kfay

Down 3. Declarer has to strip West of their last heart (hardly obvious) then endplay? I think down 3 will suffice. I don't think a jettison should be allowed on a misclaim.

Sorry if there was some confusion, but partner actually isn't broke when he decides to take a free bid. You could actually have game on this hand! Perhaps I should have said "non-forcing constructive" or some nonsense like that, but I thought it might be obvious that when partner has nothing, he says nothing. All that's meant by non-forcing is that if you feel you said your piece with your 1♠ bid, then you don't need to say anything else. If you have something else to say, then you say it. This is just bridge! Anyone who thinks that a non-forcing advance is a rare bird is really out of touch, it's actually quite common. It's certainly not alertable. In fact, with the overcalls I and everyone else seems to make these days, I fail to see how it's possible to want to play that way ( won't go so far as to say un-playable, since apparently people actually play that way).

[hv=pc=n&s=saq8743hj6dq7ca65&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=1c1sp2hp]133|200|2♥ is non-forcing. Apologies if anyone is offended by that.[/hv]

I've read TBSAOIF. It was enjoyable, but I don't recall there being any actual bridge involved. Keep an eye out for mention of my 2006 University of Michigan bridge team. Go Blue!

I have a non-bridge-playing friend who just happened to text me: "I want the next book I read to be an intro to bridge book. Recommendations?" Now, I've been trying to recruit this guy for years. Very smart dude with keen appreciation for the types of skills bridge requires. He actually used to kind of play some back when we were in high school and I was first learning (this wasn't really bridge as I now know it). I don't think I want to start him off on some boring old "Aunt Mabel Teaches Bridge"... anything come to mind that will really get him hooked -- after which he'll go back to cover all the boring stuff?

In 2013 the only real bridge I played was in the ACBL Spring NABC in St. Louis. I played the Mixed Pairs, the Silodor Pairs, and the Swiss, and made the finals in every event but did terribly. A sectional top in the Silodor was probably my biggest accomplishment. Still, I'm in school full-time and am not extremely disappointed, though I'm still disappointed. This year I only expect that I'll be able to play in the Life Master Pairs at the Summer NABC in Vegas. I have a good partner so my only goal is to place in the top 20 in that event, and hopefully win it. Winning may be far-fetched but I know it's possible. I wish I could say I had more goals. I'll be getting my MD by December of this year or possibly within the first month or two of 2015; consequently, I think this is the last year I can really hope to play in something big for quite some time. Perhaps I'm wrong, I hope so.

I've seen so many balanced 11-HCP openers in the last 2 weeks and every time I'm like "why?!"

The complete hand: [hv=pc=n&s=sajhk972dkt9632c5&w=st943hadq754cqj43&n=skq5h543daj8ca762&e=s8762hqjt86dckt98&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=p1c1h2dp3dp3nppp]399|300[/hv] At the table West did make the obvious duck when declarer floated the ♦J around in an attempt to recover from playing the ace. Running the ♦10 at T2 guarantees the contract against any distribution (considering East's 1♥ bid). wd to sfi and nige1

[hv=pc=n&s=sajhk972dkt9632c5&n=skq5h543daj8ca762&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=p1c1h2dp3dp3nppp]266|200[/hv] Lefty leads the ♠3 to the 5 and 6, over to you.

Obv pass

Pass -- Bidding is attractive but I dislike it for a few reasons. For one, people these days don't have major qualms with making a preempt like this on 6-5 or even 6-4. Heck, even if the guy has 7 spades we might still be 3-3. Partner needs at least one ace to give me a shot of making so it seems to me that the best argument for bidding is as a sacrifice. Well -- I'm not so sure they're making it so I pass. And another thing... nobody told partner he's supposed to pass 5♥! I would probably be pretty upset if he bid more. (Good reason to play 4N...5♥ as bad heart hand and direct 5♥ as good). Pass -- I'm looking at 300 as a best-case scenario for bidding. It gets worse from there very quickly. And they may not make 4♥. Bidding looks nuts. ♣A --- Edit: JLOGIC is making some sense to me with his lead here... well played.

Pass. I don't expect partner to be be bananas in this position: I'm a passed-hand and everyone's red. I'd be surprised (but not shocked) if they made this. The biggest downside I see is that maybe we miss our game and get only 200. Oh well, at least I'm not playing in a 4-3 fit (clubs) if bid 4NT and partner shows up with 5143 or 6133. Maybe we weren't going to get to that game anyway.

Isn't this double just protecting equity? It's our hand, I was probably making 4♠, and PH-opposite-a-preempt just bid to the 5-level; I don't need to be certain where my tricks are coming from I just need to convey the message to partner that these guys are jobbing us. The "correct" action seems like a total guess to me but but I would probably double. Anyway, I agree it's time to bid 5♠ now.

What about when it's -3 into a 4♥ contract that can be set (as here)?

Partner did have a club void and a club switch at trick two was necessary to defeat the contract: Link to hand: http://bit.ly/186xM7O

Saw this decent problem today on Vugraph: [hv=pc=n&n=s64ha54dkqt2cq642&e=sak9hj2da753ck975&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1n2h(5+%21H%2C%204+minor)2s4hppp]266|200[/hv] T1: ♠jack, 4, KING, seven Your lead

Here was the full hand: [hv=pc=n&s=shqt32dak732cq432&w=sq432hak7654dqcj5&n=skj5hj98dcakt9876&e=sat9876hdjt98654c&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1c1d1hp2c2s4sd5c5dd5sdp]399|300[/hv] Frankly, I wasn't surprised at all by the full layout. Although I'm sure some of the 'pass wtp?' crowd will pretend to be shocked. Luckily, you can actually beat 5♠X. During the auction it wasn't clear to me at all that 5♠ couldn't be made.

[hv=pc=n&s=sj43hjt9daqt9caq5&n=sak52h8642dj742c4&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=p1c1dp2cp3nppp]266|200[/hv] Lead is a small ♣ to the king. You win the ace.

Seemed obvious to me that the opps were in a 10-card fit, so I agree. But I'd bet RHO has at least 7 diamonds after bidding 5♦ off the AK, so partner (and LHO) has at most one. I also think that his spades are finessable in that he didn't redouble 4SX so he probably doesn't have the SA. Maybe he has KQJ though. Agree that bidding at IMPs is obv.

[hv=pc=n&s=shqt32dak732cq432&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1c1d1hp2c2s4sd5c5dd5sdp]133|200[/hv]

[hv=pc=n&s=st9h963dkqtcak982&n=s8hak5da653cqj765&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1c2c2h3spp4sdpp5cppp]266|200[/hv] This is how the auction actually went at the table. If you can't live with it (not my preference either) then how would you reach this slam after: 1♣-(2♣)-3♠-(4♠) Not sure it's possible in the 2nd case. Was I just wimpy in the actual hand? (I was South)

If South wanted to set up a FP she should have bid 3♠. --> not in a forcing pass.

North doesn't have an accept. South's humongo raise is from another planet.

Your odds aren't correct because we're not just talking about 1-3 and 2-2, but specific 1-3s and 2-2s. Regarding LHO's heart length, I did discuss that.

Good job Rainer