hotShot

dbl now should be penalty. With your 1NT bid you described your hand. You denied a 5(4] card ♠, 3card support in ♦ and you should have stopper in ♥ and perhaps ♣ (since 1♣ does not promise a long suit).

Question: Would 4♦ over 1♥ ( -1♠) be a splinter in your partnership?

Our agreement is that dbl is t/o, if it's the first bid you make. So i would see this as penalty.

If you go down, make overtricks or get a bad MP score the first question is: Did we bid the right contract. This is because additionaly to the HCP and shape of each hand, the combined strength of both hands can be greater or smaller than the simple sum. This fit element and distributional strength involve judgement and communication. These can not be fully covered by rules and leave room to interpretation and are therefor open to discussion. As Ben stated any number of player will sooner or later agree to a best line of play. But take the same players and try to get an agreement about the best bidding system and the best conventions.

High risk moves are a valid and neccessary strategy in tourneys with a low number of boards. LHO bid 5♣ in red opposite a passed partner, so he has at least 8-9 ♣. If opps have a fit (even with all cards in one hand) we have a fit too. Now he is masterminding. 1) If opps preempt in red on the 5 level, we must be able to play 4-7 something. And "something" should be ♥, if you bid your best suit. 2) If opps seriously are strong enough to make 5♣, white vs. red we have a good defence. Only if we can't make 4/5♥ and they can't make 5♣ we will have a bad score. As noted in other threads: If you don't go down once in a while, youre not biddding enough games.

I blame south to 75%. 2♠ is the correct bid as MQ can be much weaker and we expect the more usuall 5-5 distribution. But after 3♦ without partner exposing a psyche, S knows that they have at least a 9 card fit in ♣. Additionally he knows from his 5card ♥ suit, that opps don't have more than 8♥'s and since they must have a fit, it can only be ♦. Since east passed both times and didn't even made a support dbl, north can't be that weak. So i think some sort of reopening (e.g.) 4♣ by south is ok. The rest blame goes to north, he is strong enough to bid both of his suits.

The contract you want to play is ♠ and you need to protect your red K's. Playing SAYC this is a clear 1♠ opener. I'd like to know the rest of the bidding, because i can't really understand why you stopped in 3NT, because 4♠ looks like the better contract. Even with a weak partner bidding both red suits a ♠ void is unlikely and playing ♠ seems at least equivalent to 3NT.

You can find the results here. Seems that lots of our regular posters are there.

You need to have: 1) A weak overcall 2) A very strong overcall (Semiforcing or better) 3) A strong overcall 4) A very weak overcal 2♦ = 1) 3♦ = 4) but should have 6 cards dbl accepting partners choice 3) dbl bidding own suit later 2) (popular in europe) or 3) (popular in USA) depends on agreement dbl and cue bid after partners choice 3) or 2) with good fit depends on agreement Here you have the additional choice to bid 1NT, which seems to be better since you did not mention tolerance for ♥ (important)and ♣(would be nice). Now this is mainly a matter of agreement, so you and your partner should agree to something here.

If I have the choice I'll show my short clubs, this is far more helpfull to partner than showing honors in ♠ would help me.

A preempt is a constructive bid of an unbalanced hand intending to reach the highest reasonable contract your side has. You expect a partners strength to be ((40-your own strength)/3). By reaching your sides best contract with one bid, you reduce communication beween opps, so they might not reach their best contract any more. This is best in first or 2nd seat, because otherwise your partner and one opp already showed a hand below opening strength. Preempting in 4th seat makes almost no sence at all, because there is no one left to preempt.

1M - 2m - ? This sequence is a systemic weak spot of ACOL. And you need to make agreements how to handle it. In the case given, it is combined with a neg. X thas has to have 4♠. Limited this way the only bids available are pass and 2♦. If you think it's better to hide 9 HCP, then pass. But how should partner know when to reopen, since playing weak NT he will often hold a strong hand. Your side has (probably by far) the majoraty of points, and you can't tell partner. I would remove the ♠ restriction from the dbl for future hands. But within the given limitations 2♦ makes more sence to me (i would like to have a better suit too). This hand works well with pass and reopening, but other boards you will pass with 0-3 HCP and partner will reopen too, because you might have 9.

