the_dude

#1 Read, read, then read some more. You just can't just "figure out" all of the possible plays/stratagems/techniques in this game. You have to see them once or twice first (or 10-20 times in my case). #2A Play ALOT. There's no substitute for reps. #2B Go over every hand after each session. Most of us make a hundred little mistakes each session. The difference between the old timer who is still terrible after 40 years .. and the good player .. is that one has examined and learned from those mistakes.

[hv=pc=n&s=sah53dak65caj9863&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=pp1c2spp]133|200|IMPs[/hv] If you double, what are your plans when partner bids 3♥? How about if he bids 3♣? If you balance with 3♣, how aggressively do you expect partner to bid game? Are you showing significant extra values? etc...

[hv=pc=n&s=sakt3ha75dk432ck2&n=sj5hq8432da76caj5&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1hp1sp1np]266|200[/hv] For you XYZ bidders: Question 1: What are your shape requirements for a jump to 3♥ over 1NT? 4H/5S? How about 3H/6S (since partner is likely to have raised to 2S with 3). Do you allow jumping to 3H with extra values but not extra shape (this hand)? Question 2: what are your requirements for a jump to 4♥ at South's second turn? Is it a picture bid? Or just a generic sign off (since North cannot have a slam try)? I ask because it impacts the next question... Question 3: Assuming South does not qualify for a second round 3♥ jump, and the auction continues: 1H - 1S 1NT - 2D 2NT - 3H ? Is this a demand cue bid situation? On the one hand South has a crappy hand .. on the other he has two aces. However any forward move he makes might overly excite North. Or possibly North should just assume there is no slam after a 1NT rebid and give up on the perfect fit hands? Thanks!

Thanks to all for the responses - your feedback is greatly appreciated. A few thoughts: - Had S held the J or 109 of hearts, I would have overcalled 2H without much of a thought. Without them I saw it as a pass. I think I am clearly overvaluing a couple of spots .. that's a blind spot on my part. - I learned bridge by reading (and re-reading ad infinitum) everything Mike Lawrence ever wrote. I consider "Overcalls" as one of my bibles .. and by those standards the South hand is not a 2H call vul at imps. That being said .. the discussion here indicates I'm clearly wrong about this and need to update my competitive judgement. I'm not sure if Mike's stuff is just old or I just don't understand bridge :s - I think mostly about potential gain vs loss (and the likelihood of both) and probably don't give enough merit to the destructive effects of overcalls. Another blind spot... All told .. this forum is an invaluable resource for stuff like this .. thanks again!

[hv=pc=n&s=s64haq8654da53ct2&n=sj2hj32dqt2cakq65&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=1sp2sppp]266|200[/hv] IMPS Who is getting to 4H on this hand? This hand was played by a couple of my students and I have to explain it to them today. I feel that: - South has a clear pass over 1S - North has a very close call, I can understand both pass and X - I would probably balance with 3H (still doesn't get us to 4H) but I understand pass too... Am I getting too conservative in my old age? Perhaps I've written down -1100 too many times and I'm scarred...

Thanks for the responses. I don't really want to dwell on North's bidding (he could have easily had one less club and one more diamond) .. because my question is really whether the above sequence is a slam try or search for correct trump suit. For example, with AKxxx Kx AQxx xx Might I not bid the same way? Now I *want* my partner to go on with an appropriate maximum. You you agree as a partnership that this auction is not a slam try and only searching for the correct trump suit? .. because if so I don't know how to make a slam try. This auction has always driven me mad. Thanks :)

[hv=pc=n&s=sat98762h32dk97ca&n=s43hakqj54d2ck986&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1hp1sp2hp3dp3np4hp4np5hp6hppp]266|200[/hv] I struggle with this hand every time it comes up... (Playing generic 2/1 with a random partner) ... Holding the South hand, over 2♥ it is still not clear to me that Hearts is the correct trump suit. So I bide time with 3♦, and over 3NT I don't know what to do. I choose 4♥ as likely the best contract but partner (as expected) assumes this is a slam try. GG. Any ideas? Do I give up on spades over 2♥, otherwise I don't know where to go from there (assuming standard-ish methods - and for now my regular partners inisit on sticking with secondary jumps as invitational). Thanks!

