heart. You have enough entries to ruff all the diamonds, and if RHO didn't have king singleton he won't have Kxx (and be able to lead back a small heart) because LHO probably knows the "rule" not to lead singleton trumps. And hope he had 2 clubs not three or he can just lead back a club. It gives you an extra chance so why shouldn't you play for it? Even if they had Kxx or 3 clubs, the spade finesse is probably working anyway, like you said. You need clubs to break no matter what so it can't harm you risking a ruff right? ♥A, ♦ruff, ♣A, ♦ruff, ♣K, ♦ruff, ♥exit to RHO?

I did like Pratchett a lot when I was in early high school. They are directed towards a younger audience too but contain about 500 characters each book and usually skip from place to place? I don't usually read fantasy but one book I really liked was the Stone and the Flute (I think it was originally german) terribly sad and extremely meaningful.

The last Harry Potter book would be much improved if it had wandered over the viewpoints of everybody else during the year, not just Harry. I found their wanderings from campsite to campsite quite boring. It was a waste of a few chapters. I'd much rather be hearing about what the family and the Order were doing and what was happening at the school (the one page explanation from Neville near the end wasn't very satisfying). I'm sure the book would be much better and more exciting if she'd done that. I know that all the other books were almost exclusively from Harry's point of view but there's nothing wrong with breaking that trend to make the book more exciting. What do you guys think.

Okay I think I understand now. He can't have 5 diamonds but he might have ♦AT98 in which case he gets four tricks if the finesse works, so enough for his contract. (4♦ 4♣ 1♥) I had assumed only Axxx and they don't break. If it was 50/50 who had what, maybe he would try the diamond finesse by himself cause that 50% gives him 4 tricks but the 50% of the ♠'s gives only 3. I bet if I tried to show my ♠A he would know exactly what I was trying to do and play my partner for it. So I agree with the middle card cause then he'll want to go for diamonds.

Well if he could have up to 22 pts you have to bid I guess. But isn't it a general principle that when partner has shown his range and you've decided there's no game, you are supposed to sign off? (As in this case if partner was limited to 19 pts)

The declaring side have a minimum of 27 points, so partner has a maximum of 7 points. He had the ♥Q so he has five points left over, room for an ace and jack. If he has the diamond ace, declarer has nine tricks if he had nine points with the jack of clubs or eight points but it drops from partner (it will, I'm sure): 4 ♣'s, 4 ♠'s, 1 ♥. If partner has the ♠A, he can knock it out then have 4 ♣'s, 3 ♠'s, 1 ♦ & 1 ♥. Declarer may be unsure whether to try for clubs breaking or the diamond finesse. If it was matchpoints he might try the diamond finesse, cause if it works he gets two extra tricks (1 for contract, 1 overtrick) while clubs breaking gives him 1 extra. But he would have to finesse into dangerous me. That would be fifty/fifty down 2 (five ♥'s & 1 ace) or one overtrick, so maybe he wouldn't risk it even at MPs. And it's IMPs, so no way is he ever going to touch the diamond finesse. Especially since I only had the K in ♥'s, even with the ♣J that's four points, I have to have more points elsewhere, and since he's cooked if I have the ♠A he ignores that case and assumes I have the ♦K. Thus, no way he touches diamonds. It doesn't matter if partner tries to play one when he gets in with the ♠A cause he'll just take his planned 1 diamond trick and claim his other 8 tricks. Even if I can convince declarer that clubs are not breaking (I can't see how) he is forced to play for them breaking, cause he has already decided to ignore me having the ♠A cause that dooms him, and if I don't have the ♠A I must have the ♦K and he cannnot finesse it. Even if he is tempted to take it, he can test clubs first, he doesn't care if we cash a club after diamond cause he's down when it loses anyway. No matter what I do he's going to play to make the contract. I can't see any other possibilities???? Edit: I just read the hidden text: won't that only give him 8 tricks with everything working for him, playing that way?

