[inquiry]

The BPO-005 poll will close at 7PM EDT today. I have opened the first hand for discussion, and will open the others over the next day or two. IF you haven't votes, vote now!!! As I mentioned earlier, all these hands are from very recent Vugraph events shown on the BBO... Watch this weekend, boy is there a lot scheduled.

Scoring: IMP

BPO-005A
EAST SOUTH WEST NORTH
  1♥     2♣     Pass   2NT
 Pass   ? your bid

RHO opens 1♥, you overcall 2♣ partner raises to 2NT

---

[hrothgar]

BPO-005A: 3N

I'm starting to believe that a 2NT advance over a 2m over should be artificial (or, at the very least forcing). 2NT can't be the right place to play. If the clubs run, our partnership should take 9 tricks in a NT contract. If the clubs don't run, we aren't aren't going to make 8 tricks. Accordingly, how can it make sense to play 2N as natural and non-forcing?

Potentially, 2NT should be used to ask for suit quality. If your suit won't run opposite Hxx, rebid 3m. Otherwise show a side suit stopper. In this case, with stoppers in both Diamonds and Spades, the appropriate rebid is 3N. In practice, I expect that its possible to come up with something better. More specifically, its necessary to coordinate the 2NT response with a 2H cue bid. It might make sense to invert 2S and 2N (use 2S as the ask and 2N as a forcing with Spades) however, I doubt that any of that is appropriate for BBO Advanced.

[mike777]

3C

Hopefully P can rebid 3nt if he has a club honor.
Partner will play me for 6 non running clubs, short hearts and minimum overcall.

[pigpenz]

we know what we have but what do we expect partner to have for his 2NT??
any suggestions?

[Beto]

I guess this is possbile:1

♠ Jxx
♥ KJxx
♦ Kxx
♣ Kxx

However, partner may not have clubs, but then he should be stronger like:

♠ KJx
♥ AQ10x
♦ Kxxx
♣ xx

[pigpenz]

i was curious as to what sort of constraints we would set for partner, and then run it through a simulator and then through deef finesse. I am obviously bored at work.

Like
10-12 hcp
with 3-4hearts with honor
1-3 clubs

so ;
2-5♠
3-5♥ with A,K, or Q
2-6♦
1-3♣
10-12 hcp

[cherdano]

I chose 3♥, intending this as choice of games. I like my hand too much not to force to game, but I am not yet convinced we have found the right strain. At least it will now be partner's fault if we end in the wrong game

[inquiry]

Beto, on Sep 20 2005, 05:47 PM, said:

I guess this is possbile:1

♠ Jxx
♥ KJxx
♦ Kxx
♣ Kxx

However, partner may not have clubs, but then he should be stronger like:

♠ KJx
♥ AQ10x
♦ Kxxx
♣ xx

Beto's description agrees nicely with the actual hand held (10 hcp, balanced). This hand is from the Brazilian Team Championship finals. At one table the player with this hand faced a different problem when his RHO bid 3♥ over 2NT. This is the problem facing Barbosa in the closed room of the finals 3 of 4.


One of Beto's two hands is actually very close to the held hand.

[whereagles]

I think I bid 3NT. On grounds that pard shd have club fit or extras.

[mike777]

Jlall, on Sep 20 2005, 04:49 PM, said:

Beto, on Sep 20 2005, 04:47 PM, said:

♠ KJx
♥ AQ10x
♦ Kxxx
♣ xx

I would not expect a hand this strong, but my red 2 level overcalls tend to be sound. I would force to game with this hand opposite an opener with (usually) 6+ clubs though, and that's about what I would expect from pard.

ditto, we did make a vul overcall of 2clubs.

[inquiry]

Jlall, on Sep 20 2005, 06:14 PM, said:

inquiry, on Sep 20 2005, 05:13 PM, said:

Beto's description agrees nicely with the actual hand held (10 hcp, balanced).

I guess my description was pretty accurate too

Yes... but you were agreeing with beto... :-)

[pigpenz]

at first when i was looking at it,it seemed like pass might be resonable but when looking at the possiblities passing takes out the possiblities of game so i chose 3♣'s showing six and letting partner make a good deciscion if he should only have KX ♣'s

[han]

Wow, only three hours to respond.

I voted 3C, but I found this a very tough call, perhaps the toughest of the set. My main reason was that I can't have much less for a 2C overcall when red.

[han]

Yours didn't show up on my computer at all Justin. Oops, still had you marked as enemy!

[mike777]

Fascinating responses so far, very entertaining.

Some think this hand is barely minimum overcall, others really like the hand and force to some game. Some thought very hard choices, others fairly straight forward .

[han]

To Richard:

I agree that it is rarely right to play in 2NT. I disagree that 2NT is useless as a showing bid instead of an asking bid. This argument (we don't want to play in 2NT so we don't need it as natural) is just wrong.

Note that I am disagreeing with the argument, not with the conclusion. I agree that there are many situations where 2NT can better be played as something artificial. I'm not sure if this is one of those situations. Given the large range for the 2C overcall you need some way to invite.