TMorris

i have a bad 8 count opposite what might be a weak nt with no known fit - i pass.

I think I would splinter with 4 ♣. You never know.

Overcalling 2 ♥ showing a single suited hand is not something I would do. I know no-one who doesn't play something to show two suiters in this situation. If you played something I would use if for sure and consider it automatic.

I play my splinters as 8-11ish with anything stronger through J2N

I still play the original mainly becase I haven't found a partner who is interested in changing. They all play the same withother partners & don't want to do something different with me.

Anything other than pass would not cross my mind. Partner is a passed hand. All you are doing by bidding is telling the opposition how to play the hand. Not that I would bid if partner wasn't a passed hand but it might just about cross my mind. "Careless talk cost lives" applies in bridge as well.

They way to think about it is that you have an 11 count and partner has opened so your side has the majority of the points. Consequently you cannot let them play undoubled at the two level. You have shown four hearts and a 6 count. You have an obligation to partner to tell them what you have so you need to make another bid to more fully describe your hand. You are bidding as if you don't have one of the aces so you need to give partner the good news. both 3nt and 5 ♣ are very poor contracts that should not be reached.

It looks like partner is either 4 2 2 5 or perhaps less likely 4 2 1 6 as I would expect partner to raise hearts with three even though I have only shown four. Partner is also a minimum given she passed 2 ♦. 2nt is right on values but most likely wrong sides the contract if it is right for us to play there. If I double partner will probably bid 2 ♠ then what do I do. I want to play in a 5 2 fit rather than a 4 3 fit. So I think I double to show values then after 2 ♠ I will bid 3 ♣.

Pass

Many years ago when I was an even worse player than I am now I played in a county event. One of the best county players, a well known EBU name, was playing with a partner who was not local. When they sat down at the table the good local player put a thumb down in the middle of the table. I have always assumed it was this sort of signal. It seemed rude & funny at the same time. They were after all going to beat us whatever happened.

For me double now is t/o so I do that.

No, nor have I suggested I was. What of it. It is common for these auctions to be NF in Acol. Some may play them otherwise. I play regularly with experts and am confident they would consider these auctions NF.

I would agree with Cyberyeti both are NF. Opener can have a 10 count and responder a 9 count.

2 ♦ is fine. It is a very long way from a WJO which amongst other things could put partner off from bidding no trumps

This approach seems common amongst the good players around here (Middlesex) albeit with transfers after the short club. They can respond on nothing as the 1♣ is often a weak nt and if opener has the weak nt hand they show this in their second bid and responder can pass at a very low level. One gets used to it.

I think you shuold call the director. If its a pairs it will affect other peoples scores. It will encourage (or at least not discourage) these people to do it again. If this is a local event the dierctor may have seen this sort of thing done before and may impose a rather stronger penalty then you think.

Looks ok to me, albeit I am accused of being timid from time to time often by myself. East might just consider a protective double but you don't know NS have a fit so have no certainty that EW have a fit. Also there is no reason to assume EW have the majority of the points. I would pass with little consideration of anything else.

You need to know your opponents which you will do in a club. Are they the people who bid 1nt with any balanced hand? I've seen some bidfding like this with 10xx as their spade suit.....

I find this harder than most - no surprise there. For me 2 ♥ is a pretty awful hand on this sequence. For example if I had xx xxxx KQxx xxx I would bid 3 ♥ preemptive not 2 ♥. To bid only 2 ♥ I would have less of course. There are hands that bid 2 ♥ that I can make game xx Axxx xxx xxxx for example, so passing makes no sense either. I think I bid 4 ♥ and hope but with no great confidence it will make. Whilst there may be hands that make slam good most (almost all) of those that are mentioned above are far too good for 2 ♥ for me.

On a more general note I assume that the higher the standard of the opposition to more important it is to minimise information you give out in your bidding. I kibbitz quite a high standard online :) and see most top class pairs bid normal stayman over a 2nt opening whereas when I play in a club most bid puppet stayman which leaks more information. I have not persuaded my main partner to change as she plays puppet with all her other partners so changing for one has a high forget factor but I think I probably should be doing that in principle.

Something you need to consider over a 2nt response is whether or not you retransfer. We do re-transfer so can get a choice as to who plays it. Usually if responder is weak we get opener to play it.

Only legal information :) As Mike mentions, after 2nt 4nt is KC and as I want to be in slam opposite one keycard I bid it. Again I minimise information to the opposition and can make sure I play in spades protecting the King of hearts if need be.

Both responses are alerted by us.

Echoing the others I will superaccept with four card support and a maximum (with 2nt in my case to minimise giving information to the opposition). With four card support and a minimum I can bid 3M at once but don't have to. It depends on the opposition and the vulnerablity.

As with the others it is easier to describe the hand by passing first so I will do that.