Walddk

Sure you could find a layout where you take the first 9 or 10 tricks (say partner has ♥AK + length and ♠Qx with K10 or Kxx in the East hand), but as Mike Hargreaves has put it many times: bridge is a game of probabilities. There is no doubt in my mind that a spade lead will win in the long run. If you found a heart and it turned out to be the killing lead, I congratulate you. Roland

Life is not difficult for a very weak responder. Since 3♣ is non-forcing, he just displays one of his several pass cards. Roland

No it's not. It's a 2♣ rebid, 12-18 at least 5-4 in the minors. 3♦ would deny four clubs although you can choose to ignore them if they are tiny. Roland Thanks, wasnt aware of that. Move a small club to hearts. Is it a 3♦ over 1♥ or 1♠ now in Bridgevejen? ♠ 5 ♥ Q82 ♦ AKJ942 ♣ AJ8 Since we do not have 2½♦ available, I would say 3♦ over 1♥ and 2♦ over 1♠. After a 1♥ response the hand is considerably better than after 1♠.

No it's not. It's a 2♣ rebid, 12-18 at least 5-4 in the minors. 3♦ would deny four clubs although you can choose to ignore them if they are tiny. Roland

This is an easy hand. 2♥. ♠ Axx ♥ K ♦ AQ ♣ AQ10xxxx This is much more difficult, but I will go for 2♦. Roland

If you bid again, you are committed to at least 4♣, so yes, 3♥ is forcing. Roland

Roland

I will pass although I am known to be an aggressive opener. I am also known to always open my longest suit, and I just can't bear it with those baby diamonds. Give me ♠ KQJTx ♥ x ♦ Axxxxx ♣ x and it's a different ballgame altogether. This is a sound opener, considerably better than many balanced 12-14 counts. I bet that Frances, Harald and MikeH will open that hand 1♦ too, and I know Steve Robinson opens 1♠. He would even if you gave him xxxxx x AKQJ10x x Roland

3♦. Either you pass or raise to 3NT. 5♦ is unlikely to be the right spot, and even if it is, partner may think you have 5-4 in the reds, not 4-5. Apparently, he did since his next call was 4♥. With this said, there is no need for West to jump to game in hearts. You are in a game forcing situation, so 3♥ is better. Roland

3NT, offering partner a choice of games. I would be surprised if we have exactly 9 tricks in spades. Roland

3♥ effectively game-forcing? You must have invented your own system. <snip> So are you obviously. "However, 3♥ would be silly", mikeh wrote. Well put. Roland

Are you serious? 3♥ is indeed encouraging but it is also non-forcing in any system I know. You must surely force to game with that hand. Whether you bid 2♦, 3♣ or 4♥ is a matter of agreement, but I certainly don't want to risk that 3♥ is passed out. Do you think he will raise with J10xxx x xxx Kxxx Roland

Not only should you show ♠K as an "ace" (spades are agreed), but you should also show ♠Q while you're at it. If you play 0314 as you state, two keycards with and without trump queen is part of the Roman Keycard system. However, if you play ordinary Blackwood, I think it's a good idea not to say that you play 0314 (or 1430 for that matter). As always, you need an agreement. Apparently, 0314 wasn't enough. As an aside, I do not agree with your leap to 4♠. That should show 4 card support because you guarantee a fit. Then what? Well, too complicated and not really the topic here. Roland EDIT: Only now did I realise that you have three keycards, so your response was correct (0 or 3). Your partner could then have continued with 5♦ to ask for spade queen and outside kings.

1♥ pass pass dbl 2♣ dbl? What is double, clubs (possibly hearts too) or both unbid suits? If the latter, how many spades and diamonds do you expect, and roughly how strong? Roland

