el mister

Pacquiao v Cotto sounds like a bridge to far for the wee man, but I thought that about DLH and Hatton. Cotto, though, is a proper welter in his prime - seems like it will be too much. Didn't Pac start out around minimum weight or close to? I've followed Hatton's career pretty closely and it's apparent, in retrospect, that the Tzuyu fight was the pinnacle of his career. He's been slowly deteriorating since that night in Manchester. Two losses against the greatest pfp fighters of your era is no disgrace, but it seems that his punch resistance has now eroded quite badly. He always had a nice beard, and needed it with his style, but that fight with Pac has exposed him. There was talk about matching him up with Amir Khan, a young UK fighter who just won his first title, but Hatton wasn't interested. Khan has superb skills, but a very suspect chin- I reckon even now Hatton might take him. His lack of interest signals that Hatton is about ready to hang them up.

It was really all about seeing off Wiggins today. Contador has it in the bag in any case, but Wiggins is a world class time trialer and it's one less thing for Contador to worry about now that Wiggins is a ways back. Wiggins will overhaul F. Schleck tomorrow and maybe A. Schlek if he is in form. It was great to see Thor take off the green skirt and assume the green jersey today. Really epic riding from an 80kg cyclist up the hills. He basically showed Cavandish who is the strong man on the Tour, and that being the fastest sprinter is not enough to claim the green jersey.

Thks for the replies. I see that the redbl was pretty ineffectual - I meant it as a penalty if LHO can't scrape up a bid, is this a reasonable though process? Maybe I need more diamonds for it?

Seeing Alberto hit that climb was a thing of beauty - Anyone who has ever turned the pedals in anger, at any level, can appreciate what a supremely stylish and strong bike rider Contador is. Armstrong was v impressive, for 37 years of age, but he said himself after the stage 'Days like this really find out who is the strongest - I give myself a B minus' Wiggins is riding out of his skin - a podium spot would be an amazing achievement. He will melt the timetrial later this week, so he just needs to hang in there over the remaining Alpine stages. Easier said than done. It was disappointing to see the race officials relegating Cavendish the other day. Execrable decision on numerous levels, and has effectively decided the green jersey in an office, rather than on the road. It makes Thor look weak, as well, given that he put in a formal complaint. Cav will flatten him on the Champs Elysee.

What do you reckon to this bidding: (Acol) [hv=d=n&v=n&n=skjxxxxhxxxdxxxcx&s=sahajxdaxxcakj753]133|200|Scoring: IMP p p 2♣ p 2♦ X XX 2♥ 2♠ p 3NT all pass [/hv] 3nt got mullered, but no game made for NS on the board. My p, who was sitting N and a better player than me, advised opening the hand 2NT on the grounds that I was weak for 2♣ and 2nt allows us to find 4♠. Is it common to open unbalanced hands like this 2NT? Not something I've come across.

Thanks for the replies - plenty of food for thought. I'd been playing the sjs as something like 16+ and excellent suit quality, so they seemed quite rare.

Split the difference I guess. I don't enjoy playing in silence with a pick up partner, but an endless stream of glp, wdp, gtp is pretty meaningless. Like you say, it's akin to a formulaic 'how's it going?' Nothing of substance in the phrase but it's a lot better then just saying nothing.

Learning Acol I was taught in lessons that jump shift by responder shows a (very) strong hand. Given that this hand will be relatively rare in response - is it worth retaining the bid? I like the idea of it, as it is very clear - just wish I could get to play it occasionally :) What are some good alternatives for the bid?

Thanks. I didn't think it through and passed it out :( Don't know why, maybe reluctant to bid 4♦ with a poor hand over the passed hand X. Pard held the following, and we got mullered. [hv=s=sj10863hkdaj10963c4]133|100|[/hv]

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=sqxh1097dq8742cq83]133|100|Scoring: IMP P 3♣ p 3♥ X p p p[/hv]Sitting south, what do you reckon pard's double shows, and what should you bid?

Comments on this auction please: [hv=d=e&v=n&n=s9872hqj3da10932c3&s=shak1087654dkj4cj7]133|200|Scoring: IMP p 4♥ 5♣ 5♥ p p 5♠ X All pass[/hv] Pard lead a club and 5SX made for a poor score (for us, we can make 6♥). Was I right to open 4♥ directly?

