Actually, that hand doesn't work either, does it.

Bidding question:

Auction goes:

2 (weak)
X
pass

your bid.

You have:

Axx
xx
xx
AKQJTx

4-forcing-clubs

My opponent bid 3 His partner went to 3NT. It makes exactly 5NT.

We got fixed. The doubler should pass 3 since the responder is showing a range of zero to 7 here.

I would have tried 3 as a general cue bid. Was wondering if anyone agreed with that?

They don't play Leb? 3 is reasonable too, but I'm never going to convince partner I've got this hand. I'm too worried about missing 6C here to suppress them, and my bidding agreements with partner after the 3D cuebid are not as tight as I'd like them to be.

I think 3D is absolutely correct; I'll probably raise 3NT to 4NT. Over the majors I have an interesting problem — over 3H, 3NT should be safe (partner will know I can't be showing a stopper here, else why didn't I bid 3S), whereas over 3S I think I try 4C (correcting 4H to 4S to show this hand).

If they play lebensohl then 3C is forcing; start with that if it's available. Notice RHO's failure to raise, which means partner has some diamonds; there's probably no slam except in notrump, and we need to give pard a chance to move to notrump comfortably

I do. If partner bids 3NT, I'm probably raising to 4 and hoping they like their hand. Otherwise, I'm bidding 4C next.

wait wat?

3C should be invitational and NF

If that's true (agreements vary), then 3D.

I thought 3 showed next to nothing. The doubler had a bare minimum 12 count but did have A

He meant if opps play lebensohl over weak twos. Playing standard, you're right about what it shows, and it's obviously a terrible bid.

Yeah, this. 3C shows values, to be sure, but I'm feeling very content to pass it with a normal double.

Lebensohl is used to separate the bad hands from the mediocre hands (we can already handle the good ones), not give us a new way to bid the good ones while lumping the bad and mediocre ones together.

(BTW, transfer responses here in the mold of lebensohl are the absolute nuts and cost nothing if you can remember them. Here, it could easily go:

(2D) X - 2NT (1)
3C (2) - 3D (3)
3NT (4) or 3M (4)

(1) Hey partner, I've got some clubs. If you bid 3C, I might pass it, so if you've got a monster, you don't have to, but I could have xx xx xxxxx xxxx, so keep that in mind.

(2) Okay, I don't have a monster double, so I accept your suggestion.

(3) Surprise! I actually have quite a good hand, and I already told you about my clubs. You got anything else you want to tell me about?

(4) 3NT = I've got a stopper, yay. 3M = Well, I've got this four card suit, probably not a stopper though since that's the first thing you are looking for. You might have transferred then bid a new suit, which is forcing, with xx AJxx xx AKxxx.

most (modern, adv+) pairs play lebensohl over a weak 2 and a double, so (varies by agreements but what i thought was typical was):

(2) X (p)
....2H/2S to play
....2N forces 3C
..........3C to play or
..................3M invitational
..................3N to play, some doubt
..................4-level is some 2-suited slam try usually, now we're in murky waters unless you and p have real good agreements
....3C inv
....3D qbid looking for NT or single suited slam try
....3M GF
....3N to play, no doubt about stoppers
....4C GF

No leb. They play standard. The one who made the 3 bid is actually the guy who teaches the beginning bridge lessons.

Agree that transfer advances rock on this hand. (Says the guy who suggests transfer advances for anyone above mid-intermediate level...)

Do not take his lessons.

those who can, do...

If you aren't playing any conventions here, 3C shows something between

432
432
432
5432

and

Axx
xx
xx
AQxxxx

or so (give or take a jack). If this seems unwieldy to you, it is -- which is both why preempts work and why conventions like lebensohl have been created.

With the actual hand, 3C is an underbid by about an ace.

As Mets would say....


DONUTS

LOL, looking at the results, we actually got a good board on that one

http://www.acbldistrict22.com/522/110203M.HTM

Board 18. I can't format anything here.

OK, I was out to lunch; y'all are right that even with lebensohl, 3C is nonforcing.

Transfer lebensohl is good even if you don't play transfer advances of overcalls. Its effective by responder after 1NT openings, too.

Yes, it is. We use it in three situations:

1. After doubles of weak twos (might look into expanding this to all doubles of preempts, not sure)
2. After 1NT openers (and natural overcalls, we play systems on) by us.
3. After our reverses.

There are probably even more situations where they rock, but those are the easy ones (since those are the typical lebensohl situations).

Speaking of transfer bids, I'm working on a 2-under transfer McCabe if anyone has any thoughts. I kind of like the 2-under because it can allow for a "super-accept" by preemptor, which can aid in finding tight games, sacs, etc.

You should expand to transfer advances of simple overcalls, then.

They start at the cuebid and extend up one to one under a simple raise. Notrump bids are natural, as are suit bids below the cuebid. Jumps into new suits can be mini-splinters or (better) fit jumps.