nick_s

I don't think 2♦ has necessarily promised club support, so it seems wrong to just leave partner in 3♣ over 2♠ when we're looking at QJTxx in his suit. 5♣ could easily be on: give partner the perfecto of: x Axxx xx AKxxxx. I'm bidding 2♠ followed by 4♣ over 3♣ (and hoping we don't have 3 diamond losers and a major suit loser).

3rd in hand. Red vs White. Chicago scoring, but this is just a fun game. ♠ AKT9x ♥ KQx ♦ xxx ♣ xx 1♣ (p) 1♠ (p) 2♣ (p) ? This is from our regular Monday night f2f teaching session. My wife is still very much a beginner and had the problem above. Any words of advice for a beginner would be appreciated. I don't think I came up with anything intelligent.

You are in 2nd seat. Red vs White. Mps ♠ KQ4 ♥ KJ865 ♦ 9642 ♣ 6 (1♦) ?

You are in 3rd seat. Love all. MPs. ♠ 7 ♥ A9653 ♦ K4 ♣ AJ952 p (p) 1♥ (X) 2♦ (p) ? 2♦ showed a good raise to 2♥

There's just about room for partner to hold a stiff Q♠, so a small spade is better. Agree with rest of your analysis though.

3♣ ? I think N is too strong for 3NT, and there isn't a convenient 4-card suit to jump shift or reverse into. Sometimes you just have to lie a little :( I suppose N could always cue-bid hearts in order to force. Maybe I'm resulting a little :)

How about: 1♦ (1♥) 1NT (P) 3♣ (P) 4♣ (P) 5♦ (P) 6♣/♦/NT

I think the 2♣ opening is ok because you need so little from pard to make game in a major. Qxxx xxx xxx xxx or xx xxxxx xxx xxx for instance. Of course getting there is another matter...

Last night, while waiting for the director to distribute boards and start play, one of the opponents shows me this hand: ♠ xx ♥ AJTxx ♦ AJxx ♣ xx Pard opens 2NT she says. I say I'll transfer. Pard responds 3H. Now what? 4D, I say. I bid 5H she proudly announces. Huh? This is a new convention I picked up at the last tournament she tells me. I respond as if partner had bid RKCB, so I'm showing 2 keycards and no QH. We got to the cold 6 hearts. That's an interesting idea I say and try to politely change the topic. This hand looks so unsuitable for something like that that it doesn't seem worth trying to explain. I mean: you don't know if you have a fit; you don't know if you're missing AK of either black suit... Regardless, with a different and more suitable hand, does anyone think this idea has merit? What do 5-level bids mean in this sequence anyway?

MPs at the club. Don't remember the vulnerability. SAYC 15-17 NT ♠ KQ ♥ KT8x ♦ xxx ♣ T98x 1♦ (2♣) ? to you. The agreement you have here is that X promises at least one 4-card major. Is this enough to X? What will you do if pard responds 2♠?

[hv=d=e&v=e&n=sxxxhktxxdaxctxxx&s=sakjxhaxxdjcakqjx]133|200|Scoring: MP (p) 2♣ (p) 2♦* (X) 3♣ (3♦) X (p) p (p) * Waiting 2♥=double neg[/hv] EW are solid club players Any blame here or a reasonable shot at MPs? Result 3♦X - 3 for an average minus. The field is in 6♣ making.

Agree with this, but it's time to make an exception: 1♦

I was wondering if there are hands that you would open in 2/1 but not in standard. I'm thinking specifically of hands where you don't have a rebid if the response is 2m. Something like: xx Axxxx x AKxxx I think this meets the usual requirements for an opening in standard, with the exception of not having a rebid after 1H - 2D. Just curious - and wanting to learn :) Edit: 13 cards now

Pass. I don't have a good rebid.

6♣ You can easily be off A♣ and a club ruff in 6♠, or A♣ and a spade loser, or even two spade losers, when 6♣ was making all along. When forced to guess, I'm after the best result possible, not the best possible result.

To answer the question: I've no idea what he's doing. B) ...but I'm sure his agreements are better developed than mine. My (non-expert) interpretation would be that this is a takeout double (gasp!). Short hearts, support for the other three suits - in the context of the bidding so far. Looks like exactly what he has.

FWIW my one-level openings are: Any hand with 13+ HCP or Any rule of 20 hand with 2 defensive tricks, no rebid problems, and ok suit texture. Jx J8 AJ9xxx Axx - no. Fails rule of 20. I'd open this 2D Axxx x AQxxxx xx - yes. And I don't think this is close. T98xx QJTx K AKx - yes. 13HCP (but I'm holding my nose) KJT 9 Txx KQJxxx - no. Not enough defense. This is a 3C opener NV 1st and 3rd. I used to use '7-loser hand' instead of 'rule of 20', but I've run into trouble too many times opening light on 3 suiters. I don't do that any more. Knowing that partner is promising 2 defensive tricks is occasionally useful when slam bidding. I guess this make my openings pretty sound. Of course there are exceptions to everything in bridge...

Time to display my ignorance: I don't understand this auction. Can someone help? 1♥ 1NT 2♦ 2♥ Don't get this. This hand looks like a balanced invite to me, not a 6-9 signoff. I guess they must play this sequence as constructive but no fit. 3♣ 4♠ I see that opener is patterning out, and responder now knows there's a 5-3 club fit. But what is this 4♠? Evidently not a spade cue agreeing clubs. Edit: Just googled 'Bluhmer'. I get it now. 6♣ It's clear they're both on the same page though ;)

East should end the auction after hearing 3♥. You have a combined 29-30 HCP and what is probably a misfit. The only way a club slam might be a reasonable shot is if West has 5 clubs. But wait! West has announced a balanced hand with a 4-card heart suit. West is extremely unlikely to have 5 clubs as well.

For me: 1♠ - 1NT - 4♠ I don't see how to find out if pard has working cards or not. I don't want to get left in 2♦. This may even turn out to be a good save against 4♥.

I'm sort of pleasantly surprised that no one has suggested opening with this hand (yet). I wouldn't - but only because I can't stand a 2♦ response. Agree with passing now.

Hi, This thread http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showtopic=33118 got me wondering about requirements for a 2-level overcall. I understand the motivation for allowing a lighter overcall with a 6-card suit, and it seems that it's becoming something of an expert standard. Of the people that consider xxx xx Kx AQxxxx an acceptable 2♣ overcall at favorable vulnerability, do you have a rule of thumb in mind? I notice that this hand for instance has 7 losers and (almost) 2 defensive tricks. Is that the kind of thing you look at? I realize that rules of thumb are just a starting point, just as they are for opening bids. But I think that a partnership agreement about what constitutes an acceptable 2-level overcall has to start somewhere. Thanks

The poll is at 12-6 in favor of 1♦. I'm reconsidering my vote for 1♣. At the time, I was thinking: either minor is ok, but I'd rather have a club lead. I'm rebidding 1NT over 1♠. Now I'm thinking: pard may be able to raise diamonds because he'll assume I have at least 4. Pard may not be so willing to compete in clubs. I'd like to change my vote please.

Maybe because you play a weak NT?

Thanks for the lucid explanation. So a wide ranging 2♣ overcall is becoming standard in some (most?) expert circles. I remember reading Sabine Auken advocating this in her book also. I have two regular partnerships. I've discussed this with one partner and he doesn't want to play (1♦)-2♣ this way even though he understands the motivation. The other partner would just flat out call me crazy for even suggesting this. :) Just how widespread is this 2♣ overcalling style anyway?