hotShot

You want to be in game opposite 8-9 HCP and even some 6-7 HCP from partner will allow to make game. ♠ T9863 ♥ AQ ♦ AKQ5 ♣ K7 What is the worst hand, your partner can have? ♠: Even if partner holds 245 or 2457, you still have a chance that no opponent has more than (2)3 ♠'s. ♥: If partner holds Jxx, Your side can probably collect 2♥ tricks, if your partner holds Kxx you might make 3♥ tricks. ♦: Partners values are wasted, but he can't have more than 1. ♣: If partner holds the A, great! If he has the Q at least one ♣ trick is save. If partner does not have the A or Q, there is still the chance that the K is behind the A. So if your partner does not have ♣AQ or the ♥K, he will have 4+HCP in ♠.

A minimum hand with 5+♣'s and a (2)3 card ♠ suit with stopper showing tolerance if partner wants to play 2/3 NT.

I would expect that in a Dutch bridge forum. They have a strong Acol background there, where 2♦ would just be promising (9)10+ HCP an 4♦'s.

4♠, partners ♦ values are wasted, So I don't think slam is possible.

I'll lie a 3NT opening.

It's interesting that some think 3♥ is enough, while others splinter showing mild slam interest.

4♥. The chances that this can be made are good.

The importance of bidding is highly overrated. Agreeing to "5caM, strong NT with Stayman and transfer, weak 2's and one version of RCKB, 1 level overcalls 8+HCP 5c suit, 2 level overcalls 10+ HCP 5+c suit, t/o dbl up to 2♠" together with judgment is all you need for about 75% of the boards you play. Only the remaining 25% of boards may benefit from your efforts to improve your bidding agreements and abilities. And some of them belong to your opps anyway. Agreeing on leads and signals in defense will help you on another 10-15% of the boards. Good declares skills will help you with the 25% of boards you declare and with the 50% of boards you defend.

There is no need for weak preempts in 4th seat. So 3♣ should show a hand with about minimum opening strength and a long suit that is not solid. SO I would open this type of hand with 3♣ and leave it to partner to bid 3NT with ♣ support and stopper in the side suits.

To improve put your efforts into declarer play. Perfect bidding is useless unless your declarer play is good enough to routinely make the intended number of tricks most of the time. Additionally the quality of your judgment on the strength of your hand, is directly related to your abilities in declarer play. The key to a good defense is understanding and anticipating the declarer play. So all efforts to improve your defense require you to improve your declarer play first. Of cause you are declarer 25% of the boards and defending 50% of the boards, but since your defense depends on your abilities in declarer play, the ratio will not be 1:2.

The typical 2 Club bid contains some club honours and no other 4 card suit. I had hate a 2 Club bid from my partner. In my opinion 2 NT or 1 NT are much lesser lies then 2 Club. I would pass with the north hand, later reopen with 2 NT and pass 3 Club. LHO opened and I hold 16 HCP, so 28+ HCP are located leaving at most 12 HCP for the remaining 2 player. Many RHO's would not raise ♠ with 0-5 HCP or would not bid 1NT with 0-7(8) HCP and they won't introduce a new suit at the 2 level with 0-9 HCP. Usually partner will not be in a position to reopen. So I don't think one should rely on the chance to bid next round. 1NT may be a lesser lie, but you "only" got your 4 Top tricks in NT, needing 3 tricks from partner from partners average 6- HCP, including a ♥ stopper. Not many of partners hands will fit these requirements. In 2♣ you got 4 top tricks and you will usually get 2 trump tricks. So you need only 2 tricks from partner. Since you hold 3♠ there is a chance that partner has only 2- of them if opps have a fit, so partner might have a ♠ ruff and we still have his 6- HCP to make the 2nd trick. 2NT might also be a lesser lie, but why should I force myself to the 3 level knowing that opps can only have combined 24- HCP and are unlikely to bid/make game. 2♣ is not a good choice, but is seems less bad than pass, 1NT, 2NT and dbl.

I would have thought that you like the extra hour of sleep at the end of "daylight savings".

I don't like North initial pass. It's not my style to hide 16 HCP with extra distributional strength in a pass. I guess that dbl would promise ♥, 1NT would promise a balanced hand and a 2 suited overcall for the minors would require 5-5 or less strength. But I don't see a reason why north can't overcall 2♣ at once (ok the suit is bad, but your overall strength is much higher than promised). Knowing about combined 20+ HCP and a 9card fit, South has a raise to 3/4 ♣. After that North has a chance to make a game try.

There are sports where you can concede like Boxing, Snooker or Bridge. There are others where you can give up for medical reasons like tennis and there are those where you can't concede like soccer. If you are allowed to concede, you can do it any time.

There is no reason for NS to bid slam. East will ruff the ♣ lead and return a ♥ for -1. You did not mention your agreements, so I have to guess. North jump to game, denied slam interest and shows a hand that is unsuitable for defense. It is often done with extra trump length and less HCP. This together with the knowledge about Wests 2-suited hand should keep South from his final dbl. Since 6♥ is mostly a sacrifice, but given the combined ♠ length of NS, it's remotely possible that it can be made.

Just a simple question: Why should the (forced) answer to a forcing bid promise extra strength? Partners 1♠ bid is forcing a take out and denying 4♠. Partner avoided a ♣ raise and it is hard to imagine a take/out where partner has good ♥'s. So under the given agreements, bidding 2♦ is almost as forced as a Jacoby-transfer, and thus not promising extra strength. Of cause you can argue about the quality of the agreement, but that is a different story, to be told in a different thread.

This is a typical 4cM problem and of cause you need partnership agreement how to handle this. You partner (opener) could have: 1) a strong (semi)balanced hand with 4+♥. 2) an unbalanced hand with hearts somewhere between minimum and maximum strength. In the first case he's strong enough to make 2M with 7 trumps and in the 2nd case you will have 8 trumps. According to he Law of total tricks you should be save in 2M. Your agreement could be one of these (and I am sure there are more): 1) dbl showing 3 card support in partners suit (with strength for at least a simple raise), 2♥ shows 4 card support 2) 2♥ shows 3 card+ support, dbl is without fit and of invitational+ strength.

Thank you! And thank you for hosting the tourney!

Nice plan!

Pass.

So My Controls > Change Email Address does not work for you?

I think the server holds a copy of your CC and uses that. Probably it does not notice a change in your local file.

I think it's a good idea. The robot should be "trying their best", because otherwise it would hurt the randomly assigned partner of the missing player. Of cause it would be great if the missing player could get Ave- for his own result.

I think that opening a weak 2♥ is a winner here. You have a good suit and every reason to believe that your parter will have another 10 HCP for your side. Your opps and partner did not have a weak opening so they are probably (semi)balanced.

Bidding space is very limited, so you try not to waste it. 1♥ takes away less bidding space than 2♥.