[han]

I open 1D.

[kenberg]

Al_U_Card, on Dec 12 2005, 01:56 PM, said:

FrancesHinden, on Dec 12 2005, 01:40 PM, said:

No, we were told opener bypasses a major to rebid 1NT, not responder.  Not really relevant to the problem, so I'm not sure why we were told it.

The auction 1♦ p 1♥ p 1♠ promises a unbalanced, unlimited (but not able to j/s to 2S) opening hand (could be 4144).

Responder's hand was

Scoring: MP

When LHO didn't lead S, I hooked him for the Q (see other posts on this) and he had it.

---

I guess opening this 1D and bidding spades twice gets you to 6S (1D-2C-2S-3H-3S-4C-4H-6S or some such) , probably making. Opening 1S probably gets you to 4S: 1S-2C-2D-4S -pass

The cards can be arranged so that 7 is a lucky make, but while 6 is not certain we probably want to be there. Am I reading this right?

[vang]

1♠ automatic ;-)

since there are at least 3 posters (whose knowledge and judgement i respect) who offer as argument "with 6-5 open always longer suit", i just wish to note another argument: "with 6-5, treat it as 5-5 and bid the higher suit first".

i have read this in a polish book and their reasoning was that 6-5 hands are anyway hard to describe _acurately_ (i.e. to explain you are 6-5, not 5-4/6-4), because most of the time the bidding will become competitive or/and part will misunderstand you.

[P_Marlowe]

vang, on Dec 12 2005, 05:38 PM, said:

1♠ automatic ;-)

since there are at least 3 posters (whose knowledge and judgement i respect) who offer as argument "with 6-5 open always longer suit", i just wish to note another argument: "with 6-5, treat it as 5-5 and bid the higher suit first".

i have read this in a polish book and their reasoning was that 6-5 hands are anyway hard to describe _acurately_ (i.e. to explain you are 6-5, not 5-4/6-4), because most of the time the bidding will become competitive or/and part will misunderstand you.

Hi,

the given advice is for hands with adjacent suits,
who are not strong enough, to make a reverse,
e.g. if you switch the mayor, you may find more
company if you open 1H.

If you think a hand strong enough to make a reverse,
there is reason, why you should not start with the
longer one.

Marlowe

[mikeh]

vang, on Dec 12 2005, 05:38 PM, said:

1♠ automatic ;-)

since there are at least 3 posters (whose knowledge and judgement i respect) who offer as argument "with 6-5 open always longer suit", i just wish to note another argument: "with 6-5, treat it as 5-5 and bid the higher suit first".

i have read this in a polish book and their reasoning was that 6-5 hands are anyway hard to describe _acurately_ (i.e. to explain you are 6-5, not 5-4/6-4), because most of the time the bidding will become competitive or/and part will misunderstand you.

I do not know if I was one of those to whom you referred: if so, thank you

I do not believe that ALL 6-5 hands should be opened in the 6 card suit. I do believe that most should: and that the posted example is comfortably in the range. Bare minimums can be downgraded. Thus x KQJxx AJxxxx x: I would hate to pass this hand and would never consider reversing on it, so this one is (for me) a 1♥ bid.

BTW, never distort your hand out of fear that partner may misunderstand you. How will partner learn how to interprete your auctions if you do not bid consistently and descriptively? Make the 'correct' bid and partner will soon learn to trust you, and that is when bidding really becomes a lot of fun. Bidding in fear is never fun.

I think of bridge (apart from declarer play) as akin to a high trapeze act. You can pull off some amazing feats if you can trust partner, whether it is in the bidding or the defence. Distrust partner, and you are always looking for the safety net, or confining yourself to ultra-safe acrobatics. In the early stages, partner will misjudge you, and you and the contract will plummet to the ground, but unlike real life, you can always dust yourself off and get back onto the trapeze. Soon enough, if your partner has sufficient talent, you develop that confidence and trust that will set you apart from the average pair.

[Fluffy]

1♠ what's the problem?


Read vang's post for further referencec

[han]

This 5-6 hand is not so hard to describe: 1D-1H-1S-1NT-2S (if we are lucky). This shows a decent hand, but is weaker than 1D-1H-1S-1NT-3S, which again is weaker than 1D-1H-2S-2NT-3S.

If the opponents start bidding hearts then it is safe to introduce the spades at a fairly high level, and partner will probably expect 5-6 (depending on the auction).

There are certainly hand where I would open 1S with this shape, but I would need a minimal hand and bad diamonds.

[HeartA]

I meant to vote for 1D, but clicked on 1S instead.

[Winstonm]

I happen to think this hand IS worth a reverse, so I would start with 1D and bid 2S over 1N; however, I don't think the hand is worth a jump shift, so over 1H I would bid a simple 1S then again 2S next.

Winston