[the hog]

All Imps
Playing 2/1 with a very moderate partner with whom you have never played before. So 15-17 NT

1)
AKJ9873 J AK8 A5 v vs not

1S (2C) X (5C)
?

2)
7 QT73 QJT7543 2 v vs not

1N (P) 2NT* (P)
3C* (P) ?

2NT = t/f to D, 3C = super accept
Do you agree with 2NT? What now?

3)
A QJ3 A54 K87543

1C (P) 1S (P)
2C (P) 3H (P)
?
Yes, I agree, 1NT would have worked out better than 2C, but....

4)
Tx 4 AJT975 AKQ2

(P) 1C (P) 1D
(1H) 1S (2H) 4C
(P) 4D (P) ?

[Impact]

1. Bid 6S - they might sacrifice - surely partner holds only 1C and he MUST have a card or 2 (the weaker he isthe more tolerant of S?)

2. What requirements for a super accept : usually merely a top Honour and good values...but when we are missing both DAK this is of little assistance...if you use new suit over transfe as shortage you will be better placed as you can certainly stand risking getting to 4D...

3. What is 3H - a splinter agreeing C on the basis that 2H is forcing (TOSR anyone?)? or 5+5+Majors? surely not 5+S &4+H....
a) if a splinter, I will make a try with my 2 bullets outside as I still have an opening bid despite H wastage and bid 4D....
if 5+5+M forcing I bid 4D as cue for H
c) if some bizarre beginner bid this as forcing 5+4+ I am forced to choose between a bizarre 3NT (to stop her playing the hand, albeit sheer guess and antipositional) and 4H which shows where I live (except she expects a 4th H) and with my positive controls looks right

4. Just tell me why I didn't bid 3H over 2H - or would that have agreed S?
Is partner's 1S consistent with real C only (it should be as he could pass with balanced hands etc)? I envisage slam even if he has some wastage and am tempted to just bid 6C as a practical matter as surely he would not bid this way with KQxx KQx Qx Jxxx or similar....please tell me that it ain't so...

[Codo]

1. 6 Spade

2. I would like to find out, if pd has the right cards for 3 NT, but I cannot, so I will jump to 4 Diamond, hoping he will understand. And yes I liked your xfer.

3. 4 Heart I don´t know, whether he is gamefrcing or just invitational, but anyway, I will confirm the fit without to many thoughts about Slam. If Slam is right, he will make a move. OF course, there are treatments to bid these hands better, but we did not agree on any, so I won´t bid 4 Diamond f.e.

4. 4 HEart control showing.

[han]

1. I prefer to play forcing passes when I have such a strong hand. In the absence of such an agreement I bid 6S. I'm not as sure as impact that partner has a stiff club, but there is a decent chance.

2. I agree with the transfer. I'm not interested in 3NT, even though it might be laydown. No, it's 3D or 5D for me (or perhaps 4H if 3H is natural). If I bid anything besides 3D now we are in a gameforce, so stopping in 4D is not possible. I pass at matchpoints, at IMPs I'd have to think.

3. I would certainly consider opening 1NT on this hand, but now I have an easy 4H bid.

4. I like the agreement that one doesn't cuebid shortness in partner's suit. So I think partner has the king, and I'm cueing 4H. If partner bids 4S then I'll ask for keycards.

[pclayton]

a) I would have opened this 2C. My first reaction was 6S but pard doesnt have a spade fit and probably a stiff club unless my opponents are really horsing with me' Therefore , he has 10 plus red cards. Ill try 5N pick a slam to try to get to the 5-3 or 6-3 diamond fit.

b - brutal. I suppose Im endplayed into 3N but it just feels wrong with the back stiffs

c/ d later

[mikeh]

1. 6♠. Sure, we could be on for grand, or down in small. 6♠ is the value bid, especially given the conditions of contest in which I DO NOT want to rely on partner drawing inferences from my subtleties. Thus no bid of 6♣ followed by 6♠... whatever I think that may mean, he won't.