I pass. There's no game. Partner has 17-19 points. I have 5. No point raising the level when you probably have a seven card fit in both suits and an eight card fit is equally likely in either suit.

Why is it a takeout of clubs when the 2♣ bidder has just said he has diamonds by passing the 2♦? Also, don't you think we need a little application to write bidding sequences in like we have for hands, it can be quite hard to read when the columns don't match up.

If jacoby 2N can be invitational with four cards, what does 3♠ mean?? Doesn't that mean invitational with four cards too?

I've never heard of 4♦ being RKC. What method is that? And if 4♦ is not a waiting bid, how do you give him a chance to show both his club void and his heart ace? Not that we're interested in his club void but he'll want to show that first.

If I bid 3♥ splinter and GF, he can tell me when he has the heart ace so I can bid 4NT confidently, what if he doesn't have it? How can I be sure that he's had every opportunity to tell me about the heart ace, and stay at the four level so I can bid 4NT, I seem to keep heading to 5D, like for example, 3♥, 4♣ (void), 4♦ keep going, 5♦ I don't have the spade ace or heart ace. Now how do I find out about the AK of diamonds? Is this cuebidding wrong? Maybe it's easier just to bid 4NT and not believe he could have zero keycards and bash 7♦.

[hv=d=s&v=n&s=sahxdqtxxxcakqjtx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] I opened 1♣, and partner said ... 1♦! I bid 4NT, if he had 1 keycard and said 5♣, 5♦ is perfect contract (he can hardly have 4) if he has 2 he'll say 5♥ and I can put him in 6♦ (which he did on this occaison). But, if he said 5♦ I would be in trouble cause with no keycards we can't even play 5♦ but with 3 we should be in 7♦, and I have to decide now, I can't make some little bid and get partner to correct it if he had the higher number! Obviously playing inverted RKCB would work way better (with 5♣ I can bid 5♦ to get him to correct it if he had the 3 keycards, 5♦ I can just pass with his 1 keycard since he can't have 4). Is it just this particular occasion, or does it often work out better in minor suit contracts, to use inverted RKCB? Also should I have bid it differently just in case he has no keycards and we can stop in 4♦?

I am probably way off but I'll give it a go. I would play off the other club in case partner had a doubleton and give him a ruff, win the return, give him another ruff (assuming he can overruff the 6 and 3) and cash my jack if declarer had 5 not 4 clubs and my two aces, if just 4 clubs I'll still cash my two aces as I can't see any benefit to holding on to them. If declarer can have voids in his pre-empts (I don't) I'm afraid which ace I can cash so I'll exit with ace and another heart (partner can't have the king or declarer would only have 5 pts at max). Ace and another so he can't put me in and make me guess which ace to cash. It can't hurt to exit with the hearts anyway, there's no way I'm not getting both of them even if he's not void in either. 8 tricks if declarer has 5 clubs, 7 if 4. Pretty profitable double!

Obviously you have to play the king, but why? Declarer must have 2 spades or he would have bid 4♠. Partner probably has the jack because declarer didn't run it (should he have if he had it?) Declarer needs the spades for his contract, if he only has two then partner has three, and if you play your king the queen still won't get rid of partner's jack, but since he has only two, when he wins what partner returns he has no entries to get the spades. He has to win your king otherwise you play your hearts. If you don't play your king, he loses to partner's jack but he can finesse your king and arrive in dummy (queen, then ace takes down king) then play the rest of the spades.

I am not really sure, I probably have this totally wrong. Well declarer can't lose anymore tricks. I guess he is hoping someone is going to unguard something. He doesn't have AK of diamonds or he'd have claimed. Maybe he has the ♦K and ♣AK and hopes whoever has the ♦A also has queen third of clubs. But with nine tricks in his hand he'd have opened 2♣. If he has just the two aces he can't force anyone to unguard the diamond unless clubs and diamonds were in the same hand, and they might accidentally keep clubs over diamonds. Partner could have both the kings and is unsure which to unguard, I will discard my diamonds from the bottom up saying I've got clubs, you take care of diamonds. If I had the diamond ace and thus he had to keep the clubs, I would discard clubs from the top down (I would have small ones presumably). Now pard knows which it is.

