[sceptic]

I seem to have issues bidding 5 heart 4 spade hands with 14 - 16 points (not strong enough for reverse)

any tips please

[Fluffy]

open 1♥, when partner bids 1♠ troubles are over, but when he bids 1NT the problem comes.

2/1 solves it by bidding the best minor at the 2 level (even 2♣ with 4522), this has the meritof finding some nice 3-4 minor fits and some 5-2 ♥ fits, while if you are 15 or 16, ,you can also bid 2NT (or 2♠) after partner bids 2♥.

Thereis no perfect structure for that type of hand, just remember others will face a problem as well.

[mike777]

Fluffy, on Jul 25 2005, 03:00 PM, said:

open 1♥, when partner bids 1♠ troubles are over,  but when he bids 1NT the problem comes.

2/1 solves it by bidding the best minor at the 2 level (even 2♣ with 4522), this has the meritof finding some nice 3-4 minor fits and some 5-2 ♥ fits, while if you are 15 or 16, ,you can also bid 2NT (or 2♠) after partner bids 2♥.

Thereis no perfect structure for that type of hand, just remember others will face a problem as well.

Ditto

I would only add that with concentrated 5H consider rebidding 2H.
Perhaps
AJXX=AKQXX=XX=XX OR
AJXX=AKQXX=XXX=X

[Double !]

sceptic, on Jul 25 2005, 02:04 PM, said:

I seem to have issues bidding 5 heart 4 spade hands with 14 - 16 points (not strong enough for reverse)

any tips please

So do so many other players.
some people have "solved" the problem by opening 2D (or 2H) to show 11-15 with 4-5 in majors (Flannery 2D or 2H), but this never seemed to have really caught on big time, and many people felt that the 2D opener could be put to better use. Fluffy's response seems to be commonly used these days.

[Free]

Play Kaplan inversion, solves all problems in that area, but might create some new ones (as usual)... And reverse with 16

[luke warm]

why not ask hamman/soloway what they play? or martel/stansby? oops, nevermind

[han]

There is indeed a convention that deals with 4-5 major hands, but fortunately, mentioning it's name risks being banned from BBO forums.

[helene_t]

It's ok to open 1NT with 4522 and rebid 2♣ with 4513. With 4531 you must rebid 2♦ allthough it's not optimal. Rebidding 2♣ with a doubleton? If you play forcing 1NT, partners anticipates a 3-card so a doubleton will do. If 2♣ is normally a 4-card, try to open 1NT if it makes any sense at all.

I don't think you should play Kaplan Inversion and/or Fl

Spoiler

annery

in order to solve this problem. Both are reasonable conventions but they have quite far-reaching impact on you structure after a 1♥ opening, so this marginal rebid problem should be the least of your concerns.

A couple of years ago I posted a question on the Dutch StepBridge Forum about design of a simplified 2/1 system for beginners. One of the question I asked was about the Fl

Spoiler

annery

convention. Onno Eskes (a famous Dutch bridge player) replied "Please forget everything about Fl

Spoiler

annery

. In all the years that I've played bridge the rebid problem with 4522 has never come up".

This was funny because just one month earlier, playing the Dutch mixed pairs championships final, Onno picked up a 4522 with 16 points. Since he had no agreement with his partner (Marion Michielsen) about this type of hands, he fabricated a 1NT opening. It went:

Onno LHO Marion RHO
1NT__2s__3h___pass
?

Now he realized that the field would be in a right-sided 4♥ (Onno had KJxx of spades) so he gambled 3NT. However, when this was doubled, he bid 4♥. Surprisingly, RHO lead the ace of spades, in which suit Marion had a void. 4♥x+3 was 100% matchoints.

For this action, Onno was rewarded the Macho Behavior Price by the IMP magazine. This was in the days when Unilever sold the "seven sins" icecreams, and the IMP magazine decided to award prices to bridge sinners in an effort to get Unilever as a sponsor.

When I reminded Onno on this incident, he said: "Well, maybe the best agreement is that partner plays Fl

Spoiler

annery

and you don't, then the contract allways gets right-sided. Something to discuss with Marion."

