chasetb

Lightner double at the 4 level? I agree that West should NOT double unless they have a specific agreement that it forces a Heart lead. Even then, that West hand is pushing it.

There's a thing called "Garbage Stayman", Jerry Helms talked about it a few months ago in his Bridge Bulletin column. Anyway, with 0-7 HCP, any 4-4-4-1 or 4-4-5-0 hand should use Stayman and then pass. You are very likely to find an 8-card fit, and even if you end up in a 7-card fit, it will be a better contract than 1NT. With 4-7 or 8 HCP, you should also use Stayman with 4-3-5-1 or 3-4-5-1, because it will play better as well. GIB made the wrong lead and had bad defense, 3NT should go down.

I would splinter as well, because this hand would splinter without interference, and we can still do it.

Handviewer link I took 3♥ as Smolen, which it should have been. Does GIB not know Smolen, or has the robot not been properly programmed so that it still uses the same structure over an intervening 2♦ over Stayman and a pass by me denying 4-card support? A side question - is there an easy way to put the hand up without having to manually input every card? I should know this by now, but I sadly don't :unsure:

Playing natural systems has nothing to do with overcalls. I play jumps in the passout seat as an Intermediate Jump Overcall, showing roughly 13-16 HCP. If it's at the 2-level, it is usually 6 cards, occasionally 7. At the 3-level, I expect 7, though occasionally a really good 6-bagger can and should be bid. With that hand, I would bid 2♣ in a heartbeat, though I would be wishing I could show the Spades as well. Why couldn't I play top-bottom cuebids just this one time?

The first thing that came to my mind is to play it like pooltuna would (which most B/I would probably miss). As for the bidding, it looks normal. 5NT would be best, saying "I have 3-card ♠ support, as well as a few ♣". After all, how often do we want to be in 5NT, especially when we know they have a 10+ card fit? However, I expect most B/I would pass me if I bid 5NT, so I would hope partner has 5+ ♠.

Recently, my Precision partner and I have been talking about playing a Transfer Precision, and while I'm a tad reluctant at present (I don't want him or myself to learn anything new until after we get 1st at the NAP regional qualifier), I do feel that it wouldn't be a bad idea to at least try it in 3rd or 4th seat. Here's my thinking: 1♦ = 0-7 any or 8-10(11), 5+ ♥ 1♥ = 8-10(11), 5+ ♠ 1♠ = 8-10(11), bal 1NT = 8-10(11), 5+ ♣ 2♣ = 8-10(11), 5+ ♦ 2♦, 2♥, 2♠, 2NT = Unusual positive, singleton in next suit (2NT = ♦) The real question is about 1♦ possibly being a positive with Hearts. After running through some biding, it seems to fit fairly well (though in a place or two I had to bump the 5-7 w/ 5+ Hearts to another bid). Interference doesn't seem to be a problem either over 1♣-1♦ (in theory anyway). What do other people think, and if you play a transfer precision what do you play? Also, as a passed hand what should bids 3♣ and higher be used for? Thanks for replies.

Ken, I understand the theory and tend to agree with it - I go hyper aggressive when I know my points are partners are sitting correctly. The big thing isn't so much points, as fit and/or entries to the weaker hand to take said finesses. Unfortunately, I am not a programmer, and I have drank enough tonight to where I can't think too much about bridge. On a lesser note, how close are you to Columbus OH? I might head over there for the upcoming sectional, and you sound like a good/fun guy to play with (coming from Conner, of Wheeling WV).

I know I suck at bridge, but I'll try this anyways. We know East had 5♥, and expect 5♣ as well. There are cases where (s)he might have 4♣. The most likely/relevant distributions are 4504, 3514, 3505, 2515, 1525, 0535 (not in any order). Playing up to the Q♠ is correct, and a low spade back. Because it's the internet and I can afford to be wrong, I'll finesse the JACK on trick 4, to cater to the 4054 (in real life, I'll play for the normal break). If I only had another entry to dummy, I would play West to have ♥Qxx.

Speaking about Religion, how about the song below. The back story is interesting - it has to do with the Northern Ireland conflict, after he mistakenly made a comment being for "the cause" without knowing what it actually was, and ended up finishing the tour in a bullet-proof bus.

And I have a great idea on how the Junior Fund can use that money - make it free to join the USBF as a Junior, rather than having to pay $25 a year ($15 if you are 18 or younger) for membership. Too bad to qualify for the Patino U-26 Championship, you had to not only pay for a membership, but ALSO go to the fall NABC to play. For some of us, we can't afford the $1000 to fly cross-country, hotel, and food. There's also classes and/or jobs on top of that.

EDIT - they are allowing one more team, never mind.

MrAce, your hand has only 12 cards. However, I never thought of that distribution when I first saw the problem (assuming the missing card is a Heart). That is how I would play it, because every hand I thought of Declarer had 9 tricks because we were squeezed.