Thanks for the replies - 3NT was indeed worth more at MPs. I weighed in with an immediate 4NT and passed the 5♦ response, which made for 0%. Partner was unimpressed, and said 3NT was the bid. I was unsure - 4NT might be a bit agricultural but some sort of slam investigation seemed in order. OTOH, maybe 3NT is the percentage bid at MPs.

[hv=d=s&v=b&s=skq42h6dqj8cak952]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♣ p 1♥ p 1♠ p 3♦ p ?[/hv] Playing Acol. Do you sign off in 3NT here, or bid something else?

Could people enlarge on the take out double aspect of 4-3-3-3 hands containing 12-14 hcp? It sounds like this is not a recommended action in the direct seat - are there any features that would persuade you to double? Last night, I doubled for TO on the following directly over a 1♦ opening: ♠AK5 ♥K653 ♦Q107 ♣743 which, given that it is weaker than the OP's example, I am guessing is (far) too weak?

What sort of hand is required to reverse into a suit at the two level when partner has not bid? For example, last night I bid the following sitting east (playing Acol): [hv=d=w&v=n&s=sq5hkq73dakj1063c5]133|100|Scoring: IMP W N E S p p 1♦ 2♣ p p 2♥ p 3♥ p 4♥ p p p[/hv] Is my 2♥ bid forcing for one round, or given the passed hand (x2) can pard pass it? I took his bid as constructive - weak but with a decent ♥ suit. Also, is my rev bid acceptable? Or below the minimum strength required? Thanks.

Many thanks for that post Frances, v helpful.

Is there much value in the redouble of penalty doubles? I'm talking about simply redoubling because you believe you will make your contract, rather than use of the XX card as some sort of conventional bid. Aside from the fun aspect of backing your judgement, does the XX have an impact on the IMPS or MP scoring table by and large? I realise it's hard to generalise, but are there any common situations where the XX can really swing things for you? Seems like you'll often get a good score when you make a doubled contract. Just for interest, here is a recent hand I played where opps redoubled (I was sitting N, all playing Acol). What do you make of the XX - bid by a bbo expert if that makes any difference? [hv=d=s&v=n&n=s10hk10753d954ck1083&w=sa86haj982da76cj7&e=skq753hq64dkj103c4&s=sj942hdq82caq9652]399|300|Scoring: MP W N E S - - - P 1♥ P 1♠ 2♣ 2♥ 3♣ 4♥ P P X XX All Pass [/hv]

What is a common treatment for 1NT - pass - 3 of something in Acol? I understand them as strong, game-forcing bids, is this standard? This would be in a basic Acol system which has the 2 level bids of 2♣ stayman, 2♦ and2♥ transfers and 2♠ does not mean anything. What I am interested in is what sort of hands would you bid 1NT - 3m, rather than 1NT - 3NT; and likewise when 1NT - 3M, rather than using a transfer at the 2 level?

Thanks all for the replies. V. Helpful, even with the erratic bidding / defence as sub-optimal examples for the question. The last hand came about because P mistook my 2NT for Jacoby 2NT showing a strong hand, bid the short suit etc. One mistake I think I may be making is automatically looking for 3NT when we have a minor suit fit. I was taught this in my first bridge class, it's a long way to 5m as a sort of beginners maxim, and it's sunk in. In the second hand, for example, the first thing I will have thought on finding the ♦ fit is let's see if we can find 3NT. Hence the (silly) 2NT invite. I think I need to work on bidding game in the minors more. I've read that there is a clear dichotomy between matchpoints / IMPS when weighing up 3NT / 5m. At matchpoints you should always go for 3NT if you can - is this the case? Why?

