hotShot

Double dummy, you can take the ♥A, drop the 2nd ♥ on ♣ and the 3rd on ♠. So 6♦ can be made, in theory.

I go for 4♠. Maybe partner has just the values i need, and i need a lot in the minors. There are relevant 20 HCP missing (♠A ♦AKQ ♣AQJ ) and partner holds only 10-15 that may be poisend with wasted ♥ values. If the ace of ♦ is missing, we need it right sided or the ♦J to avoid a second ♦ looser. So only if partner is maximum, has a longer minor and no wasted values in ♥, we have a chance to make a slam. If partner has all that, he will make a move over my 4♠, because he knows that i intend to make game, even opposit a minimum. If opps find out that they can use their ♥ fit, they might even have a sacrifice worth bidding over our ♠ slam.

I bid 6♦. I have 7 top tricks and that is enough to cover all of partners looser outside of ♦. If he has more than one, so be it. But i won't give opps a change to make a lead directing double or help them to find a lead or a defence. If partner is known to open very weak, i might reduce that to 5♦.

This pause can also be used to make the player define 4/5 card major and nt - range

Well chess is an individual sport, rating is much simpler there. Compare this with rating in e.g. the NHL. I wonder how many goals and assist points a goalie usually gets, i bet almost everybody in the defence and the offence has a better rating.

Funny that... English is the most common spoken language used in the EU http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/polici...s/index_en.html Interesting page! So maybe, Claus is wrong. But guess why there is an italian and polish BBO forum. I bet you remember that there used to be a dutch forum, but since most people from the netherlands speak english, it wasn't used so much and closed down. The ability to speak english, is not evenly distributed across europe. The same is with the ability to speak chinese, about 20% of the world population can speak chinese, but there are almost none where I live.

In the passage you quoted, Claus said, that many europians don't speak english and therefor are unable to discuss topics of their interest here.

There is also the upside, that partner can bid NT because we promise to have some kind of ♠ stopper. Additionally 1♠ is no longer available, and even with a ♠ fit, opps might not want to play it, because of the bad break .....

I need a few extra informations, does 1♠ promise 5cards? I don't think so, thats why 2♠ is an inacceptible bid, misdescribing distribution. (But this won't keep me from it, from time to time. 2♠ with 7 trump can lead to good results, but it must be clear that the bid is nonforcing. If it fails, just anounce "My fault partner") I'm not sure about the strength. I don't think that 2♠ can be understood as reverse strength, partner is just showing fit, with no extras. So 4♠ is an overbid unjustified by south strength.

You hold 18 HCP, so your hand is not only GF, it is worth a slam invitation. No bid below 4♥ has realy been an invitation to slam. Partners 4♥ is a sign of, because he has no extra strength. It is your duty to keep the auction alive. Opener should not bid 4♠, because he is not strong enough to invite to slam. Your partner showed a top honor in ♣, so all you need to know now is the number of missing keycards. Your 4♦ cue is useless to your partner, so you should bid 4NT over 4♣.

Playing weak NT, a lot of those hands with 7-8 card in the majors are opend 1NT. Additionaly responder must be stronger to answer. So responders will not bid or transfer a weak 5 card major hand nor will bid stayman to show 4 card major length if he's not strong enough. So it is far from sure that your partner has a 4 card major at all. Opener could hold [hv=s=skjxxhaqxxdxxckjx]133|100|[/hv] Responder would pass holding [hv=s=skjxxhaqxxdxxckjx]133|100|[/hv]

4♣

Alpha Beta Gamma [LIST=a] [*]Alpha [*]Beta [*]Gamma [/LIST] a. b. c. Can be done without the [ LIST ] element, but: a) ups :) c) Is different.

It might make. King of spades onside. Kx or Kxx of diamonds onside. Well if they make that 25% or less slam, they deseve that too.

S: pass (best bid in whole auction) N: 1NT (typical I'm much better than you, so i should be declarer 1NT) S: 3NT (seems to know about partners bidding style, or simply plays the usual few boards top or bottom stragegie) N: 6NT (if you have 10-13 HCP, i play 6) Does .... mean the inavoidable punish 7NT? They both got what the deserved.

Of cause partners always does something intelligent, but without the facts about my hand he is most likely to be wrong. He knows by now i have 3+♦ and 4♥. Any strong move by me might help him to see 4-5♦, but he will not guess i have 6. My 3 defensive tricks might reduce, if opps have similar distributions in the black suits. I don't think pass is forcing here. Partner is a passed hand and even if he is 10-11 hcp maximum, he might have wasted values in he black suits. So dbl seems the best choice.

Sigi you asked the wrong question. It should have been: Should 2m inverted minor be GF? If you define it is GF, than it is GF. I don't play it game forcing just forcing ......

If i let suitplay calculate the problem it says that without restrictions the chance to make 3♣ tricks is 26.5%. Assuming that west holds at least 4♦ and east at least 1 reduces this to 26%. The best line of play ist low to the Q. Interesting if you know that east has only 2♣ the chance to make 3 tricks goes down to 5% but the best line is now to play 7 from dummy. This proves, that it is easier to find the best play double dummy.

If during play you notice that your opps are playing very slow, you call the TD. The TD will have a look from now on at your table, and if at the end of the round time, you happed to be late the TD knows who is to punish. This is the way it is done now and i think it is a fair. Of cause this means that players should from check the time after a board or two. Most experienced player will develope an 8 minute feeling. My impression both as player and TD is, that it is always the same pairs, that need more time .....

First of all you have 3♠, 2♥, 1♦ Leads against NT are often small from the longest and strongest suit. You need to ask opps, about their lead 3rd, 4th or 5th. Than you look at the ♦ and you will know that it is more likely that west holds AJ of ♦. So from now on, You should not allow east to win a trick, because he will play ♦ (In fact he can't but you dont know at that time.) and you should never play ♦ from dummy. Your longest suits are ♣ and ♦, you hold 7 cards there. You may no play ♦ so you should try the ♣. Ben wrote the details already. Playing NT, there is usually a "dangerous opp", that has a long suit or can play a finesse that will make you loose lots of tricks. You should try to identify which one off your opps it is, and you should adapt your play that way, that this opp will not gain a trick.

If 2m is GF, you are forced until game is reached. 4m is not game so you should bid on. But you can bid what you like, bid something helpful for opps and partner. Since you know a lot about suit controls already, and something is missing (otherwise you could have bid 3NT), I would suggest to play 4m as minorwood. This allows you to stop in 5, if keycards are missing. Any extra strength you have should make you try the slam.

That is what partners are for. If you had majors you'd have dbled. So if he doesn't have majors, he should bid something else ....

If LHO has single ♣, RHO has 3♣ and he should have 9 cards in ♦ and ♠. So i have seen RHO only ♥ already and the finesse will not work. If RHO has single ♣ he has 2♥. LHO than has 3♥ and the chance is 60% the K is with LHO. If i finesse at once, LHO can play a club and RHO can ruff. I don't want that to happen. So i have to play the ace and draw a 2nd round of trump.

Opponent lead low ♣, despite the fact his partner showed ♦ and ♠. Why would he do that? Playing a single (holding 3♥?)? Hoping partner can ruff this or next round? How does he want to get to lead ♣ again? I'll take the ace and follow high trump. Making is good enough for me.

With a void, you should always reconsider playing NT. You have 3 possible rebids: 2♦ your partner does not know you have 5. 2M partner can have 3 cards there and 2M with 7 carrd is often better than 1NT.