[lamford]

♠ A9xxxxx ♥x ♦Axx ♣xx. Love all (neither side vulnerable), IMPs. Your go. And apologies, Free, if you think this belongs in the beginner section.

[gwnn]

1 spade.

[lamford]

gwnn, on 2011-October-12, 06:26, said:

1 spade.

One issue, in the UK anyway, is that it is illegal (in most events) to have the agreement to open at the one-level on a hand which does not meet the rule of 19 (HCP plus two longest suits). You can still open 1 spade on this hand, but you are not allowed to have the agreement to do so! You are not allowed to count an ace as 4.5 points either for the purpose of this rule, even though that is probably the correct evaluation.

[jjbrr]

1♠

[gordontd]

lamford, on 2011-October-12, 06:41, said:

One issue, in the UK anyway, is that it is illegal (in most events) to have the agreement to open at the one-level on a hand which does not meet the rule of 19 (HCP plus two longest suits). You can still open 1 spade on this hand, but you are not allowed to have the agreement to do so! You are not allowed to count an ace as 4.5 points either for the purpose of this rule, even though that is probably the correct evaluation.

I don't think "most events" in the UK are played at Level 2. At Level 3 & Level 4 the rule of 18 applies.

[jjbrr]

lamford, on 2011-October-12, 06:41, said:

One issue, in the UK anyway, is that it is illegal (in most events) to have the agreement to open at the one-level on a hand which does not meet the rule of 19 (HCP plus two longest suits). You can still open 1 spade on this hand, but you are not allowed to have the agreement to do so! You are not allowed to count an ace as 4.5 points either for the purpose of this rule, even though that is probably the correct evaluation.

An opening hand, even if it doesn't meet some arbitrary criteria presumably written by people with poor or limited bridge judgment, is still an opening hand.

Ace seventh in spades and a side Axx first seat white at imps is a very, very good hand. That it doesn't satisfy the bean counters is not really much of a concern.

[gordontd]

I think it's close between 1♠ & 4♠, and would probably open 1♠ at MPs & 4♠ at IMPs. Even when it's wrong to have opened 4♠, the opponents often find it hard to take advantage of it.

[MickyB]

2♥

[Zelandakh]

MickyB, on 2011-October-12, 07:30, said:

2♥

Followed by a Watson double when they bid 3NT with partner on lead...?

[gwnn]

I will open 1♠ regardless of the possibly dire consequences.

[lamford]

gordontd, on 2011-October-12, 07:01, said:

I don't think "most events" in the UK are played at Level 2. At Level 3 & Level 4 the rule of 18 applies.

Now I see. The OB is a little misleading in my view:

11 C One of a Suit Opening Bids
Allowed at Levels 2, 3 and 4
11 C 1 Minimum opening bid strength
The minimum agreement for opening one of a suit is Rule of 19, or 11 HCP. However a partnership may not agree to open with 7 HCP or fewer even if the hand is at least Rule of 19.

Yes, I know that later it has "allowed at levels 3 and 4", but I did not realise that!

[Hanoi5]

0 spades.

[Free]

lamford, on 2011-October-12, 06:22, said:

And apologies, Free, if you think this belongs in the beginner section.

No worries, finally a decent question.

I'd probably pass. When playing light openers I'd open 1♠.

[pooltuna]

pass

[MickyB]

I'd open 3♠. 1♠ is fine.

[nigel_k]

I seldom pass a distributional hand in first seat but this has to be an exception because nothing fits.

4♠ will be awful if partner has short spades. 3♠ could be as well, or could also be too little if partner has values and a couple of spades. It is closest to 1♠ but that is just a bit rich for me. Since I have decent defence I will risk an initial pass and later spade overcall.

[Phil]

1>0>3>2>4

[nige1]

lamford, on 2011-October-12, 06:22, said:

♠ A9xxxxx ♥x ♦Axx ♣xx. Love all (neither side vulnerable), IMPs. Your go. And apologies, Free, if you think this belongs in the beginner section.

IMO 1♠ = 10. 3♠ = 7. 4♠ = 6. 2♠ = 5. Pass = 4. (Rule of 18 so.as GordonTD says, an agreement to open 1♠ is OK for most events, even in the EBU).

[gnasher]

I hate 3♠ far more than I did on the other one. Pass seems the best description.

[lamford]

gnasher, on 2011-October-12, 17:22, said:

I hate 3♠ far more than I did on the other one. Pass seems the best description.

Thanks all. I did pass and my second choice would have been 1♠. Partner had ♠J10xx ♥Axxx ♦KQxx ♣x. Our room went all pass. The opponents had ♠K ♥ KJxx ♦ xxx ♣KJxxx opposite ♠ Q ♥ Q10xx ♦ Jxx ♣ AQxxx. Understandably the latter hand threw it in. The other room bid to the 52% 6♠, after an interesting gadget; 2NT was either a bad pre-empt in a minor or a flawed pre-empt in a major. I thought it was unusual to have a good slam bid in one room, and a pass out in the other. Maybe I just live too sheltered a life.