hotShot

In this case it seems that the System font is broken, and must be reinstalled.

When BBO is started, there is a wheel down where the buttons are. If you press that button you get to set some features. Somewhere left above the middle ther is a font section. Try to select a different font.

South bid is not an underbid and North does not need to bid further. It is pure luck that this time 11 tricks are on. There is no point in bidding game with any combined 21HCP. But there are indications....... South knows that both North and East must be short in ♦. So almost all of his points are working, there is no need to downgrade the Q♣. The problem is, that without agreement it is not clear if 2♥ shows 4 (more likely) or 5 cards. So 3♥ is an overbid, but only a slight one. If North X guarantees 3cards in ♥, it can be made. North sang his song by dbling. There is no extra strength or information he can give.

I don't think Lehmann rating properly adjusts for the strength of the field. Even in a world class field, some pairs have to end up below 50% and getting 75% in a beginer tourney will not make you a good player.

First of all, you should know your own system. After that it is helpful, to try to learn those convention others play against you. But learning defences is only helpful if your partner knows them too. If you enjoy learning more systems, and if you can do it without loosing your own, try to learn acol or 2over 1. This will inspire your sayc perspective, without disturbing too much. After that a strong club system like precison or polish club is fine. But don't rush it, never forget that you need to know your own system best. [edit] Remember, it is not the system, it's the player that makes the difference. To improve your still, it is better to work on your declarer play, your leads and your signaling.

Please note that south passed first, bid 2♦ unforced and than volunteered to bid 3♦. This shows a maximum pass with long diamonds and should have some defence values. South is missdescribing his hand, instead of showing a good offence because of distribution, he is describing a hand with good defence. Thats why south has to take a substantial part of the guilt, but north X is still terrible, because half of this hcp are in partners long suit and will probably never make a trick. Leading ♦J isn't very smart either, because obviously east is short in ♥ and since north first X showed some ♦, opps might be short ther too. Leading trump to reduce the tricks of a crossruff would have been a better choice.

6-5 shape at the south hand should act first round. If you have a 2suiter convention use it or bit 1-3♥ according to your agreements.

Well no one i know, would expect dbl to be penalty here (unless agreed otherwise). So i can't see, anything wrong here. Bidding 4♥ is ok, if you don't have better methods.

Well 2♦ is a bid light, but it is a 6 card suit and it has a void, so it is ok. But dbl makes no sence at all. The k♠ is worthless, placed in front of he ♠ bid. The hand just does not have enough defence tricks.

Well responder is holding minimum here and i would have liked a little more, but opener is unlimited and can have a ♠ stop to play NT, even at the 1 level.

Responder promissed to have ♥, so i can hardly understand why opener shoud bid 3♣, if opps obviously have a misfit in 2♥. Bidding [4CL] makes no sence at all.

Looking at the south hand only, there are 5 looser (2♣ , 2♥ and 1♠) and south needs to exit 3 times (♠ and 2♣) to develope the ♣ and ♠ tricks. To make 3NT, the number of stoppers in the lead suit is: number of exits + 1, if opps lead the weak suit, and follow it each time they are at trick. In this case south needs north to reduce the number of exits. Since the weakest suit is ♦, with ony one stopper, the number of exits must be reduced to 0. This is only possible if north hold AK♣ or A and the K is with west or single with east. Otherwise north needs to bring a stopper in ♦ and ♥ and K♣. So the chances for making 3NT are too small, to bid it as north needs to have maximun and the right cards. How to bid over 3♣? Well pass is an option, otherwise it is 3♥ of cause followed by 3NT from north. Now south knows that they have 2 stopper in ♥, ♠ and ♦, if playing ♣. So if north has one of ♣AK there is a good chance to make 5.

3♥ I'm too strong to preempt on the 4 level and to weak to make a game try alone. 3♥ shows a good 7card suit, and partner can still try 3NT.

4♣ over 2NT or now over 3♥ would be minorwood with my regular partners. 3♠ should still be forcing, showing some values, denying ♥'s. Partner should get an idea about my shape. Over his 3NT i will bid 5♣ and hope he gets the message.

Okay let us count: A slow 3♠ suggests pass! (A slow pass would have suggested 3♠) A slow 3♠ suggests pass! Double is no longer an option, nor is 4♠. A slow 3♠ suggest to bid 4♠, if you have some unbid extra values. So 2 of 3 suggest pass. So i think pass is the LA that is slightly more suggested by partners slow bid. But even if 4♠ were suggested, one could argue that your hand is stronger than shown. You downgraded your opening to pass and you are stronger than a sound raise. If the strength needed for the 1♠ overcall is opening strength, pass would be no LA to you.

