[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

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This hand posed a couple of different questions. First, does the South hand qualify for an assumed fit preempt if you play them? For my most regular partnership it does. We play 1st favourable preempts very aggressively and partner will not hang you for it. So we would open 2♣ (showing both majors) and partner would probably make a game try which we would reject.

For those the majority who don't open the South hand, West opens 1♠ and North must decided whether to double or overcall 2♥. Although North has values in all the suits besides spades, I agree with the overcall of 2♥. It gets across your 5th heart and makes it easier for partner to raise you with a fit and find the most likely game for your side.

If North overcalls 2♥, then East will make a negative double. Now there's yet another style question for south. How much in terms of values is a raise to 3♥. Yes south has a 2♠ cuebid available. But, note the South hand is not worth very much. The 5 card suit is UNDER West's 5 card opener and 5422 shapes tend not to play that well. Furthermore, if you raise to 3♥, partner might raise to 4 AND you can always back in later with 3♥ if the auction is about to die. So my call would be pass, but some will make the delicate raise to 3.

[inquiry]

Hannie and I,

Pass-(1♠)-2♥-(DBL)
3♥ - All pass

[awm]

Elianna and I duplicated Inquiry's auction. For us, the 3♥ raise by a passed hand doesn't really show much in the way of values.

[hrothgar]

Free and I ran into trouble on this hand...

Free chose to open 2♥ showing a preemptive hand with 4+ Hearts and either 4+ Spades or 5+ Clubs. I chose to jump to 4♥ which clearly wasn't a great contract.

Personally, i consider Free's hand a bit too light for a Frelling 2♥ opening.
I prefer a minimum of 3.4 points using an

A = 3
K = 2
Q = 1
J = .5
T = .2

However, I'm not sure if we've discussed this in detail...

[han]

Disciplined pass by Ben over 3H. We play transfers here, so to show a good raise I would bid 3D.

[Cascade]

We duplicated Josh and Justin's auction:

(1♠) 2♥ (Dbl) Pass
(3♣) Pass (Pass) 3♥
all pass

I was the wimp who didn't raise.

We hadn't discussed this exact auction but it maybe that I can safely raise as we play that 2NT is a constructive raise in most competition. Our discussions relate to auctions where we open with the rider that we do similar things in other similar auctions after we overcall.

Without the double 2NT for us would be natural and invitational.

With the double I think we can redouble with the invitational hand and therefore play our competitive system.

2NT = raise either 6-9 or GF
2♠ = invitational raise
3♥ = weaker raise

I wasn't sure and didn't risk that and I haven't yet discussed it with Pam.

With hindsight I should have risked it since the bidding challenge is just for fun and it would have prompted a useful discussion.

[Free]

hrothgar, on Dec 12 2005, 07:11 PM, said:

Free and I ran into trouble on this hand...

Free chose to open 2♥ showing a preemptive hand with 4+ Hearts and either 4+ Spades or 5+ Clubs.  I chose to jump to 4♥ which clearly wasn't a great contract.

Personally, i consider Free's hand a bit too light for a Frelling 2♥ opening.
I prefer a minimum of 3.4 points using an

A = 3
K = 2
Q = 1
J = .5
T = .2

However, I'm not sure if we've discussed this in detail...

No, we didn't really discuss this in detail, but with my f2f partner, we know that with these colours we bid on practicly nothing. So instead of bidding 4♥, my partner wouldn't even start with an invite!