With my partners, we make these auctions easy by following these simple guidelines: - 3♦ could be artificial, is forcing, but does not necessarily set any suit as trump .. there's many hands you could have and make this call. - 4♣ is general slam try and sets trump. It cannot be blackwood since trump has not yet been set. - Partner of the 4♣ bidder bids 4NT (to play) to say he is balanced/minimum and not interested. Any other bid is a cue bid in support of clubs .. confirming interest in slam. 5C denies controls to bid but is stronger than 4NT. This player MAY NOT bid blackwood at this time even if he wanted to. (the one nebulous response in this spot is rebidding his major. Many play this as a choice of games bid and thus passable .. be careful with this bid) - After a positive (cue bid) response, 4NT by the original 4♣ bidder is blackwood. And subsequent 4NT by his partner is blackwood. After a slam try and confirmation, 4NT is always blackwood. This player CANNOT sign off in 4NT after asking for interest and getting confirmation. 5C is the weakest bid he can make if he wants to sign off. So in your case, 4♣ set trump and showed slam interest, 4♦ by North confirmed interest in slam and 4NT was RKC for clubs.

I agree with he bidding until the final 3NT. - I wouldn't open 3♠ with this hand NV. Too good and too many values outside of spades. - Opener had every opportunity to bid 3NT over 3♦ but did not. Surely South should look at his Q♠ and Ax of ♣ and come to the right conclusion. - Even if 2♠ is sometimes bid on 5 (I agree with this approach), a third bid of 3♠ should show a suit that can play opposite singleton Q. You shouldn't be bidding spades 3 times on K10xxxx.

[hv=pc=n&s=saqj9hkqtdkcak972]133|100[/hv] Playing a fairly standard strong 2♣ structure (2♦ waiting, 3♣ second negative, etc), what is your preferred approach on these hands? Open 1♣ and jump shift to 2♠ Open 2♣ and bid 2NT over 2♦ Open 2♣ and bid 3♣ over 2♦ Open 2♣ and bid 2♠ over 2♦ Other? (besides switching to a strong club...)

While I raise with 3 whenever it seems right, I don't like the meta rule that you "must" and that your subsequent 4SF auctions do not allow you to show 12-14 with 3 card support that you didn't think was appropriate to raise. Do you really raise to 2♥ with: x xxx AKxxx AQxx or even --- xxx AKxxx KJxxx Furthermore, don't you want to be able to show delayed with a doubleton honor in the 4SF auction? On the auction in question, I would like to be able to bid 3♥ (over 4SF) with xx Kx AKxxx QJxx It seems to me that both of these hand types are important and if you restrict the delayed raise (in 4SF) to the 16+ 1354, you bid neither very well. How about a structure like this: 1♦ - 1M 2♣ - 2oM 3M = bad 3card raise or doubleton honor 3oM = 16+ with 3card support Yes, 3oM chews up alot of bidding space, but if partner was interested in slam, we should be there now. If responder now bids 4 of either minor it sets trumps and clarifies his intentions (as in the OP). Thoughts?

[hv=pc=n&s=sa985h32dak3c7632&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=pp]133|200|IMPs[/hv] Just curious as to the styles out there...

That being said, look at the South hand and then imagine you hear your partner open 1♣, then show 4 spades and a Diamond stop. Can you really blame him for bidding a slam? (how he got there notwithstanding)

So .. we got our two trump tricks .. and partner's 16 count was compromised by the fact that all of the opponents high cards are over him. (which we know to be true looking at only 6) I consider this hand a perfect illustration as to why pass is poor with such a bad hand. The 8 card suit is a distraction .. looking at only 2 trump tricks it's an unreasonable risk to assume that partner will produce 3 more with the rest of the deck sitting over him and opener with shortness somewhere.

