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Doesn't matter if you choose to discard or overruff if east ruffs, either case you lose 2 tricks. (2 clubs if you overruff)

Would be helpful to know your agreed 1NT opening range!

It depends if a declined invitation stops at 2♠ or 2NT/3♠. If it stops at 2♠, then 4♠ -1 will be -5 IMPs (-6 if vuln) to you and 4♠ = will be +6 (+10 if vuln), so you probably need only 45.45% chance (37.5% if vuln) of making the game. It gets slightly more complicated if invitation stops at 2NT or 3♠ because of the possibility that 2NT/3♠ is -1, so 3NT/4♠-2 will lose only 2 IMPs. This reduces the chance needed of making the game to make bidding it worthwhile.

This is how I've ruled in similar situation. If EW have a convention card that describes that they are playing Ghestem, then result stands. Not sure if EW should receive a procedural penalty, but I did not award this. If there is no convention card, then I'll give benefit of the doubt to the non-offending side, rule that there is MI, and adjust the result to 3♥x where there are 10 tricks for the defense... down 6.

♥A, ♠A, ♦K If east shows out, you need west to have 4 ♠s to make this contract by discarding a heart and 2 clubs. Cash ♠KQ discarding a heart and club, ruff the 4th spade to hand, reenter with ♦Q and discard another club on the last spade. If west shows out, you need spades 4-3 and ♣A or K onside. Cash the ♠K discarding a heart, then cash the ♠Q. If east discards you are down. Discard a club. Ruff the 4th spade, reenter dummy with ♦Q and play the 5th spade to discard another club. If at any time east ruffs your spade, you overruff, draw trumps and play clubs twice towards the QJ. Otherwise continue by cashing ♦Q. If diamond breaks 2-2, you are home with a heart and a club discard. If diamonds break 3-1 either way. Cash ♠KQ discarding a heart and a club. If ♠Q gets ruffed by east, overruff, draw trumps and play clubs twice to the QJ. If ♠Q gets ruffed by west you are down. Otherwise you make the contract by ruffing a heart in to draw trumps. Some may consider abandoning spades 4-3 if west has 3 card diamonds, instead discarding the hearts, ruffing a heart to hand, drawing trumps and play clubs twice towards the QJ. This is the inferior play. The probability of east holding AK of clubs is ~24%, while the probability of east holding 5 card spades à posteriori is 10/18 * 9/17 * 8/16 = 14.7%

Looks like a clear 2♦ to me

Your side is not going to make any game unless you are facing weak defenders or your partner turns up with singleton diamond and ♠Qxx for 4♠, or a heart stop for 3NT. I think the odds aren't good so I'd pass, but 3NT does has its merits because it may preempt opponents out of a possible heart game, but since it isn't clear if opps can make 4♥ I think pass is better. If my hand were an Ace weaker, I'd be deciding between a 3NT bid or the obvious 3♥ psyche which isn't likely to fool experienced players these days.

Personally, I don't see a problem with playing a 4-2 fit at the 1 level. It should be a fairly comfortable spot compared to the potential 2NT or 3M with 21 points, assuming your opponents even allow you to play there. Not a good place for weak declarers to be in though.

If you open light in third seat, you'll have to convince partner not to invite to game. Easiest way to do that is to pass the 1♠

Partner is maximum 7 points, so you are not going to miss a game unless he had a trap pass hand - highly unlikely. You have a good hand for defending and opps are in their wrong contract. Everything points to a pass.

1. The trouble is playing 2♦ as a negative. I far prefer to play it as a waiting bid, allowing opener to show what he opened 2♣ on if the responder is balanced or has nothing that he needs to show immediately. In this sequence I would happily pass 4♠, opener seems to imply with his direct 4♠ bid that he thinks hearts could be a problem 2. 3♦ an easy bid in this case. 8 working hcp and a 6+ suit missing 1 of the 3 top honours. You don't want to bid 2♦ and hear opener rebid 3♣... (playing cheaper minor second negative) 3. How this hand should be bid depends mostly on your 1NT methods, and we don't know your method as well as you do so it would be hard for us to tell you how best to use your method to find the slam. If you think your method is not effective enough, a discussion of a finding a new method should probably start a new thread.

I'm on Kubuntu 9.04, running 5.2.6 with Wine no problems. Well, except when I click on CONV and select "Manage ACBL Convention Cards" I get a new window with the notice "Loading Convention Card List. Please wait..." which doesn't finish loading. If the Windows client gives you too much trouble, you might want to use the Flash client instead.

Assuming clubs break 3-2. Probability of ♣Qx = 40% Probability of ♠ 3-3 = 35.5% Probability of ♠Jx with ♣xx = 1/3 * 48.5% * 7/16 = 7.07% Together it's about 64%

Typically I play that a suit bid at the lowest possible level is a game try, and a jump into a suit is a cue bid looking for slam. Bidding 3♣ is not a good idea if opener can bid 4♥ game with a good minimum hand. I want to check if partner has the ♦K before checking for keycards, so I'll bid 4♣ first, then 4NT over the response. Without the ♦K i will bid slam only with all 5 keycards.

