wyman

Point taken. Simple rules are hard to formulate.

2 things about heart auctions, just wanted to make sure I'm not being dumb. 1) After 4N keycard and a 5C response, 5D is the Q-ask. Do people play 5S is specific kings here and 5N is asking for a 3rd rd spade ctrl? Seems like they should. 2) In a nonserious 3N situation such as 1H-2N! 3H-? Are people playing 3S as the nonserious bid and 3N is a serious spade cue? If not, is 3S serious, or is it nonserious+?

18-19 on the first two. I would think that the 3rd is a minor-oriented takeout.\ edit to add that agreements surely vary from partnership to partnership -- some people would not play #2 as natural either

It does suck, but you understand that there are a lot more of them than there are of you.

I let the director do the talking to them.

Fixed, sorry for the confusion and thanks.

I would double -- it's just not in me to pass with this good a hand over 4S. The X is for takeout (in that it does not promise a trump stack), but partner passes with balanced hands. He'll bid with a shapely hand. Partner can -- if you have this agreement -- bid 4N (Lebensohl-esque relay to 5C) to show a very weak hand that wants to play 5 (and only 5) of something, or he can bid 5X directly with some cards. I think we have good prospects if partner bids here, since I have a control-rich 18, but if he passes, I expect we'll collect a tidy sum in 4Sx.

Simpler rule: New suits by an unpassed hand are forcing.

Fitting, since if we removed the government from DC, it would be the next Flint, MI.

1M (p) 1N (3m)

Takeout for me, by either of us. I play 2/1 so the 1N is forcing, but even in SA you are endplayed into bidding 1N with a wide range of hands so can easily have shortness in their minor.

East appears to be 51(34). I would win the spade and duck a diamond to establish communication. Assuming a spade back, I'll win it, ruff a diamond, run the heart J, HA, and ruff a diamond back to hand to draw the last trump. [Aside: To avoid a trump promo, I won't ruff a spade back to hand until I'm forced to or until I've drawn trump.] Eventually my plan is to double hook in clubs to pick up either the 9 or the Q with west, assuming i haven't lost any spades or hearts yet.

Yes. 1C (1S) 2S (P) 2N 4D blah blah blah

afaik, the club is 3+, and 2S was a club raise (5+, limit+).

So north should cater to the times when south holds exactly AK A in the reds by splintering and bypassing 3N rather than keeping the auction low, finding out if partner is a min (3C) and keeping 3N in play? Surely south is not a favorite to have the spade ace on this auction. This is a vulnerable 1S overcall. A void? Could be, but we'll hear about that soon enough (either by partner or by east!). So we are looking for both red aces, a red king to cover our other red loser, and we have to dodge spade to the ace and a ruff: partner can certainly be 3xx3/4/5 or 2xx3/4/5 with west holding 6 spades. Hell, we might go down off the top in 5 clubs -- 2 aces and a ruff. Point is, given only north's hand and the auction thru 1S, are NS more likely (with practical considerations, including the lead) to make 3N or 6C, I think the answer is 3N. And in any case, 2S is flexible. It doesn't say that we can't play 6C. But the auction is over at 3S imo. What else can north do? And 3D is not a splinter in these auctions. Most play that 3D is fit-showing, some play that it's weak.

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Am I the only one who doesn't play SJS? I think this hand is hard unless opener reverses and I can jump to set hearts.

I mean it's probably right, but I'm wary of follow-ups. With what shapes does opener now bid 4N? [surely this isn't rkc] Seems like this has to be real wide ranging because can't responder have like 4054 or 4135? And, if opener rebids 5C, this should show real clubs (6+?), right? So if opener has to correct to 4N with a lot, responder has to guess a lot.

when i said 4063 +/1 card, i didn't mean he could have 14 :P

Partner is like 4063 +/- 1 card in my world. I bid 5D. [nonexpert so i hope it's still ok to post this]

That's what partner's for! :) And if partner has too many hearts to reopen, my constructive hand will be useful on defense.

4S/3N definitely shows > 4 spades. And nothing is perfect, true, but I fail to see why catering to the constructive hand after righty preempts is better than catering to a flexible game force.

I'd just lead a normal count card in spades (rather than an honor, so that if there's a stiff in dummy maybe declarer won't be able to place the spade honors and will misguess the clubs).

While we're on the topic, what is the difference between opener's direct 4N X-4N X-5C I assume 4N is pick, X-4N shows a 2 card difference C<D, and X-5C shows a 2 card diff C>D?

Wait, and you mean... pros would open/rebid/overcall 1N with all sorts of trash just so they can play the hand??? Well, this is outrageous! Such a game cannot be called bridge!