How can he think it's a natural call when hearts have been raised? Surely it has to be a cue. (And since it looks like you do 1st or 2nd round controls, obviously there are two diamond losers off the top)

If declarer doesn't begin to draw trumps immediately that's always a bit suspicious. She has a trump loser and her diamond loser, and two club losers (no spade losers!). Her trump loser must be the ace, cause if she had it there would be no harm in going for a bonus 1-1 break by cashing it. When she gets in she will discard her clubs on the diamonds then claim. The problem with leading clubs outright is that her loser could include the king which gives her a bonus trick! Since we know she mustn't have the ace, partner must have it and we want it to be him leading the clubs, so we lead a trump which partner wins, and, even if he hasn't been thinking at all he will do the right thing: he can't think I have a singleton diamond ace and want a ruff because he's looked at the opponent's card and seen they play 5 card majors. He can't lead trumps to cut ruffs because he doesn't have any more. A spade does nothing, and a club can either do nothing or be useful. So he has to lead a club.

Declarer would not bid 6♣ with two little hearts. He either has a singleton or Kx, but I'm sure it's Kx, if partner had KQJT what on earth could he expect the queen to mean? If he wanted me to do something urgently he would have chosen his highest or lowest consecutive card or a small spot if he didn't have any plans for my next lead. I bet declarer hopes the lead gives him an extra trick in whatever suit is chosen, either with AQ or AQJ spades or Kx heart, he has to be void in diamonds since he already counted on one heart loser, and of course has a long string of clubs. He hopes that if we lead a diamond dummy might provide him with a trick or two. Declarer's hand looks like either of these: [hv=s=saqjhkxdcakqjt986]133|100|[/hv] [hv=s=saqjhkxdcakqjt986]133|100|[/hv] There's nothing we can do unless declarer has AQJ and not AQ of spades and we can give partner a spade ruff, cause as soon as he's got the lead he has about fifty tricks. I have a feeling this isn't right as it seems way too obvious, with the ten visible spades and everything.

If you put partner on lead and he does not lead a spade, declarer will get suspicous that the finesse works (afterall we seem to have exhausted the tricks we can get out of clubs and hearts. Why would we not try to get another in spades? thinks declarer) Unless declarer is psychic he won't switch to the spade finesse when it is so obvious hearts are lovely for him so our club isn't running away anywhere. Diamond not cashing and club must be the way to go as so many others have said. There's another important point I don't think anyone has mentioned: you have to think about and decide your plan of attack as soon as you see dummy and the lead and never waver, if you sit there and think for a few seconds and play your card very hesitantly when declarer does take the finesse he will know what you're up to.

I have an agreement with my partner that we never pre-empt with a void, and the suit is bad quality. I'll wait and see what my partner does. If my partner had passed, I might bid 1S to annoy the opps.

Yaaaaay!!!! That makes SO much sense. We get to play two clubs, AND I get to lead a heart! Every problem solved (lol overtaking the queen hadn't entered my head, now I understand what you meant about the club spots! haha) Thank you :-) it was a cool problem. Keep them coming!!!!!

I don't think teaching new players a very artificial system is the way to go. Then they just memorise the "rules" and aren't trying to communicate (just attempting to remember what rule they follow with this hand). I learned simple Acol when I started (not even a year ago yet) and it was great because I understood the purpose of the bids I was making, and I tried to communicate things to partner, I didn't just bid a certain thing because I had this many clubs and this many points. When it's a simple system a newbie can control his bidding with confidence and not have to blindly follow the memorised rules. In our university group, our teacher lost many people in their first two or three lessons because they decided it was too complicated and not fun (they learned 5 card majors to start with, then weak two's and the idea of pre-empting, stayman, transfers and blackwood in their second lesson) I think that the confidence that comes with figuring things out for yourself and understanding exactly what you're doing, keeps people eager to learn! I'm speaking from a student's point of view here.