DCal

One of the best bridge books ever written is Mel Colchamiro's How You Can Play Like an Expert (Without Really Being One.) He gives two rules which work with any system of no trump overcalling systems: in the direct seat, use the Rule of Eight: You must have at least six points, then add the length of your two longest suits and subtract the number of losers in you hand from that total. If the result is two or more, bid [6+2=8]. If not, pass. In the balance seat, after LHO bids 1NT and there are two passes to you, employ Mel's Rule of Two: With two or more shortness points (doubleton=1, singleton=2, void=3), always balance regardless of the strength of your hand or the vulnerable. There are many formulae for making decisions at bridge, but Mel's Rule of Two is the only one I have found to always be right: In fourth seat you hold: Jxxx, x, Txxxx, xx. You have three shortness points. Playing Meckwell, you bid 2D, showing diamonds and a major. If you lack two shortness points, you pass regardless of strength of your hand. Again, the Rule of Two always works. It's magic! I been looking all over for an answer.....how many points are required to bid Meckwell over Opps 1NT opening bid. Vulnerable and Non-Vulnerable. What about if I bid 2NT(promising 2-minors), do I need Extra points. Sincere thanks to All. robiche

I cannot see myself opening this hand in first or second seat. It creates the type of problem the opener encountered. For some strange reason, though, assuming I would open, I would have raised to three diamonds. After a first seat opening you cannot pass (unless you were making some sort of psychic bid, but this is not the proper type of hand for that). Your three diamonds bid shows a minimum (in this case a sub-minimum).

Multi-Landy has available, as part of the system, the Woolsey double, which includes the penalty double as one of its meanings. On the other hand, I played the weak no trump for years and have not felt the fear of being doubled for penalty. I agree with a comment attributed to Larry Cohen (I think): "One no trump is the worst contract to defend in bridge." I have almost never suffered from a penalty double after opening one no trump. Most of my partners and I agree to runouts of various types when they are really weak, Many people seem to forget that a weak no trump is usually an opening bid in other systems. How often do you profit from doubling an opening bid (other than one no trump) for penalty? Never, although a few times in my history my partner has passed a one level TO double for penalty. I think the advantage of being able to double an opening bid on one no trump for penalty is really over-rated and that the double can be reserved for other features, like the multi-Landy double showing a long minor or 4M5m.

I agree. If I had a "normal" (whatever that is) 6M, I would bid 2D. If the 6M and 4m were both of good quality, why would I show the m? I guess I'm saying, I would reserve X for 5-4 most of the time.

It is not a matter of desperation. It is a matter of the rules of the game. The declarer called "any." Defenders are empowered to name the card to be played from dummy. If it is truly a contest, it is a matter of following the rules. Any one of us, almost certainly, has mistakenly called for the wrong card and not realized until too late that he or she had erred. This is the same situation. I have regretted the time or two that I have made such an error, but it never occurred to me ask anyone to let me take back my call. Additionally, I do not think that the director has the authority to just let a violation of the rules go.

1. Normally, I would have to have seven or more, but that depends on my distribution. For example, holding XXX=XXXX=XXXXX=XX, or thereabouts I would bid 2C and pass. On the other hand with something like JXXX=XXXX=XX=XXX, I would pass. Normally, though, I would want enough values to rebid 2NT if I bid Stayman and partner bid 2D or two of the "wrong major." 2. I must have pretty close to nine. Eight HCP with some helpful intermediates. A hand that, besides eight HCP, should have something better than three queens and two jacks. A hand with some helpful distribution (a good five-card suit, e.g.) or a hand containing five or six T's or 9's. My experience has been that two no trump is almost always a wretched contract, so I should have extras to help opener if he has a minimum opener. 3. I think this question has been answered in two. 4. I tend to view my eight hcp's a little more optimistically at imps, since we only need a forty per cent chance to bid game. At MP's, I will pass without a good eight as described above. I tend to make transfers with most five-card suits if I am weak in addition to hands with invitational or game-forcing values. Of course, at matchpoints alll of these comments can vary according to "table feel," contested or uncontested auctions, and status in the game.

I would open it one diamond and rebid one no trump over a major suit response. If partner now bids 2 Clubs (NMF?) I will rebid two no trump, which should promise something in clubs.

I would have passed. "Better to endure the evils we have than to flee to others we know not of."

I am sure there are more scientific ways to approach this, but I will usually open one diamond. This could be because, as another commenter has pointed out, I started playing fifty years ago. It has normally worked for me. If I have a hand with some intermediates and an honor in one of the majors, I will rebid 1NT with 2=2=4=5. With an unbalanced hand, I will rebid 2C, unless I have three cards in partner's major. My short major provides playing bonuses even if partner only has four cards in the major. I must admit that this sometimes results in playing a Moysian fit in diamonds or a major--or even a 4-2 fit in diamonds--but two-level minor suit contracts lacking appropriate game-going strength in the combined hands, are usually good contracts if allowed to play at the two-level in the minor suit. I have had results which were disasters over the last half-century, of course, but I have had similar results in more scientifically-bid contracts. The major solution to this issue is a thorough discussion with partner. While there may be a "best practices," approach, it is usually good if you and your partner are on the same page.

3NT. Partner probably has at least one good card.

When I started playing duplicate at the local club in 1968, the entry fee was $1.25. It has increased quite a bit over the years, but I have never really felt like I was being gouged. A friend of mine at the time asked, "Where else can you find three hours of enjoyable entertainment with interesting and talented (for the most part) people for only $1.25? I have similar feelings here. It's a bargain for what you receive. I love the game, enjoy the tournaments, play regularly, and continue to do so. The price is still fair and equitable.

DCal

Another contributor has made this point, but I wish to emphasize it: SAYC is an excellent system for pickup partners on BBO. I usually ask pd if there is a defense to opps 1NT opening. If they are not interested, that's fine. SAYC covers all of the major issues encountered in "friendly" online games. I play 2/1 with my established and regular partners, but the issues of what is forcing, what is not, what constitutes an opening bid, etc. are not topics to spend time working out with strangers online.

I am going to bid stayman. Assuming opener bids two diamonds, I am going to jump to 6 hearts. It's probably wrong, and more than likely too aggressive for IMPS, but I don't see any other way to get to a probable slam. I would assume that partner, sitting on three spades and two hearts, might guess to "correct" to 6 spades, but what the heck. I like my chances in the slam. Obviously, if partner responds with a major, I'll be a little more circumspect.

I agree with ken: I'll GF this hand. Unfortunately, all of my partners play Jacoby 2NT. I'll bid 2H and hope this is not the unlikely hand where only 1NT (or something else equally silly) makes. :P