[whereagles]

♠ Ax
♥ KT
♦ 9x
♣ AKT9xxx

♠ xxx
♥ A9xxxx
♦ AT
♣ QJ

Auction starts
(1♠) 2♣ (p) ??

Can you reach 7♣ now?

[Fluffy]

Don´t think I would even find 6♣, good news are that if north takes the contrtol and asks for key cards after south has shown his ♥ suit he won´t fail to bid 7, the only way I can see to reach is this one:

(1♠)-2♣-p-2♥
p-2♠-p-3♦**
p-4♣-p-4♦
p-4NT-p-5♠
p-7♣-


3♦**: this is the most dubious bid, probably I would bid 3♣ or 3♥, but then north is gonna bid 3/4♥, and we will end on 4/6♥.

[Free]

7♣ fails on a ♦ lead imo, when trumps are 3-1... So 6♣ is just high enough.

I wouldn't bid 2♣ with my favorite partner, but Dbl, and rebid ♣. However, we'd probably end in 4♥ or 6♥...

[inquiry]

Well, I doubt I would do it at the table, but the south hand almost cries out for a fit jump to 3♥ over the 2♣ overcall. The problem with the fit jump here are somewhat minor. I like to have some honor other than (or in addition to) the ACE, so while the heart lenght is excellent for this bid, the heart honors are not perfect. The other problem is the presences of only two clubs... but I am not overly concerned about my two card support, the QJ doubleton is excellent support for a 2♣ overcall.

After a fit jump, and a 3♠/4♦ cue bid, I don't see how you can stay out of slam. Grand slam is still somewhat difficult to imagine.
Ben

[hrothgar]

inquiry, on Jun 16 2004, 04:38 PM, said:

Well, I doubt I would do it at the table, but the south hand almost cries out for a fit jump to 3♥ over the 2♣ overcall. The problem with the fit jump here are somewhat minor. I like to have some honor other than (or in addition to) the ACE, so while the heart lenght is excellent for this bid, the heart honors are not perfect. The other problem is the presences of only two clubs... but I am not overly concerned about my two card support, the QJ doubleton is excellent support for a 2♣ overcall.

After a fit jump, and a 3♠/4♦ cue bid, I don't see how you can stay out of slam. Grand slam is still somewhat difficult to imagine.
Ben

I don't like the fit showing jump, however, I'm from a school that believes that fit-shoing jumps needs to be relatively disciplined. If I am going to jump shift to 3H, I want to make sure that partner will be well positioned as the auction progresses.

In this case, the Heart suit is too weak. Partner will never be able to appreciate whether fitting honors are pulling full weight. Furthermore, the Club support is a bit too weak for my liking.

Change the hand to

♠ xxx
♥ AQxxxx
♦ T8
♣ QJ4

and I'd happily start with a fit jump.

[luis]

Perfect for the overcalling system I'm playing:

(1s)
2c (Clubs or Clubs and Hearts)
2d (relay)
2n (clubs one suited) [2h would have been c+h canape, 2s=c+h with longer clubs)
3d (relay)
3N (2-2-2-7)
4d (CRASH Asking bid) [4c would have started denial cuebids]
4n (Two aces of the same color)
5c (Asking again)
6c (hK and cK)
7c (Signoff)

:-))
Luis

If you are interested in this overcalling system I can start a thread, basically we use power doubles (16+ any shape), 1NT as a takeout double of their opening bid and overcalls that show either the suit bid or a two suiter eliminating the opening bid suit and the next higher suit which is used as a relay.

[whereagles]

Impressive bidding there, Luis

At the table it went
(1♠)
2♣ 2♥ (natural, forcing)
2♠ 3♥
4♥ pass

The club fit never came to light, so overcaller signed-off in 4♥.

Perhaps this is a solution playing natural methods, without biasing the bidding too much.
(1♠)
2♣ 2♥
2♠ 3♣
4♣ 4♦
4NT 5♠
6♣ pass

If overcaller is in need of a swing, he can still gamble advancer for 5 or 6 hearts to the king and bid 7♣.

[arrows]

Quote

Perhaps this is a solution playing natural methods, without biasing the bidding too much.
(1♠)
2♣ 2♥
2♠ 3♣
4♣ 4♦
4NT 5♠
6♣ pass

yeah, exactly!

[JRG]

Free, on Jun 16 2004, 04:37 AM, said:

7♣ fails on a ♦ lead imo, when trumps are 3-1... So 6♣ is just high enough.

I wouldn't bid 2♣ with my favorite partner, but Dbl, and rebid ♣. However, we'd probably end in 4♥ or 6♥...

LOL. Everytime I play a slam like this, I get a ♦ lead.

So I win the Ace. I play one round of !Cs (out of habit, because here I need a 2-2 split anyway), and then play a ♥ to the King and back to the Ace. Everyone follows to the first round of ♥s, but when I play the Ace, it gets ruffed!

So I go down in 6!C. Oh well, I know I should learn to play better.

