On Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 2:25:51 PM UTC-4, James Dow Allen wrote:
> I've started playing at BridgeBase; yesterday I partnered with an "Expert"
> from USA. I was not impressed.
Self-Rated
> If it matters, we're playing "Casual" IMPS; non-vs-vul on both hands.
>
> Partner held
--QJx AKQTxxx K Ax
> and opened 1H in second seat.
I think that 1H is reasonable. Opener needs 2 cover cards or the
specifically the spade king to make 4H. Partner will expect at
least 4 quick tricks from me, and with an ace and king should be
looking for slam.
> I need a very good hand to open Two Clubs (and occasionally miss
> games for that reason), but I would open 2C with this
> hand despite that it has only 16 HCP if the singleton K is ignored.
> I call it a 9-trick hand. But partner opened 1H, his LHO overcalled
> 2D, Pass-Pass back to him. What now?
> I think he should make up for his 1st-round underbid by bidding 4H
> now. In fact he bid just 2H. (I suppose he was trying to "operate"
> but isn't that hugely insolent when playing with a new partner?)
I think at IMPs with my usual partner, I would reopen 3S, which would
(1) invite a raise 2 covers, and (2) might make if responder comes up
empty. At match points, I might, on the theory that there are lots of
ways to mess up on a hand like this, I might settle for the almost sure
plus score.
>
> Another hand was more interesting. He held
> AKQ65
> KQ853
> A
> 53
>
> I dealt and opened 1C with
--T9
-- AJ9
-- 764
-- AQT86
> Would rgb'ers open this hand? Some open most 12-pt hands;
> others open only "good 12s", but I might open this hand
> even if partner expects a good 12. The 4-3-2-1 count
> is only an approximation to the honor values, and in particular
> undervalues Aces and Tens. Given this and the nice club
> suit, I think opening is correct even for players
> who pass with "mediocre 12s."
Playing a sound style I would want a J more to open
the hand 1C. Switch the black suits on this hand and
I would open 1S even playing a sound style. Playing a
truly light style I would open the actual hand 1c even
replacing with a low heart in place of jack. Not having
agreed on a style, partner was out of line complaining
about your bidding.
> I have a very simple rule about Jump shifts, whether by
> responder or opener. The meaning is "I'm not looking
> for game; I'm looking for slam."
I like strong jump shifts to follow the style of Edgar Kaplan:
1) the hand can make a slam with normal breaks and no
finesses facing just the right minimum opening hand.
2) the hand will play in opener's suit, the jump suit, or
in no-trump.
This greatly simplifies bidding after the jump shift
So, like your partner, I would call 1S planning to jump
shift on the second round, which promises a strong
2-suiter conforming to condition 1) above.
> If the jump-shifter signs off in 4 of a major, his partner
> should assume he has values to bid 5.
> Obviously, partner should jump to 2S here
> with his 18 count; then bid hearts twice.
> Instead he bid 1S; his vulnerable LHO pre-empted 3D.
> This was passed back to partner who bid 6H.
> KD was led.
>
> What is the proper play? One might try the club
> finesse immediately to learn whether we can afford
> a spade loser, but this is troublesome.
> Instead I think he should just play hearts and spades
> in some order.
> As it happens, LHO has xxx T Jx KQxxxxx.
> Spades split 3-3 AND the Jack is onside. Yet my
> "expert" partner found a way to go down.
>
> He then blamed ME. My opening was unsound he said;
--he told me to "learn the rule of 20."
> I don't believe in such facile rules.
>
By the way, your partner's slam blast was not
unreasonable. Had you held
JT
AJ9
764
AJ432,
a subminimum by most people's standards, your side
would have held a slam which makes against
everything but a 5-0 major suit break or screwed up
dummy play. It's a worse hand than the one you
opened and does not meet the Rule of 20 either. Would
your partner have told you "Learn the rule of 19."? Or "the
rule of "18", discounting the poorly guarded jack.