I agree with Helene, the cuebid in that sequence shows one of several hand types, and since it's forcing you should be able to show exactly what you have. Back to the OP's question, I DBL 1♦. 1♣ doesn't promise a suit, so I don't mind bidding 1NT there without a stopper; 1♦ usually promises a suit, and we don't have a stopper. Therefore, I treat it as a balanced (13+) - 17 and will raise partner, but not get excited unless (s)he shows me extras along the way.

In any of my 2/1 partnerships I would pass, for the reasons Phil described, plus I tend to get bad results when partner plays 3NT. I MIGHT open this hand if I had something like 2♦ = 5+♦, 4+♣, 11-15 (a pair I know play this). In a Precision context, I'll open it all day, only because partner knows I open all 11s and won't hang me. Too bad you didn't have a 'maybe, depends on partner'. That's my vote, so I'll abstain from voting in this poll.

You are pretty naive to think that 74A2 can't be applied in a situation like this, it has against my partner for making a claim, and getting a little frustrated when they didn't understand the claim. It also didn't help that he mumbled "Diamond" just before the director was called (they wanted to play it out), and both opponents thought he said "I win". Also, not all directors know about squeezes, or completely know the rules at that. This is one area where I follow KISS to the letter.

I'm not saying any two honors, I'm saying I always will with AK, especially if I'm the stronger hand and I see transportation issues (pretty much every time I open a strong NT with AK in a major). I do the same exact thing with A tight when partner shows a 6-card suit. I don't know what your experiences say, but mine say that I am better off.

The main reason I bid 1NT was that I was expecting a NT contract, and so I wanted to play it (it was an express tournament by the way). None of GIB's bids came up with an explanation, so I had to guess at what GIB meant by its response. Since it had always come up as RKC before when I used it, I never actually looked at the GIB CC to see if it used 0314 or 1403. That was the main idea of this post.

East clearly overbid if you asked me, but once he decided to force to game West HAS TO support the Spades. Spades may only be a 7-card suit, but knowing you have the top 2 honors makes it a better suit. The big problem is entries to the weaker hand. Since I play results (to a degree), I blame West 100% - kudos to North and South for their defense. In my admittedly limited number of hands remembered, 4M on a 5-2 fit (2 = AK) has been better than 3NT after partner opens 1NT all but once, where the Smolen bidder had 13 HCP and both 5M and 5NT made. I also recently had two hands where we ended up playing in 4M after I supported his 5-card suit on KQ (One of them was a mistake, he had showed me 6). One hand I had 13 HCP, the other I had 15; both times 4M made. 3NT failed on the 13 HCP hand and made on the 15 HCP hand because the minor suit was blocked.

http://tinyurl.com/3n4p57x 4NT was alerted when I bid it as BLACKWOOD (for ♥), not RKC or 1430. I wasn't sure if GIB screwed up the bidding, was actually bidding Blackwood, or was playing 1430 or 0314. As you can see, I figured either it was Blackwood or was 1430, and failed completely.

These two quotes are pretty much true. I'll admit that with most partnerships I'll never reach this slam; I think the only standard bidding system that could for me is one I am just starting with another Junior. Even then, it takes a little gutsy bidding, but us Juniors know no fear :P 3♦ shows at least 5-5 in the suits bid, (18)19+ HCP, and most/all of your points in those suits. You can stretch with a 5-4, but that toothless Heart suit (as in 1 HCP) makes me rebid 2NT every time. Also, speaking of ZPs, if you have read fully Zar's Bidding Evaluation, you would know for his "systems backbone", he uses an unlimited 1♣, a strong artificial but NF 1♦, 1M as 4+ with possible canape, and 1NT as 26-30 ZP (no 4M, 6m, 5-5 minors). The couple of times I messed around with basic openings and responses using Zar Points and based on Zar's backbone, 1NT worked out pretty well. The ACBL only allows a maximum of 5 HCP in the 1NT range, but that range covers 12-16, so it's all good.

[hv=pc=n&s=skt95hda743ck9832&n=saqj62hakjt9djcat]133|200[/hv] You are in 7♠, VUL, in the South, on bidding I'm ashamed to put on here. Opening lead is K♦. Can you bring home 2210 points and take 1st place? EDIT - there was no interference in the auction.

2♠ is an Astro cuebid, it generally shows 4-5!H and longer ♣ (unless either suit is bid naturally, then the next suit up). Anyway, I blame North mostly. While South shouldn't be defending with a void, North fits South like a glove and should probably move over the X. Even without the move, North should discourage a second ♥ lead, knowing West would be out. Then South will probably lead a !D, and that sets the contract provided West plays for the 2-1 break (very likely). Overall, I give North 90%, South 10%

Playing standard, it would be pretty difficult. I can only get to 6♠, but I would with one key difference from standard: 1♥ - 1♠; 2NT - 3♥ (TRANSFER to Spades) 3♠ - 4♣ 4♦ - 4♥ 4NT - 5♠ 6♠

FYP You have 2 Aces and 10 HCP and a suit you can bid 3 times if needed. I will bid 1♠ 100% of the time.