el mister

[hv=pc=n&s=s63hqjt8754dq53c8&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=2d]133|200[/hv] Club game, MPs, I saw fit to bid 3♥ here. Multi was weak 2M, 20-21 bal, and (I think) strong acol 2m. The final contract was played out in an uneventful fashion, in 4♠, but 3♥ wasn't rated by the players at the table in the subsequent discussion, so wondering how far off beam it was? Does a pre-emptive bid over multi exist, and if so what should it look like?

Thanks - the description threw me a little as it said constructive, 5+ clubs. Wasn't sure why the bid would be so narrowly defined, so the ensuing auction was a mess. How do you play 2♥ in your system dicklont? ETA - Thks Helene, I didn't know that - makes sense.

gib rolled out the following 2S bid on me recently - what does / should it show? [hv=pc=n&s=saj97hq92daqj84c6&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=ppp1d2d2s]133|200[/hv] Thanks.

Dealer, all white, match points. ♠Jxx ♥Kx ♦AQJxxxx ♣x 1♦, pass, 1♠, pass to you. Do you like your hand in light of pard's 1S bid? Weighed up 1N, 2♦ and 3♦ at the table - what's the textbook response?

Is it obvious here that you need to ruff high in hand, to preserve a ruffing value in dummy with the club void? I believe this is the error pard made, and got a subsequent walloping. The winning line is to play for spades 4-1, drawing one round of trumps with the AS, cash top heart, second round of trumps crossing to the JS, third round of trumps with KS and you're home. W can ruff one of your heart winners but has no exit card due to your club ruff on table. This would be quite an intricate play by my standards, so I wondered if this was the sort of hand strong players would expect to get right. Declarer's 2C opener was ♠8 ♥A ♦KQJT87653 ♣AQ. Would that be out of line in the EBU?

East wins A♥ and plays back a top diamond.

[hv=pc=n&s=saq62hkqd9ckj7542&n=skj53hjt98754da2c&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=2cdp2h3d3sp4s5d5sdppp]266|200[/hv] Random BBO IMPS game, no special agreements, you arrive in a shaky 5♠X. [Comments welcome on how best to find the superior 5H contract] Lead is 4♦ - how are you tackling this one?

Thanks all - seems fairly clear. I did think about lifting it at the table - inv minor raise is 6-9 and 5+ for us, so I felt 6 very solid diamonds with v little outside might call for a retreat into 4. Passed, though, and 3♠x made as opps have a submerged 10 card club fit. So the result got me thinking.

Playing 2/1, we have the following inv minor auction: [hv=pc=n&s=s98ht85dqjt987ck9&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1dp3ddp3hp3sdp]133|200[/hv] Do we have a decision to make here, ie there is an element of consultation to pard's double? Or is he laying down the law? What action do you recommend?

Don't understand that 1eyedjack - pard opens a multi, opp passes and it's reasonably likely that he's 24/25 balanced? That can't be right.

Thks - we played it in 5♦X, through a pretty ropey auction. A bloodbath, but escaped with a half-decent score as opps have 6♥ cold. So I was wondering if you could reconcile the desire to make an obstructive bid here that puts pressure on opps, whilst catering for the slight possibility that pard has a big hand. Maybe you can't? (Massive balanced is 24/25 for us, so once in a blue moon).

Thks vampyr. If the winner of the trick leaves their card faced for a bit, should you wait for them to turn their card over before you do so? Often see this at trick 1 where declarer might have a bit of a muse before quitting the trick.

In a club game, I sometimes hear people ask to see the cards (again) of the previous trick. ie all 4 cards are face down and they'll ask to see them again. IME everyone usually agrees - my pard asked recently and got a curt no from opps, so I wondered what the actual regulation was here. Second question - is there anything wrong with holding your cards under the table as you play? I find this to be quite a comfortable position, but don't want to aggravate people if it's formally against the rules. [realise this isn't a ruling question, but seemed like the best place to ask]

MP club game, fav vuln, pard opens a multi 2♦ in first seat, passed to you. Your hand: ♥xx ♦QTxxxxx ♣Jxxx Anything to say? [multi is weak 2M, strong acol 2 in the minors, or massive balanced]

Thanks for the detailed replies. I wasn't planning on playing it or anything, more curiosity from thinking about invitational sequences in acol, which have been problematic IME just bidding naturally. The example Marlowe gives of 14 opposite 9 being a text book example.

