el mister

Are you really playing almost the same way? 8 board robot game against 1000+ seems like you really need to push the boat out to get a good score, not really the format for solid, straight down the line bridge. I don't play the daylongs often, though - well done if you're posting 60% on the reg as that seems like it would be tough to do in that game, even for good players.

If you play it mini/max style as the_badger describes then your strong option needs to be large enough for 4H here to be reasonable. This takes a bit of discipline - Michaels is such a nice shape-showing bid that people seem to overuse it a lot, certainly at my club people throw it around with abandon. You need clarity over 'we are sacraficing' versus 'we are bidding game to make.'

Do you mean pass one or pass two NT? Maybe both....

[hv=pc=n&s=s83hj4d642ck98653&n=sakjhk2dq9753ca72&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1np2sp2np3cppp]266|200[/hv] MP Pairs game, 2♠ is a transfer to clubs from me, which pard encourages, and I subside in 3♣ to nicely wrongside the contract and go one off [it makes from the other side]. Actually scored OK, but I'm trying to better understand the consequences of these gap encourage sequences - it was pretty unhelpful here, but is that down to the initial transfer being poor? Would 3N be wild here? My hand is a bit of a horror but the clubs have decent chances to run from my POV. ---------------- Edited to fix hand diagram

I don't know abar 12 hours a day, but just playing a ton of bridge would make most people good declarers IMHO. And you wouldn't need to take a particularly systematic or analytical approach, just the basic ability to identify and learn from your mistakes. Think of it as the base miles of a fitness program - if you wanted to compete you'd need to add structure, intervals, periodisation etc, but if you don't do any of that and just go out running, you'll still end up pretty fit. Bidding and defence is a different story - the partnership dimension means you can't just learn by osmosis here. Just bidding with your gut would yield little progress, and be a giant waste of time if you're talking about sinking serious hours into it.

GIB would have raised 6 to 7 for a certainty, had your seats being swapped. Or at least that's often been my experience with blasting game / slam opposite GIB. Think you can make 6? Why not try 7 lol.

4th set el mister 7 : 38 ant590 http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:d381c3a7.5818.11e7.be39.0cc47a39aeb4-1498224930&u=el%20mister Overall ant590 win by 44imps. Thanks for the games ant, enjoyed.

3rd set el mister 45 : 42 ant590 http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:f200f78d.5791.11e7.be39.0cc47a39aeb4-1498167000&u=el%20mister

2nd set el mister 18 : 35 ant590 http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:2bf8e8d8.55ec.11e7.b134.0cc47a39aeb4-1497985849&u=el%20mister

In the match I just played Gib made a takeout double of my 1♥ opening with a 1444 hand, 16 pts. Is this a normal bridge treatment for this hand type, or is it Gib weirdness? Because the stiff spade really threw me in the play. I've learned not to make off-shape TOXs partnering Gib, or auctions can go badly wrong - don't generally expect gib to roll them out against me!

1st set: el mister 25: 24 ant590 http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:754385c9.54c4.11e7.b134.0cc47a39aeb4-1497858841&u=el%20mister

Thks fromageGB - thinking about it, it is just the specific auction 1♥ - 1♠ overcall - 1NT that I am trying to clarify. With no intervention 1NT would normally be a 2/1 style wide ranging, forcing bid ca. 6-12, but over intervention should it revert to natural 6-9, or stronger than that?

Is it standard to solidify your 1NT responses over pard's opening bid, if RHO overcalls at the 1 level, in a 2/1 context? I noticed GIB uses 8-11, but I've read other sources recommending 1N is just a natural 6-9, non-forcing, with a stop. Can 2N be played as natural here, 10-12, also? Or is it better to use it as a conventional bid?

Think it's very person dependent, like relknes says above. Personally my cardplay is the limiting factor and it's not close, miles behind my bidding. OTOH the strongest local club night to me is usually won by a pair of acol vets who bid like the process causes them physical pain, but have flawless textbook cardplay. MPs does punish weak cardplay in general, and does not commensurately reward expert bidding, ISTM, so maybe you could generalise that improved cardplay is more valuable in this form of the game. As an aside the BBO rebate is a cruel game at the minute, as far as card play goes - seems to have gotten harder with some proper players participating. Any mistake playing a suit combination etc. and you're booked for a bad score, whereas the normal robot games you've got a bit more breathing space. Finding it excellent, if humbling, cardplay practice.

Don't really get 5♣ there - is he thinking that 5♣X down a few still beats a ♥ slam, or is it just a misjudgement? Guess it depends on your agreements as to what U2NT looks like.

Yes please

Indeed Nige, one should eschew pusillanimity at match-pointed pairs. That being said, 4♠ with no singleton sounds excessive down the club - maybe in tournament play. On the actual deal both red slams were lay down due to the marked finesses in the N hand, but no one's getting there in this particular room, making 4♠X a bottom, at best.

3♠ would be weak and preemptive here for us, showing 4 or 5+♠. Pard's not taking you for much in the way of values with that bid, although he may expect more than a 5-3-2-3 yarb, admittedly. This is actually what I bid, and was wondering what the consensus view was.

If pard can't make a squeak over 2♦ then being allowed to play in 3 or 4♠ sounds great. 3 or 4♠X sounds less great, which is sort of what my comment on the strength of the room alludes to.

MPs, all vuln, playing 2/1, you pick up this fine collection of intermediates: [hv=pc=n&s=st8765ht92d43c942&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1s2d]133|200[/hv] What is your call? [Your opps are good, but the room is a whole is a bit of an ordinary standard, if that makes a difference].

el mister 20:15 cathcol http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:5f6c0d09.131e.11e7.ab15.0cc47a39aeb4-1490640682&u=el%20mister cathcol's name misspelt in post1 [catchol]

el mister 15 : 50 tt1971 http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:5d9c391a.0a2c.11e7.ab15.0cc47a39aeb4-1489657132&u=el%20mister

el mister 29 : 43 sieong http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:71b90a17.0504.11e7.ab15.0cc47a39aeb4-1489090230&u=el%20mister

el mister 23 : 31 Shuba http://webutil.bridgebase.com/v2/tview.php?t=ARDCHALLENGE:45554d77.01e6.11e7.ab15.0cc47a39aeb4-1488747417&u=el%20mister

In please. El mister