2. 3♦. A super-accept isn't enough to make us favourite to take 9 tricks in notrump. Yes, we certainly rate to have 9 winners, but we also rate to be throwing some of them away as they cash 5 winners.

3. Absent discussion, this is a forcing bid. It is unclear whether it is 5-5 or better. i asusme even a moderate player knows that 2♥ would be a one round force. One of the realities, however, is that if you don't know partner, maybe partner doesn't know you... maybe partner doesn't know that you know that....etc.

One thing is relatively clear... in an undiscussed auction, he probably thinks that the jump will be played as forcing just in case it was intended as forcing. So it IS forcing 4♥. Not a bad hand for a moysian, if that is what he has.

4. 4♥. Yes, he may think it shows the Ace (and may be puzzled if he's looking at it) but he isn't going to go nuts in either minor: I hold too much stuff in those suits for him to be leaping to slam.

If he bids 4♠, I'd really, really, like to bid 5N, pick a slam... but that may well be an overbid and, more importantly, I'd never risk it with this partner. No, if he bids 4♠, I'll bid 4N which I am sure he will take as keycard in ♦s. I have a sneaking feeling he is 4=3=3=3.. and I'm going to play in the wrong suit when he is 4=2=3=4, but I'm not giving him a chance to play a 4=3 ♣ fit.

If he bids 5♣ or 5♦ over my 4♥, I pass. If he bids anything else, I will be surprised. 4N would pleasantly surprise me, altho I would be having real problems figuring out how he can make that bid. Anything else will be a serious disappointment

[the hog]

Thanks all. Some interesting responses here.

1) pd held Qx Qxxx QJxxxx J
I did bid 6S; made 7 after a C lead

2) I bid 5D. As soon as I bid it I realised that was totally stupid and I should simply have bid 3D. Mikeh is totally correct.
KJ Axx Kxx KQTxx
I would not have super accepted, wanting more sharp cards, but it is certainly a reasonable bid.

3) This was horrible and I really regretted not bidding 1N rather than 2C, but it would not have alleviated the problem. I thought she would be 5/5 for this and bid 4H.
QJ9xx AKxx KTxx void
After 4H she B'wooded and bid 6H. "Pd, I had an 18 count including 5 for my void." (in my suit!!). 5H is cold, but she went 2 off in 6. (I knew I should have bid 3NT!!)

4) This is a tad unfortunate. I bid 4H and she bid 5H, so I was snookered into 6D.
Yes Fred, (Impact), she held KQJx ATx Qxx Jxx
The D K was offside.

As a touch of amusement. We discussed on line Bridge and she said how she didn't play on BBO because the standard was too poor. She was one of the better ones on another site which shall remain nameless, ok?

[whereagles]

(no peeking responses .. lol)

1. 6♠. Too high to try fancy bids.

2. 5♦. Without the ace the book recomends the minor suit game.

3. 4♥. Would try 4♦ with a regular pard.

4. 4NT, I guess

[whereagles]

The_Hog, on Feb 2 2007, 03:48 AM, said:

2) I bid 5D. As soon as I bid it I realised that was totally stupid and I should simply have bid 3D. Mikeh is totally correct.
KJ Axx Kxx KQTxx
I would not have super accepted, wanting more sharp cards, but it is certainly a reasonable bid.

Well, the hand does have 6 losers opposite an opener's cover card expectancy of 4.

[keylime]

Ron,

Your pard really tried to hang you in a couple of hands didn't they?

1. Negative double on soft values.
2. the B-wood on a void with hand evaluation espousing.
3. the comment that BBO's bridge is inferior to her site. classic.

[P_Marlowe]

1) Partner denied a fit, i.e. has at most 2 spades
I would double, trying to get what I get
2) sure, 5D, if you trust partner, you can try 4C
3) 3NT
4) 4H
asking for a heart stopper via 3H would be probably
better, 4D should be a cue, and since 4C suggested slam,
I would not change plan

With kind regards
Marlowe