kayin801

Hi, my partner and I are looking to bid any time after 7:30 PM east coast US time on Thursday, and we are flexible between that time and later, if anyone can manage. Thanks! (We can possibly also manage tomorrow, Wednesday, around the same times if Thursday is no good, but it is our second choice)

If you don't occasionally go for -670 you aren't playing bridge, no blame.

[hv=pc=n&s=sah2dkj975cajt932&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1dp1sp2cp2sp]133|200[/hv] MP, first time playing with imaginative expert partner. See poll for questions, please elaborate if desired.

Good hand.

I play 3♦ as GF here, but that could depend on what your rules for bidding are. It's nice that I play precision so a 2♦ rebid explains exactly what I have in my hand!

Now I'm hungry. (1♦ :)... 3♣ :()

5♥, and if you're not going to bid 5♥ you should pass (which is way worse than 5♥. Why would I bid 4NT when I only have any interest in playing in one strain? I don't think we have enough extra to bid 4NT then 5♥, even with the spade void.

South is a chikun. And a chicken.

[hv=pc=n&s=sa762haj732dqcaj4&n=sq3hq985daj9cq763&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=p1n(10-12)3d3hp4hppp]266|200|Lead: ♦ 5[/hv] IMP scoring. Righty is a 191999. Plan the play please. Is your line any different at MP?

I don't mind 3NT or 3♠, sometimes one will work, sometimes the other will. If you are definitely promising takeout-ish shape I like 3♠ more though. Sometimes partner will bid 3NT over 3♦ with a stopper, so they can safely rebid 3NT after 3♠ with a half stopper.

We play always rebid 1♠ with a 4 bagger, even 5432 when we're balanced. Sometimes we even get to play 1♠! and sometimes we can make a preemptive raise with a 3541 hand or something and make it hard for them to find their minor suit fit and compete. It's not like only opener can be unbalanced.

+1 (I tried to use the new vote thingy but it wouldn't let me :()

[hv=pc=n&s=sak4hk932dakjt2c7&n=sj32hadqcakqjt632&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1c(16+%20art.)3h]266|200[/hv] 4♣ would be forcing and natural, but take it from this spot. 5♣ is undiscussed but what should it be?

Not bidding 4♥ is extremely pessimistic. (and I am closer to 3NT than 3♥)

X on first, any other bid is too committal and P is too wimpy. I don't think this is pure penalty but I don't think it necessarily commands partner to bid though. If partner leaves it in I lead a trump and I don't see where they're getting 9 tricks from. I think we get 100 frequently and 300 a lot of the time we would be getting 130. 3♠ on the second, I have 3♥ available as a better spade raise below game and partner did make a 2 level red overcall.

Ah yeah, a spade ruff would kinda suck wouldn't it. Oh well. Thankfully it doesn't change the (semi-unnecessary) squeeze.

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=sak10xxhxxxdxckxxx&w=sqj9xxhjxxdjcaqjx&e=sxhkqxxdkxxxc10xxx&s=sxxhaxxdaq1098xxcx]399|300|Scoring: MP Trumps: ♦ Lead: ♠Q[/hv] I will leave out the auction because it is too horrible to mention, but South ended up in diamonds after West showed the black suits. Trick 1: ♠queen, ACE, x, x Trick 2: ♦x, x, QUEEN, jack Trick 3: ♦ACE, ♠x, ♥x, x Trick 4: ♦ten, ♥x, ♣x, KING Trick 5: ♥king, ACE, x, x On the run of the diamonds it came down to this position: [hv=d=s&v=e&n=sak10xxhxxxdxckxxx&w=sqj9xxhjxxdjcaqjx&e=sxhkqxxdkxxxc10xxx&s=sxxhaxxdaq1098xxcx]399|300|Scoring: MP Trumps: ♦ Lead: ♠Q[/hv] And on the last diamond West didn't give up the spade suit so he pitched a low club while dummy threw a spade, and was thrown in with a low club after the spade finesse so declarer could score both black kings. Is this a stepping stone squeeze or just a strip squeeze or is it some other kind? Declarer easily makes 11 tricks if a heart isn't played by East at trick 5.

Are we going to sit if partner doubles? If yes, then pass, if no, then 5NT, because my hand isn't good enough for passing and then bidding, which is grand slam invitational IMO. If my hearts were headed by the AK and my diamonds by the A I might pass and let X sit since I think there would be a higher chance of 2 hearts cashing than 2 diamonds. Here it's tough... if partner has 5 diamonds they might not both cash... I really have no clue :) I bid 5NT since I can see us getting only 800 when we have 1370 and most openers won't bid their preempt twice so 500 won't be a good score against 600 for the other pairs sitting our way. Edit: oops format not specified so probably not MP. even closer then!

All hands playing 2/1 with competent club-level pick-up partner. [hv=d=w&v=e&s=sq3h984d962caqj104]133|100|Scoring: MP (P)-1♠-(3♦)-P (P)-3♥-(P)-?[/hv] 1a) Agree with initial pass? 1b) What do you bid now? [hv=d=w&v=e&s=sq3h984d962caqj104]133|100|Scoring: MP (P)-1♠-(3♦)-P (P)-3♥-(P)-?[/hv] 2) You bid? Edit for clarity: We are South on both hands, we open 1♥ 2nd seat on problem 2.

Pass, how many do we really expect to beat them here? There are lots of 0 trick hands that partner could raise on in the advancing seat, especially in spades. Something is also fishy here if RHO opened 1♦ and LHO bid 2♥ freely, it's more likely now that partner has raised on garbage. I think THEY have the points, and our X just tells them where they all are.

My partner and I play 2♦ as nat here, but it shows a great 5-bagger or a good 6, and a better-than-min opening hand at least. So with OPs example shape we might overcall with Ax, Qxx, AKJxx, xxx but not with Ax, AQx, Q10xxx, Qxx. We definitely prefer some more shape than that though, but AKJxx is AKJxx.

Math is hard.

Too lazy to figure out the minute details but I feel like repeated trump leads cause both communication issues and leave him/her a trick short. Either he doesn't have enough entries to dummy to ruff 3 hearts in hand, or he doesn't have enough time to ruff 2 diamonds in dummy, and never comes to more than 4 clubs and 5 spades. There's probably some dumb squeeze ending that I can't see though.

3♣ in xyz (or 2-way NMF, which sometimes accompanies it) is typically a signoff. I have no problem with the auction and that's exactly how I'd bid it. Alternatively you could try 3♣ instead of 3♦ by responder since we've shown longer diamonds already, but I'd expect a 3NT rebid just the same.

6♣, though I fear 5♥ and 6♣ are both -1. It seems reasonable to gamble that partner has a stiff heart on the auction, though it won't happen all the time. The 5♥ bidder could have 5 hearts, but since partner and the doubler should have reasonable values and we hold 1/4 the deck ourselves I would expect the 5♥ call to be more on distribution than high card strength. Agree with the_hog that I would have made a forcing club raise (or XX and bid clubs) at my first turn, however you would bid that in your system.