jjbrr

Yeah west lost his mind. There's a good chance that if those are the cards partner needs to make game, partner already would have bid game himself. This hand demonstrates well that if you work hard to make fewer mistakes, you can improve your results dramatically. It's silly to dump 9 imps on a nothing hand like this

I can't live with 2♣. Think 1♦ is totally normal. Also the argument that it doesn't matter is just silly, unless you're telling me that there are no hands in which partner bids 6C after a 2C opener but not a 1D opener, which I don't believe.

OK this analogy no longer makes sense. I thought winning meaningful events was the ultimate goal of all the training and practice we did. Just like matmat says, show me any player in any sport who won anything just by reading books

Agree with clee. 2♦ isn't bridge, and an excuse like "I can bid when I feel like it" is pretty hopeless. Some people just like to hear themselves make noise, I suppose.

Funny. I thought playing lots of hands was analagous to drilling a forehand on a practice court. I consider MSC and forum type problems as more like reviewing the tape after practice or a game to pick out areas for refinement, which in itself does absolutely nothing whatsoever to make you a better player until you actually hit the court and work out whatever problem you have through repetition. The guys who sit in the classroom reviewing tape all day certainly talk a good game, but their actual skills leave a lot to be desired.

I would rate 2♠ as pretty terrible

PROVE THAT THESE TWO LICENSE PLATES ARE CONGRUENT

Books? Computer programs? They're fine for learning concepts, but there's a reason your 6th grade math teacher assigned you all that homework you hated. You don't actually know it unless you do it. You don't know it well unless you do it a lot. If you do it enough, you don't even have to think about it; it just comes naturally. Bridge is no different.

No.

As usual I'm late to the party and I didn't read a lot of the thread, but with 4243 shape and a game forcing hand it's very good to bid 2♦ (or 2♣ if you play that it can be either a balanced hand or a natural ♣ suit) instead of 1♠ at your first turn to bid in a 2/1 system. It seems, OP, that you instinctively realized that the auction 1♥-1♠; 2♥- 3 anything is not a really great auction. You're right. Also, this auction promises 5♠, but I suspect most people don't realize it.

No, pass is not a bid.

her groans when she comes to the sudden realization of what a big mistake she made the night before

come on, kaplan

it's matchpoints, for the record. this decision will very rarely be affected by SOM. i, too, would pass.

wat

You're correct in your assessment that it's better to open 1♠ with this sort of hand unless the 1♣ can specifically contain strong hands with 5-card majors, and partner has a way to learn about that. If you open 1♣, partner will never expect you to have a 5-card major (unless you have 5-card major and a longer minor). If you open 1M with 19 HCP, you can still show your strength later. Finding a fit is more important than taking a circuitous route to show your strength.

I think this is totally backwards. Definitely playing more is the answer. Play as many hands as you possibly can. You'll realize that bidding judgment is an extension of how well you play the hand. How can you expect to bid well if you can't play the hand correctly? These things come with experience.

I suspect ♥ are not 544 around the table, though if they are i think partner is most likely 4063 shape which isnt really good for us on defense.

The good news is there's an Indian store a few blocks from my house, so I think I'll stop by there tomorrow and give the chutney a whirl. It's in a little Bollywood movie rental store, and they have a kitchen in back with some amazing food. I'd be shocked if they get passing inspection scores for cleanliness and such, but the $4.99 daily buffet is A+. Thanks for the link.

Also, TylerE, it would be prudent not to challenge strangers who play rubber bridge regularly to a game for any stakes. Just because they don't play duplicate doesn't mean they can't wipe the floor with you. And that's not even to mention what sort of "special" agreements they might play, though I'm sure that's not really an issue here.

Hi Volvox. Welcome to the forums. It sounds to me like your opponents are playing a modified version of a short-club system that many people play, except they have the agreement that partner can't pass a 1C opener (because it can be made on a 2-card suit). My guess is normally their 1♣ opener shows 3+ clubs just like in SAYC, except with 4432 shape, they also open 1♣, and they don't want partner to pass. But I'm just speculating because I'm not really familiar with it either. Edit: Sorry, I suppose this could be bid on one club, in the case of 4441 shape, which is more reason they play it forcing.

Looks fantastic. Love this kind of stuff. Any advice for finding mangoes at the super market that don't suck?

I can see I'm a few days late to this party, but I'd just like to offer that puppet stayman over 2NT openers is one of my least favorite conventions. I think it gives people a lot of headaches with very, very little gain. I know all the scientists are going to disagree and tell me how great their modified puppet is and how they never miss a fit, but I'd just like to point out that it's often easier to take 9 tricks than 10, it's not always right to play a 5-3 fit, and it really matters so infrequently in the long run that it just isn't worth worrying that much about. These 5-4 hands can just go through smolen, so the only thing we lose is that we give a little extra info to the opponents sometimes, and sometimes we don't play a 5-3 fit in a specific situation.

Because he led the A and expected us to misguess

of course if lho is a good defender you should be wary of this inference. also the fact that RHO bid 2C rather than 2D gives a slight clue as others have said.