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Does partner really have AQJx or KQJx or better in Spades? I don't think so, so I will take the sure thing and Double if it's penalty / Pass otherwise.

Mike and Ken, what you are forgetting is that Fantoni and Nunes are allowed to open 1♠ with 12-13 HCP on any 6-4 (5-4 in Majors). Any suit at the one level can be as little 12 if it has extra shape and is considered too strong for opening it at the 2-level. 4321 is ok for NT contracts, but there are two big factors not being used. First, shape and honor location play a major role. 5-card suits are nice, but they don't mean a dang thing if you can't set it up and use it. As for honor location, on Friday I was in 6NT with 34 HCP; she was 4333 and I was 4432, but we had no 8-card fit. In two suits, we had AQ opposite KJx and AQx opposite KJx (I HATE MIRRORS!!!). We did have 10s in the long suits, but the contract failed when both King finesses were off. The tens were lucky, without them I go at least 2 down. Second, something which most people don't realize is how many honors the hands have. The Four Aces (a professional group from the 1930s) used a 3-2-1-0.5 scale, but they also would subtract the # of honors from 7 and multiply that by 0.5 and add that to their hand evaluation. I'm not sure about the number being 7, but it explains why in my experience, Aces and spaces are overrated for NT and should be downgraded. For 3NT, an Ace or two and a few Kings are necessary, but Queens/Jacks/Tens are SO much more important than most people realize. You can fail in 3NT on 28 HCP (4 A + 4 K) if you have no tens and suits don't break for you.

There is a point to be made here - West only has 3 HCP (not the 7-10 HCP here needed to bid 1NT) so the penalty double pays dividends. I would have bid 1♠ - while I only have 3 of them, nobody penalizes at the 1-level. :D On a side note, District 5 staggers the GNT qualifiers, but they have all 3 NAP flights on the same weekend (this year, I turn 25 on the Sunday). I'm interested in any flight (my partner moved back home to Toronto, so I'm currently partnerless), but I should probably stay in Flight C. After all, I have a great chance with any partner of finishing first, and I have to defend my title from last year. :lol:

Pass, wtp? Anyway, good luck in the district finals (I'm assuming Flight C).

Ouch, what else is there to say? I can tell you though that by passing up 3NT and not even trying for slam, they probably aren't making it; if they are, it's a fix for sure (I was fixed a few times today). However, if we need perfect defense to set it, I don't see it happening. :angry: :angry: :angry: I am going to pass here - if partner has no defense, I expect a pull, then we can hopefully find a fit. Like you though, I am looking forward to opinions by people who have dealt with this situation a lot - while I play Precision, I haven't played more than 5 times combined against it or Polish.

If you need someone to pair with gszes, I will step up. I'm very flexible on system and carding, and I want to sit at JEC's table.

The Diamonds aren't solid enough for you to think about 4♦, so I will splinter with 4♣ as well. Glad to see there's a few people who know what the auction 1m - 1M ; 4m means.

LTC sucks, we know that. If you are to use any losing count, use the Italian loser count. The first hand comes out to 7.5 losers, the second hand 9.25. Here's the link - http://www.clairebridge.com/textes/romanclubdietlindbernard.pdf I stick by my premise that I downgrade the first hand (hand #6) into a 1NT opener, for a balanced hand it's 16+ imo. Once partner says Diamonds, my hand shoots back up in value, so I'll show it by bidding 3♦.

I'm assuming that you are allowed to pass after 1♣-1♦ // 1M ; I can't in my partnership. The way I would approach it is simply "Do I want to play in 1M or 1NT if partner is broke with 2-card support?". Most of the time, I will bid my 5-card Major, but if the suit quality is junk (like Qxxxx) I'll just rebid 1NT. I tend not to open 1NT with 5-card Majors, except (again) if I would rather play in NT than the Major. Note that if 1NT is Forcing but you don't like to open 1NT with 5M, you can downgrade 14 counts and upgrade 16 counts, but 15 counts still are opened 1NT. Again, I am assuming that 1M - 1NT is Forcing; this doesn't apply to Semi-Forcing.

If there was ever a use for opening 5♠, this might be it. The hand isn't strong enough in terms of HCP; I prefer 16+ if distributional but this hand is THE exception. Of course, I would easily find this slam if playing Precision... (hint hint for how to upgrade GIB next).

This hand happened in the World Youth Championship last night. I was a commentator, and I said what I would have done, 3 different kibitzers messaged me choosing the other three choices in the poll. I want to see what you BBFers would say. I think I know, but I could be wrong. Note - I will NOT add a multi 2♦, since this pair did not play it. [hv=pc=n&s=shqt9743dak82c765]133|100[/hv] EDIT - I had it at the time showing seat and vulnerability, but apparently if there's no bids in the auction, then they don't show the auction and only show the hand. First seat, favorable vul.