How do you weigh risk for a 3NT bid when you think one of your suits may be weak? I've brought a few dodgy 3NT contracts home recently, against the rest of the field. I'm wondering if this is because I play acol, which often seems to put you against the field on BBO for NT, or another reason :P Boards rotated so that I'm south throughout. I can't remember the leads, unfortunately. The wrong ones I guess. What do you think of bidding 3NT? Is the right lead for the defence obvious? Contract was top board in each case. [hv=d=s&v=a&n=sq5hq42dkq98cj852&s=s92hkj05d64cakq103]133|200|Scoring: IMP 1♣, X, 2♣, P 2♦, X, 3♦, P 3NT, all pass 3♦ by pard was a mis-bid, to show ♦ stop. Should have bid 3NT directly in our agreement, but I got what pard meant.[/hv] 3NT+1 for 13.07IMPs [hv=d=s&v=a&n=sq5hq42dkq98cj852&s=s92hkj05d64cakq103]133|200|Scoring: IMP 1♣, X, 2♣, P 2♦, X, 3♦, P 3NT, all pass 3♦ by pard was a mis-bid, to show ♦ stop. Should have bid 3NT directly in our agreement, but I got what pard meant.[/hv] 3NT+1 for 12.73IMPs I recall the lead on this one. West held AKx♣ and lead the A. Then switched to a ♥ :huh: [hv=d=s&v=a&n=sq5hq42dkq98cj852&s=s92hkj05d64cakq103]133|200|Scoring: IMP 1♣, X, 2♣, P 2♦, X, 3♦, P 3NT, all pass 3♦ by pard was a mis-bid, to show ♦ stop. Should have bid 3NT directly in our agreement, but I got what pard meant.[/hv] 3NT+1 for 10.67IMPs The bidding on this next one was a bit of a shambles (can explain if anyone is interested). Not completely against the field, either. A few others in 3NT. [hv=d=s&v=a&n=sq5hq42dkq98cj852&s=s92hkj05d64cakq103]133|200|Scoring: IMP 1♣, X, 2♣, P 2♦, X, 3♦, P 3NT, all pass 3♦ by pard was a mis-bid, to show ♦ stop. Should have bid 3NT directly in our agreement, but I got what pard meant.[/hv] 5NT+1 for 11.40IMPs

Hi Ken, I'm a beginner playing Acol. In the second hand you posted, I play 3♦ as a short suit trial bid. Saying that 4♥ may be on the cards, but help is required in the ♦ suit. In the hand you posted, it is more like a long suit trial bid right? Saying that you have ♦ covered, what do you think about that pard? I wonder about these two ways of making trial bids, long and short, which is better? Either way, it seems to be a relatively rare sequence for me, 1M - 2M with no inteference. In the hand posted, I would bid 4♥ directly, assuming that we have a good fit and each suit covered given my stiff ♠.

Thks Vuroth! Just made use of it.

Here are a couple of hands where I was void in partner's suit, and the results were not good. Sitting S, playing Acol with 2 different pick up partners. Comments on what went wrong? In particular, my 2NT bid in both cases seemed to make a nice platform for a misunderstanding. I meant it as a discouraging, let's just call it a day bid. Wasn't taken as such. [hv=d=s&v=b&n=s108543hakq96d7c102&s=sj96hdk9542caj973]133|200|Scoring: IMP P P 1♥ 1♠ 2♣ P 2♥ X 2NT X 3♥ X All pass[/hv]1 off for -200 [hv=d=s&v=b&n=s108543hakq96d7c102&s=sj96hdk9542caj973]133|200|Scoring: IMP P P 1♥ 1♠ 2♣ P 2♥ X 2NT X 3♥ X All pass[/hv]4 off for -400

Hi, I'm a beginner and know what you mean - the B/I forum can be pitched at a ridiculous level sometimes. I think it's down to there being so few real beginners who post on the forums, and that the I designation is pretty broad. The guys who do post in this forum are superbly helpful though - I don't post a question that often but when I do it's always a simple one because that's the level I'm at (Check some of my posts, I actually started posting as a complete novice) - the responses are always exceptionally helpful and courteous - you don't feel that you're wasting anyone's time or anything like that. So I guess I should post some more to drag this forum down to the level it belongs :) One thing that stops me doing this: I frequently play a hand at BBO and think it would be an interesting one to get advice on, but never get round to saving the data and posting it. Can you mark, or save the deal that you're interested in in real time on BBO? Then put it onto here such that the layout of the cards is automatically done for you?

Is there any general strategy for leading a stiff honour against a suit contract? I neglected to lead a king on a recent hand - the king was in a suit that opps had bid IIRC, but not the trump suit. The auction was not contested so p had no real picture of my hand. Partner got in and laid down the ace, taking out my king for the loss of a trick. I felt I erred, if the king was ever going to score the most likely time would be on opening lead.