[Chamaco]

Hi all,
sorry, I have posted this question before on rec.games.bridge, but most replies could not give me literature references.

The question is related to bidding against weak NT.
It is NOT related to the best convention (whether Astro, Landy, Capp, Brozel, or whatever) but rather on hand evaluation.

I am not looking for a description of a convention but rather for a LOT of examples described in a book.

Bidding vs weak NT is difficult because you don't know whom the hand belongs to, as opposed to strong NT: when opp open a strong NT, 90% of the time, the hand belongs to opps; and even if it does not, you are not very worried, because most pèrobably the rest of the field (or the in the other room), nobody will bid an unlikely game.
So the bidding vs strong NT is almost purely preemptive, no worries of preempting partner.
But against weak NT, inexperience dplayers like me have trouble bidding and deciding when to penalize opps, or when to show a 1-2suiter, or when simply sit and pass.
Even more difficult sequences arise when you have to respond yto pard's penalty double, whether opp escape, pass or redouble.

But, since ACOL is based on weak NT and seems rather widespread in quite a few places in the worls, it seems strange to me thgat there does not exist a book, or a chapter, on bidding vs weak NT (I already own the book "Double" by Mike Lawrence, where he deals with this topic but he himaself admits he is only scratching the surface).

Thanks !!

Mauro

[luke warm]

hi chamaco.. i know you said you aren't looking for a convention vs. weak nt, but i don't know how one can even get off the ground without one...

for what it's worth, i think capp and/or lionel are about the best vs. a weak nt, because double is for penalties.. lionel is probably a little better, since in theory both ops' hands should be close to evenly matched

but if the weak nt pair has a good escape system, they won't be caught often.. i wish i could help you with example hands, but i can't... maybe someone can

[WGF_Flame]

I dont have an answer to your question' i dont know such a book.
But i do think its a matter of a convention or an agreement, if you and your partner have an understanding to what your bids show then you both will have to use your general bridge judment and decide what to do, what im trying to say is that after all its come down to the convention you use and the general judment and not to a specific judment for the diffense vs weak NT. sure you (and i) would be better with a book, but we will be just fine without it as long as we know what our partner bid mean and have a good general bridge judgment.

[Chamaco]

hi chamaco.. i know you said you aren't looking for a convention vs. weak nt, but i don't know how one can even get off the ground without one...

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Thanks for the reply, I should probably be more specific.

When I say I am not looking here for a convention I mean that I can find lots on conventions in books that I own or searching online.

I have an agreement to play Capp or Landy (in different ptships) vs weak NT.

What I mean is that I need help in finding examples commented by the big bosses because it is not sufficient to decide how to show a 1-suiter, 2 suiter or a 14/15+ HCP hand: one needs to work out when to chooese between doubling or showing a 1-2 suiter if the HCP content is 14/15+; one needs to agree on how to continue bidding sequences after pard has doubled, in a different manner if RHO has passed, bid a suit, or redoubled.

Usually the material one finds is simply (say Capp) something like the following:

X = penalty (top of NT range)
2C = one suited hand
2D= majors
2H = H +minor
2S = S + minor
2NT = minors or strong takeout

Most of the time there is at most one page accompanying this scheme.
The reason is simple, IMHO: since usually such schemes are given in a section on "Defenses vs 1NT opening", most of the time thgey are implicitly assumed as vs Strong NT. And bidding vs strong NT is easier, you seldom worry of opps stealing your hand, you only try to annoy opponents while avoiding big penalties