[mishovnbg]

(1♠) - 2♣ - (p) - 2♦{5+♥}
(p) - 3♣{max, good ♣} - (p) - 3♦{GF, stopper+♦}
(p) - 3♥{Tx♥} - {p) - 3♠{♠ stopper ask}
(dbl) - rdbl{1 control ♠} - (p) - 4♣{fit, slam interest}
(p) - 4♥{A/K♥, agree for slam} (p) - 5C{odd KC, deny ♠ control}
(p) - 5♦{false control, KC enough for grand} - (p) - 5NT{Q♣ but nothing more}
6♣{without Q ♥ 7♣ is not good contract} - all pass

Because of bold bids I hope opps to lead ♠ and I to make 6♣ with expected 4-1♥ and 3-1♣. If I bid and make 6♣ will be wining contract at any tournament, I just don't need 7 in competition, where 90% of field will play simple game.

Misho

[inquiry]

Misho is showing transfer advances in competition here. This is really a neat advancement in competitive bidding, and is worth some study and consideration. I remember he started some threads on this subject, but they turned out to be more of a dialogue between him and me than anything else. It would be nice to see how other people play transfer advances (and when they are off and when they are on).

Ben

[PriorKnowledge]

BTW, this hand is interesting in that the final contract should be 7C, not 6C. If 6C is making, so is 7C. If the heart suit comes in, you make 7C. If not, you fail at 6C.

[whereagles]

I'm a big fan of transfer advances. The only reason I don't play them in a regular basis is they need a steady partner. I know a few experts that say exactly the same

[Flame]

The play here is also interesting, in 6c after a diamond lead, you should play 3 rounds of clubs imidietly ruffing high in your hand, then get into dummy with club, and play another heart, discarding a diamond from hand, wather its ruffed or not you will make the slam. playing trump before heart or trump after you ruff the heart will get you 1-down when trumps arent breaking.

[Flame]

JRG, on Jun 16 2004, 01:57 PM, said:

Free, on Jun 16 2004, 04:37 AM, said:

7♣ fails on a ♦ lead imo, when trumps are 3-1...  So 6♣ is just high enough.

I wouldn't bid 2♣ with my favorite partner, but Dbl, and rebid ♣.  However, we'd probably end in 4♥ or 6♥...

LOL. Everytime I play a slam like this, I get a ♦ lead.

So I win the Ace. I play one round of !Cs (out of habit, because here I need a 2-2 split anyway), and then play a ♥ to the King and back to the Ace. Everyone follows to the first round of ♥s, but when I play the Ace, it gets ruffed!

So I go down in 6!C. Oh well, I know I should learn to play better.

You should go down in this contrat if you play correctly. look one post above for the right play, you dont need a 2-2 club split.

[mishovnbg]

whereagles, on Jun 17 2004, 11:22 PM, said:

I'm a big fan of transfer advances. The only reason I don't play them in a regular basis is they need a steady partner. I know a few experts that say exactly the same

Hi whereagles!

About our method "Equality" of transfer bids in competition you can read here:
http://bridgebase.lunarpages.com/~bridge2/...indpost&p=18392
http://bridgebase.lunarpages.com/~bridge2/...indpost&p=18420
http://bridgebase.lunarpages.com/~bridge2/...indpost&p=18417
http://bridgebase.lunarpages.com/~bridge2/...indpost&p=18419
http://forums.bridgebase.com/ind...indpost&p=30735
http://forums.bridgebase.com/ind...indpost&p=39502

Will be very nice if you can write there your opinion, as well as anybody too. We with Ben are somehow tired of dialogue way of posting there... I am still wondering why such posters like Ron, Luis, Richard... didn't wrote there...
PS Ben, read general definition of our method, it was updated by me.
Misho

[flytoox]

I will be very happy with 3N, after pd's 2c, raise to 3C, and pd will bid 3N. this is better than most of contract. forget about 6/7c. u never lose for these hand.

[whereagles]

Thx misho. I'll have a look later this weekend.

Actually, I'm getting more and more convinced of the value of transfers whenever you want to compete to a part-score or game, not just in advancing situations. I believe the future of competitive bidding rests on schemes such as "Capp/1MX":

1♠ (dbl) ??
1NT, 2♣, 2♦ = transfers. Competitive or strongish
2♥ = sound 3-card raise to 2-level or higher
2♠ = trash raise
2NT+ = offensive 4-card raises and fit-bids

A friend of mine is working on expanding these concepts to other bidding situations 8)

The same philosophy is not to be used when preempting, though. Preempts should be natural, in order to give opponents as little chances as possible to bid, in this case two. Stuff like transfer preempts give opponents three chances to bid, therefore increasing the risk of being penalized and letting go some of the pressure.

[Trpltrbl]

I like to be in 6♣, since I am sure against me they will lead a ♦.

Mike

[lbyer]

How about this for a non-artificial sequence?

1♠ - 2♣ - P - 2♥
P - 2♠ - P - 3♥
P - 4♣ - P - 4[NT]
P - 5♣ (3 key) - P - 6♣

I guess I wouldn't get to 7