Same old same old

[Ulrich]

I held the following AJxxx x xx AKxxx and opened 1C. Next hand bid 4H and this came back to me. I passed - too dangerous to bid 4S vul against not. The result, 4H making and at the other table 5HX 1 down after the bidding had gone 1S (4H) 4S (5H) X.

 

My partner held QTxxx xx xxxx Qx. He cant bid over 4H. My team thinks I should have opened 1S. What is standard now?

[cherdano]

Most people open 1♠ I think, but highly sensible and successful bridge players open 1♣.

 

I would bid 4♠ over 4♥ with your hand if I had the agreement to open it 1♣.

[the hog]

Well my argument is that I would always open the Major, regardless of the suit quality, UNLESS my hand was good enough so that I was happy to bid 4S over 4H if that bid came back to me.

 

I agree that with your hand bidding 4S is far too dangerous.

[dogsbreath]

Hi all

 

I guess i'm in trouble here .. i have to disagree with Ron!

So you open 1S and the bidding goes 4H P P to you ... how are you better placed ?

 

On the other hand, opening 1C when the hand happens to belong to your side is much easier to manage if the auction starts 1c p 1H p 1S ... than if it starts 1S P 2H P ?

 

If you're gonna get bounced on this hand you are always going to have problems, depending on what hand partner has ..

.. for my part I'd rather risk 4S after 1C 4H P P than x or 5c after 1s 4H p p

 

My opinion is that opening 1C will be more effective in constructive auctions, and it makes little difference which black suit you open when LHO bounces you and p has no clear action.

 

Rgds Dog

[neilkaz]

Put me into the 1♠ camp here and very clearly. The keys , IMHO, are.

 

1) ♠ outbids the opps 2 minors suits and by opening ♠ you guarantee 5 and hopefully PD has 3 and raises.

 

2) It is harder for most sane opps to enter the auction in 2 Red over 1♠, than it is to bid 1 Red over 1♣.

 

3) When you open 1♣, PD doesn't know how many ♠ you have and also doesn't know that you have 5♣.

 

The key feature of your hand here is that you have 5♠.

 

You aren't strong enough to open ♣ and then call ♠ at some high level.

 

Just my opinion, and it is rather strong this time. .. neilkaz ..

[Guest Jlall]

It's pretty clear that if the auction goes uncontested it's better to have the agreement to open 1C, and if the auction will be competitive it's better to start with 1S. Since most auctions become competitive these days, especially when you're 5-5, and since I think in uncontested auctions you don't gain THAT much by opening 1C, I like to open 1S.

[flytoox]

Most people open 1♠ I think, but highly sensible and successful bridge players open 1♣.

This is a very questionable claim.

[Guest Jlall]

Most people open 1♠ I think, but highly sensible and successful bridge players open 1♣.

This is a very questionable claim.

I think he meant "some highly sensible and successful players open 1C" even though it can read as implying all highly sensible and successful players do it.

[EricK]

If you're gonna get bounced on this hand you are always going to have problems, depending on what hand partner has ..

 

Partner is equally likely to have ♠ support as ♣ support, but it is more likely that 4♠ is a better contract than 5♣ (as it needs a trick fewer to score effectively the same whether it is bid to make or as a sacrifice), and (at least if you play 5cd majors) partner is more likely to be able diagnose the extent of ♠ fit than the ♣ fit.

[cherdano]

Most people open 1♠ I think, but highly sensible and successful bridge players open 1♣.

This is a very questionable claim.

I think he meant "some highly sensible and successful players open 1C" even though it can read as implying all highly sensible and successful players do it.

Yeah thats what I meant, sorry.

[BebopKid]

I would open 1♠ with your hand.

 

I would have bid 4♠ with your partner's hand.

 

I think your team is right.

 

With your distribution, what good would a 1♦ or 1♥ response by partner done for you if your LHO had passed?

 

With 12 HCP and intervention, you may not get to bid again.

 

Also, the first goal of every hand should be for you and your partner to find an eight-card Major fit.

 

IMHO.

[brianshark]

I'm a 1♠ opener. But that's because it's what I had originally learned when starting to play bridge and have learned nothing since to convince me otherwise.

[whereagles]

I prefer opening 1♠, but, as the auction went, I would DEFINITELY try 4♠. It's a bidder's game :)

[SoTired]

I open 1S with black 5-5's because:

1) It will take me 2 more bids to convince partner I have 5♠. I may not get 2 more bids.