[Walddk]

Hannie, on Jul 26 2005, 07:10 AM, said:

There is indeed a convention that deals with 4-5 major hands, but fortunately, mentioning it's name risks being banned from BBO forums.

I have no power to ban people from the BBO Forums, but rest assured that you will never become a vugraph commentator if you have the nerve to use the most naughty F-word of them all

Roland

[badderzboy]

One solution play Weak NT lol

We handle it quite easily

If partner doesnt bid 1♠ he hasn;t got 4♠ and I can bid 2NT over a 2 level response or pass 1NT depending on pts / shape.

PS I know we have our own nasty hands like 11-14 4522 but at least I can honestly bid 2♥.

Steve

[luke warm]

Walddk, on Jul 26 2005, 03:49 AM, said:

Hannie, on Jul 26 2005, 07:10 AM, said:

There is indeed a convention that deals with 4-5 major hands, but fortunately, mentioning it's name risks being banned from BBO forums.   

I have no power to ban people from the BBO Forums, but rest assured that you will never become a vugraph commentator if you have the nerve to use the most naughty F-word of them all

Roland

hehehe.. yeah, i heard hamway asked to commentate and were turned down cause they play that *%!@$# convention

[Gerben42]

Actually in their system it is less bad as it is in other systems. Anyway...
Playing "standard, after 1♥ - 1NT you get to pick between pass (usually the sensible thing to do) or lying about a 3-card minor. Playing 2/1 bid better minor (yes 2♣ can be two but who plays them anyway).

I really dislike opening 1NT on 5-4 majors. If you look at the Fantoni-Nunes CC you see they like to open 1NT whenever but not with 5-4 majors. I think they have a point.

[Double !]

Hannie, on Jul 26 2005, 12:10 AM, said:

There is indeed a convention that deals with 4-5 major hands, but fortunately, mentioning it's name risks being banned from BBO forums.

OK!

I'm banned for using the F-word. Bad me! Bad, Bad! I humbly apologize and hang my head in shame and public disgrace. I beg for forgiveness.

I guess the F-word is only acceptable if preceeded by the word "Reverse".

[luke warm]

or by the words "as played by multiple world champions..."

[mike777]

Gerben42, on Jul 26 2005, 06:19 AM, said:

Actually in their system it is less bad as it is in other systems. Anyway...
Playing "standard, after 1♥ - 1NT you get to pick between pass (usually the sensible thing to do) or lying about a 3-card minor. Playing 2/1 bid better minor (yes 2♣ can be two but who plays them anyway).

I really dislike opening 1NT on 5-4 majors. If you look at the Fantoni-Nunes CC you see they like to open 1NT whenever but not with 5-4 majors. I think they have a point.

If possible could you please expand on their 1nt opening bid style? pt range, how offshape, etc?
Thank you in advance.

[han]

luke warm, on Jul 26 2005, 05:42 PM, said:

or by the words "as played by multiple world champions..."

Hamway you say? Never heard of!

[P_Marlowe]

sceptic, on Jul 25 2005, 02:04 PM, said:

I seem to have issues bidding 5 heart 4 spade hands with 14 - 16 points (not strong enough for  reverse)

any tips please

Hi,

one solution is playing Flannery, but this gives up the weak
two in diamond or what ever you are currently playing.
I have no opinion, if Flannery is worth playing or not,
it has it's merrits, espescially if playing 5 card mayor,
but there are trade offs as well.
Make your choice and stick to it.

Personnaly I would not worry to much about 5-4 in the
mayors.

First: The frequency is low, according to

http://www.bridgebuff.com/jammer2d.htm

around 0,5%, this number needs probbaly be divided by 2,
because our side, will only be half the time in the relevant
position.

Second: Partner will always bid spades, in case he is not strong
enough to show them later. Of course, playing that a 2 over
1 response promises a rebid, helps a bit, because the requirements
for an 2 over 1 response increase.

With kind regards
Marlowe