bob100147

We play a version of Meckwell Lite where a 1♥ response to 1♣ shows 8-11 points and denies 5♠. How should we handle a hand with 8-11 points, 6♥, and 5♠?

That sound like a very sensible way to handle this kind of hand. Thanks very much.

We don't have an agreement that 4D there would agree on spades. It would show something like 6-5 in the minors.

How do most precision pairs play 2C-2H and 2C-2S? We play it as nonforcing, which I think is a fairly standard agreement. We have had some lousy results, however, when we open 2C and responder has a good hand with a major. Here is today's fiasco: North S Qxx H Qx D Ax C A9xxxx South S AKJTxx H AKxx D xxx C - The auction went 2C - 3S - 4S - pass. 7 makes fairly easily but would be hard to find. We certainly should be in 6 but I can't see how we should have bid differently given our methods. East could have cue bid after opener bid 4S but was worried about three quick diamond losers. It would have been much easier if 2C - 2S was forcing for one round.

Would South complete the transfer to spades or would south show the heart suit?

We play precision and missed a grand slam on the following hand. South was dealer. [hv=pc=n&s=sk8hakqjtda7caq98&n=saqjt5h63dk985cj5]133|200[/hv] 7 is obviously cold. Anyone have a suggestion on how to find this one?

Great - thanks very much.

When you scramble, you bid 4-card suits up the line? Any way to distinguish between a 4-card and 5-card minor?

We double a weak 1NT opener (say 12-14) for penalties. What are sensible continuations if partner wants to bid? System on? How do you run if they redouble and the redouble is business?

We play Precision. Several times we have run into trouble when we open 1♣, the opponents compete, and responder has a weak hand and two long suits. For example, recently I opened 1♣ and my LHO bid 1 ♥ (hearts and a minor). Partner was 5-0-1-7 with four points and doubled (in principle 5-7 points, any shape). My RHO opponent bid 2 ♥, I passed, LHO passed, and partner bid 3♣. We almost played it there which would have been awful since 6♠ makes. My LHO opponent bailed us out by bidding 3♥ and partner was able to show spades. Any suggestions on how to avoid these problems down the road? What about 2♥ by partner to show a weak Michaels hand?

we play a fairly standard version of precision where a 1♦ opener shows 11-15 HCP and 2+ ♦s. We also play new minor forcing. Your partner opens 1♦ and you have ♠- 10 ♥ - AQXX ♦ - AK10XX ♣- QJX. What is your response? Majors always first? If so, what is your second bid when opener responds 1NT? Is 1♦ - 1♥ - 1NT - 3♦ forcing? How would things change if your clubs and diamonds were reversed? We wound up in 3NT which is hopeless.

Thanks very much. Both suggestions are very helpful.

You are playing precision,your partner opens 1C, and RHO doubles showing the majors (Mathe). What is a good structure for responses? Double to show 5-8? Are 1h and 1S natural? What do you do with a balanced 9+ but no stopper in at least one major?

Thanks very much for all of the very helpful responses.

What are common partnership agreements on the minimum requirements to make a Michaels cue bid? How do they change based on vulnerability? How do they change if RHO has opened 1♥ or 1♠ compared to RHO's opening one of a minor? Thanks very much.

Gavin Wolpert has a nice article on this at http://bridgepro.blogspot.com/2007/03/two-way-new-minor-forcing.html

You open 1♣ in Precision and LHO makes a three- or four-level preempt. What should a double by responder show? If responder and RHO pass, what should a double by opener show?

Thanks very much - this is very helpful.

I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the way Greco-Hampson and Meckstroth-Rodwell play the sequence 1♦-2♦. As I understand things 1♦-2♦-2♥ shows a balanced 11-13 and 1♦-2♦-2♠ shows a four card raise with shortness somewhere. Is this right? What are the follow-ups? What is 1♦-2♦-2NT? Is this written up anywhere?

How do you deal with interference after you open 1♣ playing Meckwell light? So. for example, suppose your partner opens 1♣ and your RHO bids 1 of a suit or 2♣. Do you give up on trying to distinguish between hands with 8-11 HCP and hands that have 12+ HCP? How high do you play transfers when there is interference? If you complete the transfer, is that a Beta question?

All of these suggestions are very helpful. I like this idea in particular because the agreements can be on after interference and we often get interference when responder is weak. So, for example, we could use this structure after 1♣-pass-1♦-1♠.

Our version of Precision is similar to the version in Precision Today. We can run into trouble when the auction begins 1♣ - 1♦ and opener has a five card minor and a four card major. If opener bids the five card minor the four card major can get buried. Any suggestions?

This is a lot of complexity for hand types that don't come up very often. We play 2♥/2♠/3♣/3♦ as 4-4-4-1 with a singleton in the bid suit. It is much simpler and it lets opener set the trump suit immediately. The obvious drawback is that this scheme gives up 2♥/2♠ to show a 6-card suit and 5-7 points. I never found those bids very useful - they don't come up very often (in part because RHO often bids after the 1♣ open) and there are other ways to show those hands in the auction.

An app for scoring team events would be helpful. It's a pain to use an IMP table and then add up the scores for a match. There are often mistakes.

We got a poor result yesterday and we are trying to figure out where we went wrong. We were playing match points with both sides vul. Your partner East has passes and South bids 2♥. You have ♠ KT73 ♥ K87 ♦ At7 ♣ AT6. Would you double for takeout? I didn't. North passes. Your partner has ♠ QJ652 ♥ Q ♦ J95432 ♣ 9 and passes. 3♥ and 3♠ both make. Thoughts on my pass? Thoughts on partner's pass?