semeai

I like 2♥ over 2♣, especially given that your 4 card suit has now been bid. Now I double again under most conditions.

I voted 3♠, but wonder about double, correcting 3♥ to 3♠. What does that show by a passed hand? Does it guarantee 5 spades? It would be nice to open this hand, but I wouldn't playing your typical 2/1 or standard american.

Beware, this post is a bit ridiculous and not particularly salient. I wrote it at whatever AM because I like to watch numbers spin. ---- If partner has ♦9, we want to play a diamond. If ♦QT9, we want to play a club. If ♦KT9 it likely doesn't matter which. ♠AJxxx ♦ K6 is enough to overcall, so based on vacant spaces and assuming spades 5-1 (this should be close enough): ♦9 : ♦QT9 is 3:11 If partner has ♦9, it definitely matters that we play a diamond now. If ♦QT9, it only matters to play a club now if declarer has ♣A plus ♥Q without ♣J. This tips the scale back to ♦9, as ♦QT9 : (♦QT9 - ♣A - ♥Q) is 15*14:6*5, i.e. 7:1. This makes ♦9 a favorite by roughly 2:1 over ♦QT9 - ♣A - ♥Q. So, assuming I haven't said something silly, and it's late, so the odds here can't be good for me, a diamond looks best. Adding more: Of course, e.g. 1-5-1-6 is not so likely for partner, who would negative double with most hands this shape. I think I discounted this because I'd sleepily decided we'd overcalled (yes, I then overlooked the contradiction when checking ♠AJxxx ♦K6 was enough for declarer's bidding) and that partner wouldn't act red with this hand after our overcall. Without ♣A, it's possible partner passes, but that already puts us back at equity (i.e. loses the 2:1 factor). This makes a club seem right. A low club would then be best since we get a heart trick if declarer wins ♣J, and maybe declarer won't stick in ♣J. Rather: ♦9:♦9 - ♣A is 15:4, so this puts ♦9-♣A : ♦QT9 - ♣A - ♥Q at roughly 1:2.

Sorry, you're at nationals now. I'm a bit dense. It's possible Midchart is allowed, but the various sources conflict. Various materials say Midchart may be allowed if flight A or if the lowest average masterpoints of a team is 1500 (in some places it says 1000). Anyways, you should ask of course, but also be prepared.

See also my post above.

See the General Convention Chart which doesn't mention it: http://www.acbl.org/...ntion-Chart.pdf (and specifically disallows any methods not allowed) (Note that any responses are allowed if the bid is "strong" i.e. shows 15+.) See also the Competition and Conventions Committee website. The most recent committee minutes to mention transfer responses to 1C are the summer 2009 ones. There, item 5d is "Transfer responses to natural 1C as GCC. Motion not seconded."

BridgeMatters has some fairly simple defenses listed at http://www.bridgemat...defences05.html and see also http://www.bridgemat...countervex.html for general discussion of "passable value showing" and "passable takeout doubles" and more. and Neither of these is exactly what you're up against, but they're pretty similar. 2NT is not listed over 2D. Probably given that your opponents' 2D shows some strength means both minors makes sense, and double with the 16-18 hands and use Lebensohl to sort it out, though you could just keep 2NT natural.

What is/are the weak meaning(s) for 1C? The GNT Conditions of Contest state that the Midchart may be allowed at the district level for open and A flights if it's in the district's CoC. Transfer responses to 1C are still Midchart, I think, unless their 1C bid is only strong, ie 15+. See here: http://www.acbl.org/assets/documents/play/Conditions-of-Contest/Other-GNT_CoC.pdf Possibly that was last year's CoC That said, still a good question what the defenses should be. I'll try a follow-up post later.

Neat, a Canadian variant of heat index.

To come back to this: I don't really play precision, and as a mostly natural bidder am quite sympathetic to the arguments that showing a suit first is good so we should do so on this hand. But if it's really that good, why don't we make 1♣ 17+ and have very slightly less limited openings in our big club system?

