OleBerg

What I think? Inadequate methods. In my regular system I would open 2♣. Partner will either bid 2♦ or show something very specific. On 2♦ I bid 3♠, setting thrumphs. Thereafter partner can show his values with a bid in the suit at the 4-level, or bid 3NT/4♠ with little or no values. Grand will be difficult to control perfectly, but whether or not to go to 6, or even 5, will often be handled adequately. Playing Viking-Club, I would open 1♣. Many continuations are possible, but I will know partners excact distribution before 3NT, as well as general strenght, and will very often be able to locate key-cards, or the lack thereoff, in time. (Do we really get to bid without interference.)

1.

Well, it is definately bad, but the worst is the double of 4♥. 11 hcp, one of them likely to be wasted, we have already made a T-O double, and yet we double again???

Play: Ruff with the two, just to show off. Run ♠Q. Assuming it loses and spade come back. Take in dummy. Ruff club. ♦ to K Ruff club Ruff ♦A in dummy. Ruff club (home if they are 4-4) Run spades for a club/ heart-squeeze With a diamond return, play is along the same lines. With a heart return things get more tricky. (Bluff/counterbluff). Can't say if the plan is better than Han's, but it's more fun. Edit: Oops, miscounted spades. Spade to the ace, and can still play for the squeeze, but it looks a lot less attractive now that I have counted my spades.

Right here, not at the table holding this awkward hand. :)

You don't need agreements for obvious things. (2NT) 3NT 2NT = 20-22. What is 3NT? Certainly not to play. Okay, there might be a few exceptions. So let me rephrase: If there is the slightest possibility that 3NT could be to play, then it is to play, unless you have another firm agreement.

Indeed. 7NT = 7-8 in the minors. (Either way.) :D

You only need one joker. And partner can't have 13 hcp as a passed hand, but If he has 10 or 11, somebody is a joker. And 3NT is the only way to tell me. And it will take all of the Kings horses and most of his men to take 3NT = Natural away from me. And what would 2N show? I choose a low heart. I think partner is ruffing and I want him to feel safe about underleading the club A. I'd rather play 2NT for the minors than 3NT. 2NT isn't game.

You only need one joker. And partner can't have 13 hcp as a passed hand, but If he has 10 or 11, somebody is a joker. And 3NT is the only way to tell me. And it will take all of the Kings horses and most of his men to take 3NT = Natural away from me.

♠K As I wrote in the other thread, 3NT is sanctuary. When partner bids like this, he is not involving me in the decision process. So he has something in spades. This might seem a bit suicidal, but I cannot bear a post-mortem where he has his bid, and I did not play him for it. Getting fancy with 5-6 or 5-7 in the minors is just to silly, bid a number of ♣, or 4NT if you must.

Daredevil!!!

2♠ is not a gross underbid, it is perverse. If that hand is 2♠, then what is: ♠ KJ10764 ♥ 987 ♦ 43 ♣ A9 or ♠ KJ10764 ♥ Q98 ♦ 43 ♣ 98

No. You have sanctuary in 3NT. Unless you have another firm agreement, 3NT is to play. So when you bid 4C you have bluffed or semi-bluffed. When you double 4♠, your semi-bluff contained long spades. (Apology accepted.) :(

Bluff or some strange semi-bluff.

If it was a Scandinavian pair, the partner of the 1NT might have shown a weak hand with spades. A direct 2♠ (or 2♥) would have shown a run-out, that wouldn't mind partner bidding 3 of the suit, if the opponents competed. (The agreement is part of the "Nilsland"-convention, originally constructed for weak NT's.) As it is, I sit for it (and prey a little).

He didn't open 4♠, so, obviously, LHO has great playing strength. Yes, maybe I wasn't specific enough. What I meant was, that opener does nor need much in highcards for this sequence. But he might have it.

4♠ Hate missing games.

Partly that, partly I hate to pass. But honestly; if I am in a situation e´where I am averse to any swing, I might pass 12 lousy in 3.rd or fourth, red.

I never, ever, pass a 12 count. Happy to Jdonn. Weather clearly indicates he's been a good boy.

LOL (A once in lifetime opportunity.) Pass is really to much of a stand to take. When this hand hits the dummy, it would take competent defenders less than a picosecond to switch to a spade. And seeing AK in dummy, any three-card suit would know it to be safe to signal length and still retain her highest card in the suit. Thus if we are in a 4-2 fit, opp. will handle the thrumphs to the best of their possibilities. Even though, pass might work out in this regard, as a 5-2 fit could easily be right. It is when the opponents balance in 1nt you become the laughing-stock. With all white at MP's, it is a danger you should be very much alive to. Don't mess up the easy ones.

My mistake, I didn't realize that having two clubs was ideal for a takeout double. Np. This forum is for advanced players too.

Pass is to much of a gamble, especially as I'd much better like my opponents to lead into a tenace rather than partner. If 2NT is an option, then that is my choice.

Abstain. In my two-way pass-system, I would have opened 2♦, showing 5+♦ and 4♥, 9-15 hcp. Okay, it gets a :D , but it is actually the system.

I don't see the point of this, since sometimes we have them nutted in spades, and with values and long ♦ and short ♠, we have plenty of bids available to us. Then check out the actual hand. It's really the old discussion; T-O vs Penalty, just with a little twist.

I would never dream of treating any book as a bible, but if you play: "According to Robson and Seagal" (Authors of the book: "Partnership bidding in bridge"), the double shows penalty of diamonds, take-out of spades. The idée is to go plus as often as possible, and give up on the once in a while big numbers. Seems like a good place to have an agreement.