[cherdano]

Scoring: MP

(1♠)-2♦-(X)-P
(2♥)-3♦-(3♥)-4♦
(P)-P-(4♥)-P
(P)-?

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So at matchpoints, vul vs not, you overcalled 2♦ and again 3♦, and your expert opponents (well established partnership) first stopped at 3♥, but then LHO took the push to 4♥.
Do you take another bid?

Edit: Sorry, there was an ace too many at first...

[pbleighton]

Double.

Someone will undoubtedly explain to me why this isn't obvious at MPs

Peter

[cherdano]

Jlall, on Oct 2 2005, 12:59 AM, said:

5D. What I would have bid before. Partner raised me to 4D and I have a mountain. I would have bid this hand much stronger prior to this as well.

Sorry, that is referring to the hand with 4 aces...

[pbleighton]

Now it's tougher

Pass, though double is close. 5D seems wrong at unfavorable. Pd has diamonds, but not much else.

Peter

[iggygork]

I thought that if you had pushed the opps into game at MPs when they were not going there themselves, you had to double them on the principle that if their game is making you get a bottom anyway.

Here, it is closer. I have a 5 loser hand and if pard provides one cover card, I was going down 2 in 4♦ anyway. This all depends on pard's ♣ fit with me and I have no way to find out. I double and (hopefully) take the cash, I think my expert opp is bidding 4♥ as a save over 4♦. I have been -590 before.

[han]

It seems that I have bid my hand. I expect to go down 2 in 5D which would be really bad. My 2D overcalls are for real (especially at these colors) so I assume that partner would be able to find a 3D bid with most hands that would make 5D attractive.

Even down 1 doubled is likely to be a bad score. Beating 4H is by far the best chance for a good score. I don't double because they might very well have landed in the normal contract. They might easily score an overtrick.

[MickyB]

iggygork, on Oct 2 2005, 12:41 AM, said:

I thought that if you had pushed the opps into game at MPs when they were not going there themselves, you had to double them on the principle that if their game is making you get a bottom anyway.

Only if you think it won't be the normal contract.

[Fluffy]

I vited for double but I had missplaced myself before the 1♠ opener, Idon't like at all being behind, don't also like having to lead. I will pass.

[awm]

I'll try 5♦. I expect that the 4♥ bidder holds several small diamonds, and the information that we have a real fit in diamonds upgrades his hand (he knows he will not lose the first several diamond tricks). I'm not convinced at all that 4♥ will go down; in fact I expect it to make.

The question I'd ask here is, what does partner have for the 4♦ call? Partner couldn't raise 2♦ immediately, despite the fact that this would be a mostly obstructive raise (surely 2♠, and likely even 2♥ and 2NT are available as stronger raises; 3♣ might even be a fit non-jump). My guess would be that partner has something like ♦Kx and some club cards, and that 4♦ is a constructive bid and not just pushing for a partial. A possible set of hands:

Scoring: MP

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Sure this is a sort of extreme situation, but everyone has their bids. Most people open the east hand, north doesn't really have a clear call after the double of 2♦ (only eight high, only two diamonds, only four clubs). West bids 3♥ competitively because of five card support, and the well-placed spade ace. Partner feels compelled to take a call at second turn since you've shown a pretty good hand and now he knows there's a real fit. East passes because he figures partner will know he has shortage in diamonds and be well placed to double if he has a diamond card or two and we're going down. West looks at his four small opposite east's marked singleton or void and takes the push. Notice that 5♦ and 4♥ are both going to make. [EDIT: Okay, I take that back; only 4♥ is going to make and 5♦ will be one down, unless partner has actually KJ tight of diams]

While the hands may not be this extreme, I think on the auction it is likely that one of 5♦ and 4♥ is making, and the other goes at most one down. I'll compete. Who knows, maybe opponents will bid 5♥ and give me an easy double?

[Winstonm]

I can't imagine a hand where partner can cover all my losers - NV I'd take the push to try to go minus 100 verses the fields' +140/170 - but with this vul I'm forced to pass. Now the Question is what to lead.

For me, this feels like a desparate situaion because it is MPs. Given time it looks like 4H will roll in. I doubt -420 is worth much, so I'm going to take desparate action and lead a low club, hoping partner's little stuff includes the Jxx of clubs, the K of diamonds, and RHO holds the KQx of clubs.

Winston