[mw64ahw]

Running at 67% all was going well until this hand that went wrong. Playing Acol weak NT with standard agreements (RKCB 3014 if relevant) in an average club field.
How do you see the auction progressing NS passing throughout (MPs)? A 1NT opening may also reach a key decision point so that auction would also be of interest.

---

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2025-November-13, 06:23, said:

Running at 67% all was going well until this hand that went wrong. Playing Acol weak NT with standard agreements (RKCB 3014 if relevant) in an average club field.
How do you see the auction progressing NS passing throughout (MPs)? A 1NT opening may also reach a key decision point so that auction would also be of interest.

---

Hi,

1C - 1D
1NT (1) - 2S (2)
3D (3) - 3NT(4)


(1) 15-16, ..., I prefer to bypass 44 in the majors, unsure if this is
standard agreement
(2) Obv. if opener cannot have 4 spades, ..., at least it will show the 5th
diamond and is forcing
If responder has shown at least 5-4, or concentrated values in those two suits,
you will at least make sure, that opener knowes, that he has to stop hearts and
clubs, when you bid 3NT, it may also make sure, they find the killing lead,
but you have 9 tricks.
(3) Fit showing
(4) ..., the finesse was on?

I think the hand is worth an upgrade, if you open 12-14, I would reach 3NT in a
flash and be done with the hand, I may only invite ... but if I get the information,
that opener has a diamond honor, 3NT.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[pescetom]

I have no idea of Acol, but I imagine a 1NT auction playing a "standard" 4 card 3 reply Stayman might start:
1NT - 2C
2H - 2S
2NT - 3D

This is a decision point, but I think I would proceed to investigate diamonds even at MP. Now it needs decent control bidding agreements to make it more than a stab in the dark, but you already have those.

[mw64ahw]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-13, 09:51, said:

Hi,

1C - 1D
1NT (1) - 2S (2)
3D (3) - 3NT(4)


(1) 15-16, ..., I prefer to bypass 44 in the majors, unsure if this is
standard agreement
(2) Obv. if opener cannot have 4 spades, ..., at least it will show the 5th
diamond and is forcing
If responder has shown at least 5-4, or concentrated values in those two suits,
you will at least make sure, that opener knowes, that he has to stop hearts and
clubs, when you bid 3NT, it may also make sure, they find the killing lead,
but you have 9 tricks.
(3) Fit showing
(4) ..., the finesse was on?

I think the hand is worth an upgrade, if you open 12-14, I would reach 3NT in a
flash and be done with the hand, I may only invite ... but if I get the information,
that opener has a diamond honor, 3NT.

With kind regards
Marlowe

That may be where we went wrong.
It started
1♣ - 1♠
1N (15-16)- 2♦ 4SF?
I'm less confident with Acol on what the standard approach is.

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2025-November-13, 11:20, said:

That may be where we went wrong.
It started
1♣ - 1♠
1N (15-16)- 2♦ 4SF?
I'm less confident with Acol on what the standard approach is.

I dont think Walsh is Acol standard approach.
And if you have agreed to play Walsh, you hopefully know, how to
show longer diamonds.
I am also not sure, how well Walsh works in a weak NT system,
it was developed in strong NT land.

And also: I dont play Walsh, I only bypass the Major as opener
to show a balanced hand, and with 4D and a 4 card major, I bid
the major.
I do play weak NT, and the way we open / respond at the one level
would translate to a Acol seq. very often.

You are in the "Skinhead Pub", not sure how to translate this
German Expression into proper English.

Anyway, ..., I am not sure 2D is forcing in the given seq. in
Acol or in standard Walsh, but I think I read somewhere,
that the weak 6-4 hand is supposed to jump to 3D,
... but it could also be, that this was the way to show the inv.
hand with 6-4.
And this would make sense in a strong NT system, because weak
NT + inv. strength 6-4 may need to stop in 3D.

The best you can do at this stage is bidding 3NT.
As it is, you have 25-26HCP, you have a source of tricks.
If you introduce a 2nd suit, p will rightfully assume, that
you have 5 spades, and he will correct back, and I dont think
your spades are good enough for a 43.

[mw64ahw]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-13, 11:53, said:

I dont think Walsh is Acol standard approach.
And if you have agreed to play Walsh, you hopefully know, how to
show longer diamonds.
I am also not sure, how well Walsh works in a weak NT system,
it was developed in strong NT land.

Anyway, ..., I am not sure 2D is forcing in the given seq.
The best you can do at this stage is bidding 3NT.
As it is, you have 25-26HCP, you have a source of tricks.
If you introduce a 2nd suit, p will rightfully assume, that
you have 5 spades, and he will correct back, and I dont think
your spades are good enough for a 43.

No specific agreements. It continued
2♠ - 3♦ looking for a slam at this stage, but not wanting to bid 3N without something being said in ♥

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2025-November-13, 11:59, said:

No specific agreements. It continued
2♠ - 3♦ looking for a slam at this stage, but not wanting to bid 3N without something being said in ♥

Opener responded 2S with xx in spades?
Does he have a 4 card heart suit?

Why slam? Do the values mesh well, ..., I recall a club
opening, looking at a single?

