[straube]

You are South and second seat. NV vs NV. Imps. Uncontested auction.

.........................Q9
.........................QT42
.........................J7
.........................QT986
82.............................................T543
KJ3...........................................A765
T6432........................................985
532............................................AJ
.........................AKJ76
.........................98
.........................AKQ
.........................K74


Outcomes

3N S SCREAM
3N N Polish Club
3N S Silent Club
3N S Jasmine Club
3N S jack502
3N S New Big Club (HK)
3N S Precision by Free
3N S IMprecision
4S S Unassuming Club
3N N Malfoir
3N S Zelandakh
3N S OCP

3N S Meckwell Light
3N S PASS2000 (pass opening)
3N S relknes (2N opening)

[straube]

straube, on 2013-February-01, 21:53, said:

.........................Q9
.........................QT42
.........................J7
.........................QT986
82.............................................T543
KJ3...........................................A765
T6432........................................985
532............................................AJ
.........................AKJ76
.........................98
.........................AKQ
.........................K74

SCREAM bids this...

1C-1H 16+, 2-4 QPs
2H-2S 5+ spades, acceptance
2N-3N 19-20, accepts game

Pretty ugly auction for us but I like where we end up. I think South is just shy of an artificial relay ask...though that 1S bid is a lot more practical.

I've been rather disappointed with SCREAM during these trials. We've pretty much adopted IMprecision, but I'll continue to represent SCREAM here. This has been a useful exercise for me.

[mike777]

perhaps your post is a point in favor that the play is much much more important for most of us on bbo.


But bidding is more fun.

[antonylee]

Polish:
1♣-1♥ (7+, the hand is quite minimum but I think the club suit and the fact that the major is hearts makes it cross the limit of 1♦ - if it was spades I could bid 1♠ after 1♣-1♦-1♥, but here...)
1♠-1N (WNT w/ 4♠ or 15-17 4♠5♣ or 18+5+♠ (usually exactly 5 then), F1; to play opposite a WNT)
3N

[relknes]

straube, on 2013-February-01, 21:53, said:

You are South and second seat. NV vs NV. Imps. Uncontested auction.

.........................Q9
.........................QT42
.........................J7
.........................QT986
82.............................................T543
KJ3...........................................A765
T6432........................................985
532............................................AJ
.........................AKJ76
.........................98
.........................AKQ
.........................K74

2N - 3♣
3♠ - 3N
P

Translation:
S: 20-21 balanced, N: Stayman
S: 4+ spades, N: pass or correct
S: lets play 3N

[rbforster]

Silent Club:

1♣-1♦ strong; most 0-7, some GFs
1N-2♣ 19-21 bal; stayman
2♠-3N

[nige1]

straube, on 2013-February-01, 21:53, said:

#25. You are South and second seat. NV vs NV. Imps. Uncontested auction.

Jasmine ♣:
North ♠ Q9 ♥ QT42 ♦ J7 ♣ QT986: __ 1♦ 1♠ 2♣ 3N
South ♠ AKJ76 ♥ 98 ♦ AKQ ♣ K74: 1♣ 1♥ 1N 2♠

• 1♣ = Art, 16+.
• 1♦ = Art, neg, 0-7.
• 1♥ = Art, 18+
• 1♠ = Art. 0-7 Flat or 5-7 shapely.
• 1N = Nat 18-20 flat
• 2♣ = Stayman
• 2♠ = Nat
• 3N = Nat.

Marks, iMO 3N = 10. 4♠ = 6, Partscores = 4.

[jack502]

1♣1♥
1♠2♣
2♦2♥
3nt

1♥semi positive bal 4441 or unbal no 5 card major
2♥4 hearts and 5+ clubs

rest relays.

[Hilver]

Hilversumse Klaveren (HK)

2NT - 3♣
3♠ - 3NT

Explanation:
2NT = 19-20, balanced
3♣ = Puppet Stayman
3♠ = 5-card ♠
3NT = let's play 3NT

Jan

[Free]

Very similar auction, doesn't matter if we open 1♣ (upgrade to 21-22) or 2NT (19-20):
(1♣-1♦) (16+ ; 0-7 any or GF 4441)
2NT-3♣ (19-20 (21-22) ; Muppet Stayman)
3♠-3NT (5♠ ; signoff)

[awm]

IMprecision:

1♣ - 2♦ (strong, 5+♣ and 4+♥ with 5+ hcp and 2-6RP)
2♥ - 3♣ (GF relay, 2425)
3NT (hard to construct a hand where slam is really good opposite only 6RP and this shape)

[awm]

antonylee, on 2013-February-01, 23:33, said:

Polish:
1♣-1♥ (7+, the hand is quite minimum but I think the club suit and the fact that the major is hearts makes it cross the limit of 1♦ - if it was spades I could bid 1♠ after 1♣-1♦-1♥, but here...)
1♠-1N (WNT w/ 4♠ or 15-17 4♠5♣ or 18+5+♠ (usually exactly 5 then), F1; to play opposite a WNT)
3N

Something I've always wondered about Polish Club: how would this auction be different if North had three spades?

