[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

1♥ - (3♦) - 3♥ - All Pass

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My teammates showed me this problem. North opened a normal 1♥ opening playing 5 card majors. East came in with 3♦ and South now has a problem. He likes his hand, but has horrible shape. He bids 3♥ which can include a wide range of hands (such as those without much value, but with trump length). He felt that he might have taken the push, but was unhappy about it.

North has some nice features to his hand. The singleton diamond opposite support is good, but he is near minimum in terms of strength. Should he take the push?

3♦ didn't leave much room. Only pass, double, and 3♥ are available below game. Is it just bad luck that they missed it or should one of them taken the push?

[inquiry]

Bid 4♥. Everything points that way.

1) You are vul, so you want to stretch to try to bid game
2) You have three small ♦, making partner more likely to be short there (no guarantee however)
3) Your oppenent is vul, so rates to have good diamonds, meaning your partner has stuff in the other suits as too
4) you have prime cards (two aces) plus the JT of hearts.
5) You got 25 fit zar's even with the bad distribution

You go down sometimes, but you are vul. Have a go. Make it Matchpoints and I still bid it, but with more concerns.

Ben

[whereagles]

South might stretch a bit here. But 3♥ is sensible as well.

[HeartA]

Agree with Ben, 3♥ was a not crime though.

[Al_U_Card]

Opener has a 6 loser hand opposite a limit raise. Responder has a flat load so the shapely hand should act (if the other hand also has shape too then all the better).

Opener (strangely not playing flannery) should raise to game.

[pclayton]

3♥ should not be a limit raise here. Its generally defined as "constructivish".

North cannot move over 3♥. But I think South can stretch a little with the nice controls and bid it.

Of course, if North had: xxxx, AKxxx, Qx, Kx game is an underdog, but thats life.

[Al_U_Card]

pclayton, on Nov 1 2005, 11:58 AM, said:

3♥ should not be a limit raise here. Its generally defined as "constructivish".

Under the state of the auction, South would pass with a constructive type hand. LHO has yet to bid and pard needs D shortness to re-open if it is passed to him so I take the 3H to be a garden variety limit raise.......expecting D leads and ruffs if pard passes the 3H bid.....

[Kalvan14]

It is not a crime staying out of this ♥ game, even if it is IMP and vul.
S might stretch, betting that pard has a ♦ singleton, and hoping ♥ are not 4-1. I would ask again: seeing 26 cards, are you really troubled not being in game?

[MickyB]

Al_U_Card, on Nov 1 2005, 07:57 PM, said:

pclayton, on Nov 1 2005, 11:58 AM, said:

3♥ should not be a limit raise here. Its generally defined as "constructivish".

Under the state of the auction, South would pass with a constructive type hand. LHO has yet to bid and pard needs D shortness to re-open if it is passed to him so I take the 3H to be a garden variety limit raise.......expecting D leads and ruffs if pard passes the 3H bid.....

Yes, I was wondering earlier if it would make sense to play 3H as a limit raise when responder has long diamonds, and weaker than that when responder has short diamonds. I think it should be ok - after all, it is normal for the hand short in the opps suit to stretch over preempts.

[Double !]

actually, IMO, the holding of xxx in diamonds is a hopeful sign in the south hand. Reduces likelihood of opener/partner having many diamond (although Kx wouldn't surprise me).

I have been under the impression that, when you hold a good invitational hand with trump support, responder needs be the aggressor, the one to take the push and bid the game to 1) permit 3M to be competitive, not necessarily a limit raise, and 2) to take the pressure off of partner who won't know if you're trying for game or just competing. JTx of trumps is a nice holding for 3-card support (honor combination), and you also have two bullets.

DHL

[han]

inquiry, on Nov 1 2005, 07:17 AM, said:

Bid 4♥. Everything points that way.

1) You are vul, so you want to stretch to try to bid game
2) You have three small ♦, making partner more likely to be short there (no guarantee however)
3) Your oppenent is vul, so rates to have good diamonds, meaning your partner has stuff in the other suits as too
4) you have prime cards (two aces) plus the JT of hearts.

You go down sometimes, but you are vul. Have a go. Make it Matchpoints and I still bid it, but with more concerns.

Ben

As he said.

(but edited)