bd71

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Championship_Series#BCS_Bowl_appearances_and_wins_by_conference Check out the SEC's historical record in BCS bowl games at the link. They have won almost 70% of those games against the best teams the rest of the country can offer. The only conference that comes remotely close to that record is the Pac 10, which is largely driven by one school (USC) who hasn't really been elite-good in the last few years. I actually dislike the SEC, but there's no question they are the pre-eminent college football conference in the last 10-15 years and consistently have had 2-3 of the best 5 teams in the country. I of course agree that the new playoffs are a welcome change.

So I will freely admit that this partner and I are likely unsophisticated users of the forcing pass. The limited nature of our discussion was along the lines of "when we freely bid a game NOT under duress and they further interfere, forcing pass is in play." So forcing pass was clearly applicable here, and neither of us disagree on that. Having said that...does someone have a more sophisticated -- but still reasonably short -- set of rules to suggest for when forcing pass should be in play? Some have suggested that under a more sophisticated approach East could have "set up" the forcing pass in this auction...would that be with a 3C cue-bid after 2S, later followed by 4S?

[hv=pc=n&e=skq9854ha96dt87cj&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1dp1s2c2sp4s5cdp]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Agreements include forcing passes. Your call?

[hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=p1d1hp2d(Limit%20raise)]133|100[/hv] How do you play X here? Is takeout the only option, or could/would you ever agree it is simply showing extra strength?

[hv=pc=n&w=sahkq98743dkjct32&e=skq532h6dt43caqj4&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=1d1s2d2hp3cp3hppp]266|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Trick 1: ♠4 (4th best), 2, 6 (standard attitude), A You want to go to dummy for your two discards on good spades...do you take the club finesse to get there, risking the diamond tricks if it's off? Or do you play to the ♣A and take a sure thing? If field matters to you, this is in North American Pairs B district finals. North is known to be good "B" player, South is unknown.

The title says it all. I thought the answer was "no", but an opponent disagreed yesterday. Who's right?

[hv=pc=n&w=sa2haqjt65dak3caq&e=s93hk842dj42ct432&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=2cp2d(waiting)p2h(Kokish)2sp(See%20question%201)p3hp4hp4n(1430%20See%20Q2.)p5cp6hppp]266|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Q1. After this unusual sequence where North waits until Round 2 to interfere and all East has done is make a 2D waiting bid, East's X should still show a bust and Pass shows values, right? Q1A. This auction made us realize we haven't defined the strength that responder to 2C opener needs to pass after interference. What are recommended agreements here? Q2. How do you feel about slam propsects as West after 4H bid?

[hv=pc=n&w=skqjt93h6dk3ct952&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=p]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Is it worth 3S? If not, what change in conditions (vul?, seat?) would make you want to open 3?

Wait. Are you saying I should get agreement to the lack of pause immediately after it happens? I thought it would be normal to do this at the end of the auction.

[hv=pc=n&e=sa98h65dqj74ca843&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=2h]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Do you take out 2H?

[hv=pc=n&s=s3hajt964dj943c54&w=sa8542h5d7ckqjt97&n=sqthk832dt8652c83&e=skj976hq7dakqca62&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=2h3c(Immediate%20bid)4hdp4sp6sppp]399|300[/hv] Matchpoints. E/W are experienced. Don't think it's relevant but South DID use the stop card but picked it up right after the 2H bid. West then made the immediate 3C bid (no more than one second pause). I sat North. Several questions: 1. Should I have reserved my rights by asking whether all agreed that West did NOT pause after the pre-empt? (I did not do this.) 2. From a laws perspective, is this a UI situation identical to what arises after a long pause? That is, does the immediate bid mean we can challenge/appeal any actions by East if we think there are logical alternatives for East and that we might have been harmed? 3. Had I called you as the director, how would you have ruled? Are there logical alternatives for East over 4H or 4S? EDITED to say "East" instead of "West" in question 3...thanks paulg.

[hv=pc=n&n=s95hq987653dqjtc2&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1s2c]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Vanilla 2/1. Would you make a weak jump-shift 3♥ bid? Anything else you would consider other than that or pass?

Not gonna disagree, but can you be more specific and/or constructive?

[hv=pc=n&e=sat98hadj87432cat&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=p1dp1sp3sp4cp4dp4np5c(1/4)p]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Vanilla 2/1. Cue-bidding 1st or 2nd round controls. Suppose you ask and find out partner has the Q♠, are you worried about maybe needing to find the J♠, or do you just take a flyer that partner has it?

Of course. Perhaps I should rephrase...are you interested enough in slam to start cue bidding which will tell you along the way about spade controls?

[hv=pc=n&s=s5hq85dt5caqj5432&w=sak3hakj4daqj72ct&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=3cd4c4sp6sppp]266|200[/hv] Matchpoint. Good opponents. Trick 1: ♣A, T, 8, 7 Your carding agreement is suit preference in this situation (suit contract, singleton in dummy). What do you do at Trick 2? What chances for a 2nd trick do you think you have to play for?

[hv=pc=n&s=st62ht4dakq2cakq2&n=sk73hakqj96d94ct7&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1d1s2hp3cp3nppp]266|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Vanilla 2/1. Obviously some confusion about whether 3C shows extras and how much. Making 7 after opponents ducked spade at trick 1. Scored 7/12 matchpoints, so no disaster here.

[hv=pc=n&n=sj4hakj63d2ckt972&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1n(14+%20-%2017)2c(single-suited)2d(tx)p2h2s3cp4cp]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Vanilla 2/1. How interested in slam are you?

[hv=pc=n&s=sakqj9hj8daj5cj87&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=p1d]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. Mainstream 2/1.

LOL...this hand is straight from a sectional last weekend.

As played, E/W were using UDCA and North played the 8♠ on the first trick. So wasn't clear to East (me) whether partner was encouraging or not.

[hv=pc=n&s=s9652hq83dk872cq9&w=sqt7hkt754d65cj32&n=s84haj962dt4cak85&e=sakj3hdaqj93ct764&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=p1hd2hppdppp]399|300[/hv] Here's the full hand. A♠ led, then A♦, small♦. Our (E/W) result: -870 for 2♥X+1 Comments welcome.

If we're playing IMPs, I think this logic is unassailable. But even though (playing matchpoints) I bid 3N at the table using this exact logic, I'm now wondering now how well this applies in pairs? Should we worry about -200 at 3N losing to enough -100s (or -300s losing to -200s) that it would not offset the times when we bid the game bonus. If the field matters to your thinking, this was a single-session open pairs at a sectional, with probably a better field than I've seen in a typical sectional. But would appreciate how you think different levels of play would affect "the right" decision. For what it's worth, on this hand the spades did not run AND we took exactly 8 tricks anyway...oh well.

[hv=pc=n&e=sakqt84h93dk3ct32&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=1sp1np2sp2np]133|200[/hv] Matchpoints. 2/1. So we know partner is roughly 10-11 with 0/1 spades. Questions: 1. At matchpoints, do you want to be in game? (At IMPs I think it's a no-brainer yes.) 2. If yes to #1, which game? 3. I have my own estimates for this, but would like validation. If partner has 1 spade, what probability is there the spades run w/ no losers? How about if he has no spades?

If you double, are you not worried about hearing 4♠?