bucky

If 3♠/4♠ agree hearts, then how would responder bid with 6 diamonds and 5 spades?

Actually, when playing with GIB, before you make a bid, you can get the meaning of the bid (as interpreted by GIB) by moving your mouse cursor over the bid. Here 4♦ is known as diamond shortness in support of spades (BTW that is a standard interpretation of Soloway jump shift). Given the bidding, the diamond lead is correct if the goal is to maximize the expected number of defensive tricks. Unfortunately GIB probably isn't programmed to analyze how good the contract is (compared with other normal tables), so GIB didn't realize that leading ♠A to beat the contract one trick was as good as beating it 10 tricks in MP.

I don't think the penalty pass of 1C-X sets up any force. The advancer can have just 5-7 HCP and lots of clubs. The pass just says he thinks there is a good chance 1C would go down, nothing further.

Once your partner passes the double, he's lost all the rights to criticize that bid.

What would: 1H - 2D 2H - 3N show in your methods?

Why would you give the second place pair a PP for simply talking to the defenders involved to correct an error? What did they do wrong?

Even if North's hearts are as bad as 9752, there is 40% chance to have 2 entries in trumps. :)

I meant players at other tables, upon examining the hand record, can they report the incident? Let's take an extreme (and imaginary) case. Say there are two boards a round, in a particular round a pair scores 7NTXX -13 on both boards for -7600. Is there nothing that can be done?

I understand. The question I raise is whether others (not the players involved) are allowed to spot the irregularity and bring it to TD's attention.

You probably need to look into GIB's source code, if you have access to it...

Except that 2♠ will be insufficient -- South jump-shifted to 3♥, so the computer disallowed 2♠ bid.

I don't know, maybe I am missing the basics then. Dummy has 4 diamonds to begin with. Can pitch 3 diamonds on clubs. How to get rid of the 4th diamond? Whether an opponent can get rid of his diamonds in time, that is not a concern. Even if he can, as long as you can ruff a diamond you are home, even if it gets over-ruffed. The concern is that when dummy inevitably has one diamond left, declarer has to play that diamond in order to prepare for the future ruff, at which time the opponent can get in and draw the last trump in dummy, leaving declarer one trick short.

In the case of dealing with revoke, the exact wording of "restore equity" is used. I don't know if that is the general spirit or principle that applies to other parts of the law. In my view, fairness should be the overriding principle in any competitive game. This is not always achievable in reality, but it should be the goal.

How do you plan to ruff one diamond? Dummy won't have a trump left (since it will be drawn by the opponent who has 3rd spade).

This seems like a loophole then. What if someone deliberately wants to give away matchpoints (I am not saying this N/S pair is)? I thought the law is supposed to restore equity to the game. If the E/W pair gets an undeserving score for whatever the reason, the law should protect the other pairs in the field.

Right, I should have said one of the x is an honor. :) Then even the only plausible hand is gone. Maybe East holds xx, AKJxx, KJ87, xx but doesn't want to make a vulnerable 2♥ call.

I think Gerben's line has merit on its own. Even though the opponents may be goofing around, it is still fair to assume spade breaks 5-3. You also need hearts break. So his line only fails (while an alternative line works) when North holds 3361 shape, in which case the opening lead may very well be the singleton club.

You also need West to have at least 3 clubs. Also note that East is marked with ♥AKJ(xx) and some diamond honor cards but didn't act over 1NT. I guess it is possible that East started with xx, AKJx, KJxxx, xx, but that is about the only layout that is plausible for the genuine line to work.

If South has to invite with the actual hand (and expect North to accept with a jack or two), then South would have to pass 2♥ without ♣Q, and lose a good game. Yes, when North is exactly 3433 and completely yarborough, you don't want to be in game (but even then, game not totally hopeless). Give North 5th heart or a doubleton in spades or diamonds, game is quite reasonable. South hand is clearly too heavy to just invite, no matter what your style tends to be. Of course all said above doesn't negate the argument that North has a clear accept over 3♥.

The really complicated (or impossible) part is to simulate human factor, bluffing and double-bluffing...

Maybe it was a stiff?

3♦ then 3NT (after partner bids 3♥) has to imply 5th heart.

Then you cannot stop at 2M for many hands.

I would say that 7♠ is quite optimistic, 7NT is REALLY optimistic. Don't you need around 70% to bid a grand?

Yes, I think 1♦-4NT being quantitative is a useful treatment, if 1♦-2NT is not forcing in your system.