[cencio]

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[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

#1 replacing the 1H opening bid with 1D (no critique, ..., I rarely use the editor, i.e. I am not throwing stones)
#2 the X is usually a support X, i.e. it is showing 3 spades, given that 2H is not enough, it is NF
..., you could try 4C a splinter agreeing spades, the alternative is giving up on slam and bidding 4S
#3 I am not too fond on the 3D by the bot, I prefer 2S, but from 3rd bidding round onwards, the bot bids get
less and less well defined.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[cencio]

thanks i correct to 1♦

[Kaitlyn S]

 cencio, on 2026-September-21, 01:34, said:

thanks i correct to 1♦

When I play instant tournaments with the advanced robot, I can mouse over the bids and see what the robot thinks I have.
I think your 3S bid is forcing. You clearly have 5 spades so if you wanted to invite you would have simply bid 3S last time.
However, it's clear that the robot did not think your bid is forcing. It's possible that you could have moused over your 3S bid and seen that the robot thought it showed less. (It's also possible that you couldn't - it may work differently where you were playing.)

[thepossum]

Bots bid determinstucally according to some program. No value judgement is really appropriate. I know they appear to bid strangely sometimes but I believe it is predictable. Edit. I know they allegedly run simulation

[mw64ahw]

The error is the 2♥ bid which significantly undervalued South's hand.
I would bid 3♣ normally unless the bot. thinks this is natural otherwise 3♥. 4♣ is also possible, but I would tend to do that on a hand with weaker playing strength.

[jillybean]

2♥ is "ok" 3♠ is not. I assume the bot plays support doubles

[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-September-23, 10:34, said:

2♥ is "ok" 3♠ is not. I assume the bot plays support doubles

The bod plays suppX, hence why bid 2H hidding the known 6-3 spade fit, you may
end up playing 2H, it is NF.

[mike777]

Really great hand to discuss in depth.
Excellent question and post.

I would start with asking you a couple of questions?

1. What did you think all the bids meant, showed, forcing or not, length, etc?

2. What does the robot say they mean?

[jillybean]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-September-23, 10:44, said:

The bod plays suppX, hence why bid 2H hidding the known 6-3 spade fit, you may
end up playing 2H, it is NF.

Oh, I still play any new suit by responder as 100% forcing. Crude rule perhaps, but it has served me well.

Cencio; are your bridge aspirations to play with bots or humans? If you are learning by playing with bots, beware that bots don't bid like humans.

[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-September-24, 05:45, said:

Oh, I still play any new suit by responder as 100% forcing. Crude rule perhaps, but it has served me well.

Cencio; are your bridge aspirations to play with bots or humans? If you are learning by playing with bots, beware that bots don't bid like humans.

2H forcing is fine, ..., I still would prefer to tell p, that we have found a fit.

[jillybean]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-September-24, 06:17, said:

2H forcing is fine, ..., I still would prefer to tell p, that we have found a fit.

Yes of course, this is why I said 2♥ was "ok"

[JeffMorrow]

cencio, on 2026-September-21, 01:05, said:

---

1D by opener is standard and sensible.

1S vt responder is standard and sensible.

What I think is crucial here is that the bot is playing X as a SUPPORT double over the intervention. There are many kinds of doubles played so you should have made sure you understood the meaning of any double. Support doubles are played by many intermediate players so you need to understand when a double is a support double and what it shows.

Opener bids a suit. After a pass, responder bids a different suit (no jump). Then opponent bids a suit, and opener doubles. If you have agreed to play support doubles (and the bot assumes you have so agreed), the support double shows exactly three-card support by opener for responder’s suit. So, the bot made a solid bid with the X.

I am not an expert, but if responder does not rebid that supported suit, I will assume that responder has only four cards in it, and my further bidding will be based on a major misunderstanding. Experts may have a different and more sophisticated view, but I think that, with an intermediate partner, the 2H bid by responder over a support X blows the auction completely off the rails. I suspect if you had understood what the bot meant by that double, all would have been well.

So, the X was good; the 2H was not, given the meaning of the X.

[mr1303]

On this specific auction, why would 2♥ be non-forcing? Does the support double not force to at least 2♠? I agree it doesn't come up with a game force (or anything close to it), but surely this shows something like a constructive 5 spades 4+ hearts hand at least.

[JeffMorrow]

mr1303, on 2026-September-24, 21:23, said:

On this specific auction, why would 2♥ be non-forcing? Does the support double not force to at least 2♠? I agree it doesn't come up with a game force (or anything close to it), but surely this shows something like a constructive 5 spades 4+ hearts hand at least.

Given the South hand, I agree that South must bid spades: a nine-card fit in a major has been found.

But whether 2H by South should be a one-round force is not obvious to me. South is being forced to bid over the support double, and it does not seem sensible to say that a forced response is also a force.

[mike777]

JeffMorrow, on 2026-September-28, 07:59, said:

Given the South hand, I agree that South must bid spades: a nine-card fit in a major has been found.

But whether 2H by South should be a one-round force is not obvious to me. South is being forced to bid over the support double, and it does not seem sensible to say that a forced response is also a force.

Good question, however think about it. South can pass the support double but instead has shown 5 spades and 4 hearts and is unlimited. What hand would north pass?

However If south rebids 2 spades rather than 2H, now south has limited their hand, may only have 4 spades and north is permitted to pass.

[JeffMorrow]

mike777, on 2026-September-28, 09:26, said:

Good question, however think about it. South can pass the support double but instead has shown 5 spades and 4 hearts and is unlimited. What hand would north pass?

However If south rebids 2 spades rather than 2H, now south has limited their hand, may only have 4 spades and north is permitted to pass.

Oh, the support double is NOT forcing? I guess I can see that. If I have four and partner has exactly three, I may not be eager to rebid the suit, and I may have defense against intervenor. Sometimes, answering a question ignorantly can lead to enlightenment.

[apollo1201]

 mike777, on 2026-September-28, 09:26, said:

Good question, however think about it. South can pass the support double but instead has shown 5 spades and 4 hearts and is unlimited. What hand would north pass?

The hand is limited. Over a X one should thrive to give the full value of their hand.

Obvious over a TOX (e.g. 1m X pass 2M and not 1M when you have some values, you do not ask partner to bid again should you have some reserves).

Same here.