[hockboy41]

Dealer: South


♠ x
♥ xxxxx
♦ Axx
♣ Kxxx

♠ AKQ9
♥ AKTxx
♦ x
♣ Axx


YES! PRECISION WITH AUTO TRANSFERS! WOOT WOOT!

1♣(16+ points, nothing about distribution)-p-
2♦(transfer to hearts, 7+ points, 5+ hearts, game forcing)-p-
2♥(Completed transfer, BETA asking bid for CONTROLS!-p-
3♣(Showing 3 controls where A=2 and K=1)-p-
3♦(EPSILON asking bid for side-suit control)-p-
4♣(Shows a singleton or an Ace (obviously an ace here))-p-
5♣(SMALL EPSILON asking bid for side-suit control)-p-
5♥(Shows second round control, either a King or a singleton, here a king obviously)-p-
5♠(SMALL EPSILON asking bid for side-suit control)-p-
6♣(Shows second round control, either a King or a singleton, here it MUST be a singleton as South HAS the King)-p-

Either 6♥ or 7♥, See under for the analysis!

NOW What does South know about North's hand:
♠ x
♥ xxxxx
♦ A
♣ Kx
South doesn't know where 4 cards are, they are NOT honors (definitely not Ace or King, Jack perhaps), and NOT spades (singleton was established).

Refresher: What does South HAVE:
♠ AKQ9
♥ AKTxx
♦ x
♣ Axx

Putting these together, you have club and perhaps diamond problems, but after trumps are taken, they are no big deal, ALSO you have KQ of spades to throw something on, so you can avoid doing too many cross-ruffs. So the question now is, will the Queen fall? If not, can I finesse the queen? The answer is there is above a 60% chance the Q will fall, and if the Queen doesn't fall, there is a 50% chance the finesse is on the correct side, and THAT WILL fall. So: 80% chance of 7H making.

BUT EVEN BETTER! Is South not only plays the hand, but HAS THE CHOICE between 6 or 7! (All because of the AUTO TRANSFERS!!!!!!!!

Overall, I would play 6H here, in Matchpoints, you'd be better off getting a high percentage (6H+1) than risking getting a 0% (7H-1). But in IMPS, I would go to 7H.

[Echognome]

If you are going to go the strong club route, then relays makes it straightforward enough:

1♣ (1) - 1♦ (2)
1♥ (3) - 1N (4)
2♣ ® - 2♥ (5)
2♠ ® - 3♦ (6)
3♥ ® - 3♠ (7)
4♣ (8) - 4♠ (9)
4N ® - 5♣ (10)
5♦ ® - 5N (11)
7♥

® Relay
(1) 16+ any shape
(2) NOT 9+ with 2+ controls
(3) 19+ any shape
(4) Semi-pos, 4+hearts
(5) 4+ clubs
(6) Short spades
(7) 1=5=3=4 shape
(8) Control Ask
(9) 3 Controls (A=2, K=1)
(10) No heart A or K
(11) Clubs A or K, Diamond A or K, no Heart Queen

Hand is known to be:
♠x
♥xxxxx
♦Axx
♣Kxxx

I'm sure that a number of posters could produce their own relay auctions to get you to the same place.

[Free]

655321, on May 27 2010, 04:17 PM, said:

Erm, 6-9 with 4+ hearts?

Yes, for various reasons:
- this is what I have
- partner won't pass ever so we can still raise to 4♥ if he signs off in 3♥
- if partner asks with 3♦ we can show our shortness (specifically singleton even)
- this hand is way too strong for an immediate 4♥ raise
- this hand is not good enough to describe it as 9-11HCP with 4+♥ and shortness imo.
- I don't have a way to distinguish 4 or 5 card support immediately

[the hog]

This is child's play using a relay system. Playing 2/1 I would get to 6 only.

Playing PC
1C 1H
2D 2S 2D = Odwrotka, 2S = 5 card suit, 7-10
2N 3C 2NT* = relay, 3C = 4C
3D 3NT 3D*, 3NT = s/t S
4C 4H 4C = KC,
5C 5S 5C = C ask, 5S = K
7H

[gnasher]

The_Hog, on May 28 2010, 09:40 AM, said:

This is child's play using a relay system. Playing 2/1 I would get to 6 only.

