fromageGB

My partnerships have thought that too, having once come unstuck on a 4-3 fit, and tried to accommodate that if responder picks the 3-carder, but as we can only show two suits when starting 2♣, we are concerned with losing the 3-5 fit (the 3-6 is no problem). A compromise rather than an ideal solution.

Almost, but not quite. I for one play 2♣ as 9 playing tricks, and over a 2♥ denial of an A or K a 3-level bid may be passed. The 1-level open suffices with 8 playing tricks, surely?

I see no reason not to expect partner to have a 4333 hand, nor going for -200 in whatever he chooses.

Does you wife have the same cookie manager, or CCleaner? If so, are its/their settings or preferences identical?

Much easier with a strong (21+) 3-suiter ability. We bid 2♦ (weak both majors or 21+ 3-suiter, so 100% forcing) - 2♥ (pick major to play) 3♦ (21+ 3-suiter short diamonds) - 3♥ (picks trumps) 4♦ (4 steps of 2 = 27/28 - 4♠ (singleton or void ask - it is a combined 30/31 and cross ruff, worth looking for slam) (4♥ would be signoff, so this is the next free step.) 4NT (singleton) - 6♥ (27 or 28 out of 34 means opener cannot be missing 2 aces, and even if 6 is finessing the trump K it is worth it.) The final round is unnecessary, as responder could bid 6♥ directly over 4♦, but as these hands don't happen often, it is good to practice the system bids! If the answer was "void" it would be an "ace" reply, and Opener shows all of AKQAAA. A missing side K means responder will stop at 6 anyway though.

Now working again. I had this problem until about 10:50 this morning. and now it works. My OS is archlinux, and could not get a login screen in "v3" at all though all other aspects of BBO seemed fine. This was using firefox, and exactly the same problem on chromium. I then tried on a different pc using a different version of linux, the mint variation on ubuntu, and again the blue image of woman in front of apple laptop but no login. Now I am signed in, with no effective changes (though I tried and failed to install flash to use the old version) and I hope the issue is solved.

Purple hearts are better

Just for info, on my pc the firefox files of mine are held in a directory ~/.mozilla/firefox/"unique id".default/storage/default (this is linux, Windows will be different, but you should be able to find it) and in here is a directory for www.bridgebase.com which is where the data will live. In here is a directory called cache containing caches.sqlite which will have the settings (but I do not have sqlite to open it). The fact that it is named cache makes me suspect it will be your cleanup or add-on that is deleting it. See if you have any selective control over what it may or may not attack.

Local storage is indeed on your computer. I would expect your settings to be held there rather than in a BBO server. This is common practice, and if you used multiple devices for BBO in different circumstances, say desktop at home and tablet on the move, I would think you might want different settings. Having one global setting for your ID would not be so useful. Conversely, if you did use different similar devices it might be inconvenient to have to set each one up, but they should not auto-delete. In firefox you can see yours by logging into BBO then open the three-line firefox menu. selecting Web Developer / Storage Inspector. Your BBO stuff is shown then, opened on cookies, but the content is not that meaningful to me. Click on local storage and you will see all your settings. They will not appear if you have not changed the default, but once you click on the slider blob to change one, it will thereafter appear always, with y or n as your chosen option - these are easily observed. As you can see, the settings are held in local storage, and "cookies" are not to blame, although something may be deleting your local storage. Do you periodically run some clean-up program that might be clearing caches? Firefox has good control over this stuff - why do you have a cookie manager add-on? I have my basic firefox set (3-line menu / preferences / privacy and security) to custom, blocking all third-party cookies, and beneath, under cookies and site data, I have ticked "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed", and to the right of that click "manage exceptions" and add the web site address www.bridgebase.com and click "allow". (Firefox prepends http:// https:// itself.) As I said, my settings are retained happily. Conversely, data for websites that I do not wish to retain are removed on exit - completely unlike chrome / chromium which is supposed to delete but does not - which is why I switched.

Do you mean "local storage" rather than "cookies"? My confirmations for bids and cards and couple of other things are in local storage. Many of my cookies expire after a year.

I think the important point is that one side has to show additional strength before the other side can make a slam move. My partnerships play the style of 2/1 that does this, so E will define strength at the first rebid: no higher than 2M (opening suit, 2♠) means <15 or >17, because with >17 you can afford to keep mum (if convenient) then make a move beyond game. This also applies with support, so 1♠ 2♥ 3♥ is 15+, while rebidding 2♠ then (say over 2NT) 3♥ shows <15. (2M in this style does not show additional length and may be a "forced" waiting move, and the following 2NT is not necessarily suggesting a NT contract but merely expressing a hand with no other significant shape to show, and therefore now allows opener to show his shape.) We would therefore start 1♠ 2♣ 3♦ if we played the 2♣ that way, and then hearing 15+ opposite, we can see slam strength and immediately support diamonds, most simply by directly ace asking.