Whatever you decide to play (there are zillions of methods), playing in 1NTX must be an option. Well said, Frances. Roland

http://homepage.mac.com/bridgeguys/Convent...backRubens.html

In old-fashioned English Acol: 5. You are playing 4-card majors, so the 1H opening bid shows only 4 of them. Bidding them again now shows 5 of them. NB: Many 'modern' or 'advanced' Acol players prefer to play this auction as showing 6 hearts. They get round the what-do-I-rebid problem by either i) Opening 1NT with a 5-card major ii) Playing a wide range (12-16 or 12-17) 1NT rebid after 1H - 1S. And now don't ask me why I dislike Acol. One of the examples is displayed right here. Glad to hear Tom Townsend (England) on vugraph last night. "I can't understand why they keep teaching such rubbish in England". Roland I'm not sure which bit of my post you are moaning about, but Tom & David play 4-card majors and go for my option (i), opening 1H on 12-14 with 4 hearts and rebidding 1NT; opening 1NT on 15-17 with 4 or 5 hearts. (i) is fine, (ii) is unplayable. I should have been more specific. Generally speaking, Acol is out of date, but you don't change things in Britain overnight, and you certainly won't change much if you keep teaching new players stuff that was ok 30-40 years ago. Fortunately, most of your talented junior players have seen the light. Let me emphasize that I have nothing against 4 card majors. It's Acol as a system I dislike. Roland

goobers has a few good points. This hand is enormous and double is a waste of time (at best), assuming that 2♣ is Michaels. Some agreement regarding 2♥ and 2♠ would be nice to have. For me 2♠ is the call that shows a forcing raise in clubs; others reverse it. If I get the chance, my next move is to bid 4♣, forcing when preceded by 2 of their suit. I am hoping to get 4♦ now, and then hopefully I can kickback keycard in 4♥. We could have anything from 5 to 7♣. Since I am not settling for 3NT anyway, another possibility is to bid 4♥ right away. That can hardly be natural, but who knows. The problem with 4♥, however, is that it does not solve my problem in the diamond suit. If I can't have anything of the above, I will just punt 6♣. Maybe that's the practical solution in a pick-up partnership on BBO. Roland

In old-fashioned English Acol: 5. You are playing 4-card majors, so the 1H opening bid shows only 4 of them. Bidding them again now shows 5 of them. NB: Many 'modern' or 'advanced' Acol players prefer to play this auction as showing 6 hearts. They get round the what-do-I-rebid problem by either i) Opening 1NT with a 5-card major ii) Playing a wide range (12-16 or 12-17) 1NT rebid after 1H - 1S. And now don't ask me why I dislike Acol. One of the examples is displayed right here. Glad to hear Tom Townsend (England) on vugraph last night. "I can't understand why they keep teaching such rubbish in England". Roland

Nicely put by DHL, but as to your question regarding quick and slow players generally speaking, this is my hit list: Quick: 1. Chagas, Brazil (everyone else is far behind) Slow: 1. Sundelin, Sweden 1. M Feldman, USA (nickname "flash") 1. Robson, England 1. Shenkin, USA 1. Grøtheim, Norway 1. Aa, Norway 1. Muller, Netherlands 1. Rosenberg, USA Roland

ditto. 3♥ followed by 4♣ if partner signs off. If he rebids 4♠, then 5♣ next. Roland

Moi. I sent 4 or 5 (I forget). Roland

This is how I play it after opening 1 of a major; not sure if it is mainstream. The splinter, singleton as well as void, shows 9-11 hcp or 18+ (will bid again if opener signs off). It is based on 4 card support for the major. 1♥ - 3♠ = Singleton or Void (you can't distinguish because 4♠ bypasses the trump suit) 1♥ - 4♣ = Void 1♥ - 4♦ = Void 1♥ - 3N = Unspecified singleton 4♣ asks where (4♥ = clubs) ... 1♠ - 4♣, 4♦, 4♥ = Void 1♠ - 3N = Unspecified singleton 4♣ asks where (4♠ = clubs) * * With 18+ responder may choose not to splinter if he has a singleton club, because there is a risk that opener passes. Responder can choose to use Jacoby or the like. ... The idea is that partner will (almost) always be interested in learning about a void, so you show it immediately. However, he may not want to know about a singleton and can sign off without asking for it. Either he can see where by looking at his own cards, or he is not interested because he has a minimum, e.g. no slam interest opposite 9-11. Then he will not have revealed anything to the opponents. Finally as a consequence, if 1MA - 2NT is your preferred game forcing raise, it will deny 9-11 or 18+ hcp with a singleton or void (club singleton possible if 18+ as outlined above). Roland

What she said, except that our weak twos are always constructive (8-11) in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, opening values in 4th. We use garbage Multi (5+ cards, 4-7). Roland

Where exactly did you use might? I read it as "will". And if the opposite of antsy is relaxed, I suggest that you relax. Roland