Playing PC
1C 1H
2D 2S 2D = Odwrotka, 2S = 5 card suit, 7-10
2N 3C 2NT* = relay, 3C = 4C
3D 3NT 3D*, 3NT = s/t S
4C 4H 4C = KC,
5C 5S 5C = C ask, 5S = K
7H

Where did we find out that responder doesn't have xx xxxx Ax Kxxx or even xxx xxxxx A Kxxx ?

[Free]

gnasher, on May 28 2010, 11:57 AM, said:

The_Hog, on May 28 2010, 09:40 AM, said:

This is child's play using a relay system. Playing 2/1 I would get to 6 only.

Playing PC
1C 1H
2D 2S  2D = Odwrotka, 2S = 5 card suit, 7-10
2N 3C  2NT* = relay, 3C = 4C
3D 3NT 3D*, 3NT = s/t S
4C 4H  4C = KC,
5C 5S    5C = C ask, 5S = K
7H

Where did we find out that responder doesn't have xx xxxx Ax Kxxx or even xxx xxxxx A Kxxx ?

3NT is short ♠...

[gnasher]

Free, on May 28 2010, 12:09 PM, said:

3NT is short ♠...

OK. I've never seen "s/t" used as an abbreviation for "short" before, but I'm sure that the Hog will be able to make good use of the two bytes he saved by using it.

Do we know that responder has exactly four clubs, or could responder be 1525?

[gwnn]

isnt s/t "singleton" instead of short? i think i might have seen it used that way before. also that way it would be 6 bytes saved

[ONEferBRID]

gnasher, on May 28 2010, 07:29 AM, said:

Do we know that responder has exactly four clubs, or could responder be 1525?

I too would like to know if Hog's 3C means no more than 4 clubs...

[gszeszycki]

♠ x
♥ xxxxx
♦ Axx
♣ Kxxx

♠ AKQ9
♥ AKTxx
♦ x
♣ Axx

I am a firm believer in mini splinters and my 1M/2N (I also only promise 3 + card support for major suit raises) response includes the 1M/3M invitational raise so my bidding sequence starts out

1H
3H mini splinter (short spades)
3S (opener MUST start this way if they wish to take control or else a dialog begins)
this bid asks responder for any 5+ card side suit looking for extra tricks.
3N none
4C how many hearts
4H = 5 (4d would equal 4 the MINIMUM number responder can have with short
spade and no side 5 card suit).
4N how many controls in side suits (4S would be trump quality ask)
5h 3 (5c = 0/1 5d = 2)

at this point opener KNOWS responder is 1543 1534 or 0544 AND has dia ace but which K is also important thus


6C do you have club K? (6d would ask for dia K) you make sure to ask for the one
that allows responder to leap to 7
7h yes and nothing extra (else another cue bid to show extra for ex 7c would show club K AND club Q)

[Free]

ONEferBRID, on May 28 2010, 02:19 PM, said:

gnasher, on May 28 2010, 07:29 AM, said:

Do we know that responder has exactly four clubs, or could responder be 1525?

I too would like to know if Hog's 3C means no more than 4 clubs...

I believe he would've said "4+♣" if 5 were possible.

s/t may indeed mean singleton (saves 66.67% of the bytes). The abbreviation I use for short is "$♠" which saves 80% of the bytes, but it's not as accurate.

[the hog]

3D 3NT 3D*, 3NT = s/t S

Gnasher, s/t is a universally accepted abbreviation for singleton and has been used many times on this forum.

Oneferbid, The initial 3C bid shows 4+ Clubs. After the 3D relay for shortness, 3NT shows exactly 4C and a stiff S. With 5C you bid past 3NT

If anyone is interested, this is the flavour of Odwrotka I used to play. There are, of course, others including some simpler and some more complicated.

