Jlall

I am sorry if this is a noob question but what does an ideal game try hand look like? I would say something like KJxx or whatever in your game try suit would be ideal. Generally you don't want to have everything or nothing in the suit you game try in, you want partner to evaluate an honor upwards (like Qxx).

Definitely definitely bid game.

Dunno if this is a joke but I (and I assume Jeremy) meant pass after we bid 2C and partner bid 2D.

West has made a nice play if he has underled his KQ of hearts, and a very nice play if he has underled his KQJ of hearts. Most people aren't up to that, so I'll place RHO with a heart honor and try to drop the DK offsides. I will lead the queen from dummy just in case RHO wants to cover if I'm wrong.

pass

Bid 3♥ over 2♦, 3♥ over 2♠, and something crazy over 2♥ :) 4D over 2H.

This hand is too good to just bid 4H imo even though it would be good tactically (they may have a good save in 5C). I would start with 2C with so much slam potential.

I would consider this an automatic double at this vulnerability. Partner showed GF values with long clubs, and we have extra values, prime cards, and short clubs, and we are white vs red.

Just bid 3N

Another problem with game trying is that we don't really have a good one available. 2S/2N/3C/3D are all not very descriptive, and may cause partner to misevaluate. I am probably not making a great case for my choice :blink:

I think bidding 4H is a bit too much, partner knows we are vul at imps also. I would bid 2S and see what happened. The biggest downside of the game try vs bidding game is we may help them lead/defend. Maybe this is enough reason to just blast it. Wouldn't really fault a 4H bid at all tbh.

I'd lead a club.

What are you talking about? You lose 1 diamond and 1 spade and if the heart hook is on you lose 1 heart. So you are on a finesse through the opening bidder. Anyways I posted this because I read it in a match report of a flight B GNT match involving hrothgar and barmar. Barmar thought the author was harsh towards the players, so I read the whole writeup. He described bidding 4S on these cards irrationally exuberant lol. I thought it was a good bid.

None vul imps: T9xxxx xxx Axx J Starting with you: P 1C 1N p 2H 3C 3S p ?

yes Ok that wasn't really fair, a lot of people use 2C as artificial and forcing and it has merit. You would need to put in a lot of works on the followups at least.

Always 2H but with 5044 bid 2C unless you are strong enough to make a third bid over a minimum bid from partner.

I've never used that... actually I've heard that in strong club auctions. I always thought positive just meant an A, K or QQ

It's strange that you reference the ekeblad, granovetter, and rubin structure as evidence that your opening structure is good when you're actually changing that opening structure heh. It is also strange you don't want to use a natural 2N if you have no other use in mind for 2N. I could see giving it up if you thought there was something very beneficial you could play, but if you don't have anything in mind then giving it up then why don't you use the same thing that ekeblad, granovetter, and rubin use playing your same structure.

Why do you have less than what you've shown? An ace is huge compared to kings, and you don't have the ace of clubs which is the suit partner is often void in, you have the ace of the "good" suit probably. I don't see how partner can drive to the 5 level on a hand that goes down if we just have wastage in clubs since that is our minimum hand (and a likely hand at that when we X clubs) unless he can make it.

no

Nope not enough for 3C. A rule I learned that doesn't seem so popular to teach anymore is try to avoid reversing or jump shifting if your anchor suit is very weak if possible. Here your playing strength is just not enough though.

I would never X a precision diamond with 4423 and Ax or Kx. Sometimes with (43)24 and Kx I would if I had exactly 16.

East failed to play bridge. Passing 4C is fine but how can he not reopen over 4H? The fact that south did not explain that north could have a long suit with a weak hand makes no difference when east is looking at 3 aces, and knows LHO has 1. Let's see, we have FOUR aces between us, what does RHO have? Maybe he has a long heart suit and a good second suit? Nope we have the SQ, CK, and DQJ also. At best RHO has 10 hearts to the KQJ and 3 stiffs. RHOs hand type is known to east if he is able to play bridge. Giving him a free pass on this one is terrible.

haha awesome I was wondering if you would show up for this thread :blink:

You can use a very simple relay in that auction to distinguish between non forcing and forcing hands, surprised it's not more popular. Or just start playing precision :P