cherdanno

2 hours.

You have distribution and nice hcp, but you have terrible spots and your hcp are in short suits. You are opening 9xxxx red at MP in a suit you are very likely to end up playing if you have a 5-3 or 5-2 fit! There are extremely few balanced 12 counts that are worse than this hand IMO.

I think it will be difficult to find peers for a poll here. 4S???? Sounds like someone who plays Blue Club because he thinks he won't need judgment then. I still don't see passing 5S as a logical alternative.

I think moving ♦AQ to spades still doesn't have 50% opening. Maybe 100% on BBF, but not 50% in your average ACBL tourney. WE HAVE 10 POINTS ONLY.

I understand the temptation to pass but given we have good play for 5C opposite a meager Axx A xx AKQxxxx I couldn't do it. Okok, it's not soooo meager :) Partner could still have a diamond stopper, 6 running clubs and the right ace as well. LHO's hitch could be based on some values and no diamond fit or a diamond fit and no values, so I don't think it tells us much. Of course, I hope for the latter, which isn't so unlikely at MP all red. I think I would bid 3H now. AQ AKx xx AKxxxx.

Actually I think of it as coming to mgoetze's rescue (who is a friend from another world^H^H^Hgame), without having the time to write a full explanation.

Uuuh Michael, MFA is actually right. It's the reason why dealing with constraints is so tricky unless you do it by brute force.

And I still remembered this thread! (Including Frances' odd suggestion to pass a 13 count opposite a strong NT in order to swing...)

I think the question is more fun when we know the spade suit divides 4=6 (with East having 6)...

I don't mind doubling with a borderline limit raise over 1M (2C), when we can sometimes show our values at the 2-level, and sometimes find a better 4-4 fit in the other major. Here, I would really rather show my support. The gains of doubling are almost lost, and WE HAVE A SPADE FIT OVER THEIR LIKELY HEART FIT. That's probably the situation where it is most urgent to shout to partner right away that we have a fit - maybe he can bid 4S over 4H, or we can respect his double of their heart contract. Of course at the table I can't use all-caps for my support, but fortunately partner will be able to understand 2S or 3H without any shouting.

In fact we see that is precisely what he had and precisely what he was thinking of doing, but didn't. I meant if partner has 7 hearts AND a spade void (as seems likely), then he would likely have bid 5H. If partner does have a spade, then I think double is likely to work anyway, as they are in a 5-3 fit with maybe 22 hcp and 2 trump losers that would easily become 3 if they have to ruff here and there.

In this specific situation I would think that partner is likely to have a spade void (just based on the opponents bidding). If he had 7 hearts, he would probably have bid 5♥. So I think his likely problem hands are 65 hands (considering to bid his second suit), or a strong 6430/5440 hand - with that he could make a takeout double. If he had no/little defense, he probably would bid with 65 hands and pass without hesitation with the takeout double type (he needs a lot of defense to stand a likely penalty pass). So more likely problem hands are 65 with some defense (where bidding on could be a phantom save), or 5440/6430 hands with some defense (but not a lot). Hands with long pure hearts are possible problem hands but not so likely, and all other problem hands contain more defense than a typical minimum opening bid.

Lotta holes in that. Oh come on, bidding is not logic, it's a matter of odds. Your holes are possible but unlikely. Anyway, you don't come to the conclusion that it suggests doubling by making some weird logical deduction. You come to the conclusion by asking experts for their opinion about which action a hesitation could suggest.

Unfortunately all the hands got lost and Roger and we will have to rebid them. (Or maybe - I should rebid them, Roger did fine.)

Passing is extremely bad. Of course, if North is really so clueless to give away he has a singleton diamond then it may be right. But passing with Norths' hand is really really obvious, so if your table feel is good enough to work out the difference between this pass, and a pass where he considered raising, or a decent hand with a doubleton, then your table feel must be so great that I am sure you constantly win the pairs events you enter.

A hesitation shows values. This makes a penalty double more likely to work.

LHO covers with the K, do you play ace or low? Impossible to answer without knowing how good LHO is.

Assuming ♥A was onside and spades split 3-2, you should have set this -5, for a great score.

This is not comparable - opener is unlimited in your situation, whereas responder is limited by being a passed hand in our situation.

I don't understand why 3♣ should be forcing even if 2♣ promised a fit. If opener made a light 3rd seat opening with 4 hearts and 5 clubs, then passing a game try in clubs (which certainly shows some length there) seems obviously right.

I guess when bluejak is TD I can always explain my bids with the name of a popular convention, of which I play a very weird variant. Opponents will assume I play the popular version, and will rely on that assumption. When they are damaged, because I play a weird variant, then it is their fault. I think it's clear that when you only use the name of a popular convention to describe a bid, AND you play it differently to 95% or more of the bridge players in your area/your country, then you are misinforming the opponents.

Bidding 3S and pulling 3NT to 4D sounds like 3S was an advance cue, doesn't it?

Mike, I truly don't understand what you are saying. If I have Kxxx support for partner's weak 2, and a hand unsuitable for RKCB or exclusion and no losers outside of trumps, then I would use GSF. I assume you would, too. Both of our partner would tell us in reply to 5N that they have A or K of trumps. Both of us would then bid the grand. Then if LHO preempts with 6S, both of us would still like to know whether partner has one of A or K of trumps, because neither of us would like to risk 7H sith Kxxx opposite QJTxxx. I would find that out because partner will pass with A or K, and double with less. Somewhere I must have gone wrong. Apparently you have step responses to 5N that show A or K of trumps, but you never use them except, because you only bid GSF when you need 2/3 top honors to bid the grand.

and what is the point of this? He wanted 2/3 to bid grand...if you don't have 2/3, he is never bidding grand..so why distinguish one and none of the honours? I don't get it...aren't our bids supposed to help partner? How does showing one or none do that? It may not have made it to Canada yet, but it is rather common to use replies to GSF that distinguish between no top honor, just A or K, or 2 out of top 3 (or even finer than that, depending on how many steps you have available). This means that partner can use it e.g. with Kxxx support opposite a weak 2, or Axxxx opposite a 1M opening. (I don't think it is pre-alertable, btw.)

They have a sale?