Cave_Draco

I'm not keen on opening 2♥ on this but Non-V v V, I might give it a go, :D One way of looking at this hand is "What will P infer from what I did NOT bid?" 1) You did not bid at the 1-level, therefore you do not have an opening hand. 2) You did not bid 2♥, therefore you do not have a Weak Two. If you now bid 3♥, you are promising a 6-card ♥ suit but, in view of 2) above, not a Weak Two! The most likely reason is that you have a 4-card ♠ suit! P will bid 3♠ if s/he is 4-1 in the majors! If you double 3♣, you are doubling opponents into game! Where do you expect partner to run to? Even if partner has a ♣ stack, you have ONE defensive trick! 3♣X looks to make; never gift your opponents a good score. If it turns out that a number of ♥s is the best contract... Apologise to partner and add "I didn't think that I was good enough for a Weak Two in ♥s, :D "

Agreed, Ron, :D I would twist the question and ask... If you could pick your opponent's conventions, not their basic system, just their conventions. What would you inflict on them? On that basis, I would include DONT & Multi.

To the question "Is bridge a diffuclt game?" The answer has to be a resounding NO! If you amend the question to "Is bridge a difficult game to play well?" The answer becomes a qualified yes. However, age is no barrier - bridge can be a lifelong learning experience! With respect to tournaments & rulings... Playing one tournament per year is most of the problem! If one played 52 tournaments per year then alert/announce rules would become "Ah! OK! Set #1 in this tournament." Bear in mind that the rules for a tournament also vary depending on the country and level of the tournament. As to Unauthorised Information and hesitation, they come under Ethics. It would be ideal if all bridge players were ethical... In the real world, ethics sometimes need enforcing; sad but true. For example, if, after a stop bid, your LHO gazes at the ceiling & whistles? Even if you don't call the director, your RHO is obliged to not draw any inference. If anyone knows of a better mousetrap... :D

"Until an expert replies (no offense meant my dragon friend)"... Lol, Ben, it was late, 2:13am & I'd had a few, :-". To do the problem more justice: The ♥ suit is the first consideration. The possibilities: 4-0 on the right; East holds K T 7 3... unlikely in view of the bidding but still makeable if ♣ behave and dummy can lead ♥ thrice! 3-1 on the riight; again unlikely, but possible. If the K is singleton... Unlucky. Again, makeable if the ♣ behave, dummy only needs to lead ♥ twice.. 2-2, K on the right; the "easy" option. 2-2, K on the left; ♣ must behave but no problem ruffing a ♦. 3-1 on the left; if the K is single, no problem. If the K is in the long suit a ♦ lead kills unless the 10 is single, ♣ need to behave. 4-0 on the left; doomed. Now, consider... Is this a good contract? Given that 4♥ is simple, only if it makes! It doesn't matter if I go off one or many, only making counts as a plus. Admittedly, I am using the term "♣ behave" somewhat ambiguously but "behave" depends upon context, lol. A postscript.... I once. in a National tournament, played 7 hands on the trot... I found it a killer, no relaxation! The Law of Conservation of Energy applies to bridge, :D. It taught me to be more discriminating about the hands I concentrate on.

A tough hand, at IMPs 4♥ looks better! If you are in 6♥, 1 down is BAD... so assume 6♥ is makeable... Count winners & losers... you have enough winners, if you can avoid the losers! You have too many losers. What is necessary for 6♥ to make? Does dropping a singleton K help? In ♣? NO!... Is there any way to pick up the ♣ suit for no losers? If there is, I don't see it... So, you must pick up the ♥ suit for zero losers! Best chance of that is ♥ 2-2 with the K onside, that is what I would play for!

Most of the confusion seems to stem from bidding? My advice? Learn BBO Basic! If your vocabulary includes 100,000 words, you still communicate with 1,000 words! Bidding IS easier than signalling... BUT, signalling only has meaning if you follow Dragon Rule #1... Count the cards. btw, Dragon Rule #2 is... COUNT the cards. Dragon quote? "Give me a P who can defend!" Bidding systems tend to exclude partners... Ooooh! I don't play... Give me a P who can defend!

I assume you are not talking about yourself here draco :blink:) I have some really bad habits! On the subordinate claws(sic), I take the 5th. My last comment "Remember your partner is a person, relate to the person!" was a criticism of myself. Advanced players can learn from BIL players! Even Experts make mistakes; it is too easy to say "I am the better player, therefore I am right!" Nobody should be too proud to review a hand in the cool of the morning, after the heat of battle, and apologise for analysis made in haste. As a footnote, many advanced/expert players got to that status by Bridge addiction... Certainly my bestest P has better person skills than I. }{ugs P, @}-,--'---

The best way, IMO, is to play with partners who are more advanced than yourself. Observe the way they play, ask questions; "I have a secret system" has no place at the bridge table! OK, we all have bad habits... but, most bridge players are Human, :-D. Remember your partner is a person, relate to the person!

