Author Topic: These sessions are working well  (Read 1420 times)

kenberg

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These sessions are working well
« on: July 02, 2020, 01:13:12 PM »
I participated, play and discussion, in the recent Wackojack session. I really enjoyed the back and forth discussion of ideas. Here is an example. Declarer opened 1m (1 !d I think) and responder has a 6=5=1=1 shape. After 1m-1 !S - NT, what to do and what means what? Respnder's hand was not big on high cards but you have to admire the shape.  The !H suit was five to the QJ, the !S suit was, I think, headed by the K and perhaps the J.

Putting aside for the moment how aggressive we should be, let's look at the what means what. In particular, what would a bid of 3 !H mean? natural and forcing, at least 5-5? I remarked that I would see it as invitational. This morning I looked up Steve Robinson's Washington Standard (2nd Ed). of course this is not unquestioned authority but I wanted to see if I was all alone or if at least someone else agreed with me. Incredibly, Steve has 13 pages of discussion on NMF (and some more pages later on 2 way NMF). Even more incredibly, he sees things my way. With a forcing 5-5 he begins with new minor over 1NT and then, if opener bids 2NT, he bids 3 !H.

My thinking on what the hand was worth? I though an invitational 3 !H would be right. Opener nicely has !H AKx and so we belong in game, but it could well have been that opener's points were more concentrated in the minors where they would be far less useful.

But however one evaluates the hand's potential, I though the what means what discussion was very good.

On a hand I played, Rho opened 1 !D and I held a 4=5=1=3 shape with a 9 count. The !C were Qxx as I recall and with my stiff !D. I doubled.  I figured that with my stiff !D and not hopeless !C holding  I was willing t risk that pard would respond 2 !C. As it happened, Lho bid 1nT and partner bid 2 !S on his 10 count so we found our 4-4 fit. It went down, but being in 2 !S on a combined 19 count, a 4-4 fit, and a stiff is not the worst contract in the world. The consensus was that I should have overcalled 1 !H but my suit was not all that great, my !D were, I think, headed  by the A, and I thought, and still think, that X is right.

Again my point is that the back and forth discussion was a pleasure. Bridge is a game with many possible agreements and many possible views.  It's fun, and the discussion is fun.
Ken