2S = 5+M weak
2N = normal relay Now....
3m = 4+m (relay for l/h s/t 5431, 5422, and 5-5 low s/t)
3H = 6+M (3S relay: n/l/m/h s/t)
3S = 4+oM (relay for l/h short 5431, 5422, and 5-5 low s/t)
3N = 5332
4m = 5-5 natural, short oM
4H (after 1S) = 5-5 nat, short D
4M = 7-crds, some stiff

Unlike symmetric, responses do not stop at 3NT, nor is one able to distinguish between a s/t and void with 5/5 shapes.

[gnasher]

The_Hog, on May 29 2010, 02:42 AM, said:

Gnasher, s/t is a universally accepted abbreviation for singleton and has been used many times on this forum.

It's not universally accepted, because I don't accept it, though I'll probably understand it next time you use it.

It's also not accepted by the WBF. The Guide to completion of the WBF convention card includes these definitions:

S/S: Short suit
S/T: Slam try
SPL: Splinter, or short suit

[the hog]

gnasher, on May 29 2010, 03:41 PM, said:

The_Hog, on May 29 2010, 02:42 AM, said:

Gnasher, s/t is a universally accepted abbreviation for singleton and has been used many times on this forum.

It's not universally accepted, because I don't accept it, though I'll probably understand it next time you use it.

It's also not accepted by the WBF. The Guide to completion of the WBF convention card includes these definitions:

S/S: Short suit
S/T: Slam try
SPL: Splinter, or short suit

OK, I stand corrected universally accepted by everyone apart from Gnasher.

[hanp]

Thanks for the information, I didn't know about s/t either and would have thought it stood for slam try, some times, such that or short trumps. Is it Latin?

I tried searching the forums for other uses of s/t but was not succesful, and google couldn't help me either.

[the hog]

hanp, on May 29 2010, 04:33 PM, said:

Thanks for the information, I didn't know about s/t either and would have thought it stood for slam try, some times, such that or short trumps. Is it Latin?

I tried searching the forums for other uses of s/t but was not succesful, and google couldn't help me either.

Well there you go. You have learned something new today. Be happy!

[pooltuna]

The_Hog, on May 28 2010, 08:42 PM, said:

3D 3NT 3D*, 3NT = s/t S

Gnasher, s/t is a universally accepted abbreviation for singleton and has been used many times on this forum.

[snip] 

Well that is good to know. I certainly was ignorant of the universal acceptance and I guess that makes you the official glossary of BBOF. So I know now where to go for my acronym and near decryptions.

[ceeb]

gnasher, on May 29 2010, 03:41 AM, said:

The_Hog, on May 29 2010, 02:42 AM, said:

Gnasher, s/t is a universally accepted abbreviation for singleton and has been used many times on this forum.

It's not universally accepted, because I don't accept it, though I'll probably understand it next time you use it.

It's also not accepted by the WBF. The Guide to completion of the WBF convention card includes these definitions:

S/S: Short suit
S/T: Slam try
SPL: Splinter, or short suit

which suggests the theory that someone once wrote "S/T" next to a slam try bid that happened to be a singleton, someone else misunderstood, and before long the error was being propagated.

In support of that theory, consider that the alleged abbreviation pattern is not normal English. Does it have any precedent at all? Omission of letters is the job of an apostrophe, not a slash, isn/t it? The slash in S/S for example serves to separate the two Ss to indicate separate words, not to substitute for the intermediate letters "hort" (otherwise it would be S/S/ -- "uit" would be entitled to equal representation).

There are many other examples of propagated errors in English -- misunderstandings that have been often repeated and even proudly defended by their errant users. One such example is "arrant nonsense", often misspelled as "errant nonsense." (Nice essay at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/magazine...n_safire.html.)

[655321]

I always knew I don't live on Planet Hog, but I am pleased to learn that I don't even live in Universe Hog!

[Bbradley62]

kenrexford, on May 26 2010, 08:23 PM, said:

2♦(strong, forcing, artificial, 4+ spades)-P-2♥(not four spades)-P-
3♥(4♠, 5+♥)-p-4♠(splinter)-P-
4NT-P-5♣(1430 -- one)-P-
5♦(Queen?)-P-6♣(yes because of the fifth trump, this King)-P-

This is in response to OP's request for standard(ish) methods?