I prefer to play 3♣ as Baron in this sequence. 1m - 1M - 2NT has a decent chance of slam in a minor fit, and Baron is good at finding these fits. Opener and responder will bid up the line. Rebidding a previously bid suit shows 5 card, bidding a previously denied suit shows 3 cards. Opener with 4 cards in responder's major will jump to 4♣ or 4♦ to cuebid. Responder can often work out opener's exact shape. E.g. 1♣ - 1♥ 2NT - 3♣ 3NT - Opener must be 3235, since 3NT denies 4 ♠s, 3 ♥s and 4 ♦s 1♣ - 1♥ 2NT - 3♣ 3♦ - 3♥ 3NT - Opener must be 3244

Google for "EHAA bridge", the first few hits on top are good. It's more of a fun system to play around with occasionally. Definitely not a serious long term system.

I have a Nokia N81, series 60. It's able to run the vugraph viewer, however it's not able to display the suit symbols, which I believe are unicode characters that are not supported by the mobile's font.

This is true, no? When screens are in use, we can't tell which of the two players across the screen tanked

It looks like you want a Polish Club system, a system you should look at before attempting to reinvent the wheel :) Alternatively there is EHAA...

IMO for any structure over 1NT X, it is necessary to use the XX bid as a serious bid looking for blood. This allows opener to double for penalty if your LHO runs into a suit held by the opener. If you pass, waiting for opener to Redouble for you to pass, it is possible LHO runs and opener passes (because you may be looking to run too) it round to you to make a guess with a doubleton. So this is the simple structure I play: After 1NT - (X): XX = For blood 2♣/2♦/2♥/2♠ = To play Pass = Forces XX from opener -> Bid lower of 2 4-4 suits

I've read below that it is intended that the web client will be accessible to browsers without flash (e.g. iPhone). Can I assume that means the web client will be ported from Flash to Ajax? Just asking to help me make a decision for my upcoming mobile phone upgrade...

Considering that the structure was part of a Moscito system, playing Moysian at 2nd level isn't so much a choice, but a fact of life :) You have to look at Moysian as an acceptable place to contract to play in, not a desired contract to play in. Playing the occasional Moysian is just a trade-off for the efficiency in the rest of the structure, and whether it is a worthwhile price to pay is subjective. However, I believe my structure is a significant improvement over Keri when it comes to handling the hands with responder 4-4 and 5-4 majors and stopping at the 2 level. Furthermore, my structure is guaranteed not stop at 2♥ with a Moysian fit. Moysian fits for 2♠ are still possible. Not perfectly optimal, but still a significant improvement over Keri. I've looked at your structure and I think I can try to incorporate some of the unbalanced hand showing ideas into my structure, although I may not have as much bidding space to show them as you do. I have some doubts about parts of your structure though, for example, how do you deal with responder inviting with 4♠s + 5♥s, when opener has a minimum hand with 3♠s + 2♥s? Looks like you have to choose between playing a 5-2 or 4-3 fit at the 3rd level, or bid 3NT and hope for the best.

You could open 1m naturally and play a wide range 1NT rebid of 13-17, together with a checkback system that handles it, e.g. this modification of Crowhurst + Two-way checkback 1♣/1♦ - 1♥/1♠ - 1NT 2♣ = 8-11, artificial checkback 2♦ = artificial game force 2♥/2♠ = weak 2[NT] = weak, 4M + 6om or 4-5m, transfer to 3♣ P/C to 3♦ 3♣/3♦ = ...(your choice) After 2♣: 2♦ = All minimum 13 to bad 14s 2♥ / 2♠ / 2NT = good 14 to bad 16 3x = good 16 to 17

Well, it has hardly made an impression. I've seen some partnerships attempting to use it but eventually abandoned the system. I don't recall much about the system anymore apart from the multi-meaning 1 club opening, 1d promising 5 cards, and the artificial GI/GF 2♣/2♦ responses. There's also iirc a wide range 1NT opening with relay response structure. I don't think Ron Klinger himself use that system for long after the book was published. I think Polish Club is a more polished system that better achieves what Power tried to do. Power Acol, however, is a more successful follow up book/system by Ron Klinger using the 2♣/2♦ response ideas to the Acol system, and several pairs do play that today. I was in a regular partnership that played that system, and I think it has some merits over basic Acol.

True, and this may not be a bad thing (see "simulation question" thread in the general section). However, there is also imprecision with responder's suit being perhaps 4 or perhaps 5, and if my partner shows a 5 card major invitational hand when I open a NT, I would like to bid game with 4 card support, even if minimum. (But just a 3 point range.) You don't have that problem with classical methods. It's a big loss for the advantage of being able to play in 2M, especially when it could be a 4/3 fit when it is no benefit. Erm.. both Keri and my structure allows for that. In Keri and my structure, after 1NT - 2♣ - 2♦ - 2♥/2♠, 3♣ is bid with minimum and good 4 card support with a doubleton. Also for my structure responder with 5 ♥s can reinvite with 3♥ if opener responds 2♥ after 1NT - 2♣