[karlson]

All swiss teams (imps, 8-board matches)

1. ♠AQJx ♥x ♦QJ9xx ♣KQx

r/w lefty deals.
1♦-p-1♥-x
3♥-4♠-5♥-p
p-5♠-6♥-?

Agree with your first two actions? Now?

2. ♠Axx ♥A ♦AKQxxx ♣Qxx

r/r, you deal
1♦-1♥-p-2♥
?

1♦ was always unbalanced. You play takeout doubles and good/bad in this spot (3♦ shows a genuinely invitational hand). Your style is not to make a negative double with a minimum with heart length, but feel free to ignore that if you think it's silly.

3. (I think this is a wtp in retrospect, but I got it wrong at the table).
♠xx ♥xx ♦AQTxx ♣AQTx

r/r, lefty deals
p-p-3♥-p
p-x-p-?

4. ♠xxx ♥xx ♦xxx ♣KJTxx

r/r partner deals
2♣-p-2♦-p
2N-p-3N-p
4N-p-?

2♦ was game forcing and while you didn't discuss this explicitly, you're 90% sure partner is showing 27-28 balanced.

5. ♠Txx ♥QJxxx ♦xx ♣KQT

w/w partner deals
2♣-p-2♦-p
2♠-p-3♠-p
4♥-p-?

Different partner, this time 2♦ didn't show anything in particular, but 3♠ was forcing. 4♥ was a serious (NS 3n available) semi-natural slam try.

[kfay]

1) Well, I don't have a very good reason to think they won't make this aside from the bidding so I'll just double. Redouble seems really unlikely. I suppose I would lead a trump.

2) 3♦, no problem yet really.

3) I'd just bid 4♦

4) OK changed my mind to 6♣. Over Quant this shows 5 pieces, right? p/c

5) Can't really identify which suit I'm trying in when I bid 5♣ but I don't think it's really a big issue, I'll just bid 5♣. Hope to be able to offer 6♥ later. I could just bid 6♥ now but that's just so pre-mature when we can do so many more useful things. I'm not saying I'm driving to slam. If partner rebids 5M we will stop short of slam clearly.

[Phil]

1. It seems partner has some sort of weak distributional hand with a lot of black cards. xxxxxx, x, x, Axxxx maybe? The spade K is probably on my left so 4 was our limit. Are they making 980? Spades would have to be 3-0 and clubs 4-1 I think; independently these aren't likely, but together its quite possible. I suppose I pass but it could be very wrong. Good problem.

2. 3N.

3. 4♦ seems like plenty with the death holding in hearts. Nice balance pard.

4. 27-28? Odd range. 6♣ looks like the right value bid.

5. I don't know what a 'serious', "semi-natural" slam try is. Is it some sort of help-suit? Anyway, I think I'm worth 5♣ at this point, but depending on the definition, 6♥ might be a better call.

[Echognome]

1) Pass. I don't see why I would double with nearly half of my values in our big fit, but I don't see why I'm a favorite to make either.

2) 3NT. I have 8 very likely tricks and I just don't see 3♦ being enough.

3) Partner's a passed hand, so this is a bit scary. I would guess hearts are 7-2-2-2 around the table. I'll just bid 4♦ as well. I think pass is risky here.

4) 5♣ - forcing IMO. At least we may be able to find a superior contract.

5) 5♥ - but depends so much on agreements.

[jjbrr]

Auction 1 DNE

[pooltuna]

1] X - I would have to play partner for the world after he was unable to act directly over 1♦ to bid 6♠

2] X - partner will hopefully not find a 2♠ call as he was unable to make a -X on the first round

3] 4♦ and hope to survive

4] assuming 2NT was passble this is an impossible auction and you should treat these the same way you treat unilateral action auctions - PASS
EDIT: missed the comments and hand 5 I still PASS though

5] 4♠ not sure what partner was trying to show but at this point it looks like we are missing both a ♣ and a ♦ control.

[MFA]

1. X. Seems strange that partner can bid 5 over 5 but not overcall 1♠ or 2♠.
2. X then 3♦.
3. 4♦. Tempted to bid more. If partner has a doubleton heart I probably disagree with his balance (even though with this hand I'm delighted of course).
4. 6♣.
5. 5♣ but I don't think I understand the methods.

[karlson]

Sorry, I guess I didn't explain myself very well on #5. 2c followed by 2s was game forcing. 4h was just a "cue", but you can expect partner to cue ♥AQxx ahead of ♦Ax and it's definitely not a stiff/void heart. Obviously he might not have much of a side suit at all on this auction, so it doesn't promise 4 hearts.

[kfay]

karlson, on Jun 7 2010, 04:16 PM, said:

Sorry, I guess I didn't explain myself very well on #5. 2c followed by 2s was game forcing. 4h was just a "cue", but you can expect partner to cue ♥AQxx ahead of ♦Ax and it's definitely not a stiff/void heart.  Obviously he might not have much of a side suit at all on this auction, so it doesn't promise 4 hearts.

