Posted 2010-May-20, 11:28
The second one reminds me of a hand from a NABC a while back that I heard about. I don't recall the exact hand, but it was a red-on-white decision over a 1♣ opening with a weak hand and 8 diamonds.
The person asking questions opted 3♦, sent back for -500 and a very good score. The partner thought 3♦ was an idiot bid. So, a poll was taken of some very heavy hitters at the tournament.
Many opted 4♦, which appeared to be the field action, for -800.
A few old school types (Freddie Hamilton for example) blasted 5♦ and took their lumps.
A few mentioned 2♦, scorned by others as "intermediate," but effective on this hand.
A stray person toyed with the idea of a psychic, of course, no one committing.
One person suggested 1♦, which was my suggestion, but I did this in jest because I suspected that the question suggested a passive action.
Someone might even have passed.
So, I'd say 3♦ seems about right.
"Gibberish in, gibberish out. A trial judge, three sets of lawyers, and now three appellate judges cannot agree on what this law means. And we ask police officers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and citizens to enforce or abide by it? The legislature continues to write unreadable statutes. Gibberish should not be enforced as law."
-P.J. Painter.
(1H) ?