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They clearly have an eight-card spade fit and at least half of the deck. What is the best way to keep them quiet? Pass maybe?

[hv=pc=n&s=saqt9haqdakjcakt7&n=sj54hkt752d875cj8&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=pp2c2h]266|200[/hv] What are your agreements for double if opponents interfere over your strong 2C opening. A take-out double is not required because you are in a game forcing auction. So double is presumably penalties? Does the double also convey information about your strength? (positive values?) Thanks

It is clear. You pass. You only remove the double if you have a clear expectation of making your contract. 5C might make, but I wouldn't expect it.

If playing a weak NT, some argue that this hand has little playing strength. But, just because you start with a NT bid, doesn't mean you will play the hand in NTs. Aces are usually worth more than 4, not less in suit contracts. The key is partner holding fitting honours to complement your aces. I open 1NT.

You are right that most Acol literature recommends opening 1H and rebidding 1D. But you need to be aware that you are compromising a very valuable part of the modern Acol system: bidding two suits promises a five-card holding in the first suit. Several things can go wrong when you open 1H: Partner might respond 1C then jump to 4H with a three-card suit, expecting you to have five. Partner might respond 2C then give you false preference back to hearts on a two-card suit. Partner might respond 1NT on a 6-9 point hand with a five or six-card diamond suit and be left in 1NT. There are no easy solutions.

4441 hands are difficult holdings for Acol – particularly with a singleton club. Modern Acol uses the approach that there are two possibilities when you open one of a suit: either (i) you are balanced and too strong to open 1NT – you plan to rebid in No Trumps or (ii) you are unbalanced – you plan to rebid your second suit and will promise five cards in your first suit. The 4441 hand doesn’t quite fit into either category. This means that you are going to have to tell your partner a lie. The options are: • You open 1D, planning to rebid 2D if partner responds 2C. This is a lie as you promise a 5-card diamond suit. • You open 1D (or 1H), planning to rebid 2NT if partner responds 2C. This is a lie as you promise 15+ points, but only have 13 (and you have a singleton – although this would be a lesser lie if you have a 15+ hand). • You open 1H, planning to rebid 2D if partner responds 2C. This is a lie as you promise a 5-card heart suit. • You open 1NT showing a balanced hand. This is a lie as you have a singleton (a singleton A or K might make this a more acceptable solution). • You pass. This is a lie as you have 13 points (passing a 4441 12 count can be reasonable, but passing a 13 count??). The EBU teaching material recommends opening 1H and rebidding 2D. But I am unhappy lying about my major suit length and like a growing number of Acol players, I now choose to open 1D.

Under our methods, 1Maj opening promises either (i) a five-card suit, (ii) a four-card suit and extra strength (a strong NT hand or better). This does allow us to often compete to the three level on a four-card suit on the basis that we are either law compliant with a nine-card fit or the hand "belongs to us". Also, a five-card holding in partner's suit is not so unusual when there are nine outstanding cards in the suit and overcaller has at most three cards. But yes, we will sometimes encounter a difficult hand for the system. The other side of the coin is that our 1Min opening guarantees a four-card suit so we can raise minor suits aggressively in competition - e.g 1C, (2C), 5C... As you observe, penalising the opponents is part of the strategy. One thing my partner and I agree on is that a double of 2NT shows a willingness to penalise at least one of their suits.

Thanks for some interesting insights and points to discuss with my partner. One thing that I should have mentioned at the start is that our basic system is four-card majors / weak NT. In this context we will not support at the three-level on a three-card suit.

Playing at club last night it became apparent that my partner and I were on different wavelengths about our methods when opponents make a two-suited overcall (Unusual NT, Michaels, Ghestem etc.). We are currently updating our systems and would welcome constructive comments about your methods/recommendations: (1) After 1Maj, 2NT: - Double = values in at least one of opponent's suits? - A raise is weak and competitive? - Bidding the other major is natural and forcing for 1 round? - 3C, 3D show different types of support? Or does 3C imply hearts and 3D imply spades? Or??? - 4C, 4D splinters? How would this change if the opening bid was a minor and 2NT showed hearts and the other minor? (2) After 1Maj, 2Maj (Michaels): - Double = values in at least one of opponent's suits? - A raise is weak and competitive? - Bidding the other major shows support and invitational or better values? - 3C, 3D natural & forcing for 1 round? - 2NT??? (3) After 1Min, 2Min (Michaels): - Double = values in the other major or values in both minors? - A raise is weak and competitive? - Other suit bids natural and forcing? - 2NT??? Thanks

Playing against a weak NT you need to have a proper penalty double available. I expect you to double with 16+ HCP, or if fewer points you must have a very good lead (Double in the protective seat guarantees 16+ HCP). This hand is a long way short - it's a balanced weak NT. Pass. Simple.

