[pclayton]

One from yesterdays stratified pairs:

Scoring: MP

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LHO (Mark Itabashi) opens 3♣, 3♥ by pard, pass by the client.

And you?

[jdonn]

3NT, can hardly be worse than 3♥, and 3♠ is a transfer to 4♥ whenever you aren't being raised, not to mention you would have a lot of handling issues playing in spades with long clubs on the left.

[han]

I was also thinking about 3NT, but I am worried that partner will bid 4♥. I guess that's too pessimistic and 3NT is right.

Maybe I should abstain, let me see if I can find a good reason...

[jdonn]

Hannie, on Apr 13 2006, 04:19 PM, said:

I was also thinking about 3NT, but I am worried that partner will bid 4♥.

I have to admit that seems to happen to me almost every time but I still keep trying.

[han]

It is depressing to think that letting partner suffer in 3♥ could be the best MP choice. At IMPs I think that 3NT is much clearer.

[pclayton]

jdonn, on Apr 13 2006, 01:15 PM, said:

3NT, can hardly be worse than 3♥, and 3♠ is a transfer to 4♥ whenever you aren't being raised, not to mention you would have a lot of handling issues playing in spades with long clubs on the left.

Is pard more apt to play you for heart tolerance after 3♠ or 3N? Or do neither imply tolerance at all?

[han]

In my opinion that is not the right question Phil. Partner is forced to bid over 3S and surely can't bid 3NT. Therefore it is very likely that partner will rebid hearts.

3NT is passable.

[joshs]

3N. I have profound respect for slow triple stoppers.

[mikeh]

3N

3♠ works if and (I think) only if partner has primary spade support, and not always even then: imagine partner with Kxx AKQJxx Qx xx

3N works on most hands on which 3♠ works and on a heck of a lot when 3♠ leads to disaster.

I'm not worried about 4♥: if he bids 4♥ over 3N, it will usually be right while he will often be forced to bid 4♥ over 3♠ when it is wrong.

[pigpenz]

having played against Itabashi alot, i would be 3NT

[pclayton]

Here's the full hand:

Scoring: MP

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I bid 3♠ and got raised to 4.

At the time I believed, in spite of my triple stop, that this hand wanted to play in a suit. 3N is probably better overall, since pard, with known club shortness didn't make a TOx of 3♣. Pard may or may not have spade tolerance, but you know that trump promotions are looming.

Anyway, 3N is very tough on this layout (although if it gets cracked, we might have the chance to get back to diamonds), 4♠ wasn't bad; I received a high club lead and a diamond shift; I drew trump and conceded 2♣'s. I didn't see how it matchpointed.

3N is a better call, but I think its closer than the vote indicates.