lmilne

Hand 1: with my regular partner I play 2NT-4♠ as a balanced invite with 5 clubs, often (332)5 or 2245. I don't think there's much value in mentioning the diamonds, and I like my hand, so I would bid that. 6♣ by south is awesome. Hand 2: What P_Marlowe said, bid 3♥ over 2♠ to start a serious slam try and set spades. With both majors bid stayman first then use smolen over 2♦.

3♣. I don't think the risk of going minus (in 3♣ as opposed to 2♣) is that big, and we need to be bidding our games at IMPs. 3♣ seems the least flawed forward-going move.

Agree that pass ends the board too early. 1NT for me as well.

Other things equal, I'd prefer to be playing in an event where kind opponents give me the best chance to make this slam, and doubled to boot...

[hv=d=s&v=e&s=skt985ha3dajtcak9]133|100|[/hv] Bidding: (2♥)-X-(Pass)-3♣*-(Pass)- ? *Lebensohl, shows values.

Win in hand, lead the spade queen. If that wins, play spade to the jack. If both opponents follow small, I can mess around for an overtrick. If East shows out (fairly likely), West must be 4xx2 with 7 red cards and East 1xx7 with 5 red cards. The play now should be AK♥ and ruff a heart. If East shows out on the 2nd or 3rd round of hearts, then he is 1147/1237 respectively. In the 2nd case, we can just draw trumps as diamonds are breaking. In the 1147 case (west being 4612), we ruff the heart and lead a diamond towards the ace, hoping for West to ruff a loser. If he discards, I don't think we can make the contract. However, assuming all follow to three rounds of hearts, now play the queen of diamonds. If East follows, draw trump. If East shows out, West is 4342 so we play a diamond to the ace and play the last heart pitching our losing diamond. The 2-card ending will be: [hv=n=sahdxc&w=skxhdc&e=shdcxx&s=st9hdc]399|300|[/hv] and West is smother couped. Cool hand! Edit: I probably wouldn't inquire unless I had some serious machinery to find a good slam. Edit2: Forgot the other case where the 4C bidder has the King of spades (held-up). Now we are fine unless diamonds are also 4-1 with West, in which case we have a guaranteed red-suit squeeze after isolating the heart menace.

And either game or slam might make 10, 11, or 12 tricks. Anything could happen!

3♣. Have to force to game. 2♣ is wimpy, 3♠ is terrible.

Agree, jack of diamonds as best attacking choice. Heart seems way too passive. Don't like spade for similar reasons. Don't like clubs because of the ace.

The thread title was referring to the difference between getting your intermediate (15-17) balanced hands off your chest immediately, as these are the hands most vulnerable to preemption (as here), and opening them 1-suit. When we have this auction playing a strong NT system, we can never have a medium balanced hand. So, we always have either a weak NT which where we normally have a clear scrambling action, an unbalanced hand where we bid our suit(s), or a strong balanced hand which can cue-bid/GF in some other way. Of course there are other reasons why strong NT/weak NT might be better, but strong NT seems to have an edge in these auctions. Justin, you might be slowly convincing me of pass. What would you do at other vulnerabilities?

Pass? Could work I guess. Didn't even consider it, but seems pretty sensible on second thought...

[hv=d=s&v=e&s=sk43h84dakj8caj95]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] Playing weak NT with a first-time partner, you open 1♦. Auction proceeds 2♥ (weak) on your left, negative X from partner, pass to you. Abstain would be great if we could use it at the table...

non expert I bid simple 3nt over 3s ya we may not have diamonds How is ignoring your 8-card (+) major fit "simple"? Yeah, we might not have diamonds stopped, I guess... what?

Edited second hand, partner is favourable second seat, not unfav.

All hands you are playing a matchpoints tournament with a good, somewhat conservative partner. Most of your opponents aren't that good. 1. [hv=d=n&v=n&s=s3hk87653dt54ckt8]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] Pass-(1♦)-2♣-(2♠)-X-(4♠)-Pass-Pass-? Do you like X? What now? 2. [hv=d=n&v=n&s=s3hk87653dt54ckt8]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] (Pass)-1♠-(2♦)-3♦-(Pass)-3♠-(Pass)-? 3. [hv=d=n&v=n&s=s3hk87653dt54ckt8]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] 2S-(Pass)-? Your partner will virtually always have 6 spades here. 2S is just a 6-10 weak two. 4. And lastly, bid these hands to 6NT by South, after the start 1♠-2♥ (GF). [hv=d=e&v=b&n=skqjhkqjt6dqj4ck8&s=sat843ha74da8cq93]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]

Think I'd probably do something - not sure what the difference is between 5♥ and 5♠, possibly showing/denying heart control?

I'd bid hearts, I have more of them than spades

people don't bid 5/5 that often... and they are doubling most of the time we are 2 light, right?

Just 3 for me

yeah, at unfav you're a little worried hitting something like xxx/QJxx/QJxx/Kx opposite, where you go -500 if the diamond hook is wrong. red vs white, it's wrong to bid whenever we have 9 or less tricks, or when we have 10 and they have 9 or less. it's right to bid whenever we have 11 or more tricks or both sides have 10. just trying to get a feel for what the frequencies look like (it's probably an easier question at matchpoints because only frequencies are relevant rather than relative risk/reward). so i guess the question could be rephrased as, do you think the probability that we make or have a good vul vs not save is greater than the risk of -500 or a phantom sac? it's probably just a thing you can build up over long experience... i did consider 3♥, but i didn't think it was going to cause them many problems and my hand kinda felt like a normal overcall.

Haha, or if the 2D opener psyched a pass of 2H with a balanced 24-count? Would work well against this player nowadays, I bet!

I think on the hand the 'safe -100 line' gives RHO 5 spade tricks, don't have the hand record on me though :P

We have 6 top tricks. Seems like we want to establish 2 extra spade tricks and a trick in the minors. If we win in dummy and hook the spade jack, then we make immediately when RHO has Kx of spades (3 extra tricks from spades). If the hook loses, then we have two entries to dummy to establish and cash a diamond trick whenever spades break 3-2 or 4-1 with the ten onside. On a diamond/spade return, cash the top diamonds and go to dummy to lead the jack of diamonds, establishing our ninth trick (3 spades, 2 hearts, 3 diamonds, 1 club). If RHO has Kxx of spades (LHO having Tx), the better line would be spade to the ace, AK♦, jack of spades, overtaking when the ten appears. Now a non-club return lets us establish the diamonds again. On a club return, we need to hook. This line also picks up stiff king offside, with club finesse to take for our ninth trick. Best line to me seems to be win and hook the jack. We avoid going off needlessly when RHO has Kx and returns a club from small cards (which spade to the ace followed by the jack risks). If RHO has KTx of spades, neither line has an advantage (RHO can just duck the jack of spades). Finally, if RHO has Kxx of spades, we still have the club finesse to fall back on, which we need to make legitimately on that layout anyway.

cheers man

just wanted to check :rolleyes: i bid 5♥ vul vs not, thought it was auto at all other vuls and probably this one too, its good to get forum confirmation though...