A couple of questions about Trial Bids for leading-edge practicioners, :-D. Traditionally, in the sequence 1S-2S-3C/D/H, the last bid is a Trial Bid suggesting opener has losers in the named suit & asking if responder can help with that suit. 1) Is there another view? 2) What about the sequence 1S-2S-2NT? What should opener have & what are responder's options? P.S. A "Ben on Trial Bids" would, I think, be a useful addition to the B&I string.

What else could P do? Assuming Ben is correct about the hands, LOL. 2♠X would imply a ♥ suit. P should bid, 2NT Mind you, dunno where the kiss is coming from, seems a bad move at IMPs...

I hate "Top of nothing" leads! Ooooh! P has a doubleton, :(. MUD is almost as bad! The advantage of 3rds/5ths is that Hi-Lo ALWAYS promises an even number & Lo-Hi is ALWAYS odd. If P has bid the suit? Lead low if you have an entry, lead high if you don't. If P has not bid the suit? Why lead it? If you must lead it, give P a count!

IMO, a Weak 2 should be a disciplined bid... 6-10hcp; 6-card trump suit, denies 4-cards in the other Major; most of the hcp in the trump suit; no more than ONE feature outside the trump suit. (2NT response is forcing & asks about the outside feature.) With responders hand, what outside feature can opener have that makes 4♠ a good contract? If Opener has:- [hv=s=sakxxxxhxdxxckxxx]133|100|[/hv] Not very likely... Just raise to 3♠, sit back & :D

I recommend http://bridgeguys.com/glossbridgemain.html there are errors but, if you find one, talk to them I have found them to be friendly, :rolleyes: .

It is impossible to give opponents an unfair advantage! What one should endeavour to do is avoid giving opponents an unfair disadvantage, ;) . If there is no agreement, 4NT is BW. If you have agreed RKCB. It is 0314 and is alertable. If you have agreed 1403? Alert 1403. The BIG problem with RKCB occurs on the second round, :rolleyes: You have agreed ♥... 4NT-5♦(whatever)-5♠ or 5NT?-6♣? "No agreement is No help" Perhaps there should be a "Set P's CC as ours" option?

My apologies for lack of clarity. The first sentence is the key, :P . If the "room" is playing Strong NT then 4♠ by NORTH is an unusual contract, even tho' it has excellent chances! If the "room" is playing Weak NT then 2♠ by SOUTH is a poor contract. If the "room" is 50/50? 4♠ played by South is inferior to 4♠ played by North, IMO. This looks like a hand to minimise losses, some pairs may end up in 4♠ by South... That is the 4♠ that mustn't make if I am to minimise my losses! By trying to make 2♠+2, I am not only yielding to 4♠ by North but also to 4♠ by South. ;)

This strikes me as a "room" question, :ph34r: . 4S played by North seems a good & reasonable contract that most Weak NT players will find! If 4S makes, 2S+2 is a poor score... So I assume that 4S doesn't make! Therefore, cash the SA & play for 9 tricks.

Close enough, Ben, :D. The ref is http://www3.telus.net/ldh/bridge/s_winkle.txt A Suicide Winkle squeeze!

....... QJ3 ....... A42 ....... J76 ....... AJ63 T986 ....... K5 QJ8763 ... T 2 ............. AQT954 Q9 ........... T542 ....... A742 ....... K95 ....... K83 ....... K87 South is in 3NT, the lead is the singleton Diamond. It was a Par competition, contract & lead were predefined. It was designed to go -1... Somebody found a line that makes against perfect defence, :D.

Learn your opponent's system, then think about your system: :-D.

There are a whole family of questions about this hand, ;D. I play 12-14NT, but always reserve the right to count two 10s as a point or not. Given the "feel" of South's hand... I want to open 1NT, so two 10s do count. As to North's overcall? YEUK! I look at that hand and... we are probably playing in 4S or 5D: what is the quickest way to show that? 1D? ROCL I don't play Michaels; as North I would bid 2C, if P bids 2H I "correct" to 2S. IMO, the cue is too useful to restrict to "the two highest".

Michaels is fine over an inconvenient minor. What is the difference between a strong & weak T-O? P sat with KQJT9 can pass a weak T-O? You are sat on 23hcp & opp opens 1H... :-D.

"There are NO ugly 3NT contracts" :-D. The scoring system is important but not crucial... You cannot afford to miss 3NT in any scoring system! Count the scores... 3NT - tick = 400/600 4m - tick = 130 3NT-1? -50/-100 Inverted Minors are useful for selecting between 3/4m & 3NT.

Total agreement, :-D.

Obviously you don't disagree, Hog, pre-alert any system where opps may need to discuss a "meta-defence", :-D. I do my homework & decide, against Precision, my 1S opening shows either a 6-card minor or a 5-card minor & a 4-card major? If I "spring" it on opps? Unfair? No chance to discuss defence? Hoist by their own petard? Nah, my ob is to have no secrets, no deception unless P is decieved too.

Misho said "Bridge is only game, but is clear war game. How in any war better weapons and better training normally win." I would ask; have you read "The Art of War"? The key to war is deception! Best is to win without fighting, :-D. Bridge is NOT war, deception has its place in bridge but "Never give a sucker an even break" is not the bridge I play.