I think that north should simply bid 2♦ over 2♣. Acol is about bidding 4 card suits and he has one. Perhaps your agreement is to have 10 hcp, but i think adding a fictional point here is better than subtract 9 real ones. I don't know if you end up in 3NT than, but at least you have a chance.

Hidden:

At least the log in button could be bigger than cancel or help ......

3NT I don't see a slam at our side and 6♣ tricks and a stopper in each major is 8 tricks and there will be something in ♦ or a second stopper in one of the majors.

4♣ Partner opend 1♣, so he is not 4-4 in the minors, he did not open a strong 2♣ nor did he bid a strong NT. He has no ♥ stopper to bid NT later. Instead of 2♠ he dbled again. I don't think he's got 5♠ so we have no fit there. Partner has long ♣ 4♠ is probably a long suit trialbid asking for some help in this suit. So i guess he has about 20HCP 6♣, 3-4♠ and 3-4 cards in the red suits.

I think Cappelletti is a GCC legal convention. 2♣ shows a one suiter in an unspecified suit and it is allowed even after a natural notrump opening. So i can seen no GCC problem with an overcall like the one described by Richard. Additionally you can't see a constructive auction after such an overcall, you should realise that any wide ranged 3♠ is nonforcing or even telling partner to pass. So the lack of a well defined follow up is intentional, as it should not happen.

Most blame goes to north. 1) He can expect a 9card fit in ♠, so bidding 3♠ over 3♥ is covered by the LAW. 2) There are no wasted values, even the J♥ is usesfull in a crossruff . 3) He should upgrade his hand for the ♣ shortage. 4) opps bidding 4♥ is no threat

I don't think you are right. After a sequence like: I'm strong - I'm weak I'm balanced - pass I don't think you can win much by whacking opps contract. But with a preempt you put opps under pressure, espacially if opener has extra values or a shapy hand (very likely if you have one). If he bids on, you are much more likely to gain something.

First off all you should not take MBC play to serious. Maybe they where just trying how agressive overcalls could me made. Now if you read the texts about the LAW you will find that some hidden place they discus weak two openings with 5 card suits should be successfull, because they follow the law. So 1 level overcalls with 4 cards, 5 card WJO to the 2 level are anticipated fit moves hoping to play a 7-8 card fits on the 1 or 2 level. Many pairs have simple agreements that don't allow penalty dbl's below 2NT, so if you are non vul. you can get away with a lot, and even going down 2 vul is not too expensive.

Well there are 4 controls missing in 3 cards, this means that partner is likely to have one of these cards. Since the missing cards are 2K and one A you should think partner has about 1 control. Partner did not dbl, and he should not have more than 1 or 2 ♠, so he should have the shape for a negative dbl. With a 5/6 card suit and the knowledge that partner holds 16+ HCP he should have taken some sort of action with 8+ HCP. Why shouldn't LHO bid 3♠ with 17 HCP? Opener showed 16+, he knows that partner won't have the strength for a bid anyway, so he might just set the "final" contract.

Your partner showed 1 or 4 key cards. If you bid 5♦ now, it means that from what you know it's remotely possible that partner has only 1 key card. ♠ KQx ♥ KQx ♦ KQJx ♣ KQJ This is a balaced hand with 22-23 HCP. So 5♦ in this sequence is pass or correct and with 4 key cards partner should correct. But you don't get the information about the queen. So i would use the next free bid 5♥ to ask about the queen.

I don't see any problem here. Bidding went as one could expect. 3NT should make 4-3♥, 2-3♣, 1-3♠ and 1-4 ♦. Yes opps won't lead ♠ after easts ♠ bid, so don't expect help there. A ♦ lead helps to develope dummy's ♦, leads in ♣ and ♥ won't cause a problem. What's the problem here? Did your partner make 6?

I think opps preempt style is aggressive. This is exactly the kind of decision you want strog club opener to make when you preempt. Responder had no bid at the 4 level (and knows nothing about openers shape) and now opener has to decide without any knowledge of his partners hand. This time you are lucky because you hold good ♠. So pass, dbl and 3NT are options. Good luck guessing.