manudude03

It may not be the best of environments for it with Covid-19 still being around (hopefully not for much longer), but most NBO's have a junior committee or some contact for a person who specifically coaches junior players (usually defined as under 26) who could help your son. I'm sure if you were to ask though, they could probably arrange a partnership on BBO. There used to a BBO Juniors group on the platform, though a quick search shows there is a BBO Juniors group on facebook which could be of interest to you.

Hiding answer in spoilers

I would just pass here. I prefer 3H to show a better hand than this and double is a completely different hand (think something like xxx AKJxx AKx xx)

Indeed West did fall asleep. A lot of novices think you can't double game contracts without 4 solid tricks (assuming penalty which is the case for most of them), but that simply doesn't apply when partner has shown values (and isn't even necessarily needed when they haven't). Take away both kings and West still has a double.

To put a focus on a specific line, I'll put this in spoilers if anyone is still trying to work out if it always makes. I managed to make it at the table with some help (yes I did push it too hard as North).

What is the actual agreement on 2♦, always important in these cases. If it does show both majors and North has misbid, then there's no redress.

[hv=pc=n&s=sa974hat973dk863c&w=sth84dq952ckjt862&n=sj852hq65dajc9743&e=skq63hkj2dt74caq5]399|300[/hv] One of the cutest hands I've seen in a while. Try not to use GIB, but can 4♠ (by North) always be made vs best defence?

Board 1, East has a 3♠ bid, though it's not a great game (and no, 2♠ doesn't promise 5). Board 2, I think East should bid over 4♠ and failing that, West has a second double anyway.

Upgrading hands doesn't mean showing a 15 count with a bad 12.

I got a new laptop today, so getting used to the new keyboard. Apologies for any typing errors throughout this. This was a somewhat frustrating board for me, but despite the title, I don't consider myself blameless. Try to decide what you would do before reading the play in spoilers after each decision point (in bold). Anyway, you play 2/4 leads with udca (and no smith) and McKenny (Lavinthal) discards, here is the hand in question: [hv=pc=n&n=s82ha865da954ca94&e=sq943ht7d63ckqjt5&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1dp2nppp]266|200[/hv] 2NT shows 10-12 balanced with no 4 card major. Partner leads the ♥2 and the 5 is played from dummy. First decision: Do you play the ten or the seven? Second decision: What do you switch to now? Final decision: Now what do you do? Full hand with play in spoilers (names changed) and you'll be able to see how each decision would have worked out.

Declarer was simply playing for spades 2-2 or stiff ace (with no ruffs coming). If you ruff a heart early, what do you plan to do after (play a spade and North ducks)?

Full hand in spoilers, names changed to protect the guilty.

If we are not playing OBAR style overcalls, then I double, otherwise I pass.

Full hand (and yes, 4H was very aggressive) [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&lin=pn|South,West,North,East|st%7C%7Cmd%7C1S2568JH67QD4TC8JA%2CS4TQH3TD9JQAC569K%2CS79KAH9AD567C237T%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%203%7Csv%7Ce%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C1D%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C1H%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C1N%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C4H%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7CS5%7Cpc%7CST%7Cpc%7CSK%7Cpc%7CS3%7Cpc%7CSA%7Cpc%7CH2%7Cpc%7CS2%7Cpc%7CS4%7Cpc%7CC4%7Cpc%7CC8%7Cpc%7CCK%7Cpc%7CC7%7Cpc%7CSQ%7Cpc%7CS7%7Cpc%7CCQ%7Cpc%7CS6%7Cpc%7CHT%7Cpc%7CH9%7Cpc%7CH4%7Cpc%7CHQ%7Cpc%7CCA%7Cpc%7CC5%7Cpc%7CC2%7Cpc%7CH5%7Cpc%7CH8%7Cpc%7CH6%7Cpc%7CH3%7Cpc%7CHA%7Cpc%7CS9%7Cpc%7CHJ%7Cpc%7CS8%7Cpc%7CC6%7Cpc%7CHK%7Cpc%7CH7%7Cpc%7CC9%7Cpc%7CC3%7Cmc%7C10%7C]399|300[/hv] Ducking leads to letting the contract home while if you win, you just wait for your 2 trump tricks.

Top right just below your name.