I don't see the rush to bid on hand 1. Sitting in the sandwich seat with both opponents unlimited, you may as well pass on this round. If east rebids 2C or 1NT and west passes you can now protect with 2H. And I don't see any imperative for a heart lead. I think hand 2 is a closer decision - but still best to pass I think.

ArtK78 gives some excellent pointers. I would just add that you need to continually re-evaluate the hand as the auction progresses. A holding such as Qx, which you initially view as being of "questionable value", might become less problematic (and worth a full 2 points) if partner bids the suit strongly. Conversely KQJXX is a holding with "good connected honours" that you may well upgrade; until partner splinters in the suit - when it is reduced to "a lot of wasted values" - now you probably want to down-grade! Opposition bidding (or passing) can also affect our valuations. Is our KJ9X holding sitting over or under the opponent's suit? Hand valuation is a continual process and judgement is required at each call.

Playing Acol with a multi I pass as North (nowhere near a 1D bid for me, 3D might be possible if I had a singleton - but not here). Then: Pass, 1S 2D, 4D 5D, 6D (6NT? / Pass?) Inelegant and the contract is wrong-sided. I would consider passing 5D, but that will score badly compared with those in 3NT, so I would probably reject that. I would consider bidding 6NT, influenced by pairs scoring (but if 6D is making it will score well) and worry about the clubs, but I suspect I am being influenced by having seen the opposition hands. I'm pretty sure that we are playing in 6D by North.

[hv=pc=n&n=saqhakq863dkj94c2&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=1ndp2cp]133|200[/hv] A few questions: - After a penalty double of 1NT (15-17), what is the maximum holding for South to rescue? - Would the answer differ if the 1NT opening were weak (12-14)? - After South rescues, can you envisage a potential game for North / South? - Is there any reason to bid more than 2♥?

I don't think North is likely to hold only three spades. Playing 4-card majors / weak NT then North will usually be unbalanced for this sequence (I suppose a strong no trump hand without a heart stop is possible). In this case I would expect North to be at least 5-4 in diamonds/spades and you know that you have at least an eight-card spade fit. I think that it is close between 2S and 3S - but suspect that I would tend to bid three.

Pass and Pass for me! We have maybe an eight or nine-card diamond fit, They have a likely nine-card spade fit. There don't seem to be enough trumps. Partner know that we passed first time and may well have stuck his neck out to suggest a diamond lead (but I agree that a trump lead looks a good option). Let's not punish partner chasing an unlikely game contract.

I can't see how you could get to 7S. We would probably agree hearts at the 4 level and there is no room to look at other strains at that level. I would expect something like: 2C-2NT 3H-4H 4S-5H 6H

The sequence 1D-1H-2D-2H should definitely be constructive. The 2D rebid promises a 6-card suit so there is little need for a weak 2H bid. It is less clear when the response is spades (opener might have 5 diamonds and 4 hearts for the 2 diamond rebid, in which case 2S as a weak bid is reasonable), but I still like to play it as constructive.

The sequence 1D-1H-2D-2H should definitely be constructive. The 2D rebid promises a 6-card suit so there is little need for a weak 2H bid. It is less clear when the response is spades (opener might have 5 diamonds and 4 hearts for the 2 diamond rebid, in which case 2S as a weak bid is reasonable), but I still like to play it as constructive.

I also like to play sequence 1 as constructive. If so, you can agree to play sequence 4 as forcing - this would need prior discussion. Sequences 2 and 3 are game forcing.

1. 1D. My 1NT openings will be balanced unless there is an exceptional reason - not this hand. 2. Most of my values in the two majors and a very weak 5-card suit. 3. 1C. 4. I wouldn't - I would "expect" us to have an 8-card fit in at least one major. 5. I play Halmic. There are no guarantees, but I haven't played in a complete mis-fit for a long time (maybe I'm due one!)

Double seems obvious. Partner will never believe you are this strong if you pre-empt. Double, followed by 4 hearts, gives your partner good information to judge your strength when a high level decision is needed.

I play Acol, weak NT. For me, hand 1 would be an easy pass at Match Points. At IMPs I would like to think I would not be tempted, but suspect that I might! It really is an ugly 11 count - The shape is as bad as it gets and there are no 10s. If I was going to invite, I would not use Stayman (unless it is non-promissary Stayman and our only way to invite). Hand 2 is just unlucky. Sometimes you will win on these hands, sometimes you will lose. Imagine swapping the minor suits in the South hand - South still passes and a 1C contract is even less pretty than 1NT.

Why is no one bidding spades? I'm not sure that I want to help them into their 5S contract.

4C - at least you will get the right lead when they push to 4S.