Walddk

Playing Acol where a rebid of own suit is NF opposite a 2/1 response, you do not need responder to promise a rebid. What you do need, however, is to let the 2/1 response create a force to at least 2NT. Hence, opener does not have to jump with a bad 6-card suit, because responder can't pass a rebid of own suit at the 2-level. The weakest possible bids available now are 2NT and rebid of own suit which opener can pass. Look at this hand: ♠ A8 ♥ K109743 ♦ K42 ♣ AQ 1♥ - 2♦ ?? It's nonsense really if opener must jump to 3♥ now in order to show his 6-card suit and to create a force, because 2♥ can be passed. If you agree that 2♥ can't be passed because there is a force to at least 2NT after a 2/1 response, opener can take it easy with this hand and just rebid 2♥. 3♥ would obviously be misdiscriptive with the hand above. If you have this agreement, you have 3♥ available as showing at least a semi-solid suit, e.g. a suit with no more than one loser opposite a singleton. For this to playable, you must have sound 2/1 responses of course, not dubious 8 or 9 counts. It's much better to respond 1NT with those. Roland

Very sexy indeed. Now, you find partner with a singleton spade, fine; how do you ask if his suit is solid opposite a void? Roland

We want to declare the hand due to the ♣AQ tenace, so 5♦ must be the bid. We may miss a slam if partner is allowed to have a queen (♥Q), but even so he also needs to have a singleton spade .... and a solid suit opposite a void! All this is too much to ask for. I wouldn't be surprised at all if 5♦ is too high. We could easily lose 2 clubs and a diamond, and even if the diamonds are solid, they may be able to negotiate a club ruff. However, 5♦ must be the practical bid. I have too much for signing off via 4♣.

Preferably sooner than that if Fred has time. Our broadcasts from the Hecht Cup in Denmark and the Norwegian Summer Festival will also suffer as long as the system works as it does not. The Grand Tournament in Bergen, Norway, in late January operates with the same format, but I will obviously understand that this can't be implemented with such a short notice. Roland

You can indeed. Send your CV's, including photos, to Karen Owens at: macaw(at)bridgebase.com Roland

Dear jb, Passing a jump shift is criminal. It's GF, so once responder has bid once, she can't stop short of game (unless opps get doubled in something). You are obviously entitled to take a view, but for partnership morale I recommend that you don't pass a forcing bid. It looks like the majority suggestion (3♠) would have worked very well here, but even 3NT would have led to some game. I suspect opener will pull to 4♦ (showing 6-5), and responder will either correct to spades or support diamonds (5♦, or a 5♣ cue bid en route). Roland

We haven't been contacted regarding that tournament. It's up to the organisers if they want to broadcast their events through BBO. Maybe someone wants to encourage them. We have plenty to do as it is, so we don't have time to approach them. Have our software for free, but tell us if you want to use it, is the rule we live by. Roland

Yeah, the rest of us would rather walk around in the nude :D Roland

Excellent rule, but 3NT is not one of the alternatives with that hand in my opinion, and I doubt that Hamman himself would bid it. Roland

Yes! First discard: give count in a suit you do not want and trust your intelligent partner to figure out what you (may) want. Occasionally you don't want anything! Roland

We will be broadcasting from the seniors' KO final in Denver today (64 boards). Approximate segment starting times (all New York): 12.00, 14.30, 18.30 and 21.00. Add 6 hours if you live in Europe (CET), +5 hours for the UK and +16 for Sydney. Roland

Is that special for the United States? I don't think so. Running a hotel is a business, so it's only fair that you can't bring your own beverages. Regarding internet connections and rates, however, it might be a good idea for the organizers to check it out before they book! Roland

3♠. No alternative. It doesn't show support, merely preference. 4♦ would promise support (4), 3NT would be the bid with x Qxxx xxx Axxxx and finally, 3♥ would show a suit or values, depending on your agreement. Roland

Finally something positive from Denver. As expected, we will be broadcasting from the final day of the Reisinger B-a-M Teams on Sunday. Session starting times are: 2:00 pm New York, 20.00 Paris, 7:00 pm London. 8:00 pm New York, 02.00 Paris (Monday), 01.00 am London (Monday). 27 boards per session (9 rounds of 3 boards). Most likely 2 table coverage. Additionally, there is a good chance that we will be showing the seniors' KO final on Friday. The major obstacle at the moment is that we don't know exactly when. The 4 segments of 16 boards are scheduled for Friday at 12.30 pm New York (32 boards) and 6:30 pm New York, also 32 boards (18.30 and 00.30 Paris), but the team captains have the option of changing the times to 10.00 am Friday New York and 10.00 am Saturday New York (16.00 Friday and Saturday Paris). I can't get any closer right now but will keep you posted as and when (if) I get more information. Roland

