655321

I would happily bid 2♣. Sometimes you just have to pass because there is no bid, but KQx of clubs is more than enough for me here. It gets the character of the hand across, and even if we play 2♣ in a 3-3 fit it may not be bad.

I would raise (just), but move an honor into the club suit and I would happily raise. If the vulnerability really is w/w then bidding is more attractive (especially at MP). When I have talked about this sort of hand with friends I find they often pass here, so maybe bidding is wrong but I still do it. I have no problem with the pass, I even think it is normal, but the pass is because the hand is weak, not because it is chock full of defense, "like where the opps are heading" is just weird to me.

I am fine with the 4♣ bid, to me an 8 card suit to the KT seems more suited to a 4 level preempt than a 3 level one (extra length, but not ready to run in 3NT). I don't much like the 5♣ bid, hopefully it was not bid with any hope of making 5♣, but instead expecting the opponents to make 4♥ and thinking that Qx in partner's suit is nice. As a rule I don't like furthering preempts without trump length, partner should have already preempted to the limit and therefore more trumps (not just Hx) are needed. (Like andy_h I am curious about teammates 320...340 result!)

Trump

Can't imagine anything here except double (um, not penalties, either!), thought it would be unanimous.

1♥. I really really hate a 2♥ opening under these conditions (dealer, w/r). If not allowed to open 1♥ I would open 4♥, I don't even think a 4♥ opening is terrible (again, as dealer and w/r).

Partner is 8-9, so probably he has a hand ranging from almost worth an invite over a 1NT opening, up to something that would just bid game. This 15 looks like a very fine 15-17 to me, and we have a known fit, so passing seems pretty conservative. Also, at the risk of being clubbed over the head and receiving a lecture on logic, I might mention that even quacks in partners hand could be useful!

This confuses me, are you saying that he would be more likely to lead a diamond if he had the ♦K, but less likely to lead a spade if he had the ♠K?

This part I disagree with the most. Personally I would never open this 3♠ w/r because for me the hand is way too good, but even if you play a preempting style where this is a w/r 3♠ opener, it doesn't 'look like' a preempt. The suit is AQ empty instead of KQJ to 7, i.e. it has defense but not playing tricks, and there is also an outside King. Whatever you decide to open it, the hand 'looks like' an opening bid to me.

Seems pretty clearly answered to me (and OP thought so too!). With a balanced 6 count containing 4 spades, the rest of the world would respond 1♠ (forcing for one round) to partners 1♣ opening, then pass a minimum rebid. How is the (not allowed to be passed) 1♠ bid described in Aqualanguage if not forcing for one round?

Yes.

Another 2NT here. I don't like the reverse, the hand is essentially balanced and what's more we have Qx in the other 2 suits.

Not what you are looking for I realise (sorry), but in my view passing the North hand is beyond conservative/style thing and is just bad. Anyway I am sure some of the regular forum double dummy bidders will have no trouble reaching the best spot seeing both hands.

Mmm, maybe, but this sounds like one of those irregular verbs: I like to overcall 2♣ aggressively, even vul, just to put the ops in the awkward negative double spot, but he routinely makes vulnerable 2 level overcalls with his 5332 12 counts because he doesn't know any better. Anyway, just my opinion obviously, but if you play a style where you have to pass partner's vulnerable 2 level overcall at IMPs, with an ordinary 9 count for fear of getting too high, something is wrong somewhere - not only will you miss games when partner has a good hand, but you will sometimes go for numbers when he has a bad one.

I really hate the pass with this 9 count opposite partner's vulnerable 2 level overcall. I would bid 2NT, but 2♦ and 3♣ are also plausible. Pretty sure you won't find anyone, let alone 'many posters', who believes that opener is required to re-enter without looking at their hand.

I would be astonished if that were true. Surely Canadian experts all bid 1S with 44 in the majors just as non-Canadian experts do.

The West hand heard partner make a vulnerable WJO. As long as partner doesn't do this on AKxxxx, i.e. if partner has AK to 7, which I would expect, then West can count 10 rock solid tricks. It is true that if the opponents cash the first 2 spades (as seems likely), and if partner has no other useful cards, then you might end up relying on a heart finesse into the opening bidder for the 11th trick. That is the worst case though, so bidding 5♦ seem right to me. If you do habitually make vulnerable weak jumps on AK to 6 then I guess it is not so clear. The East hand is obviously unusual, I don't much like 3♦ (which you would bid with these diamonds and less extreme shape), it is a committal bid that describes a hand you don't really have. If you want to give up on the hearts then 5♦ or even maybe 4♦ seem better. Otherwise showing a 2-suiter, or even just bidding 2♦, are possible too.

South has 3 tricks in defence, if North, who wasn't strong enough to bid over 2♠, also has 3 defensive tricks then 2♠ will be one down. The double is not greedy or aggressive, it is truly insane.

Erm, this is actually the Natural Bidding Forum, not the Novices/Beginners forum. Anyway, what about a compromise: You continue to bully anyone who has the temerity to try to help novices by posting in the Novices/Beginners forum, until we reach the goal of nobody except you posting there. In return, you can refrain from posting in any other forum. Deal?

Add me to the list of people who make the normal and obvious 3♦ bid.

A compound squeeze, two more rounds of hearts (pitching 2 diamonds and a spade) and West has to give up a black suit. If you guess which one he no longer guards, play off the top diamond and the top cards in your hand in the suit he gives up, cross to the ♣A and play the last trump to squeeze RHO.

A glance at the sidebar of the initial post shows this: Posts: 3,211 Joined: 2006-August-31 As a new poster you may have missed this, also as a new poster you may not have known that Hanoi5 has been posting here for many years. Given these thousands of posts over many years, it seems very unlikely that he was looking for an incorrect answer tailored to someone who only started playing last week.

The OP has been posting here for more than 5 years. Hanoi, perhaps in the future you might consider posting your questions in the I/A forum if you want to avoid this sort of answer. This is a perfectly good 1♥ opening, I don't see any point in pretending it is a Pass just because this is the Novice/Beginner Forum. 65 is a good shape, the KQ are in the same suit, Aces are very good cards, all your cards are in the long suits which is good, you even have a void. You would not normally open a hand with so few HCP at the 1 level, but this hand is an exception.

But why would LHO lead the J, rather than the normal low card from JT65? Don't you think it is much more likely that LHO with almost no points led the J from Jx, hoping to hit his partner with some points and a spade suit?

I have a 12 count so I open. Clubs is my longest suit so I open 1♣. Easy game. I would do this at any vulnerability at any scoring, but you especially want to get into the auction w/w at matchpoints.