Is it possible to play the following sequence in Acol: 1♠ - pass - 1NT - pass - 2♣ where the 2♣ bid by opener is staymanic? Asking for a 4 card ♥ suit or 3♠? So sort of a checkback stayman bid by opener - is this playable?

Dropping some knowledge there jjbrr. It does seem still to circulate around the black hole of motive, though (IMHO) - why would a sane person stab an acquaintance to death for no reason? Has this H17 guy disclosed his conjecture in that regard?

Having reviewed the weight of evidence in the court of internet opinion, I would say defo guilty of being involved in some way. Her story is bobbins and she is a lying toe-rag, which is an extra tragedy for the Kercher family to deal with. Guilty of straight murder though? Don't see it myself. Would be a motive-less action of someone with no previous signs of mental instability. The whole separation of Guede's fast track trial and that of Knox / Sollecito is hard to understand (for outsiders to the Italian legal system) and seems a major factor in clouding the case. It's like two separate courts were acknowledging two separate and differing accounts of reality for the same crime.

Thks - it was a club matchpoint game, but no hand records unfortunately. I don't have a good recollection of what partner had except it was undistinguished. Seems like neither of us really limited our hands - I thought 3♠ would at least right side the contract and pard might drop anchor, having no extras. Maybe pass is better - I guess from his POV I could have a much stronger hand.

Played this one recently and the wheels came off: [hv=pc=n&s=s9765hkt852dq2cj4&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1cp1hp1sp2sp3hp3sp4sppp]133|200[/hv] Partner didn't have anything special and did well to go 2 off. Is 2!s manifestly wrong here, esp as opps aren't competing? Wondering what is the threshold of hand strength for showing the fit, and when do you put the brakes on (pass, 1NT maybe?)

Had a bad misunderstanding with pard the other night - he opens in the following sequence: 1♠ - p - 1NT - p - 2NT - p - 3♠ - all pass. I held a balanced hand, 10-12, with 3 spades [apologies I don't have a hand record from the club]. I bid 3♠ thinking it must show 10-12 with 3, and possibly pard might prefer to place the contract in 3NT. Is this an egregious error? Pard took it as a weak take-out. Struggling to think of a hand consistent with the bidding that would want to take out 18-19 balanced into 3S. Something like 5-6pts, shapely with 3♠, 3163, say?

Luis Suarez - Uruguay forward of unique charm, is doubtful for the world cup - had knee surgery this week. How tragic. Hope the Belgians can put a good run together - a mile and a half of talent in that team. Just need to grow the self-belief that they can win a major tournament - Euro 16 prob the one they have a real shot at.

Think the issue is that the type of 'beginner' who reads and posts on these forums is miles away from the type of eternal beginner you see knocking around bbo or the local club. So the hand in question seems spot on in that context. People who post questions in the NB forum are generally motivated to get better at the game (and are probably decent club players already) - The forum is unusual for the internet in being very top heavy with very well-informed people - experts, so a reg club player is going to be a beginner here in terms of their skills and knowledge. I guess there could be novices out there who stumble across the forum and get put off by the discussion level (and some of it is comically advanced) - are these people out there? My guess is that they are not - the type of beginner who can't make head nor tail of inquiry's problem has not surmounted the activation barrier to go looking for answers in the first place.

I read this one recently - was looking for some meat and potatoes defence tips so got off to a bad start with it, as it kicks off with discussion of stellar expert defensive plays. However, I persevered and got quite a bit out of it - stuff on surround plays and false-carding was very digestible, for example. Generally a bit above my level, though, overall. Agree it's pretty well-written throughout. Some comments made me smile - 'Seeing your falsecard of the J♠, the obvious play for declarer is to now finesse the 8' Not where I play, Wladyslaw, it isn't :)

Thks - to be more clear I was interested in the 5♣ bid. Is it sound and how might you bid differently according to the vulnerability.