Justin in the well

[cherdano]

Any questions for Justin? Head over to the well at bridgewinners:

http://bridgewinners.com/article/view/in-the-well-justin-lall/

[mgoetze]

Justin sez

Best convention that not enough intermediate players play is transfer lebensohl IMO. People are bidding a lot over 1N these days and having a detailed way of handling it is really important, and transfer lebensohl is so much better than normal leb. Specifically it is hopeless to not have a way to invite in hearts after 1N (2S), and I believe that's how it is in normal leb.

 

In fact Michael Gromöller recommends that even when you are playing "normal" Lebensohl, 1NT-(2♠)-2NT-3♣-3R should be invitational, rather than a signoff.

 

Transfer Lebensohl suffers from having several variants, and most people will have a hard time finding a good writeup of any of them.

[PhantomSac]

Justin sez

 

 

In fact Michael Gromöller recommends that even when you are playing "normal" Lebensohl, 1NT-(2♠)-2NT-3♣-3R should be invitational, rather than a signoff.

 

Transfer Lebensohl suffers from having several variants, and most people will have a hard time finding a good writeup of any of them.

 

Yeah and now you have no way to sign off in 3 of a red suit which also seems ridiculous. And your invite is heavily vulnerable to preemption, even something like 1N 2S 2N 3S is very bad for you. There is not really any way around these issues playing normal lebensohl, you have to give up some majorly important hand type. Or...you can just play some version of transfer lebensohl. I agree with you that everyone seems to play it differently though.

[Zelandakh]

You can also agree that doubling and converting partner's 3m advance to 3♥ is the "invitational with hearts" hand type.

[PhantomSac]

You can also agree that doubling and converting partner's 3m advance to 3♥ is the "invitational with hearts" hand type.

 

Sure and once again this is vulnerable to a raise and sometimes it risks partner passing when that would be bad for us. I mean you can try to fix normal leb all you want or you can just play transfer leb which allows you to show your suits and your inv+ hands immediately and still allows you to sign off. You lose one of those for clubs but so does normal leb. It is so much superior and comes up all the time.

[kuhchung]

Rubensohl!

[mgoetze]

Sure, I'm not denying that Transfer Lebensohl is vastly superior, of course.

 

Thing is, if you google Transfer Lebensohl, you might find something like this: http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/topic/42512-rubensohl-vs-transfer-lebensohl/

 

It's easy to think "geez, they can't agree how to play it, all these methods must suck, and I don't understand how any of these work anyway."

[PhantomSac]

I agree, there should be a standardized simple version. Here is what I play which I think is quite easy to remember.

 

It is all based on the cuebid being stayman with shortness (without shortness just X). So over 2M, 3M is cuebid. Then 3C=inv+ diamonds 3D=inv+ other major, 3 of the other major=clubs. So you can show all suits directly inv+ or bid stayman (implicitly with shortness). Just remember the cuebid is the stayman and go from there.

 

2N is to get out in a suit.

 

That is all you really need. You can as you please add the stopper showing nonsense like 2N then 3N with a stop, direct 3N without. You can utilize 2N then cuebid (I recommend minors). You can even utilize 2N then 3S if they overcalled hearts. But really all of that is not necessary and if you just want to play something very effective and simple you can just do the first part.

 

What's important is to show your suits immediately with inv+, and to be able to stayman, and to be able to get out in a suit or invite in a suit or bid game forcing hands.

[ArtK78]

I agree, there should be a standardized simple version. Here is what I play which I think is quite easy to remember.

 

It is all based on the cuebid being stayman with shortness (without shortness just X). So over 2M, 3M is cuebid. Then 3C=inv+ diamonds 3D=inv+ other major, 3 of the other major=clubs. So you can show all suits directly inv+ or bid stayman (implicitly with shortness). Just remember the cuebid is the stayman and go from there.

 

2N is to get out in a suit.

 

That is all you really need. You can as you please add the stopper showing nonsense like 2N then 3N with a stop, direct 3N without. You can utilize 2N then cuebid (I recommend minors). You can even utilize 2N then 3S if they overcalled hearts. But really all of that is not necessary and if you just want to play something very effective and simple you can just do the first part.

 

What's important is to show your suits immediately with inv+, and to be able to stayman, and to be able to get out in a suit or invite in a suit or bid game forcing hands.

You say that you should double without shortness. You play the double as negative?

[PhantomSac]

You say that you should double without shortness. You play the double as negative?

 

I do

[mgoetze]

stopper showing nonsense

Hm, I am constantly telling my partner to stop obsessing so much about stoppers when we talk about what bids in various sequences should mean. But even I can appreciate the advantages of having different bids over 1NT-(2♠) with

 

xxx

Kxx

KJx

ATxx

 

and

 

KJTx

Kxx

xx

Axxx.

[PhantomSac]

Sure if you want to show stoppers you can, you have 2N...3N and 3N available.

[hrothgar]

I find it heartening that the expression "mixed strategy" is being used in conversations in which I am not participating (even if in a mocking sort of way)

[Phil]

I find it heartening that the expression "mixed strategy" is being used in conversations in which I am not participating (even if in a mocking sort of way)

 

When I posed the question initially I thought he'd answer "tell the truth 65% of the time /lie 15%//be evasive 20%"

 

My question about Haspel looks like a setup except that's not the way I expected he'd answer. I was anticipating "radioactive" or "low atomic weight".

 

Obv I like JLalls answers better

[cherdano]

I find it heartening that the expression "mixed strategy" is being used in conversations in which I am not participating (even if in a mocking sort of way)

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=twoplustwo+mixed+strategy&oq=twoplustwo+mixed+strategy&aqs=chrome..69i57.5927j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#q=site:twoplustwo.com+mixed+strategy

 

It was nice to meet you here, Richard.

[PhilKing]

Obv I like JLalls answers better

 

It was a little bit Dan Harrington. :P

 

The Well was very insightful though, and should be a required read for any young (or young at heart) player.

[Ant590]

I agree, there should be a standardized simple version. Here is what I play which I think is quite easy to remember.

 

It is all based on the cuebid being stayman with shortness (without shortness just X). So over 2M, 3M is cuebid. Then 3C=inv+ diamonds 3D=inv+ other major, 3 of the other major=clubs. So you can show all suits directly inv+ or bid stayman (implicitly with shortness). Just remember the cuebid is the stayman and go from there.

 

2N is to get out in a suit.

 

That is all you really need. You can as you please add the stopper showing nonsense like 2N then 3N with a stop, direct 3N without. You can utilize 2N then cuebid (I recommend minors). You can even utilize 2N then 3S if they overcalled hearts. But really all of that is not necessary and if you just want to play something very effective and simple you can just do the first part.

 

What's important is to show your suits immediately with inv+, and to be able to stayman, and to be able to get out in a suit or invite in a suit or bid game forcing hands.

 

Please, please have a return to your blog "for one night only" and write this into an article. My partner seems to like things that are on your blog, but is indifferent to things that are posted on BBF (even by you)!