[antonylee]

awm, on 2013-February-02, 11:11, said:

Something I've always wondered about Polish Club: how would this auction be different if North had three spades?

In my basic approach, responder is allowed to correct to 4♠ (opener showed 18+ and 5♠).
If opener is unbalanced strong he can start with 2♠ over 1N (also strong, though could still be only 5crd but then with doubt about 3N) - note that 2♣ would be canape (5♣4♠ 15-18ish) and at least for me 2♦ would be canape too (catering for the 18-22ish hands because a direct 2♦ is already occupied by strong 3+♥ hands).
Indeed another reasonable auction could be
1♣-1♥
1♠-1N
2♠-3♣
3N
but over 1N it is already too late to right-side the contract (to protect the ♣K) so I'm not sure showing doubt about 3N is the best approach here.

[Siegmund]

The versions of Polish I've played, the 1S rebid would be rather strange. (But I realize WJ05 is quite different than several of the older published versions, and I didn't always play it exactly as published. Having 1S be F1 and including some hands up to 20 in it is probably an improvement.)

This is a bad hand for Unassuming Club, where responder does a lot of describing but opener doesn't:
1C-1H
2C-3C (any 19+ / 6-9 or 13+ with 4H 5+C)
3S-? (opener's first natural bid)
Now responder is in kind of a bind, not wanting to bid 3NT without a stopper and perhaps wrongside it too, and not eager to raise spades with only Qx. But I think if I were North I would bid 4S here.

In Malfoir, North is not starting with a positive (positives normally require 8, and 4-card heart suits are occasionally suppressed even with 8 or 9):

1C-1D
2S-2NT (natural 19-22ish / 5-7, transfer to clubs)
3C-3H (confirming 3 clubs / natural, possibly just a stopper since 5S4H opener would probably bid hearts rather than accepting the club transfer)
3NT (to play)

[antonylee]

Siegmund, on 2013-February-02, 14:54, said:

The versions of Polish I've played, the 1S rebid would be rather strange.

What would it show?

[Siegmund]

I meant that I found it strange that 1C-1H-1S was forcing. A quick check confirms that this sequence is forcing in e.g. Matula; but it seems that when Americans learn Polish Club we learn many sequences including this one as "a hand that would make that same bid in SA," and go our whole lives playing it as 11-18, NF.

So, in this instance, I admit I am the strange one not you

[Zelandakh]

I think this South hand is a clear upgrade to 21 and I cannot see any way of not finishing in 3NT(S). If South holds AKJxx/AKJ/Qx/Kxx then the auction is the same but 4♠ is better. This construction does not tempt me to avoid 3NT though. At least we will not be alone in 3NT on those hands.

1♣ = 15+ nat/bal or 18+ any
... - 1♦ = most non-GF
2NT = 21-22 bal
... - 3♣ = Puppet Stayman
3♠ = 5 spades
... - 3NT

[antonylee]

Siegmund, on 2013-February-02, 17:44, said:

I meant that I found it strange that 1C-1H-1S was forcing. A quick check confirms that this sequence is forcing in e.g. Matula; but it seems that when Americans learn Polish Club we learn many sequences including this one as "a hand that would make that same bid in SA," and go our whole lives playing it as 11-18, NF.

So, in this instance, I admit I am the strange one not you

But there is a big difference with standard here, which is that responder does not need to strain to respond 1♥. So if he has a 7+ hand it seems like 1N (if not 4♠) or a raise to 2♠ (at least) are always available and useful (of course sometimes you'd like to play in a moysian at the 1-level, sometimes you can guess they won't balance despite you finding an 8-card fit at the 1-level, but you see what I mean). So it seems like playing 1♠ as NF is really catering for a small range of hands for responder.

Actually I think some versions of PC have 1♠ as always strong (as in 15+), with weak hands rebidding 1N (as in standard). Of course there is still the argument of hiding the strong hand, but once the minimum 4♠5♣ hands are removed (as compared to standard) it seems like at least the issue of sorting out opener's strength (what I dislike when playing standard and rebidding 1♠ on any hand with 4♠) is less important.

[Kungsgeten]

straube, on 2013-February-01, 21:53, said:

You are South and second seat. NV vs NV. Imps. Uncontested auction.

.........................Q9
.........................QT42
.........................J7
.........................QT986
82.............................................T543
KJ3...........................................A765
T6432........................................985
532............................................AJ
.........................AKJ76
.........................98
.........................AKQ
.........................K74

P* - 1C*; (S: 0-7 / 17+, N: 0-7 / 17+)
1NT - 3C*; (S: 18-20 bal, N: Asking five card major)
3S - 3NT; (S: 5 spades, N: To play 3NT, likely 3-4 hearts)

[JLOGIC]

2N 3C
3S 3N