I just tried reporting your post and Antrax's. I got the same error message: [#10136] You do not have permission to report the item you are attempting to report Perhaps only "Advanced Members" can report posts?

Either you play suit preference or count now. In either case, I play ♣4 (I have no particular suit preference).

You couldn't wait the extra 3/4 of a day? :P I encourage with the ♣7. No need to give partner a strong signal that he can underlead when it can cost sometimes (and there's no great reason we'd like to be on lead). Discouraging with no good shift makes no sense, especially given that it's matchpoints.

The two 10's are worth a point with supporting honors, so I wouldn't hold upgrading it against him.

This would add a minute to the hand if the bidding is three rounds. If you use it for the play as well, you're adding another 4 1/3 minutes if there is no claim.

North has a 4♥ bid over 1♠. Failing that, he can't bid 3♣ if he suspects partner might possibly ever consider passing it, but should try something else (4♥?) over 2NT. Does this pair play 3♣ pass or correct and 2NT show your minor? I can see North thinking that 3♣ can't be passed, since with a hand that would pass 3♣ but move over 3♦, partner could just bid 3♣ pass/correct. However, unless an agreement to this effect is on the books and this is an established partnership, giving partner the opportunity to go wrong here with such a huge hand for hearts seems very wrong. Likely South should seek 3N/5♣ anyway opposite a partner who bid michaels at unfavorable. This nets South a bit of the blame.

This looks good here. Assuming partner doesn't have/count any of the ♥KQJ, there are 19 HCP missing outside hearts. Partner certainly has room to be missing an Ace and a Queen, or an Ace and a King, which wouldn't be great for slam. Any slightly better hand will have good play I would think. If partner directly bids 5♦ over 4NT, I'll guess 6♦. Maybe he's 4-2-4-3 and so should have a little bit more in high cards than he might have had with more shape.

It seems to be the spade trick they got that made the difference between 90 and 120. Here's my thinking: At trick 2, I'd try a diamond to the King. If this wins, I take the club hook. If it loses, maybe they put you back in dummy by playing hearts and you can again play on clubs. If they return a spade or a diamond, you probably have to play on clubs from your hand. You're in a similar situation after your ♦J wins. You don't want to play on diamonds any more right now, and you don't want to play spades because you're giving up a trick and are also about to establish the suit for them unless East has both honors. You could maybe lead a heart to the queen, but they could win ♥A and clear diamonds, and now you're still stuck in your hand unless you want to clear hearts for them as well, playing to ♥Q. The ♦J was an understandable ploy to try to get to dummy's ♦K, but against good opposition it often won't work, and after you play it it's too dangerous to play on diamonds any more. Better to play up to the ♦K, which at least has a 50% shot of working, and, if not, forces them to play something back to you.

The problem appears to be that GiB thought your splinter showed 22+ total points, and even then bid crazily.

I was going to recommend this too, but then I looked and there was no discussion of 4-level preempts. That said, it's still a good read and may address some of OP's issues.

I prefer 4M, when it's been bid previously and is still a possible strain, not to be a cuebid. This is a "choice of games takes precedence over slam tries" sort of philosophy.

I suspect just treating it like a natural 1♣ initially is best. Some later bids (e.g. when they reveal the weak two) may need discussion. I wonder whether you want to require ever so slightly more for an overcall so your auction can be a bit more constructive when they do have the weak two. Perhaps not, since when you're light, it's more likely declarer has a normal opener. Then again, partner will always have to cater to the light overcalls, not just when opener had a weak two, since you don't know yet. This would all be a very small change anyhow.

Civil recreations?

Sorry, which other thread is this?

This hand is certainly worth 16+. For example K&R gives 18.9. I don't usually play precision, so I don't have a feel for borderline minor suit hands. Here this is almost downgrading, but maybe it makes sense in the minors, thinking that your jump rebid will make up for it. On this hand, though, bigtrain's comment makes sense, and he'd also have the experience to know what works certainly. For comparison: Do people open 1C on AQ T KQ8752 AJ74? K&R gives 18 on this one.