[jillybean]

mw64ahw, on 2025-November-13, 11:59, said:

No specific agreements. It continued
2♠ - 3♦ looking for a slam at this stage, but not wanting to bid 3N without something being said in ♥

I'm not sure what your partner is doing bidding 2♠ with xx but he has said he is happy to play in NT
A quick look at your hand and the auction suggests partner has values in clubs and hearts

[akwoo]

You should absolutely respond 1♦, whether you play Walsh or not.

Walsh should mean that you respond 1♦ with a 4 card major, you are at least invitational (or at least game forcing, if you want to play gf Walsh) over a 1N rebid. Here, you are clearly gf over a 1N rebid, or even over a 1♠ rebid.

[mw64ahw]

akwoo, on 2025-November-13, 14:12, said:

You should absolutely respond 1♦, whether you play Walsh or not.

Walsh should mean that you respond 1♦ with a 4 card major, you are at least invitational (or at least game forcing, if you want to play gf Walsh) over a 1N rebid. Here, you are clearly gf over a 1N rebid, or even over a 1♠ rebid.

Yes mea cuppa - I was thinking along the Transfer Walsh lines that I play with a regular partner.

[mw64ahw]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-13, 12:16, said:

Opener responded 2S with xx in spades?
Does he have a 4 card heart suit?

Why slam? Do the values mesh well, ..., I recall a club
opening, looking at a single?

Slam because opener should have 6.5mod. losers and support with an honour puts us in slam territory. It makes on the ♥ finesse, but opener didn't want to show these.

[thepossum]

Why not open 1 Heart in Acol? - even with non touchinng suits open the suit below the doubleton?
My Acol is very rusty. Do I respond with NT or with some strong bid in diamonds
1 diamond perhaps

I think maybe it should start 1H-1S or 1H - 2NT or 1H - 2D or whatever

EDIt I cheated and asked Qplus Demo Advanced Acol to bit it for me
1H-1S-1NT-3NT

I was close
I think 1H-2NT could also work, amybe even 1H-2D
EDIT 2 I cheated again - as say very rusty i Acol
With the opening bid as given QPlus Advanced Acol gets to
1C-1D
1H-1S
2D-3D
P

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2025-November-13, 16:40, said:

Slam because opener should have 6.5mod. losers and support with an honour puts us in slam territory. It makes on the ♥ finesse, but opener didn't want to show these.

The LTC is a nice tool, but it requires / assumes the existence of a high quality
trump fit, a 6-2 fit is not high quality, a 6-3 is.
At this stage of the bidding neither side knowes about such a trump fit.

[P_Marlowe]

thepossum, on 2025-November-13, 17:58, said:

Why not open 1 Heart in Acol? - even with non touchinng suits open the suit below the doubleton?
My Acol is very rusty. Do I respond with NT or with some strong bid in diamonds
1 diamond perhaps

I think maybe it should start 1H-1S or 1H - 2NT or 1H - 2D or whatever

EDIt I cheated and asked Qplus Demo Advanced Acol to bit it for me
1H-1S-1NT-3NT

I was close
I think 1H-2NT could also work, amybe even 1H-2D
EDIT 2 I cheated again - as say very rusty i Acol
With the opening bid as given QPlus Advanced Acol gets to
1C-1D
1H-1S
2D-3D
P

I dont mind the 2D as openers 3rd bid, ..., although opener sells
his shape as 5431, and I have said above, I prefer 1NT as
openers 2nd bid, nevertheless 1H as 2nd bid is ok.
But at one point in time opener, should tell responder, that he
happens to hold more than a min opener.
In the given auction, opener could be broke, and Acol is famous
for allowing light openings, if you play light openings, you have
to remember this, and that this forces you to catching up later.

[mw64ahw]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-14, 00:56, said:

In the given auction, opener could be broke, and Acol is famous
for allowing light openings, if you play light openings, you have
to remember this, and that this forces you to catching up later.

I would have said the opposite from observation. It's overcalls that tend to be light compared to a Standard American approach.

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2025-November-14, 02:10, said:

I would have said the opposite from observation. It's overcalls that tend to be light compared to a standard American approach.

Your experience is more recent than mine, ..., my Acol days are over ( I last played Acol 20 years ago ).
Still in the seq. I was discussing, opener has to find a bid after responder invites, what ever this may be.

[mw64ahw]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-14, 02:22, said:

Your experience is more recent than mine, ..., my Acol days are over ( I last played Acol 20 years ago ).
Still in the seq. I was discussing, opener has to find a bid after responder invites, what ever this may be.

More recent, but some of the time with a strongish lady who was close to being around when Acol was first introduced.

[Tramticket]

Playing Acol, I would have:

1H-2D
2NT-3D
3NT-Pass

Where 2NT is forcing, 15+; 3D is natural and suggests suitable for slam opposite a fitting opener; 3NT denies a fifth heart or four spades and doesn't feel the need to go past 3NT in pursuit of a slam.

[P_Marlowe]

Tramticket, on 2025-November-14, 11:20, said:

Playing Acol, I would have:

1H-2D
2NT-3D
3NT-Pass

Where 2NT is forcing, 15+; 3D is natural and suggests suitable for slam opposite a fitting opener; 3NT denies a fifth heart or four spades and doesn't feel the need to go past 3NT in pursuit of a slam.

I would assume, that 2NT would bypass a 4 card spade suit, 2S instead of 2NT would be 54 in the majors,
i.e. I would have expected 3S instead of 3D.