peachy

Both partners forgetting is good reason not to play that method. Don't agree to play Ghestem. Hopefully your partner takes this advice also. It is annoying to play against folks who do not know what they are doing. If you keep it on card, it essentially means "either clubs or Ghestem" and that is an illegal agreement in most playing environments.

4m is cue for hearts. If responder had spade support, he would have already supported spades instead of bidding 1NT. I would never bid 5m but if I did, it would be natural with xx-xx or worse in majors. Sudden jump to 5-level is Exclusion if we have that on the card, but given the bidding so far, it is impossible for responder to hold a hand that could possibly want to use it.

HCP is not a good method to evaluate responder's hand, aces and kings are. One King could be golden while three Jacks are typically worthless although one of the jacks could be of some marginal value. A common agreement is that 2C opening is gameforcing unless opener rebids 2NT (which can be passed; or Stayman or transfers used to stop at 3M) so there is no need for methods to stop short of game while methods to find slam and the right slam are necessary. Therefore, responder uses 2D relay with most of the hands and gives a positive natural response only when he REALLY has something good to tell like AQJxx in a suit.

Even *I* can answer. No. A card played (not dropped) is a card played. He intended to play that card and then changed his mind. If he didn't intend to play it, he "has" played it and it stands.

I thought you would be one of the first I'd ask if I needed the answer to that question :) AFAIK, the law says declarer names suit and rank of the card, or plays the card himself, but for me pointing would be fine at least for the hi or low card in a suit. Less noise, too. If someone does not like the pointing, technically they would be right to call attention to this deviation from correct procedure. But it would not gain them any friends, I'm sure. This is a harmless deviation.

What you describe is a style matter, disciplined/traditional versus more flexible (or even "anything goes") and typically not alertable by any jurisdiction Alert Regulations AFAIK. Naturally, the system card should say so in the appropriate section and when opponents ask, a complete description, including style, should be given. If the non-traditional style is generally unexpected, you probably have the freedom to decide that it should be alerted or pre-alerted before each round, AT YOUR CLUB.

Second Dbl shows extra values. It also denies a strong one-suiter, denies 4-card spades, and denies 18+ NT hand with the opener's suit stopped. The rest is up to your imagination what he might have.

I like 1NT better because the five-card suit is ratty and I have questionable soft values in diam. If the clubs were better and my diamonds Kx instead of QJ, then 1C probably better.

I'm not looking to be right, was only sharing my experience. If others have consistent success with Drury off in competition, then it would seem to indicate both methods work.

Good quote jillybean. I know I must pass although this little devil in my head is trying to make me bid 3H. But I resist.

This statement does not reflect the facts (see OP). Their understanding/agreement was clear and it was the same understanding/agreement for both players so there was no misunderstanding. They both knew it was undiscussed/no agreement.

because when everybody is starting to bid suits it's imperative for you to be able to get your suits in. Particularly clubs which you could easily have, say, xx Kx xxx AJxxxx you may open 3♣ with this but many people (rightfully) don't, but after 1♥-(1♠) you just have to bid clubs it's your last chance to let partner know what you have. if you have a fit you can bid 2♥ or 2♠ (or higher). if you have clubs you have to bid 2♣ :). LHO will bid spades a lot of the times and that means they have a fit and we really really want to find a fit of ourselves. of course you can say that why is 2♣ good outside competition if it's so important to show clubs? in a way it's still bad but opps will much rarely bid now. sometimes you will miss as much as 5 clubs (xxx AQxxx Ax Kxx) because you can't bid clubs here but you will usually find your games and acceptable partscores even without 2♣ natural. it's more important when opps are silent to be able to stop in 2♥ when partner thought it would be a good idea to open with AQJxx and out in 3rd seat. I've played Drury on in competition for more than ten years and not encountered a problem with it or lost partscore battles because of it.

Pass. Get easily burned overcalling a hand and suit this weak.

Then again, two known and well-reputed experts answer and one says 4H wtp and the other says Pass. Both have cogent arguments behind their opinion. Sometimes it is a style question. After you keep reading here for a while, you will likely identify the people whose opinion you can learn to trust without explanation. Even young talented experts like JLall and JDonn sometimes don't agree. Try reading The Bridge World - never in the history of their expert panels has there been a 100% unanimous answer (AFAIK, I have only read it since 1978) because styles and "approaches" - for lack of better word - are different.

Nobody here has suggested this is OK. Had this question been addressed to me, I would find it offensive. This question has nothing to do with the case at hand.

If I wanted to make a "takeout dbl" that would be shown by bid of 4NT (takeout). Double is not takeout, it would be showing a strong hand, strong enough to suggest it is our hand; it will be left in much (if not most) of the time. I am inclined to Dbl, although would love to have a little bit more for it but not willing to unilaterally bid 4NT for takeout.

I thought that this could be a problem with the (inexplicably) hugely popular bracketed knockouts. Nothing inexplicable there. Bracketed KO's are a surefire way to easy masterpoints for those who want them. And I assure you there are huge numbers of ACBL members who do want them... Now that many of the events have started to have not only one but TWO rounds of three-table roundrobins to begin with in each bracket. I expect part of the reason is to accommodate those masterpoint hunters and the other a business reason: more card fees per event for ACBL.

Since nothing was mentioned about tempo of 4S and 5H bids, should I assume there was a 10 sec pause for both 4S and 5H. This auction is one where it is normal for tempo to slow down a little so a mild slowness should be acceptable, in fact I would think it is normal. I would allow 4S bidder now to choose whatever call he wants to make, unless the pause by his partner was longer than a slight slowness.

Echoing others, this is a simple ruling and probably unanimous.

Re-read? that is generous; there is no evidence peachy has read it all. Musta read it backwards - sorry

I wouldn't begin playing until I know what we do to show a GF raise of partner's major. If only SAYC was agreed, J2NT is and always has been part of SAYC. In the posted circumstances, I'll just make the cheapest 2/1 bid and jump to game next round. Whatever I do, none of it is alertable.

... I would say no. Nobody would actually pass 2♦ here without discussion. (Assume screens so we don't know about partner's alerting or not. That's the proper reference for evaluating the LAs.) Screens do not add anything of value to the presented case. There is no forgetting or misunderstanding, there is no passing of UI with the 2D bid, or with alert or missing alert. Both players are of sound mind, clear head, of expert level, of ethical frame of mind, and they both know what their system is. Their system on the 2D bid is "not discussed" or "no agreement".

Boo. I had West leading out of turn. You are right, there was UI. As to the lead from East, now I don't know what the UI could suggest. The Kx lead was wild and successful but if one cannot find a connection between the lead and the UI, then one should rule table result stands. The auction IMO suggests a non-spade lead though not strongly - spade could still be right if EW gets to establish them and retain entry before NS have 10 tricks, but it sounds like a distant hope.

Table result stands. This is a typical case of mayhem caused by misbids due to forgetting system. Unfortunate for NS. NS received correct explanation of agreements. I assume it was established that Capp _was_ the correct agreement and also assume there was no body or other language UI to clue West in that East had misbid so W was free to lead whatever he wanted to.

Why could opener not pass? What logic would persuade him not to pass or what law or regulation would force him to bid? As far as I see, opener is free to do as he chooses.