I disagree with this. East not correcting the dbled NT bid shows that RHO doubled, so he thought he didn't have to bid. Otherwise he would have bid 3C. If East believed that 2NT was showing ♥ and ♣, why should he correct to the 8card minor fit ♣, if he can have a 9card major fit? Doesn't it make more sence to play a 9card suit (at the 3 level)? Why should he let west decide what to do, if west can't know about he ♥ fit? So from the little facts posted here, my impression is that east did not expect ♥'s from west. I am willing to accept that east just hoped that south or west would feel forced to bid now, but i don't think east intended to play 2NT X .....

Well the preempt worked, you are now unable to fully describe your hand. I would bid 3NT now. You hold 2 tricks in ♠, 4-5 in ♥ and since RHO (should be short) and you are short in ♦, partner will hold a ♦ stop (I hope). If i get dbled i can still try to run to one of my 5 card suits. You should not dbl because you can bet partner will bid ♦, so the 2nd best shot is bidding ♣ or ♥. ♣ is the better choice for trumps as the ♥ will make tricks anyway. If you pass, your partner is to weak to try anything. Any hand bidding over a preempt should be very solid.

First of all: After playing the A♥ North sees 4 Hearts at the table, 5 in his hand so West can hold 4 at most. After South follows suit West can't have more than 3. So after playing the A♥ North should call the TD, because he was missinformed. South sees 3♥ in his hand 4 at the table and 5 should be in Wests hand leaving 2 with North. But why did East stay in 2NTX if they have a 9card fit in ♥? South should wonder why partner leads opponents suit playing NT developing tricks for west by playing the ace. So lets take a look at EW's convention card, if they don't have one, we have to assume MI and not missbid. Easts not correcting the dbled NT bid into ♥ clearly shows that he knows his partner holds the minors. I don't think this was intentional as many players think that UNT allways shows the minors. Further reading to UNT is here. After loosing their ♦ trick (by north playing ♦), NS should still get: 3♥, 2♣ and 4♠ tricks =>down 4. After loosing the 2nd round of ♦, and seeing that West ♣ are now deleloped. NS can still get 3♥, 2♣ and 2♠ tricks => down 2. Seems to me that NS stopped thinking at all. So it comes down to this, i will need explanations from N and S why they were continuing to play ♦ allthough it is obvious that this is wrong. And if they are beginner or novice and have a good explanation for playing ♦ again and again, then i will adjust the score to 3♣= (haven't run a full analysis).

2♠, this has to be forcing. 3NT is not forcing partner can pass and i don't need much to make 6♣.

Missread the auction please ignore Gerben 2NT (not alerted) is invitational, so it is only 24-25 gone. This leaves partner with 3HCP at most. With that he won't make a move of his own. To the case, don't think about missinformation now. Maybe the result of wests thinking was the correct agreement. The bridge laws require you to act as if the information was right. If you don't do that, you carry the risk of loosing your right to an adjusted score. I can't think of a better bid than dbl. Your partner knows that NT bidder usually hold more minors than majors and he can asume that you need to have some distribution to act now. If he passes 2NT X, he will lead a major.

This is a matter of style and therefor a matter of agreement. Dbl can either show values or majors. I think majors is more common.

Let us for a minute sassume we would have a peer rating system. How will it work for me? Some time ago i met a lady in the MBC. The first board in 4th seat i held 0 HCP but a nice 5card♠ and a void in a minor. She bid 1♠ in second seat over a 1♥ opening. Since it we were white and they red, i bid 4♠ over LHO's 4♥. During the whole game she told me that whatever i play is not bridge ....., she went down one dbled while almost everybody else lost to 4♥ making. The second board was similar, but the tone of her complaints got a little unplesant. After those 2 boards she left, with +12 imp at our side and -12 with opps. She will never play with me again, but both opps invited me privatly to play with them any time.

I disagree, even at world championships someone has to be last and they will have a bad result shown. The average score of the championship loosers will be worse than that of the winner of the "Totaly incompetent Bridge players turnament".

Well East holds 4HCP, if West has only 10 than NS hold 26. I suppose one of the opps would have had to make a positive move.

East should have balanced! They are non vul. and it's MP. Opener seems to have a minimum opening, North is not strong enough to enter the two level. So partner will hold about opening strength. Since west passed with opening strength the distribution must be flat. So if partner does not hold a length of his own, East should show his ♠.