[thie]

I would like some feedback on a bid I made in the following situation.
Sitting south I held:

Scoring: MP

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Since I agreed to play solid openers with him, I passed and pard opened 1♣ and he is known to be a very solid opener normally,
especially when opening a minor (1 major in 3rd hand could be light).
I respond 1♦ and he rebids 1 NT.
I rebid 3 NT.
Pard held:

Scoring: MP

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and he went down 1 because ♦ broke 4-1.

He was a bit upset and called my 3 nt bid a 'rookie mistake'.
I should have bid 2 nt, which would put him in position to judge
whether or not he should bid 3 nt, having precise information on my
hand (a good 10 to a bad 12 count).
If I had bid 2 nt, he no doubt would have passed.
I think however that there is one positive feature about my hand that he can
not know and therefore not take into account: the 5-card
diamonds, where he is likely to hold 3 himself. I could easily
have had a 3-3-4-3 or 4-4 in the minors, in which case 3 nt is much
less attractive, and I might have bid 2 nt with that.
Also I think that 3 nt on our combined hands is a very reasonable contract that
was just unlucky to fail (at least half of the field was in 3 nt actually).

What do you think? Was this really a 'rookie mistake'?

[whereagles]

The only mistake I see was letting pard bid NT. You should have hogged the hand, as in 1♦-3NT

[Codo]

1. 2 NT is l the right bid, even opps. a solid opener. There is simply no need to pass a 12 HCPs hand with a good 5 card suit and try to compare this with stronger moves later. So I agree, that this bid was a rookie mistake.
2. after looking at both hands, I think you belong in 3 NT, which is no surprise, as both of you have a solid opener.
if he fails, this was very unlucky. You are often home with Diamonds 3-2, so this is more then a fair chance.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I think your bidding is a bit inconsistent, in 1st seat
you downgrade your hand ... fair enough, but after
partner opens you upgrade your hand, solid opening
is nice, but does partners opening gurantee game
opposite a max. non opener?

I think your 3NT bid is a sign, that you did regret
your first pass.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[MickyB]

Playing a solid opening style, your bidding looks absolutely fine.

[whereagles]

Codo, on Apr 4 2006, 01:46 PM, said:

2NT is l the right bid, even opps. a solid opener.

By 'right bid' I take it you mean 'the bid the Walrus would make'... no?

[kenrexford]

Your partner bozed you in with silly rules as to opening bids. If his minor openings, even third seat, are also supposed to be sound, then why is his opening OK but yours not? Why not play in a sound 3NT that normally makes? You were "boxed in" by a rule designed for one purpose. If you must have a "sound opening," this apparently means that any call by you that results in a failing, but good, contract will be your fault if the hand you produce can somehow be argued to be unsound. I'd get a new partner.

[hatchett]

Completely agree with the above. In fact with honors in all suits your partner's hand is a more tempting pass than yours, no desire to direct the lead etc; although this might have lead to passed out vs -400 at trhe other table!

[EricK]

You appear to have a sound opener (5 card suit headed by two honours, controls in two outside suits, 12 HCP). You also appear to have a raise to 3NT opposite a 12-14 NT (which is what partner showed).

Partner is a results merchant. If you had got to 2NT and he had made 3, he would have blamed you for that as well.

[mikeh]

Several points:

1. Did partner say that he would open light in 3rd to protect against a solid pass?

Most at mps would open light in 3rd seat in a major, regardless of 1st and 2nd seat opening philosophy, but in my view, opening light in a minor, intending to rebid 1N is silly bridge. It is excusable (barely) if you ae playing an ultra-sound 1st and 2nd seat style.

If he has announced, or you know, that he will open 1♣ and rebid 1N to protect against this kind of pass by you, then you should merely invite.. that this is bad bridge (imho) is one reason very few players use this style.

2. If you understood that his sequence of 1♣ followed by 1N showed a normal opening hand, as he actually had, then your 3N is absolutely, 100% the correct bid.

You have 12 hcp. You have a KQxxx suit opposite at least xx and often better. You hold 3 Kings and only one Queen and one Jack: Kings are undervalued in the 4321 count while Qs and Js are overvalued. Your Jack is potentially a huge card: give partner 5 chunky ♣s and see how that Jack becomes huge.

In my view, unless your style was that he could have garbage for his sequence, it would have been a rookie mistake NOT to bid 3N.

And as for his criticizing you: that reflects far more on him than it does on you. You were, after all, in a good, sound, normal 3N.