Imps scoring, nv vs vul, assume 2/4 leads and standard carding. [hv=pc=n&s=sj8652hq76dt4caj8&w=sqt4ht3daqj9ck965&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=p1dp1hp1n(11-14)p4hppp]266|200[/hv] You lead the ♠5 which goes to the T-K-3. At trick 2, partner tries to cash the ace of spades and declarer ruffs. Declarer then leads the ♣4 from hand. You do not have suit preference on "cashing" the winners. Do you win or duck?

[hv=pc=n&w=sq97hdakqt53ckt62&n=sa52haq2d9caq9753&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=pp1d2c2sp4h(singleton%2Fvoid%20in%20hearts%20with%20spade%20support)p6sppdppp]266|200[/hv] You are North on this hand and probably thinking the opps have gone mad when they bid 6♠. Partner, taking your double as lightner (asking for an unusual lead), leads the ♦4 which is won in dummy (declarer playing the ♦7). The ♠7 is then led from dummy, you duck (agree?), declarer wins the jack while partner plays the ten. Declarer then leads the ♠3 to which partner discards the ♥5 (encouraging). How do you defend? Adv+ please hide answers in [ spoiler ] tags.

The full layout on this was below, you basically had to take an immediate deep spade finesse which works as long as it's not a stiff honour. [hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|South,West,North,East|md|2SAKQ4H753DAJT2CJ8,S2HA84DKQ94CAKT62,S9865HQJT62D765C5,SJT73HK9D83CQ9743|sv|b|rh||ah|Board%2020|mb|1C|mb|P|mb|1S|mb|P|mb|1N|mb|P|mb|P|mb|D|mb|P|mb|2H|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|C4|pc|C8|pc|CK|pc|C5|pc|H4|pc|HQ|pc|HK|pc|H3|pc|H9|pc|H5|pc|HA|pc|H2|pc|H8|pc|HJ|pc|C7|pc|H7|pc|S9|pc|ST|pc|SQ|pc|S2|pc|DJ|pc|DQ|pc|D5|pc|D8|pc|CA|pc|H6|pc|C3|pc|CJ|pc|S8|pc|SJ|pc|SK|pc|C2|pc|DA|pc|D4|pc|D6|pc|D3|pc|D2|pc|D9|pc|D7|mc|8|]399|300[/hv]

Reminds me of a board when the auction went 3H-(X)-P-(4C) and it was taken as gerber, it eventually ended in 6CX which was not a success. The 4C bidder had xx xxx xxx JTxxx or something.

You can make by playing ace of clubs and other after drawing trumps. If East doesn't cash all the clubs right away to play a diamond instead, you can make a loser-on-loser play, otherwise you leave Kx in spades and diamonds to allow you to ruff a minor (coming down to stiff king of diamonds) and then squeeze West.

At least the bots seemed to have learned playing in your solid ten card suit is a good idea. I had a bug report from 2011 where it decided to defend 2S. Ten Solid. The really rare shapes should be a low priority, better to fix the more common issues first.

Gerber can have its uses, but it's rare. It should generally only be used for unbalanced hands where aces and kings are all you care about. On this hand for example, you need the diamond finesse to work in 6NT regardless of the lead, while you only need it in 6S if you get a diamond lead.

[hv=pc=n&s=s9865hqjt62d765c5&w=&n=sakq4h753dajt2cj8&e=&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=1cp1sp1n(15-16)ppdp2hppp&p=c4c8ckc5h4hqhkh3h9h5hah2h8htc3]399|300[/hv] Been a while since I posted here. MPs scoring, all vul. Click Next to follow the play so far. Note the 1NT bid shows 15-16. How do you play it from here?

More or less matches up with what I'm saying (I didn't bother mentioning partner had the ♣K- obviously the case), except West should already know you're doubleton before you even play one (if declarer has a doubleton club, then playing the ace seems strange). I was answering under the assumption you weren't playing Smith Peters or Smith Echos.

I know the problem says we play count signals throughout, but will partner likely understand if I give false count here that I'll have a diamond card, or at least do something non-standard? Count's use seems limited here with such extreme length in clubs (and if declarer had a doubleton club, they would surely duck the first from partner's perspective). I doubt this trick will be the determining factor in how many tricks will be made unless low-high can mean something other than odd number of clubs.