peachy

No. Clubs can regulate conventions. ACBL Handbook, Chapter 4. Isn't that what he said?! No. Bluejak is contending that a club can ban a low-range weak two-bid. That is a natural call, not a convention, and therefore cannot be regulated by clubs. In ACBL, clubs actually _can_ regulate however they wish. They are granted a lot of freedom in restricting or expanding on allowed methods and they are not GCC or any other chart or regulation bound. All they need to do, as courtesy, is to announce what restrictions or expansions the club wishes to have in place.

3D. Opener made GF, he might have 5-5, 5-4, 6-4 or 6-3 in hearts-clubs and no other convenient gameforcing bid. 3D shows diamonds and leaves opener room to tell some more. We will likely get to slam.

In my 2/1, 1S-2C-2S-3S would show real spade support, good clubs, and a slam invitation. It would NEVER be a 12-count and worthless doubleton spade.

For me, South's Dbl shows a good overcall with enough defense to stand 3SX if partner likes that option. It is not penalty and it is not takeout, basically it is just "good hand". Pull is 100% with the North hand, in my methods.

The fact that you recognize that you make the same mistakes is a good sign and means that you _are_ improving and you have the potential to become a great player because you actually _see_ your mistakes. Figure out what the area is where your mistakes are the most frustrating and concentrate on getting help in that area first. There are books and software, local pros, local volunteer teachers and good players some of who are willing to share their knowledge to help you out. I have played for 32 years but I still make plenty of mistakes. Four years is a short time in the bigger scheme of things. If bridge is no longer fun for you, you could take a short break and come back refreshed, ready for fun and learning more.

This is what I was going to say.

Out of curiosity: Who has suggested that a Stayman (or the 3D bid that serves as Stayman in the auction 1NT-(2D)-3D ) shows both majors? I know of nobody who has the agreement that Stayman (or its equivalent) shows both majors. I am starting to wonder if I misread your post. But I gave it a second and third reading and there it still is.

Add an ace or a king. The given hand is not a 2C opener for me.

Also seems like 3NT cannot be a reasonable bid or agreement with 16HCP balanced unless your 1S-2S promised 8+ or some constructive raise.

On your point 2), the opponents are not entitled to the information (actually, only a strong suspicion so far) that partner has misbid due to forgetting system.

Without the Dbl, you would pass 2D. With the penalty Dbl, you are allowed to infer from the opponent's call, at your own risk, that partner has erred. But you are not allowed to inform anyone during the auction (or during play, if you end up defending) that "partner forgot system" until at the time when it is legal, and then it is required that you do. If declarer, before they lead. If defender, after the hand is played call TD to "clean up".

Ask him to show the ACBL regulation that covers that. It is not a Law, no matter what it is or is not. There is no restriction AFAIK, except that folks who play some very weak, potentially unusually weak, variants like this one need to pre-alert before each round.

As an aside, cuebids are generally not alertable in ACBL so when the player bids 3D (to replace the insufficient 2C bid), the 3D should not be alerted. As far as I understand the new law, he is not allowed to bid 2NT first and then cuebid as Stayman because the 2NT (Lebensohl) does not have the same or more precise meaning as a 2C (Stayman) has. Some people do not play Garbage Stayman so their 2C would always have been 8HCP (invitational) or better and those pairs are certainly allowed to bid 3D because it has the same meaning as 2C would have had. Those who also play Garbage Stayman, I don't know. All responses here so far - including mine - are from people who are mostly operating on "feelings" which have little or none to do with law. Before forming an opinion, I would want to see blujak or blackshoe or someone clearly knowledgeable about the new law to answer.

Definitely alert. Also, change your system card to show this change. I don't think it is illegal in ACBL or elsewhere, but if you next begin frequent upgrading of 9HCP hands into it you will run into trouble eventually, not because your system allows frequent singletons but because under 10HCP NT openings are illegal. Once that crosses the frequency limits...

I would like to know first what 3NT shows.

One solution is to put your hand down on the table and wait for them to finish their conversation. Reasonable people will "get it" and maybe even apologize, and those who don't stop need to have TD ask them to stop. I would not do or say anything at a club, only in serious competition. If it is my partner who is having the focus problem, it is his problem and he should be the one to deal with it, one way or another.

Yes, but only if it is, in fact, a spade. Doesn't the term "Maximal Overcall Double" refer to a double by an unlimited hand, showing a game try? For example: 1♠ pass 2♠ 3♦ dbl Whatever the double in the original post shows, it certainly isn't a game try. Hey Andy, need some coffee? :P :) (Peachy was referring to the auction in Helene's post, not in the original post.) Yes, I was. Sorry that I snipped too much and lost the context.

Agree, that is what it means in standard bidding context = a balanced strong hand (like a 2NT opener with a good six-card major). The given South hand should rebid 3C, it is more play-strong than what partner expects from a 4S re-bid.

This time it was your partner who was full of it :) It is standard to lead the Q from KQ109 against NT, at least in ACBL. See the lead section of an ACBL convention card.

This double has a name: Maximal Overcall Dbl and in an ACBL convention card it has its own checkbox. It is used when opponent overcalls on the three-level thus taking away opener's game invite below our trump suit. Since it does have a known name, I think it is better to call a spade "a spade".

I hope you were not reading my comments as "we don't have to explain our agreement". I never said or meant that.

If partner wanted to know about trumps/keycards, he would have used RKC. I think this is a general invite, ie. with A-K oriented hand or a source of tricks, bid 6, otherwise pass. I would pass because I have wasted spade honors opposite 5-bagger or longer. A little similar situation is 1NT-2C-2H-5H. A general invite if opener is control oriented.

I prefer balanced max 3-card raise and ability to defend 3DX if partner leaves it in. Have actually discussed it with favorite partners. On a scale from 0=takeout to 10=penalty, this rates around 8 or 9.

The diamond Q bumps this up to better than 14HCP; I think 3C is correct rebid by opener. 1H-2D 3C-3H 4C-4H If playing SAYC with a stranger, I would bid 4H over 3C.

The 2NT (Lebensohl) does not SHOW any hand or hand type; only the followup after the forced 3C does the showing. I think a simple "forces partner to bid 3C" is fine and if opponents ask "what type of hand would he have to use the Lebensohl 2NT" then the answer is going to be a long one and still does not inform the opponents what hand type the 2NT is showing because the possibilities are numerous and in fact, again, it is not SHOWING anything, it is making a command to partner to bid 3C without even looking at his hand.