[Fluffy]

2NT focuses on the right declarer, but it puts too much emphasis on playing 4M if partner has 6M or 5-5M, I would like to avoid that if possible. 1♣-3NT seems to avoid that problem althou gives RHO a free shot to ask for the right lead. I would want to open a natural 3NT

[gwnn]

 mikl_plkcc, on 2012-July-02, 21:51, said:

I don't know if my system is flawed, but about 8 out of 10 3NT contracts go down in my partnership (usually due to a suit run by the opponents), so I avoid 3NT whenever possible.

http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/0517881594
is a good book. There are good ways of countering defenders's attempts of running their suit, for example hold-up plays, avoidance plays and last but not least running your own suit (AKJxx is a good suit to run for example).

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/0064632091
I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed this book, too, but some people find the language too dry (it is also outmoded but that is one of the things I really enjoyed!). Also, there are no exercises (you always see all four hands). Still it is a nice book. Later on you can also try the Rodwell files, which starts out with some very basic ones before moving quite quickly.

[mikl_plkcc]

 the hog, on 2012-July-03, 00:19, said:

8/10 Lol. On what do you bid 3NT? Peronally I try to bid 3NT as often as i can.
Also I am curious as to how you bid:

Kx
AKxxx
Kx
Kxx

1H 1NT
?
2NT is terrible as you often end up in a non making contract when the field is in 1NT

1H 1S
?

I bid 3NT whenever I know there are 25 HCPs in total and no 8-card fit exists. Is this wrong?

For the first, I bid nothing; for the second, I bid 2♥, lying (this is the only problematic shape I encounter). I know that I need to run suits for a 3NT contract, but, in most cases, they run their suit before I can run my suit (for example, AKJxx cannot be run when the Q is offside).

I had 218 hands played on BBO in the last month. 44 of them were played in 3NT, but only 6 of them were played by me. 4 of them made and 2 of them set. It seems that I have already changed my bidding style to avoid 3NT whenever I have an 8 card-fit found.

Earlier, in April, I played 258 hands, 48 hands were played in 3NT, 10 out of 48 were played by me and 9 out of 10 went down! 6 out of 10 times I played worse than DD. The worst one, in terms of tricks, went down 5 when the 8-card diamond fit could not be found while the field was in 3♦!

The worst one, in terms of IMPs, got -7.87 IMPs when I played that 3NT-1 when the field made!
http://www.bridgebas...name=mikl_plkcc
When I got to my hand, I ran the diamond suit, but DD analysis afterward showed that I should take a club trick before running the diamond suit!

[Zelandakh]

 mikl_plkcc, on 2012-July-04, 01:48, said:

The worst one, in terms of IMPs, got -7.87 IMPs when I played that 3NT-1 when the field made!
http://www.bridgebas...name=mikl_plkcc
When I got to my hand, I ran the diamond suit, but DD analysis afterward showed that I should take a club trick before running the diamond suit!

This hand suggests to me that you are not counting your tricks before you play a card. This is important. Look back at the hand now and think to yourself how you come to 9 tricks without a second club trick. Once you decide you need a club trick then you can see how important the ♦A is as an entry.

The other thing that leaps out at me from this hand is the way you ran the spade queen. Think for a moment about how the suit might divide (use a spare deck of cards if it helps) and where you gain. If South has the king (as here) they will simply win it. The opponents still have the JT against your A9. But what if North holds the king? Well they simply cover and after you win the ace their JT are now set up as winners. You have helped them! When you hold the ace and the queen of a suit, but not the king or jack, it is often right to lead low towards the queen and rarely correct to run the queen. This is even more so missing the ten. Playing suit combinations like this well is an important part of becoming "luckier" in bridge.