And you have hit the big difficulty in simple methods - how can both sides convey their additional strength while one side on its own is not strong enough to make a slam move? Without partnership agreements I don't know, but I am sure someone will say. It seems to me that you both have the hand that must make a move as you are a whole trick better than you might be. 3NT is bad, unless you have conveyed that already with your 4th suit 2♥ bid, but I think not as this is simply showing a stop. Jumping then to 3♥ instead might convey the strength better. In a regular partnership you will have agreements and additional gimmicks. Lacking those, I would suggest that your 2♥ was wimpish, and prior to that 3♦ would have been better than 2.

The title "two way checkback" is confusing me. Is the question "how to respond to a 1m open?" or "how to call after it has gone 1m 1♥ 1NT?" If the former then as Stephen says, but if the latter then I would have thought (not playing the convention myself) that 2♣ could be bid if responder considers his hand invitational, such as a good 8 count, or pass if not.

I have never experienced a problem playing with friends when I select/click : casual relaxed bridge club start table and reverse every default offered by clicking the yellow blobs and white blobs.

You must have been an odd junior. I thought the rule for a junior was that this was too good for a 1 open :)

All good points. If you agree to play a multiway 2♣ response (as Stephen pointed out) it really helps. You may have a partnership agreement that over 2♣ opener will bid 2♦ to let you clarify your hand easily. Now 2♠ can show a GF with 4 spades in a balanced hand, and from there you have no problem. You can use 1♠ followed by 3NT (or 4♥ with support like this, or 4SF as mentioned) to show the 13-15 hand, and now the sequence 1♥ 2♣!, 2♦! 2♠ therefore shows 16+. All you need do now when partner rebids 3♣ is bid 3♥ and leave it up to him. Over 1♠, similarly 2♣ then 2♥ will show a GF with 4 hearts, but this is merely any 13+ if you play a non-forcing NT. If you play a forcing NT then a balanced hand or one with 4 other-major-hearts can start with 1NT and rebid 3NT (if no heart fit is found) to show a hand in the range 13-15, and going via the 2♣ route and rebidding 2 other-major or 2NT therefore shows 16+. (or agree the range splits according to partnership taste). Rebidding 3♣ is of course the normal 13+ GF with clubs, and you lose a level of bidding there, comparatively, but proponents think that this is more than recouped by the additional information given by the other sequences.

My preference is to say "not normally". A typical hand with a typical scattering of points is going to go down in game when partner has a 13 count. If partners never spoke, then any decent 5 card suit is worth bidding! Where I will open on 11 is when I have two 5 card suits, thus providing more choice of contracts, and more tricks, or a 6 card suit, or the 11 points happen to be AAK, or they are any 11 points in a {1345} shape {ie suits immaterial} and all the points are working, by which I mean roughly that in a given suit the points plus length = 5 or more. It is all up to partnership style. Mine assumes 12 for an open, and if you deviate downwards the good outcomes should outweigh the bad. Opening on any 10 count is fine if partner is cautious about bidding game with a random 14. The method of scoring is also significant : I believe in IMPs 24 point 8 card fit major games can be worth bidding while in MP they are not.

I don't understand this. 2♣ - 2♦(say, for me an ace or a king) 2♥(natural suit) - 2♠ (denies 3 card support) 3♦ (second suit) is normal, and I don't see a problem. Then if R bids 3♥ it is preference, and then 3♠ asks "stuff", or if R prefers diamonds he shows "stuff" with bids that bypass hearts, so here that would be 3♠ upwards.

This is a new one on me. Your "chat" across the table worked but the cards didn't? All other cases of which I am aware are a complete loss of all data to your connection.

And very reasonable questions too. 1) Yes I did and do want a brexit 2) Yes there should be a border between the EU and UK 3) I would draw the border between north and south Ireland. The good friday agreement was made at the time when it was thought a reasonable thing to do. It has been repeatedly broken/violated and is no longer valid. Circumstances evolving over time cause agreements to be abandoned, and this one has had its day. I would also draw a border down the channel, and not encourage hundreds of boats a day to pass one-way unimpeded, so my views are not those of the establishment. With regard to the withdrawal agreement, that too should be abandoned and we should ask for our money back.

Just adding that it is NOT ok defaulting to last recipient, it needs to reset each time.

Many thanks Bill, installed this and it works a treat. I'm happy now.

Also semicolon right bracket for ;) But I'm old fashioned, and like a nose so use :-). In chromium on Qt5 (KDE + linux) I haven't figured out green dragons yet. Almost worth changing OS for.

If the problem is that the 2♣ bidder could have a range of hands, then why try to take space describing opener's? If opener always relays with 2♦ (well, OK maybe expect for a few closely defined hands) then let responder describe his hand. Probably everything other than 2M is GF, and there are plenty of bids to describe the hand and keep the bidding low.

Ditto, but if S did X, with N I would bid 2NT.