cherdanno

I cannot imagine passing out 2♠ with the West hand at matchpoints. But if I was TD I would still make a poll among peers. TylerE, your comments don't make sense. The question is whether 3♥ is obvious, not whether pass is obvious. Also, if it is a close decision about whether to revert the table result, then certainly you should not be giving out a PP (which is basically an accusation of cheating).

JB, I think a better way to guage these hands is not based on how good a single hand may be but to keep in mind that the goal of bidding is to reach the maximum contract for the 26 cards in the combined hands. Sometimes youve got to wrestle the cue out of your partner, it wouldnt surprise me at all if partner had ♦K for example. However, youre right and as a top Canadian player tells me, bidding should be a dialog not a monologue. It wouldn't surprise me if parnter had ♦K. But it is impossible that he has ♦K, an ace, and the trump queen!

If 4C described my serious 4-6 in the majors (minors could be reversed and make same systemic rebid--with 4D rebid for the non-serious 4-6), I have done my job, and partner has decided. Same theme -- I made responder the Captain. Why 4-6, what do you bid with 4531? have option of JS to 3-card suit and supporting spades at 4 level next In standard bidding, 4♣ is a splinter, showing short clubs and 4 spades. It does not show 6 hearts. Also, in standard bidding, the sequence 1H 1S 3D denies having 4 spades.

Pass.

1N 2H 2S 4C (RKCB) 4H 5C (0/3; confirming all keycards and asking for kings) 5S 5N (none; ok how about queens) 6D 6H (♦Q; anything else?_ 7H 7N

Joking, I suppose.... You don't know that at the table, so it's something you take into consideration when you decide what to do over 2♠. True, but since we have a doubleton spade, and since opponents are red against white, I don't think it's all that likely the bidding is at 4♠ at our next round after we double.

Sorry but I think this is non-sense. If you missed a good line for an overtrick, then you missed a good line for an overtrick, regardless of how bad your opponents are, or how bad the field is. Of course, you shouldn't be resulting - if you got a bad score just because your opponents didn't make the same mistake as every other pair defending the same contract, then you don't blame yourself for that result.

How many do you know who play weak NT?

Actually, I really like ducking the lead. RHO won't be able to read this lead as from shortness (especially if we duck without much thought), so he may just duck, and we can pitch ♥ K via the club finesse. Or he may go up and underlead his ♥A. I don't like the 2♠ opening btw. The shape is a plus, but the many honors in short suits (Qx, K tight) and the bad suit are a minus. KJT8xx x KQxx xx would be a much better 2♠ opening.

Heh I much prefer always getting the best hand. I hate when my GIB plays a contract because his play can be quite terrible at matchpoints, and since he is not always equally bad at every table. (He is also not so good at reading the tanks of the defending GIBs :lol:)

I would bid 6N. Fluffy, I wouldn't call a balanced 15 count with one point in my suits "fitting". Also, the hand you construct is not such a bad slam as you have criss-cross squeeze chances in addition to just getting 3 diamond tricks.

And the USA U-26 (with several forum posters) got off to a nice start with a blitz in round 1.

Nice play! Maybe a diamond back and a spade ruff would also work - declarer might play us for ♥Txx rather than QTxx.

I believe the correct way to handle this is (at least in theory) to poll players what they would bid over 2♥. Then those who bid 3♣ are not considered peers. I disagree with the reasoning though - you don't want to tell opponents that they can push you to 4♦ if they want. Or where the club values are, etc. It's just too likely that you can buy it in 3♦.

With a void in their suit and playing matchpoints, I as North would certainly guess that partner was thinking about doubling them. I do no think 4♦ is suggested by the UI. In any case, I don't think defending 3♥ with a 9-card fit and 5044 fit with good suits is a logical alternative, but that will depend on the level of the players obviously.

Btw, I think more telling than RHO's quick pass is his demeanor over 1♥ - that is when he is deciding to trap pass after all. As another btw, I very much dislike the overcall.

Hi shyams, if you play "something like SAYC" (or standard American), then many of the bids are more forcing than you seem to be aware of. 2♣ promises a rebid. 2♥ does not deny extra strength, so responder cannot pass this. 2♠ by responder shows extra strength and is a game force. Rebidding 3♣ is unreasonable, but I think the hand is just about worth a game force, and I do not want to risk missing game nor missing a spade fit. Raising 2♠ to 3♠ shows 4 spades - a good general guideline is "never raise partner's second suit with less than 4 trumps". Also, 2♥ has not shown 6 hearts yet, so the best rebid (IMO) is 3♥. If partner has 5 spades, or 4 really good ones and no diamond stopper, he can still bid 3♠ over that. So yes I would get to 4♥ with these two hands (responder has no choice over 3♥ but to raise) - sometimes you get too high when both partners are minimum for their actions.

2S, what else?

Neither do you need the spades working if it was Axx opposite xx in hearts - just hearts not 6-2.

Fair enough, but if you're going to bid 4♥, why not bid it right away? Because that shows a different hand? Double then 4♥ over 3♠ is the best description of this hand by far. Double is only awkward when LHO raises to 4♠ immediately but (unless I tank-double) this does not seem so likely.

Huh?

Its hard to tell what is happening to health care in the finance committee. From what I can tell Baucus is desperately trying to find get a bipartisan consensus, but while at least some of the Republicans he is negotiating with (Grassley) have interest in negotiating, but really no interest at all in advancing a bill and eventually voting for it.

If so, BBF has been rather slow to adopt the idea. I have a book from 1980 which recommends a 1NT rebid on such hands. You Brits are ahead of us anyway, you bid TWO notrump without a stopper!

Where I play you would need to alert the penalty double! And feel free to overcall on crap, my partner will usually reopen when I have 4 trumps behind you ;)

If you are intending this to play then you need the clear agrement that 3minor is not forcing. I'd think 3♣ would be 100% forcing by a non passed hand, nf by a passed hand and yes, another sequence to discuss with your pard. Agree with Kathryn.