Brozel is pretty useless (sorry Mr. Zeller). If you play that convention, you are completely lost if you don't happen to have a heart suit. Virtually everything shows hearts as one of the suits. Roland

The interesting aspect is that B&L are not banned from playing in Europe although the incident took place there with the European Bridge League as the organizer. Kind of strange that the ACBL was the first organization to expel them (for good it seems), isn't it? On the other hand, let me say this as clearly as possible: they are not welcome in my bridge club! I can't know for sure obviously, but I think this applies to most places in Europe. Roland

Indeed. A declarer who can't state a line of play is also likely to have forgotten that the opponents have 3 trumps, and under no circumstances, given the info we have here, will she be allowed to take a finesse. I may even consider giving NS two tricks! If declarer thinks all her cards are high, she may as well play her ♥x or ♠K at some point and let South win his queen as well as one of the other two trumps. Roland

Is there really still any sensible person who has lobby chat on? Excuse me, but it's nothing but public word pollution. I turned if off 2 years, 3 months, 13 days, 49 minutes and 11 seconds ago - and I will never turn it on again! Roland

Law 73, B(2) to be specific. B. Inappropriate Communication Between Partners 1. Gratuitous Information Partners shall not communicate through the manner in which calls or plays are made, through extraneous remarks or gestures, through questions asked or not asked of the opponents or through alerts and explanations given or not given to them. 2. Prearranged Communication The gravest possible offense is for a partnership to exchange information through prearranged methods of communication other than those sanctioned by these Laws. A guilty partnership risks expulsion. ..... On Nov. 18, 2005, the American Contract Bridge League Ethical Oversight Committee found Mr. Andrea Buratti and Mr. Massimo Lanzarotti guilty of violating Law 73 of the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge for deliberately communicating unauthorized information at the European Bridge League Championship earlier this year. As a result, the Committee expelled Mr. Buratti and Mr. Lanzarotti from the American Contract Bridge League effective immediately. Mr. Buratti and/or Mr. Lanzarotti may appeal this decision to the League’s Appeals and Charges Committee within thirty (30) days.

DONT doesn't work very well against a 12-14 NT unless you want to give up on penalising the opponents. Double shows a 1-suiter if you play DONT. You could have the agreement that you skip showing a single-suited hand (unless you have spades, see below) and let double be for penalty. Then you can use the rest of the convention: 2♣ = clubs and another. 2♦ = diamonds and a major. 2♥ = both majors. 2♠ = natural. However, I suggest that you use Multi-Landy instead of Landy and DONT. Personally I want to keep the option of doubling for penalty. Dbl = penalty. 2♣ shows a two-suiter (at least 5-4) with both majors. 2♦ shows a one-suiter in hearts or spades. 2♥ shows five hearts and at least four cards in a minor. 2♠ shows five spades and at least four cards in a minor. Roland

The first question you need to answer is: could the double of 1♥ as penalty be a surprise for the opponents? In my opinion yes; therefore it's alertable. The next question you must ask is: has the missing alert damaged the non offending side? It's for the TD to decide. If the answer is yes, the score should be adjusted. If no, the table result stands. Roland P.S. Nice to see you back jb :P

Unfortunately, we are not any wiser regarding broadcast(s) from Denver. At this point I think it's safe to assume that the Blue Ribbon Pairs is off as far as we are concerned, and I still have nothing final about the Reisinger. Guessing is not really my kind of game, but let me take a chance and predict that we will only get the last two sessions of that event on the last day of the Fall Nationals: Sunday. And please, lodge your complaints elsewhere. I am not responsible for decisions the ACBL makes. We offer our software if the organisers are interested; we do not demand that they accept the offer. Roland

Interesting. "To finesse" in Danish is "at knibe", meaning "to pinch" (ouch). The origin is unknown, but maybe some take great pleasure in pinching the queen (woman) when she is on side. Roland

"To peter" in bridge terminology is another word for "to signal". Here is what the Encyclopedia of Bridge says about it: A term used in Great Britain, but rarely elsewhere, to describe a high-low made in discarding, such as high-low in any given suit. Originally, in whist, the use of the term was restricted to a high-low in the trump suit only. The reverse way of petering is also quite normal. "Double reverse Smith peters" for example: both defenders tell each other at the first given opportunity if they like the lead or not (low card = yes, high card = no). It only applies to defence against NT. Roland

Joey Silver from Canada Open. Roland