2) If I open 1S and lose the club suit, that is annoying. If I open 1C and lose the spade suit, that is a disaster. I try to avoid disasters.

[Codo]

If you are a 1 Club opener, then you must be prepared to bid x Spade above x Heart/Diamond from the opponents.

With so good suits, I am prepared to do so and will bid 4 Spade now.

 

Yes there are downsides of opening 1 Club, surely.

But the advantages are:

- In unconteted bidding, you have it easier to describe your hand at lower levels.

-In contested bidding, you are able to show your two suits easier then after a start with your major.

 

So all depends, whether it is too dangerous to bid 4 Spade now or not.

-In the given hand, this had worked well.

-If you switch pds clubs and spades it still had worked well, but the 1 Spade opening had failed. So obviously, it is double as likely to find a fit if you show two suits then just one.

 

What else can pd have?

A too good hand, that will bid on, looking for a hopeless slam? Doubtful as Pd did not act at his first turn.

No fit at all? Then he should have about 8 diamonds but not enough high cards to bid. This is bad luck, but surely less likely then having a fit with one of your suits.

 

No particular good fit, some very soft values, so that 4 Heart will fail? Really possible, but to bid on is the insurance you may pay.

[SoTired]

It is not just the opps interference that causes problems... what about

1C 1H 1S 3N with no interference. What, you say? My partner would not make that bid? So now you force responder to go through 4th suit forcing giving opps extra info on most routine 3N hands just in case opener has a black 55.

 

No... make it consistent... all major/minor 5-5, open the major. PERIOD.

[zasanya]

Interesting views. As you may have guessed, Claudio Nunes did not go for any of the bids you suggested.

 

Dealer: North Vul: Both Scoring: IMP

♠ J ♥ J864 ♦ AJ93 ♣ J1094 ♠ 108 ♥ A975 ♦ 107652 ♣ 82 ♠ K9632 ♥ 2 ♦ K8 ♣ AK753 ♠ AQ754 ♥ KQ103 ♦ Q4 ♣ Q6

Nunes passed and led ♥K. 360. Some specs suggested that a low trump would have defeated it, but that's not true. No lead beats 1♠ but it could have been held to 7 tricks.

 

At the other table Michael Seamon opened the East hand 1♣, Garozzo overcalled 1♠ and was left to play there. Down 3 and 2 IMPs to All Stars.

 

Roland

 

A thread which appeared sometime back.

It seems if you belong to Michael Seamon school you open 1♣ .Whereas if you belong to Helgemo/Helnesss school you open 1♠.

[whereagles]

No... make it consistent... all major/minor 5-5, open the major. PERIOD.

I even go futher: every hand with a 5CM opens the major and that's it. Even 5M-8m's.

[flytoox]

No... make it consistent... all major/minor 5-5, open the major. PERIOD.

I even go futher: every hand with a 5CM opens the major and that's it. Even 5M-8m's.

Surely you wouldnt open 1S with

Kxxxx

--

--

AKQJT987?

[SoTired]

Surely you wouldnt open 1S with

Kxxxx

--

--

AKQJT987?

In Steve Robinson's book, Washington Standard, he recommends just that. With xxxxx - - AKQJxxxx, open 1S. I think he is in the minority among experts on this, though.

[mikeh]

Surely you wouldnt open 1S with

Kxxxx

--

--

AKQJT987?

In Steve Robinson's book, Washington Standard, he recommends just that. With xxxxx - - AKQJxxxx, open 1S. I think he is in the minority among experts on this, though.

Someone once told me that Robinson would advocate 1♠ on 65432 void void AKQJ10987. I met him in Verona last year and asked him what he would do with that hand: he said: 1♠.

 

So he is consistent, but he is in an exceedingly tiny minority...which doesn't bother him at all :)

 

I play semi-regularly with a 1♣ bidder on 5-5 blacks, and I am morally certain that he would have reopened 4♠ on the posted hand: bidding like that is (part of) the price you pay for the style. I used to be strongly opposed to it, before I played it: I still don't like it, but it's not hard to play and can be very effective.

 

It also 'solves' or avoids the problem of the rebid after one opens 1♠ and receives a 2/1 red suit response. There are differing styles as to what one rebids on, for example: Jxxxx Ax x AKxxx: wild horses couldn't get me to rebid 3♣ here: that shows extra values for me, but others bid shape regardless of strength. Both approaches are theoretically difficult, and opening 1♣ on such hands either delays or outright avoids similar issues.