[Echognome]

Scoring: MP

1♣ - X - 1♦ - 1♠
2♣ - 2♠ - 5♣ - P
P - X - All Pass

---

5♣ made, whereas 5 of either major makes for N/S. 6 only doesn't make because of a rough or force. If 6 makes, then 5♣ only down 1. Who should have done more?

[EricK]

2♠ seems very feeble after South has made a free bid.

Eric

[mike777]

I guess i bid 4s over 1s but what the heck.

[Walddk]

2♠ is not even forcing on a competitive auction, so North should have bid 3♣ on his second turn, just as he must bid 2♣ or 2♦ if opener had passed over 1♠. Then South has an easy 5♥ over 5♣.

In another situation where it goes

1♣ X pass 1♠
p

2♠ will indeed show extras, roughly 18-21, but with only 3 spades North can't support them right away. A detour (2♣) seems right to me. Now South can jump to 3♥. He has a very good hand in context.

Roland

[Mr. Dodgy]

agree 2♠ is not good - i'd have said 2♦ to show strength, but 3♣ works too - although I might regard that as some kind of 'natural'. That said I would still expect South to bid after the second Double, but the auction is already confused.

[kgr]

Is 1♠ by South clear for everybody or should he bid more? 2♠/2♣/2♦?

[MickyB]

Walddk, on Oct 23 2005, 07:54 AM, said:

2♠ will indeed show extras, roughly 18-21

In a competitive auction I'd expect 2♠ to just be competitive promising 4 spades.

[jdeegan]

Since you asked, IMO South should have bid 2♦ on his first turn. His hand produces a good play for game opposite a lot of minimum TO doubles, e.g.

K10xx
AQxx
Kxx
xx

Looked at another way, the hand is worth 10 or 11 dummy points in support of a nine card major suit fit.

Curiously, FTL evaluation does not work particularly well on this hand. FTL = 13-3-1 = 9, assuming partner has a minimum with something like 3-4-4-2 or 4-3-3-3 distribution.

LOTT suggests 20 or 21 total tricks, so 5♣ (or maybe 5♦) figures to be a make given this analysis. This much is true. The actual hand has 22 tricks (given the spade ruff).

After hearing 2♦, even our underbidding North will likely persist to 5♥.

[Winstonm]

I disapprove of the 2S bid - opposite a feely bid 1S this hand is a mountain and I would bid 3C to show the hand's strength. I like 3C here for a couple of reasons - it first shows the powerful hand, and second it tends to show only 3 card support as I didn't bid 4S. This should be a useful picture to my partner: a powerful hand that is most likely 3451 or 3442. With the club void, partner can apply the 30 point deck concept - we should not be missing more than an Ace and a King in our 3 suits so the 5 level is easily playable; the double major fit makes it even more playable.

This may be a better auction:

1C-X-1D-1S
2C-3C-5C-5H
P- 6H

Winston

[junyi_zhu]

Echognome, on Oct 23 2005, 05:49 AM, said:

Scoring: MP

1♣ - X - 1♦ - 1♠
2♣ - 2♠ - 5♣ - P
P - X - All Pass

---

5♣ made, whereas 5 of either major makes for N/S. 6 only doesn't make because of a rough or force. If 6 makes, then 5♣ only down 1. Who should have done more?

North should double 2C as a takeout for H and D. Then over 5C, south can probably bid 5H with 5 hearts and C void and north can still pass or raise if he feels aggressive. That would be a marginal decision because partner doesn't promise much by his 1S.

[Double !]

lol
just logged on.
wondered how long it would take before this hand got posted.
seems that a 3C rebid by north is preferable to other possibilities

[mike777]

EDIT
BTW2, I am glad 6 does not make so Bergen's rule of not bidding slam after opp open on one level wins again. .

[FrancesHinden]

It's normal to play double of 1D as penalties.
However, 2C, showing both majors, would seem a good call on the South cards over 1D. It's possibly risky to try without discussion, but this shouldn't show more than responsive double values and a desire to get to the best fit.

[luke warm]

agree that x of 1D should be penalties here... and while i agree with roland that 2♠ isn't forcing, it should show a strong NT type hand, unsuitable for a 1NT overcall... so call it 16 or so on average

[Fluffy]

2♠ is wrong, could ahd shown strenght before the 5l evel with 2♦/3♣, but anyway I don't see how it would help south to make another move.

What would had helped is to bid 4♣/♦ with south's hand at first round, sadly I would bid 1♠ also with that hand. So I will vote for just unlucky.