kayin801

Is 3♣ forcing?

N seems afraid that we have 4 spades (after knocking out S's possible stopper), 2 hearts, 2 diamonds, and a club, so he's switching to find 3 club tricks to go along with a heart and a spade. Seems consistent with xx, AJxxxx, x, Q109x or something similar, and he's putting us with Ax, KQx, Hxxx, Hxxx or thereabouts. If we have the diamond K we can guess wrong, if we have the diamond Q we have to finesse to get our trick, but that implies he doesn't have the diamond Q. I'd hook.

I like having 1NT as strong balanced here. I used to play it as a very light, destructive takeout but that only really worked at MP against weak players and I missed being able to bid my hand. I also like 2♦ as diamonds and am usually comfortable having X or 2NT for my two suited takeouts. If you bid 2♥ (seems to be the majority choice, and it's what was bid at the table), it goes: (P)-2NT-(P)-? now what? [hv=pc=n&s=sjhakq97d86ct9874&w=sa5hjt85dqj53ckj5&n=skt84h6dakt42cq63&e=sq97632h432d97ca2&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1dp1s2hp2np3cp3nppp]399|300[/hv] On a spade lead N was down 1. 3♣ an overbid? Turns out if we let it go one round we probably get a chance to hit 2♠ for 500.

[hv=pc=n&s=sjhakq97d86ct9874&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1dp1s]133|200[/hv] IMPs. 1NT is strong balanced and bidding at the 2 level in their suits is natural. Elaborate if you care to, would like to hear how outrageous some people think certain calls are.

Thanks for the input Adam, I'd never thought of 1H-1S-1NT being "diamonds" but I admit it makes sense, especially if you're not shy about raising with only 3 spades (which I am, but that's a separate issue). I notice that we hardly ever raise diamonds as well, or even relay into it via XYZ/2-way NMF. When you have a max with diamonds (say, x, AK10xx, AK10xx, xx) do you do anything differently? I guess I feel like 1NT is inviting responder to pass a lot more often.

How about 3♠ which is hopefully fit-showing with only 4 spades. Sometimes we get to play at the 3 level then, and from the right side! 3NT could be right too. (xxx, x, AKxxxx, Axx) I think I need coffee before I look at this hand again.

6♠ wdo if we score +1460 but I'd guess very few people are in 7♠= Given that you can show most 2 suiters with 4NT or 5NT, I'm not sure what the difference between 5♥ and 5♠ should be, and I guess utility-wise one can show a heart control or no heart control, but it seems to be aiming for a pretty specific target on this auction. Maybe 5♥ should be just be a better hand while 5♠ sorta shuts us out.

4♥, my suit is amazing!

1) 4♦, we have enough extras to go a level higher if necessary and partner's will figure we have 4. 3♠ is good too but I think it kinda effs up the auction. 2) low ♥, no chance in hell declarer won't ruff. 3) No preference between 2♠ and pass, I'd probably bid 2♠ at the table tho.

In this case, X instead of 4NT will fetch 4♦ from partner after which point we have a shot. If partner can pass the X they're probably in over their heads, though I don't think the penalty we collect will make up the game bonus :/ 4NT is reasonable, blame the opponents, next hand.

Even if partner has the spade Q, if he really wanted a second spade he couldn't find another discard to make first? Partner is looking for a switch but doesn't want to give away the show in another suit. Maybe this is too deep but I'd like for 3-2 to ask for hearts and 2-3 to ask for clubs. If he had no pressing switch he could find an outside pitch first. Edit: I think this is essentially what mike said, upon further review, though I allowed for partner to have the spade Q too.

My partner and I have played 4SF to game forever because it's rarely come up since we've played a strong club, but with our light openings and the limited openings we were considering switching to a forcing 1 round only scheme. There are only 4 auctions where we play it (since we play XYZ after 1D-1H-1S): a) 1♦-1♠-2♣-2♥ b) 1♦-1♥-2♣-2♠ c) 1♥-1♠-2♣-2♦ d) 1♥-1♠-2♦-3♣ The BWS rules for 4th suit seem to work well for our auctions (b and d are GF, a and c forcing 1 rd and you can sign off in intuitive places) but I wanted to know if anyone made any modifications for their club systems that better take advantage of limited and light openings, etc. Thanks!

