[Echognome]

Playing a team's match, at game all you hold:

♠ KTxxx
♥ Kxxx
♦ xxx
♣ x

Partner deals and opens 1♣. RHO passes and you bid the obvious 1♠. LHO bids 2♦ passed back around to you. To protect or not to protect? That is the question.

If not, what are the pluses and minuses of your hand in terms of shape? What shapes are more attractive here and which are less?

What is the minimum holding you would have on the above hand to make it worth protection? E.g. if you had two bullets instead of two kings, would you protect now?

I'm trying to get a feeling for for how people judge this type of situation.

As per agreements, we were playing a fairly natural system (with a weak NT if you want to make a distinction based on that).

[Trpltrbl]

I bid 2♥, NF.
I want to compete, pd is likely to have something and doesn't look like he has penaltypass, since I am holding 3♦.
And I don't want to double since that would show stronger hand. And what if pd passes, I really don't have any tricks.

GBB

[mr1303]

It looks as though partner has a strong NTish sort of hand. I guess there are other possibilities, such as being 1435 or so, but in this case I think 2H should be not forcing. However, he should rarely pass.

Having said that, you are minimum for your response in the first place, and you have a) a dreadful hand in support of partner's suit and the worst holding in opponents suit.

I think that when vul, a pass is called for.

[whereagles]

To bid is absolutely obvious here. At least to me.

If pard has the strong NT hand, we have more points than opps, so we must play the hand. His absolutely worst shape is 2335 and even then 2♠ surely must have a play.

If pard is min with clubs, then you might be stepping into muddy waters. But the risk is necessary, and there's nothing against pard having 3 spades or 4 hearts.

Thus to bid is needed, and double is the bid. A 2♥ bid is slightly unilateral and should be used to show a 55.

[mike777]

Echognome, on Oct 19 2005, 07:48 AM, said:

Playing a team's match, at game all you hold:

♠ KTxxx
♥ Kxxx
♦ xxx
♣ x

Partner deals and opens 1♣. RHO passes and you bid the obvious 1♠. LHO bids 2♦ passed back around to you. To protect or not to protect? That is the question.

If not, what are the pluses and minuses of your hand in terms of shape? What shapes are more attractive here and which are less?

What is the minimum holding you would have on the above hand to make it worth protection? E.g. if you had two bullets instead of two kings, would you protect now?

I'm trying to get a feeling for for how people judge this type of situation.

As per agreements, we were playing a fairly natural system (with a weak NT if you want to make a distinction based on that).

I assume partner bids 3d or 3clubs or 2H with good unbalanced hands and doubles with 15-17 balanced hcp? I did respond 1spade so feel I have easy pass now.

[Al_U_Card]

I think that having them play in 2D is the inferior spot, so I would pass. Hopefully, pard will lead a D on the preference auction (and that he is looking at C values) and we will keep them to 2 or less

[mikeh]

If double would be a support double, then he holds either 0, 1 or 2♠. Unless he holds exactly 4♥, we have no fit. It seems to me that it is quite likely that he has a long ♣ suit and a minimum range opener, with my rho not bidding here because of a lack of fit. The only bid I have is 2♥, which aims at a very narrow target: especially since partner will frequently raise when he has the hand you need him to have to make 2♥.

So if playing support doubles, pass for me.

What if double would be a strong nt? Would he raise with 3♠? A great deal depends on methods. If he will raise in this situation quite freely, then you are back to the above, and pass becomes the only logical call. Even if you can make 2♥, partner may not let you play there.

If you rarely raise on 3 card support, you have an extra way to win by balancing. You may find a 5-3 ♠ fit. However, I do not like my hand at all, so I would pass.

Give me the 109 of each major, rather than those tiny x's, and I'd bid in this last scenario.

[Echognome]

Thanks for the responses thus far. I would assume that double by partner would show a strong NT hand. We hadn't actually agreed it before the hand. It wasn't a regular partnership, but I'm fairly sure we weren't playing support doubles.

Mike mentioned 109s in the majors. Any other considerations in regards to shape here?

[Codo]

Quote

Playing a team's match, at game all you hold:

♠ KTxxx
♥ Kxxx
♦ xxx
♣ x

Partner deals and opens 1♣. RHO passes and you bid the obvious 1♠. LHO bids 2♦ passed back around to you. To protect or not to protect?

AS mike mentioned, it would depend on pds "pass"
1. If double from Pd is support X, 2 NT is a strong NT 2 Diamond ? strong, maybe without a stopper or another hand he cannot show, 2 Heart would be a strong two suiter and 3 Club a strong one-suiter. In this case, his pass is: balanced with no spade fit. Then, I pass. Maybe 2 Heart (or two spade) scores better, but maybe not. With a little extra, I would bid 2 Heart, but I need better suits for that. KT9xx, KT9x would be not enough, maybe KT9xx, KJT9, xxx,x

2. If his double had been neg. to show 4 hearts, I bid the obv. 2 Heart.

3. If double had been the strong NT, I would bid 2 Heart because Pd can have too many hands, where he has support for one minor.

BTW:
Why should X show a strong NT? What is 2 NT then?!

[mr1303]

2NT would be the same as 1C 1S 2NT ie. 18-19, or possibly 17-18 playing really old-fashioned Acol