Phil

We always used HML. No particular reason, just ripped this fron Welland/Fallenius and what they did.

Right now, our one and (mostly) two bids are Fantunes. The 2 bids haven't been too effective and add a lot of randomness, especially against good opponents, and they ruin your slam bidding when partner has a good hand. The unbalanced major approach works great for competitive auctions. This area (combined with a balanced club encompassing 5M332) works really well, so it frees up all of our two bids. We are considering: 2♣ - Strong 2N 2♦ - garbage multi 2M - 8-11 weak 2 2N - 8-11, both minors Because we are opening more one bids, we expect the GFR to be used a lot more often, so it's important to bracket Opener's range faster, and use the 1st step of the relay for minimum hands. This has a spillover affect on our relays itself. 1♦ and 1♥ use 1N but we currently use 1♠ - 2♣ and the GFR. When most 1♠ auctions start 1♠ - 2♣ - 2♦ - 2[he[ to relay, we are uber-cramped and 1♠ - 1N works so much better. Thus the inquiry about 1♠ - 2♣ as a F1NT. Because 1♥ and 1♠ are forcing, it puts serious pressure on the "F1N" response to the 'new' 1M opening - it can be 0 to a poor 13 so I like the idea of putting the invites into the relay. Early in Martian, we toyed with throwing invitational hands into the relay and breaking to tell partner, but since relays in the ACBL needed to be GF this was not going to work for many events we played in. I'm pretty sure that a inv+ relay is OK for Open + so I will check out Zel's structure.

I know Welland - Auken play 1S - 1M as a GFR, and use 1S 2C as "forcing NT" response. As an aside, their 1S opening is unbalanced, so they have a little more flexibility with their hand types. Does anyone know their response structure? If you were to define something, how would you go about it? I was thinking transfers, so: 2D = H 2H = 6+S 2S = 4 of a minor, limited (responder can pass) or bid 2N to inquire. 2N =5C or strong with 4 3C = 5D or strong with 4 TIA

This thread should not be closed. The histrionics over the next 73 days will be quite entertaining. An AP article this morning said Trump is considering making 'preemptive' pardons for those in the Trump Org.. I would imagine after 1/20 there will be plenty of interest in: 1) the 70 MM 'writeoff', 2) knowledge about Russian interference in the 2016 election, and others.

You can't look at it this way. This is like saying he won 306 / 538 ~ 57%. This would be a great record in many sports leagues. In an election with 144 MM some-odd votes, two swing states with margins of .1 (4,200) and .4% (17,000) were the deciding factor. Slightly different strategy by Trump, like not being an ass-hat to Cindy McCain or toward John Lewis' legacy may have been the difference. Of course, certain things paid off, like labeling Biden a Socialist which scared South FLA to death too.

By the way, I had CNN earlier and they appealed to the Murdoch's to tell their anchors to show some restraint. This appears to have happened. Bret Baier is telling the leader of the RNC that there is no way that 147K votes were fraudulently cast.

I have it on now. I turned it on during the 1st Presidential debate, because I wanted to see what the other side thought about the results. I was treated with a montage of Biden stuttering and the cokehead Don Jr. prattering on about Hunter. I could only stand it for 10 minutes. This morning, they are surprisingly muted. Almost resigned.

Yes, but stretching the range too much of long club hands can represent a problem.

The subject hand looks pretty close to me, and I am not surprised Thomas Andrews sim backs this up. I'd kick it in at IMPs and probably pass at MPs. Regarding the 'bid with the field idea', that is good general advice, but it's a rare hand that this applies to. You have no idea what is happening at other tables (did other tables preempt, was ours the only one that did, etc..) that I tend not too worry about things I cannot control, and just try to do my best and detach from the result. You just aren't getting every close decision correct. The good news is that you do not have to in order to win. Focus on getting the bread and butter hands right. Double when you need to. Take your tricks. Don't do stupid $hit.

2♥ looks pretty normal to me. I would bid 4♥ with one less heart. After 2♠, I suppose I would bid 4♥ and be sad if partner flopped the right cards for 6 and passed. I wouldn't too bad about going down in 4♥. With some inspired guesses, 5♣ looks like it comes home.

Weirdest thread drift in the history of the forums. WD. I am fine with Best Hand in the NABC Online. It maximizes decisions for the player in the play. Sometimes defense is just following suit. I don't try to game the robots too much, although others have made a cottage industry out of it. I am surprisingly boring and down the middle in these things. Yes, there are inferences about the other hands if you take a few seconds and stay in the present as this isn't really different from watching LHO turn up with a 10 count having passed as dealer and hooking RHO out of the queen. There are more opportunities like this, frankly, so it rewards counting and de-emphasizes playing on general principles. For the Forum Challenges, I like non-best hand and BAM. It is mano-a-mano and watching two good players slug it out in this format is a great bridge test. IMPs (especially with the sometimes volatile robots) add too much variance. If you won a Forums non-best MPs, be proud of yourself. Actually, be proud of yourself if you won a Forums Challenge regardless.

Double is clear. 1. If the opponents stay silent over partner's dreaded 1♥, I am fine with 2♦ because partner probably has a few cards across. Couldn't partner hold 4♠? We do bid up the line over a takeout double don't we? 2. If I bid 1♦, the auction may get a little awkward. We are OK if the bad guys bid and raise hearts (we can x) or rebid ♣ (same). But what if they rebid 1N? What if they bid spades? We need soooo little to make a game in hearts and 1♦ doesn't move us there at all. The idea that double and 2♦ shows some sort of monstrous single-suiter without reference to the other suits is something of an antiquated concept. If I have some 21 count and seven diamonds, my correct call is 3♦, not 2♦. You can weaken it a little and take away a diamond and that still would be true. I would feel a lot better overcalling 1♦ with a similar strength hand and SIX diamonds, because, wait for it, I want to emphasize diamonds.

Looks pretty nice! Space for a 20 person dining table is wow. Even though you dont want it, Id plan for the 2nd BR. Much easier to run the electrical conduit while things are open so Id drop in a few J boxes in the floor. Consider the HVAC design too. Speaking of aging in place, we are looking at Assisted Living for my folks now. Aside from grab bars, the other key feature is for the shower enclosure to be flush with the bathroom floor. Cheaper units have a crappy silicone divider but the nicer ones have a channel drain and grate.

More fun, but it's nice to pass 2m sometimes. Had considered 2M to be 4M and the longer minor.

Actually 1♠ should be unlimited with long ♣.