[eagles123]

Matchpoints again:

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2 questions with this one:

firstly do you agree with 1♥ opening or would 2 be better?

secondly what should east bid now?

Thanks,

Eagles

[the hog]

I would open 2H. I will bid 4D now.

[Zelandakh]

eagles123, on 2013-June-25, 03:14, said:

firstly do you agree with 1♥ opening or would 2 be better?

It is a matter of style. Those coming from a 2/1 background will prefer 2♥; those coming from Acol will probably think 1♥ normal.

eagles123, on 2013-June-25, 03:14, said:

secondly what should east bid now?

I like double and converting any club bid from partner to diamonds. For me, the hog's direct 4♦ shows a better hand but this is another area where some agreements help.

[eagles123]

Zelandakh, on 2013-June-25, 06:07, said:

It is a matter of style. Those coming from a 2/1 background will prefer 2♥; those coming from Acol will probably think 1♥ normal.



I like double and converting any club bid from partner to diamonds. For me, the hog's direct 4♦ shows a better hand but this is another area where some agreements help.

showing my inexperience here, but would X not be penalty?

[Codo]

I had opened 1 ♥ and it had not been very close to a 2 ♥ opening. Now I pass if 2 ♦ was forcing and raise if it was not.

[Zelandakh]

eagles123, on 2013-June-25, 07:20, said:

showing my inexperience here, but would X not be penalty?

You could play it that way if you like but you might wait a few years before you got to use it. In the meantime you benefit on all the hands without a clear direction, especially in not having to guess whether to punt 3NT or not.

[wank]

opening 1h is fine. most people play that stylewise 2h at this vulnerability is a much dirtier hand than this. in club bridge though, most people would be surprised to see you open 1h,this is because they've got no idea of hand evaluation

now you bid 4d. you have a great hand in support for diamonds and a bag of crap of defence. double shows a good hand so you can't do that.

btw in general, good players play far fewer penalty doubles than club players. penalty doubles are simple, but hands where you want to make a take out orientated double (often double just shows a maximum for one's bidding so far which i call take-out, in so much as it's not penalties) are far more frequent and if the opps have made a massive error in the bidding such that you want to double for penalties you will often get a good score just by defending undoubled. it's easy to make some basic rules about when doubles are penalties, for example:

1) after our partnership pre-empts
2) after our partnership made a take-out double of another suit, thereby implying the suit we're now doubling
3) after we've already found a major suit fit
4) after we attempt to pass out our own contract with both of us having made a bid
5) when we double a suit we could previously have made a takeout double of

[Wackojack]

I prefer 5-9 major suit weak 2's. So open 1♥. I prefer the simple bid of 4♦. Say you double and south bids 4♠. Partner will not automatically think that you have 4 card diamond support and so has not been helped.

If 4D is passed round to partner, then he should convert to 4H with 3 card support and may well also convert to 4H with HKx and DAQxxx

[the hog]

"most people play that stylewise 2h at this vulnerability is a much dirtier hand than this."
Evidence? Surely this depends on the partnership.
I think your nick is highly appropriate as that is what you do.

[wank]

the hog, on 2013-June-27, 07:03, said:

"most people play that stylewise 2h at this vulnerability is a much dirtier hand than this."
Evidence? Surely this depends on the partnership.
I think your nick is highly appropriate as that is what you do.

of course i don't have any evidence of this partnership's style, aside from the fact that one heart was opened, but i didn't claim to have any, did i? i did say 'stylewise' and 'most people' so i would think it's obvious that i was basing my opinion on what i consider to be a centrist style (well, centrist among people good enough to know what their style is).

i consider myself to be easily on the solid side of average style wise and open weak 2s on hands many people open at the 1-level, and pass many hands others pre-empt on. as for you, i suspect everyone here considers you to be more solid than the rock of gibraltar.

[nige1]

eagles123, on 2013-June-25, 03:14, said:

Matchpoints again:
2 questions with this one:
firstly do you agree with 1♥ opening or would 2 be better?
secondly what should east bid now?

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IMO

• Agree with 1♥ opening (1♥ = 10, 2♥ = 7).
• Now, 4♦ = 10, 4♥ = 6, 5♦ = 5, Pass = 4, 4♣ = 3, Double = 2.

[MrAce]

I like 1♥ and i would bid 4♦ now as well