First, if you play a Strong 2♦ in addition to Strong 2♣ you can set it as that. I don't, but if I played a serious 2/1 partnership, I would lobby like crazy for a 3-way 2♦ - GF balanced, strong hands with primarily Diamonds, and GF 4441 hands. Forget about that though, this is the time to whip out a 3NT Opening asking for Aces. Then you can get this auction (via Mbodell): 3NT - 5♠ (promises ♠A and ♣A, no other Aces) - 7♣. http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/42183-3n-for-aces/

EDIT - Double post, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

1.) I misbid on the first one - I thought the opponents had bid 1♦ - 1♥, and we were in 4th seat. The suit's too weak for a jump, so I stay low. 2♦ = 10 / 3♦ = 7 / 1♠ = 4 / anything else = 0 2.) I'm afraid that if we X, they'll just bid 4♠ or even 5♠, and partner will continue over both with a 5-card ratty suit thinking we have at least 4 and probably 5. My partners love to bid slams so they'll move after my slight underbid. 5♦ = 10 / X = 8 / 4NT = 4 / 6♦ = 1 3.) I would have downgraded into 1NT. Aces and Kings are great for suits, but horrid for NT when there's no Quacks. We have 5 tricks and 4333 distribution. We have a likely 8+ card fit in Diamonds and my hand is SUIT ORIENTED. I give 3♦ = 10 / 1♥ = 7 / 2NT = 5 (only because everyone will bid it)

Basically, we are doomed because China, and to a far lesser extent are polluting the atmosphere and don't give a damn about Kyoto. So why worry about going green, when the end of the world is arriving at the end of the year anyway? Obama, why are you forcing coal-powered electricity plants out of business??? I am sarcastic about the end of the world, but the rest of it I am serious.

With the robots on here, they like to jump A LOT. It in theory should be an ask in Diamonds, but ArtK78 nails it in that GIB is just saying it has extras. However, unlike his experiences, with me GIB always seems to jump with too little or with too much, I never hit the sweet spot that he seems to get.

Justin Lall, in one of his posts on his blog, talked about earlier in his career, when he would play in a big multi-day pairs event, he would always make Day 2 or 3, but in the finals his score would plummet. He said this was because he would be aggressive, and he would get away with it in the first sessions. Against the better/best players though, they would always punish him for it. I tend to play the field, but if I am SURE my judgment is better than the fields, then I'll back my judgment. Of course, this doesn't always pay off. An example was in Gold Rush pairs, I declared a 4♠ contract, LHO overcalling 2♥ (she was favorable). I had 25 HCP, but I was missing the Ace and Queen of Clubs, the Queen of Spades, the KQJ of Hearts, and a Jack of Diamonds. Anyway, I played everything wrong because she had overcalled on a 3522 9 HCP hand, and went down trying for a simple Heart-Club squeeze rather than the successful finesse of the ♣Q. Of course, DD makes 5, and most of the field made 4.

I don't think it should be forced per se, but I would rather have the ability to play every hand my partnership declares rather than having that dumb ol' GIB play and throw away tricks. At least then, less people can complain about screwups in the play, and I would get to play more!

I have no experience with AKQ points (if anyone would like to teach me, please message me!) but I do know a little about Beta. The system I play it in isn't too complicated. We use Beta acceptance, with a little twist - if Responder has a wide range at the time Beta is used (5+ HCP), the first step is 1-2 controls (assuming you haven't promised 4+) or a min in HCP. This was added pretty quickly, after a board went 1♣-1NT (8-13 bal) ; 2♣ - 2♥ (4 spades, not 4 hearts) ; 2♠ (Beta acc.) - 3♦ (4 controls)... We ended up 6♠ down 2. I had something like AT9x JTx xx ATxx, we didn't have enough HCP and there were 2 bad splits on top of that. Since then, it's worked pretty well. Over the Super Unusual Positives, we modified it so that 1st step = 4 controls (0 or 2 Aces), 2nd step shows 4 (1 Ace), and then 5, etc.

Broze, the reason I started bridge was I transferred to a new college, and my friends at the old college were already back from their Spring Break when I started mine. After reading the local paper and seeing the Bridge column (Becker bridge), I decided to spend a week to learn Bridge, just to understand the column. Unfortunately, I had no luck in teaching any of my friends.

Fantunes uses SJS over the 1-level suit bids, though Strong only in the sense that they are 5+ and Game Forcing. Also, R-M Precision (Meckwell) uses 1♦ - (1♥) - 2♠ as GF. I think 1♦ - (1♠) - 2♥ is also GF, but I have to look that up. Both pairs are in the minority. I know I play Reverse Flannery JS over 1m in my Precision partnership (my preference), and in all the others (SA or 2/1) some WJS because they want to.

Well, I started bridge 3 years ago, and the first book I read was The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge (1st Edition) , H. Anthony Medley with a foreword from Mike Lawrence. I checked it out free from my local library, and while it taught rubber-style bridge, toward the end it had all the stuff you needed if you wanted to switch over into duplicate. The early stuff is on bidding, but towards the end they do get on cardplay. Since then, a 2nd Edition has been released (Lawrence is now a co-author), and they cleaned it up a little as well as adding a section at the very end on 2/1. On Half.com , after shipping costs (US) the 1st edition comes out to just over $4 and the 2nd edition just under $7. I recommend the 2nd one only because of the improvements and the 2/1, but both are witty and insightful, and they help you learn.

1NT here. We have doubleton support, and enough points that 2♠ shouldn't be a problem. 1NT also keeps the bidding open - there's no reason why partner can't have an opening hand, or that because of the lie of the cards we can make game on less points than usual if partner has 9-11.

Save a spot at that bar for me. I agree with you guys here, and to pick both of your guys' minds would be a hell of a way to end a day in my opinion! Did you mean that if you had a spot instead of the ♥9 you would lead a Spade? It's probably just a mistake, but at this point I'm too tired and not thinking too coherently.

I'm assuming this is IMPs, though I probably wouldn't change my answer even at MPs. I lead a low Spade, because partner can easily have two Queens and length in our suit, and otherwise we likely aren't setting them.