[billw55]

---

IMP pairs, none vul. You have fine playing strength, but also some defense. How do you proceed? If you pass, do you consider it forcing? Do you agree with the previous call 2♠?


If you need/want to know about the other players, then:

Spoiler

partner and ops are random BBO experts, who appear to be competent over 10 boards or so.

[ahydra]

I'll pass (not forcing).

ahydra

[alok c]

South was to bid 4S instead of 2S.

[billw55]

alok c, on 2015-May-08, 09:33, said:

South was to bid 4S instead of 2S.

I did consider 3♠, but 4♠ seems like too much.

[wyman]

I'll rip it. I've been wrong before.

I've got more than I've shown and 4 trumps. Obviously I'd like to switch my major suits, but I'm not going to let this float.

[mikeh]

I don't think pass is forcing here. Partner could have bid 4m to create a force, so 4♠ could be based on long spades and weakness....we know for sure that he is very short in hearts. Now, I am assuming facts not in evidence....that we don't play weak jumpshifts. If we do, then his holding 6 spades and weakness would be impossible....but he might still be, say, Qxxxx void Kxxxx xxx and be bidding on the double fit.

My point is that he has either 6 spades or he has, probably, some real diamond fit, since he has pre-empted beyond the LOTT level if he only has 4 spades (not that I am a LOTT zealot, but I think it has some role in assessing preemptive moves such as his 4♠ call).

Once you start giving him these hand types, we can see that (1) we may not be beating 5♥ and (2) we may make 5♠. My stiff club is a wonderful holding, as are my 4 hearts.

I bid 5♠. It isn't usually correct to be the one taking the dive and I may be wrong, but we surely can't be going for much....note that Qxxxx void Kxxxx xxx might even make slam, and when it doesn't, they may be cold for 5♥].

The old saying of bid one more arose from these situations.

[wyman]

You've way more experience than I in these spots Mike, but won't partner bid 5 spades with Qxxxx void Kxxxx xxx? I'm just now returning after a bit of a hiatus, but can't partner just have a good invite here? I don't think he's forced to bid 4-other with a hand without SI, right?

[mikeh]

wyman, on 2015-May-08, 10:32, said:

You've way more experience than I in these spots Mike, but won't partner bid 5 spades with Qxxxx void Kxxxx xxx? I'm just now returning after a bit of a hiatus, but can't partner just have a good invite here? I don't think he's forced to bid 4-other with a hand without SI, right?

If he has a good invite, with 5 spades, we will probably want to be in 5♠ anyway.

However, the auction tells us quite a bit, altho I confess to not having looked at the spoiler...I will do so after this post. Assuming that the opps aren't idiots or hyper-aggressive (which categories are not exclusive), then they have some values....at least good shape. If they have good shape, so do we, and the available tricks may and probably do exceed LOTT calculations (which is one reason I am not a LOTT user to any great degree...making all those adjustments seems like so much hard and artificial work).

The auction smacks of partner's 4♠ being preemptive. Now, I accept that I may be wrong simply because I would play that most invites by partner would be shown via double.....maximal overcall double is, I think, the technical name for this double. That decreases the likelihood that he has only invitational values

[ArtK78]

I confess that I read the prior posts before posting, but I agree with Mike (usually a good course of action). Bidding one more here seems like the winner in most cases. Even if it is wrong to bid one more, it is probably because both contracts go down 1, rather than a large penalty either way.

If the opps bid 6, I will double, but I would not be shocked to be -1210.

[Jinksy]

5♠. Even if we're not playing WJSs, it seems like RHO is showing a fairly distributional 2-suiter. If we both have double fits, we can probably make 5♠ and they might be making 5♥.

[MrAce]

I would not bid 5♠

The choice for me is between pass and dbl.
I'd dbl.

[rmnka447]

I'm bidding 5 ♠ also.

RHO initial double would tend to show the rounded suits. The follow up bid to 5 ♥ certainly shows ♠ shortness. So the defensive values in your hand look diminished to no more than 2 tricks at most.

You know partner can't have more than 1 ♥. You have complimentary shortness in ♣ that partner cannot know about. Also, partner's jump to 4 ♠ suggests longer spades and/or values. The problem is you can't know which.

As others have suggested, at IMPs, this is one of those hands where you bid on. You don't know if you're bidding to save or bidding to make. If you pass, partner may have difficulty bidding on even with a ♥ void because of uncertainty about the number of losers in the minors especially ♣.

I wouldn't be surprised if this hand was one where both 5 ♥ and 5 ♠ make.

The only time I wouldn't bid on is if I was worried that 6 ♥ would make.

[nige1]

billw55, on 2015-May-08, 09:07, said:

IMP pairs, none vul. You have fine playing strength,
but also some defense.
How do you proceed?
If you pass, do you consider it forcing?
Do you agree with the previous call 2♠?

---

IMO All decision are close.
After Double, 2♠ = 10, 3♠ = 9
Now, Pass = 10, 5♠ = 9, Double = 8. Pass isn't forcing but partner might still do the right thing.

[mike777]

5s

would not be surprised if we can make 6s on a cross ruff when east is void and cannot lead a trump.

QTxxxx...void...Kx...Kxxxx

[gszes]

5s

My hand has become much better for offense and much worse for defense as the bidding has progressed. My hand could have been flat as a pancake with mostly secondary power (K/Q) and possibly even a wasted heart honor. Instead we have a (probably) very useful singleton we KNOW our side has little to nothing in hearts (along with p being short).

Our AK of spades have become highly dubious for defense so setting 5h is much more speculative than normal. At Imps we aim primarily to not get slaughtered on hands rather than trying to eek out small gains (not a great MP strategy btw). The extra bid of 5s is actually a form of insurance since one has to be pretty optimistic to assume it is going down much if at all and 5s might even make (wheeeeeeeee) sounds like risk vs reward is in favor of bidding.

[Phil]

I'd pass. Too much of my hand is in spades to x. One of my partners says I'm supposed to bid since I have drek opp his void but I've never believed that.

[perko90]

More worried that 5♠ isn't enough than too much. My H holding opposite a void and expected at least Q-5th of trumps is delightful. On a bad day, you have 2 D losers and a C loser, but I can think of more hands that give 6 a play.

[PhilG007]

billw55, on 2015-May-08, 09:07, said:

---

IMP pairs, none vul. You have fine playing strength, but also some defense. How do you proceed? If you pass, do you consider it forcing? Do you agree with the previous call 2♠?


If you need/want to know about the other players, then:

Spoiler

partner and ops are random BBO experts, who appear to be competent over 10 boards or so.

I would pass and hope to defeat their contract.In his excellent book,"50 Winning Duplicate Tips",Australian
Bridge Grand Master,Ron Klinger,says. "In a competitive auction,let the opponents play at the odd levels"

[fourdad]

nige1, on 2015-May-08, 13:16, said:

IMO All decision are close.
After Double, 2♠ = 10, 3♠ = 9
Now, Pass = 10, 5♠ = 9, Double = 8. Pass isn't forcing but partner might still do the right thing.

BINGO!

[PhilKing]

I'm pretty sure I would double, but I am far from sure I am right.