Disagree with your methods but I'll defend to the death your right to play them.

OK maybe not to the death.

[Codo]

1. double, I need a way to stop partner.
Opposite you and me, I could pass, but this partner was not able to bid 1 or 2 spade, but 4 and 5, so I would be careful.

2. Whatever shows the good diamond hand, I guess 2 NT/3 ♦.

3. 4 ♦ - I thought this would be my usual minority underbid.

4. Okay, so now: I pass. I have no fit yet and 31 to 32 HCPS. NO need to get too excited. I would bid 6 club with a sixt club.

5. Depends on system. If 3 ♠ shows around this strength, I may bid 4 spade now to limit my hand. But I guess I have no special agreements, so take the majority road to 5 ♣.

[Phil]

kfay, on Jun 7 2010, 04:18 PM, said:

Disagree with your methods but I'll defend to the death your right to play them.

OK maybe not to the death.

KFay - the Patrick Henry of BBF.

[Fluffy]

1. I agree with the actions before if pass was forcing, and then I double now. If pass wasn't forcing I'd pass now wich surelly is forcing now.

2. I'd double then 3♦ normally, but if 3♦ is very strong then I try that.

3. Both pass and 4♦ seems normal, but IMO 4♦ is best.

4. I need more info on the 2♦ bid, it showed something already?, then I think I'd pass, 5♣ is a reasonable option also.

5. My hand sucks!, 4♠ now. Won't pass because if partner opens 2♣ with both majors he might have a big monster.

[Hanoi5]

1. Double. I Agree with the first 2 actions.
2. Double. I'll bid 3NT over 3♠.
3. Pass. I'll lead a spade and pray for them to go down. I don't like 4♦ or 5 or 4NT. At all.
4. Pass. Too little, there may not even be a club fit.
5. 4♥ is serious? Serious what? If partner is showing hearts I'd bid 5♥. If he's short in hearts 4♠.

[awm]

1. Pass. I have what I showed in the bidding.
2. Double followed by 3♦ if possible.
3. 4♦. I don't really understand passing 3♥X when opps have 9-10 hearts and almost half the deck, and the suit is breaking for them.
4. 5♣. Slam is likely if partner has a club fit; I will pass 5NT.
5. 5♣. Have to cooperate with this apparent double-fit.

[karlson]

Ok, thanks everyone. In case of interest, answers/stories.

1. I passed it out. Partner had about what one expects (he must have a huge side club fit to bid like this after passing 1♦): ♠Kxxxx ♥x ♦x ♣JTxxxx. Amazingly, their spades were 2-2 and we were +100 to win 2 imps. I thought that I could have found a double here with such good diamonds -- really their tricks are only coming from trumps -- but of course if lefty had had short spades, they may well have made it.

2. I tried 3n. Partner had ♠KJxx ♥xxxx ♦x ♣xxxx. When diamonds were 4-2 I cashed out for -300 and lose 9. Double followed by 3♦ will presumably let you play it there, but you would also play it there opposite two or three small diamonds, so I still don't know the right answer.

3. I think everyone is out to lunch on this one. I also bid 4♦ at the table staring at the possible fast losers in the majors, but I really think it's a clear error. Partner is balancing red/red over 3♥ at imps -- I think he has a doubleton heart approximately 0.2% of the time. Given that, you need only a couple of keycards to give game play, so I think 4N is standout. Today partner had ♠AQxx ♥-- ♦xxxx ♣Kxxxx. Game is obviously cold, 6 is ok, and today all the cards were right so even 7 was makeable. Somehow +170 was win 1 I think.

4. I passed, fearing the lack of a club fit. I agree that in theory 5♣ should be forcing and 5N over it should be passable, but I was a bit scared of perpetrating such a sequence and I wasn't at all sure we could even make 5N if partner's clubs were really Ax or worse, Qx. Today partner had ♠Ax ♥AKJxx ♦AKQ ♣AQx, so 6N is on a hook on a spade lead, a little better on a non-spade lead, but the hook is on today. 6♣ can go down if you take the normal line of ruffing a spade since the hearts are actually 6-0. Lose 3 as teammates got doubled in 3♠ for 800. I'm happy with my pass -- given that 6 won't necessarily be cold opposite the best possible club holding, it seems like bidding is wrong.

5. Sorry, I guess this was a bad problem, since there was some confusion over the methods. I thought they were pretty normal myself, but I think the hand would have been an ok problem with any methods. Partner had ♠AKJxx ♥AKxx ♦AKJ ♣x. Maybe it's not 2♣ to you, but it can't be terrible. In any case, we failed to get to hearts after 5♣-x-p-p-5♥-p-6♠. I didn't like partner's 6♠ bid but perhaps I should have bid 6♥ either now or on the second round since it would be a more unambiguous attempt to play in hearts. Neither slam is fantastic, but hearts is much better than spades and could be made today. 6♠-1 was of course lose 10.

[Fluffy]

if you ever partner me karlson you might get really sick from my 3 level reopenings as a passed hand