Assuming "expert standard" with no special agreements: I don't like 4♥ because partner's subsequent actions will be based on me having 18-19 balanced. 3♠ is tricky, when opps bid 4♠ and partner hits it you kind of have to pull. The difference in both offensive and defensive potential between singleton and void is huge - and partner's double is almost certainly expecting more than one defensive trick since you bid game by yourself. How's this for an idea: bid 3♥ now. If 3♠ is passed back to you you can bid 4♥ and partner will know what you have. If 3 ♥ is passed out .. no big deal .. you are almost certainly not making game anyway (partner has good spades and a minimum). If it comes back to you at 4♠ undoubled you can bid 5♦ - defending 4♠ undoubled with a void and a fit can't be right. And if it comes back to you at 4♠ doubled you can feel a little better about leaving it in since your expected high card strength is now pretty close (remember that 3♥ promises an unbalanced hand). Whadya think?

I play support Xs like most of the above - 90% mandatory. You are allowed to pass or bid another suit but it's very rare. Partner will be assuming you have < 3 card support. Thinking back over the years, I'm struggling to remember a hand where this philosophy cost me a board. But the hands where it wins seems to come up almost every session.

Just picked up Endgame (Bobby Fischer bio) and it's pretty good so far. Interesting parallels between the Bridge world and Chess world. I'm not a sci-fi fan .. but a friend insisted I read Ender's Game a while back and I must admit it was fantastic.

I'm pretty unimaginative. 3 level bids are natural and forcing. 4 level bids are splinters for our major. I'm curious to hear some more exotic stuff.

[hv=pc=n&s=sqt832hjt9832dck2&n=sk74ha54dqt65ca86&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=2dp3d4dp6dp6hppp]266|200|IMPs[/hv] 4H makes exactly .. is it possible on this auction to get to 4 (and only 4) Hearts?

When you have no bid that describes your hand, you have to choose the least damaging lie. Since spades weren't raised, 1NT is probably the right contract, and whatever spade honors your partner holds are over the spade bidder. It shouldn't be too bad. And you are at the top of your bid, so even if spades run you will likely make it anyway. This hand is too weak for 2♠ imho.

That is absolutely my reasoning. You second auction is trickier for sure, I see merit in both forcing and NF.

I've never known the best way to handle this hand .. and it keeps coming up! Any opinions would be appreciated. You have an opening hand with 5/5 major + clubs. Partner opens 1m and bidding proceeds 1m - 1M - 2NT - ... You are playing Wolff signoff + 3D checkback with minor suit slam tries starting with 3♣. Right now 4♣ is Gerber over 2NT or 3NT on this sequence. Presumably you have to start with 3♦ to check the major .. when partner bids 3oM or 3NT .. under what circumstances can you show a slammish hand with a good 5card club suit? Does anyone have good agreements for this hand? Does it matter whether partner's opening bid was clubs or diamonds? You could have a good 6♣ in either case. Thanks!

In my opinion, it's a question of frequency. Which hands come up more often .. the ones where 4minor is the exact perfect contract ... or hands where you have a big hand and need to force the bidding. Seems to me that we should be catering to the more frequent game and slam hands rather than hands where we want to play in specifically 4minor.

Mike Lawrence used to recommend that responder Cue Bidding 3♦ showed a game forcing raise and that this auction showed a limit raise. I never like that treatment - but if this were a pickup partnership it wouldn't surprise me if that's what he is doing. That being said, like the above poster, I would bid 3NT and hope he clarifies what he meant.

[hv=pc=n&s=sakq83hdkq73ckqt3&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=1hd2hpp]133|200[/hv] All Vul at IMPS. Opponents seem to be sensible. At what point are you mentioning your Spade suit? Now? At the 3 level? Maybe never? Spoiler question: If you say Double or 2S right now, LHO will bid 3H passed back to you. What are your thoughts now?