Re #3: You are going to open 1♠ a lot. That's a good thing IMO, though you're offered very little protection even compared to a 11-13 1NT opener at the wrong colors? FWIW I've played a system with 1NT 15-17 and 1♦ as good 11-14 or 18-19 balanced (1♣ was 15+ unbal or 20-21 or 24+ bal), and I felt like I opened 1♦ every single hand and the unbalanced openings never came up. The only weird part is that we stuck balanced hands with 5 card majors in there, which was really awkward when you had 5 hearts and the bidding went 1♦-1♠, not sure if that was part of your plan or if you were going to open those hands in the major suit openings. It works fine though, with the split range its usually pretty easy for partner to determine what you have in competitive bidding and jumping/reversing resolves all the range issues in non-competitive bidding.

Since W led the heart J from Jxx(x) there's some restricted choice argument that if he had Jxx(x) of diamonds as well he'd lead that half the time instead therefore making it more likely that E has the diamond J? Or maybe this partnership really likes leading unsupported honor cards? Sorry I don't speak crazy lead.

3NT over 3♠ should have given E an idea of what W's hand was like (not 4 spades, so must be worrying about hearts, otherwise would have just bid 3NT outright), so they could just leave it in. Blasting 3NT over 2♦ is a second choice, though I'm not a fan. 3♥/3♠ could show this kind of hand by agreement if you're willing to give up a splinter.

Spades and a minor?

Someone who raises to 3 only deserves to have partner pass with the K of spades on top of the 3 ("4") pts he had. Or maybe just the jack.

So we can blow it up by shoving torpedoes down it's hole?

I think you can only make a case for opening 2NT if your range involves 19 counts. I think 4♣ by N would have been okay after 3NT in case S had a hand that got better with a club fit, (Qx, Qxx, Axx, KQxxx or xx, Axx, QJx, KQxxx or something unless you'd bid 3♣ with those), but I'd expect S to just bid 4NT with both reds held well and a min with only 4 clubs after that. The auction is very good and very practical though. I'm guessing you made 6 since you'd need pretty much every heart with W and every spade with E to not make 10 tricks here. And you'd have to misguess diamonds. And clubs would have to not come in :P

[hv=pc=n&s=sat3h632da42cak75&n=sq7hjt5dkq73cqj32&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1n(14-16)p3c(Muppet)p3h(No%204/5%20card%20major)p3nppp]266|200[/hv] IMPs. You receive the ♠5 (4th best) as the lead. Assume opponents will Smith echo if given the opportunity. A) Comment on use of puppet/puppet derivatives here B) How do you plan on stopping them from running hearts before you take 9 tricks? (Take the chances of blockage into account if you'd like) C) Does your answer to B change if the auction had gone 1NT-3NT? (Same lead) Edit: to be clear, I'm not interested in the correct technical line necessarily, but as to what line gives them the least chance of finding a heart switch.

1♦, despite this being a pretty 15 count. 1♣ isn't terrible though, just (in my mind) systemically wrong. I think it's a tougher question as to what to rebid after partner's expected response of 1 of a major, since I think 2♣ and 3♦ are both okay.

Agree with this, especially the last one. Partner still has a chance to go, maybe LHO picked off his heart stack and/or he can still come back in. We can't bid a suit and 2NT is an overbid, so if you're okay hearing 3♦ from partner then I suppose X is fine, otherwise you have to pass.

Agree on the first one, im speaking nonsense. You'd rather X on AKJx, AKxxx, Kxx, x?

Thank you han. There's [edited nonsense, ty gnasher, tgif] probably even some 4-5 hands that we'd bid 2♠ on.

I still have AKQxxx of hearts, right? (3♥)