vuroth

I really, really want 3♠ to ask for a ♠ stopper. At MPs, it just becomes too difficult to get to 3NT when it's right, and stay away when it's wrong. It's not like pulling 3NT to 4♠ wouldn't make it clear, if I actually had spades. At the table, I'm bidding 3 hearts. Partner should be bidding 3NT with 2 hearts and a spade stopper, I'm thinking.

I support neither.

3NT That second diamond is really, really nice.

Joint top. At another table, RHO returned a heart at trick 2. V

billw55's line worked for me last night. I wasn't sure if the line was clearly better - this isn't the bermuda bowl, and LHO might have had a king. Thought it couldn't hurt to share the hand. I'd like to hope that I would have wound up in the same spot if they'd switched to trump at trick 2.

Voted Spain, but honestly, this is the deepest field of any team sport in the world - certainly deeper and probably better balanced than ice hockey, for example. I like the Netherlands as a dark horse - they have some fragile game changers - a bit of health, and they can beat anybody out there. I'll be cheering for England, though. And USA - as much as I don't like Donovan most of the time, he was flat out brilliant for Everton this year.

[hv=d=w&v=n&n=sj763haqt2d3caq87&s=sakqthj6dkqcjt652]133|200|Scoring: MP P 1♣ 1♦ 1♠ P 2♠ P 4♠ all pass Diamond ten led to the ace. 2 of diamonds back. Spades are 3/2[/hv] Not sure if this is an interesting B/I play problem or not, but here it is.

Held this hand the other day [hv=d=e&v=e&s=sat642h62dqt73c42]133|100|Scoring: MP P P 1♦ 1♥ P ?[/hv] I passed, but would anyone bid 1♠ there? If not, what's the minimum for 1♠?

Here's what I have.

It's ok Trumpace. I've wasted the last half hour of my life on the problem, so at least you know someone's trying it. I haven't given up just because han posted an answer, and I haven't read his post yet.

I feel like jjbrr is trying to tell me something....

My bidding judgement is so poor that 15 minutes wouldn't help, but 10 seconds would probably destroy me.

I don't get this. If spades are 2-1, ducking the first trick makes it hard to endplay anybody. If east has all 3 spades you've gone from slim hope to no hope.

I can endplay west in clubs, but I'll still need help to bring home 5.

The only thing worse than taking some event with insufficient information as a miracle is ferociously debating the truth or falseness of the event. There's a whole lot out there that can never be proven one way or another, and having faith is an unassailable position. What drives me nuts is the other stuff - people who chose faith over evidence on things like the age of the earth, evolution, astrology. It's also important to note that the JREF still hasn't handed out its large cash prize.

Long time linux player myself, and I agree. I love having BBO available on both OS's, as which one I'm one when I decide I feel like playing a few hands is a crapshoot, and rebooting just to play bridge sucks.

I'm slowly working through the level 3 problems, and loving them. I intend to buy them all, and repeat them all until I can instantly recognize the "theme" of the hand. I thank the various posters here for recommending them. That said, I won't be reading the OP. BBO is selling these problems as a business, so repeating the hand on their free forums seems kind of crass to me. 0.02, ymmv

[hv=d=w&v=b&s=sa3hk72dakj73ckt9]133|100|Scoring: MP P P P 1♦ X 1♥ 1♠ 2NT P 3♣ P ?[/hv] Is 3♣ forcing? Is it NMF? By a passed hand, is it natural and non-forcing? Does it make a difference if partner is not a passed hand? V

Fortunately I had this solved before hrothgar trumped the thread. It's possible, but that's how it goes in bridge. 60% of the time, it doesn't matter which way you go. 35% of the time, the right line wins. 5% of the time, the bangers win, and you lose. Have to just keep trying to find the higher percentage lines, and don't worry too much about individual results. V

I think LHO has H or Hx. A low club to dummy should pick up 3 club tricks if this is true. EDIT - never mind. As unlikely as it seems that LHO led low from Axxxx, the alternative is even more unlikely - that RHO didn't continue diamaonds from AKQx AND that he has longer clubs than diamonds. RHO has both club honours.

So what does pass mean to you, then? Desire to penalize? I always thought the natural meaning of PASS was "I can't bid anything".

EDIT: Nevermind. Club first is fine - if ♦return, Ace, and 2 diamond ruffs, the second with the queen - this only fails when ♦s are 7-1 and you get overruffed. If ♠ return, I now like AK♥ as I had above, even if ♠s are 3-1.

[hv=s=sjt98765432hjdjcj]133|100|Win![/hv]

I'm no expert, but you still have problems with some 4-1 spade splits, since you may have to ruff a heart with a spade honour if spades are trump. 4-0 splits in diamonds are a whole lot rarer. That said, I don't really have a bid that says "I'm great if you have AKQ in a suit, but otherwise don't bother". It seems like 3♠ misleads a partner with weak spades far more often than it improves our diamond contract, and with much greater penalty and much smaller reward. Just my 0.02

4♦, especially if 3m promises extra length of strength in this sequence.