[sceptic]

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     Pass  Pass  1♣
 1♥    Dbl   2♥    2♠
 4♥    Dbl   Pass  Pass
 Pass  

comments on my 2 spade bid please?

[jillybean]

fwiw I would have been more inclined to pass, overbid 3♣ perhaps. I think 2♠ is wrong when partner has shown 4.

[cherdano]

What Kathryn said.

[paulg]

2♠ would not be my bid but at least partner is a passed hand, so you are only competing for the partscore and partner is unlikely to go overboard.

However you are a minimum opener, your red suit holdings are poor and you only have 3 spades, which is why I would pass (too many bad points).

If you are playing 2/1 with support doubles (and the original double promises 4 spades) even opposite a passed hand, then double has some attraction.

Paul

[luis]

I guess you had a club missorted with your spades....

[kenrexford]

Not sure what the problem is. You ended up in 4HX, setting it one trick (I hope), for a decent result, no?

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

2S would be not my choice, but 2S
is ok. You have the spades, go tell it
partner.
This will work ok, as long as partner will
bid 3S only if holding a 5 carder.

I dont like the last dbl, but then it is only
6IMP's if it makes, and you did not ask
about this dbl.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[keylime]

Normally I bid 3♣ with most players, but with this good spade holding, I'm willing to venture the Moysian.

[Limey_p]

I would bid 3♣. I'd save the 3-card spade bid for some other hand, most likely when rho has passed and you have to find a bid. Pard may rarely double with only 3 sapdes himself?

I do play support doubles on this sort of sequence, but this isn't the hand for it. To me, a support double is a type of takeout double, and here you cannot stand a diamond bid from pard.

Andy

[joshs]

sceptic, on Mar 17 2006, 09:41 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     Pass  Pass  1♣
 1♥    Dbl   2♥    2♠
 4♥    Dbl   Pass  Pass
 Pass  

comments on my 2 spade bid please?

You really need 4 spades, or an exceptional reason to want to play in a 4-3 fit for the 2S bid. If partner had 4144 shape you might end up in 4S-x down lots when 5C was a good contract.

If partner's x was 4+S, then its acceptible to "raise" on only 3, and partner would not expect 4. here the x is exactly 4 spades, so you shouldn't normally raise on 3. Having said all that, with Axx x AKxx Axxxx 2S would be a reasonable bid, if x by you was penalty (I think its better to play that x should be good hand, nothing good to bid, hence something like Axx AKxx Axxxx).

[keylime]

I'm not a fan of support doubles but with holding H-H-x in pard's suit, I'm definitely raising. With two doubletons in "their" suits, I'm a bidder.

[luke warm]

fwiw, i wouldn't bid 2s here... i want partner to keep doubling with suitable hands in that position, and i don't want partner wondering what i'm raising with.. this doesn't mean that the occasional raise with only 3 won't work out, just that i prefer having good understandings

[jdeegan]

It is sometimes necessary to bid spades with three opposite pard's negative double, BUT it is not often something you WANT to do. Here you have a great six bagger and you are making a free bid - you cudda passed, and bidding clubs is a great idea.

The rare exception would be where you can readily see the 4-3 spade fit will play well. Three things are vitally necessary for this to be true:
1) Your 4-3 trump suit has to be very strong so you can pull trumps.
2) You need a good 8 or 9 card running side suit that you can get tricks from once trumps are in.
2) The short trump hand (your three card holding) has to take the initial tap in the opponent's suit. Otherwise, you may need a 3-3 trump break (36% or so) to survive.

I'm not saying that you cannot, on occasion, turn a 4-3 fit into a sucessful scramble hand, but I do not believe you should actively seek this situation in the auction.

[Wackojack]

P_Marlowe, on Mar 17 2006, 05:06 PM, said:

Hi,

2S would be not my choice, but 2S
is ok. You have the spades, go tell it
partner.
This will work ok, as long as partner will
bid 3S only if holding a 5 carder.

I dont like the last dbl, but then it is only
6IMP's if it makes, and you did not ask
about this dbl.

With kind regards
Marlowe

I recognise this hand because I was playing North. Some points to make:

1. I play the initial double as showing exactly 4 spades. With 5 spades I would bid them. I know that some play differently but I believe this method is favoured by the majority.

2. I play support doubles. I'm not sure if this is appropriate with the South hand and would normally expect a more balanced shape with a support double.

3. Partner makes a free bid of 2♠ so I am expecting 4. That is not to say that I believe bidding 2♠ on a 3-card suit is always wrong. Example given by joshs with 3145 shape looks like an exception.

4. After hearing 4♥ bid on my right I have 2 choices, pass or double. Could partner be balanced? Probably not, otherwise opps have grossly overbid with their 8-card fit. Since we are at green partner might be tempted to go for a cheap sacrifice if I pass. It looks like I have 2 possibly 3 defensive tricks so I need to tell partner not to bid 4 spades unless he has a very black hand. In any case I don't like being pushed around by opps and they could be overbidding so 11 imps in is possible. Perhaps this is faulty logic as partner with a shortage in the red suits and min should pre-empt to 4♠ after the 2♥. But then with a more balanced hand 4♥ looks like it is going off. So a close decision but I still think the double was justified.

[Echognome]

I don't understand the need to bid 2♠. I have gotten my lead director in 3rd seat. If RHO had passed, I would have rebid 2♣ not 2♠. I am not forced to bid in this seat and partner is a passed hand. Why am I competing further?

[pclayton]

I echo those that don't care for 2♠.

If I'm going to take a call, I much prefer 3♣ (or a good/bad 2N if available). While the ♥xx / ♦xx are ugly, we have a partial side suit fit and I have a nice club suit.

My negative doubles of 1♥ in all my partnerships deny 4♠, but I suppose its a sensible agreement to play support doubles after a neg x promising 4♠.

The double of 4♥ seems tight to me. +200 at IMPs turns a push into a 3 IMP gain (+200 vs -100) or a 6 IMP gain into a 8 (I think) gain (+200 vs +140). It also throws away 5 if the game is made, so the odds just aren't there for a tight double.

[whereagles]

I also don't see much need to bid 2♠. Pard, who probably has 4 spades and 2-3 hearts, is a heavy favourite to have 2 clubs.

Still, to bid 2♠ is hardly unreasonable, though you'll definitely feel some trepidation if it follows

...You LHO pard
... 2♠ .. 3♥ .. 3♠