I said earlier that I overcall spades, rather than doubling, with the void hand. I don't subscribe to gabe's view that there are no hands with voids that should double, though if you play methods that allow lots of two-suited overcalls then I think it's either close to right, or right. But I do think that playing overcalls as 6 to 16 isn't best in a fairly normal system*, and that allowing simple overcalls to be considerably heavier than that is best in the long run, even if it's possible (as it almost always is) to construct example hands where you wind up in the wrong spot.

FMK's 1S/6C hand is fun. If we have no two-suited call available I suspect I'd double, but another approach is overcalling 2C. I hate lying about shape and it's true that I'll never convince partner I'm 5–5, but I'm not sure that's the worst thing in the world with this strength disparity; I might just put a heart in with my clubs and claim to have seen it as 5–6.

* Transfer advances help a lot here, because they allow advancer to get involved safely with a lot of weak hands. They don't help on the spade-club hand, unfortunately, because 1NT isn't a transfer so advancer would be probably pass 1S anyway.

On the other hand, there are good systems that are completely different. In the overcall structure (a 1NT-overcall-for-takeout system) there is a specific bid for just about every two-suiter, and most other strong hands double, but hands with voids in opener's suit tend not to because the double can be floated and that's what you want just about never. But my recollection is that there is some way safely to handle every strong and/or extremely shapely hand that intervenor can have.

If you are talking about Fout's overcall structure, I believe this hand is a double there as well. His two suited overcalls tend to show 4-14.

If partner floats this double, we probably are scoring a million anyway since we likely have more hearts than opener...

Interesting problem over at bridgewinners today:

T
Kx
KQJTxx
AKQ6

Auction 1D-1S;3C-3D;3NT silent opponents.

RHO leads the heart 4 out of turn... Pick one of the following

Accept lead and be dummy
Accept lead and declare
Reject lead, keep H4 as penalty card and allow west to lead anything
Reject lead, demand heart lead
Reject lead, forbid heart lead

Accepting the leads seems bad. Since I can't see what is most favorable: to demand or to deny a heart lead, I take the penalty card and allow LHO to lead any.

This seems like one of those where if you demand a heart lead, there will be one to the ace, and then since RHO knows you have the HK, he switches to a spade, which beats you.

I think a funny meta play is to declare and accept the lead and play the HK at trick one. GLO.

I like the 6th option - pick it up and start again

can't you make a pretty good case the spade switch is UI though?

i like the idea of demanding a heart lead

No, my choice is AI to all afaik

JLall on BBO vugraph in the Vandy.... GOGOGO!

AQJxx
KQxx
x
Qxx

x
AJxx
AJxxxxxx
Void

South dealer, all vul IMPs...

yoiks

I have no idea

looks like a sexy hand for one of those 5S+4H GF bids over 1D

This was a question posed by a friend in NO, I was only presented the south hand, my start was:

1D-1S
3D-3H
5C-5N (exclusion, 2+Q)
6H

I'm not sure if 3D or 2H is better as a second call, but I think it's hard to stop bidding once partner shows a heart fit.

I don't think 3D is right

If you are going to bid 3D surely it's right to bid 2H on the way then bid diamonds, diamonds, and diamonds

My thoughts were partner is never going to bypass a 4 card heart suit to bid 3NT, and while my loser count is right for a reverse, I really don't have enough defense for a reverse. It's really close imo though... and I would not be upset if my partner reversed this hand.

My thought is 3D promises reverse strength and if you have reverse strength and 4hearts show them

That frees up partners 3H call to be not a heart suit after a 3D jump (stopper show or cue)

Defense less relevant too since they already had their chances to get in the auction

So the start would be pretty similar with a reverse:

1D-1S
2H-3H

now do you agree with 5C as exclusion here

If you play it, what else can it be? The only worry is a second round diamond loser really. I don't know how you find out about that with exclusion. Maybe 4C is a better continuation, and you get the 4D cue and can maybe figure it out that way.

The correct bid after 1D-1S is 2D. It allows partner to bid hearts cheaply and if he doesn't, you don't need to introduce the suit at all.

Of course 2D does not quite describe the hand, but nothing does
I rather keep as much bidding space as I can, to keep on rebidding diamonds.

I have 12 red cards so lol at thinking this goes pass-pass-pass.

Your choice is authorized information, but if it's the fact that you had to make that choice that tells RHO to shift to a spade, then that is unauthorized because it arose from the irregularity. You would theoretically be able to get an adjustment under the generic damage provision, unless the spade shift was normal. (I wouldn't expect one except from a very good director, however.) The auction does suggest that you have at least one heart stopper, of course, so this may not be successful on the actual hands.

I would probably take the penalty card, but demanding a heart lead is OK too.

sick of Gabe stealing my answers

reversing with 10-13 monster shape hands is a choice - I decided against making that choice a while ago so I rebid 2D - at least once a month I remind my partner of 5-6 years that when I reverse I always have it which makes me feel a bit better about my choice

not hard to ridicule this choice - plainly I am now forced to grossly underbid the playing strength of lots of hands with my second bid - if the bidding doesn't die which is not usual then it commonly goes well because my third bid will tell a big story

I am also an advocate for not showing a 4 card suit when you have a great 7 card suit or 8 card suit - my second choice of rebid would be 5D - if they started bidding that would be auto - interesting to contemplate what is the best contract looking at both hands ? - if you have to bid slam my first choice is the poor 7H - second choice of slam is close enough that I am still unsure in the time it has taken me to hunt and peck this reply

if i don't reverse i prefer 4D to 5D (agree that reversing with this kind of shape is problematic so 4d might be better regardless)

so by not opening 2C and not trying for 3N i am very clearly showing a strong shapely hand (or opening whatever 4d and 5d directly vulnerable shows)


if our bidding system is sophisticated we can imagine 7

1D - 1S - 4D - 4H - 6C (hearts with club void) - 7H



also, how often should we expect 7h to make?

I started to type up an auction that began

1D-1S
2D-2H
4C*

(splinter)

and then I decided "yoiks" was easier really

@ moni:

"Standard" for the 1D-1S-4D auction would be something like:

KQJx
x
AKQJxx
xx

6-4 shape, strong spades and diamonds

if 4d isn't viable (and i agree that without some extensive partnership agreements a trump swiss bid like your example would be more common) I guess I am forced back into a reluctant 3d rebid.. its a good descriptive on values but not shape

i am not yet convinced that 5d is a viable 2nd choice to either 2D or 2H



edit: 2 close matches in the final segment of todays match starting right now on vugraph, monaco vs rosenthal & fleisher vs meltzer