[joshs]

Scoring: IMP

---

Playing a strong club, with 10-12 NT's NV, and a 2C and 2D opening bid showing 6 cards and about 10-14.

Partner opens 1D (about 10-15ish, could be as short as 0, no 5 card major nornmally no 6 card minor unless 6-5 in the minors), you bid 1H, LHO bids 2C
Partner and RHO passes, you x, LHO passes
Partner bids 2D, RHO Passes, to you?

1D-P-1H-2C
P-P-x-P
2D-P-?

[FrancesHinden]

I don't quite understand your opening bid style - can partner have an unbalanced 10-count for this auction?

Opposite a normal opening bid you have a normal game force via a 3C call. There may be hands where no game makes, but it's normal just to bid game when you have enough HCP. It's not as if you have an alternative descriptive call available.

In 'normal' ish opening methods, partner has denied 10-12 balanced, denied 3 hearts (no support double), denied 6 diamonds (no 2D rebid over 2C) so their most likely hand type is 13-15 balanced. I don't know to what extent partner would do more over the double with a good 14-count?

[joshs]

Partner has 10-14 unbalanced (opening a 10 count is not manditory) or 13-15 balanced or possibly a 15 count with a stiff honor.

[awm]

This looks very similar to a hand we played over the weekend, although in that situation my actual hand was:

Scoring: IMP

---

There was also an interesting play problem (well guess anyway) on best defense (which I didn't receive).

[joshs]

Ahh I never saw your actual hand. Well both hands are interesting bidding problems...

[pclayton]

It seems pard's hand should be easy to peg. He didn't open 2♦, so he either has 6 ugly diamonds or 5 fair ones. You didn't mention support doubles, but it sounds like you don't play them; even then he doesn't have 3 hearts. He probably doesn't have 4 spades either. And, he doesn't have 4 good clubs; else he passes the double. And he doesn't have a flat 10-12.

So, likely patterns are: 3=2=5=3 (with 13-15), 3=1=6=3 or 2=2=6=3. I'm more inclined to place him with the 1st type.

This is a funny hand. If pard has ♣Kxx (Hopefully LHO doesn't find an inspired lead of the Q from AQT9x!) or ♣Axx, I want to play NT from my side. If pard doesn't have a fair club stop, we aren't making anything close to 5♦.

OK, I hope I'd have the guts to try this at the table, but I'm bidding 3N playing pard for something like: QJx, xx, AQJxx, Kxx. ANd I'm fully prepared to offer an apology if it turns out silly.

[FrancesHinden]

That hand - the 3433 12 count rather than a 3523 14-count - looks like a 3D bid over 2D to me.

[mikeh]

Which hand are we discussing?

If the 3=4=3=3, 12 count, then I agree 100% with Frances: a clear 3♦ bid.

Yes, this may wrong side 3N, but I doubt that partner has the right holding for it to matter.

As for the initial hand, it sure looks like a gf, except that partner may have only 10 or 11..... and I don't see our source of tricks outside of the ♦ suit... but 3N seems like a reasonable shot... Qx may be all I need to find in dummy and maybe the suit blocks even when he holds less than that...

[FrancesHinden]

I was going to give a hand where 4H is a better contract than 3NT opposite the 14-count, but that I realised I was stuck with the system again.

Partner's 1D could be off a 4234 distribution, so what does he do over the double of 2C if he has

Axxx
Qx
AQJ10x
xx

?

given that he could have

AQxx
Qx
AJx
xxxx

?

(I assume this is either a 2H or 2S bid, unless you are going to tell me it's a pass of 2Cx)

[olegru]

3♣.
What is question?

[joshs]

We have no systemic agreements about my rebid priorities over the re-opening x. We also don't have any systemic agreements about the strength promised by the re-opening x. I do think this all falls into bridge common sense.

We do play support x's. I should have mentioned them, although when I pass and then rebid 2D over the re-opening x I certainly don't have 3 hearts even if I wasn't playing support x's.

[joshs]

OK, Phil got the Analysis right, as Adam did at the table (with the 4333 12 count, not the 3523 14 count).

If you bid 3N you will make it barring a double dummy lead.

I was the 1D opener. As I would have shown 3 hearts if I had 3, and 4 spades if I had 4, and I systemically can't have 6 diamonds (thats a 2D opener as I explained, ok maybe I would treat 6 small as a 5 card suit, but then I have to have points somewhere and thus likely have a club stopper...), I am marked with at least 3 clubs. My most likely shape is 3253, but I could have 4 weak clubs (xx54 or 3244 but highly concentrated in diamonds and spades - perhaps AQx xx AKxx xxxx).

I actually had T9x JT AQJxx Axx (I upgraded this to a 13-15 balanced hand). If you bid 3D, I will pass, LHO will lead a club through the J and I will lose 2 clubs, 1H and 2S for down 1.

If you bid NT the player with KQT9xx of clubs is on lead. So unless he finds a spade lead, followed by a club switch, you are making 3N.

I might have bid only 2N with Adam's hand, but I think its correct to bid NT. Occasionally even when partner has 3 small clubs, the suit might be blocked, and we have 9 fast winners and partner's having 3 clubs indicates that we are unlikely to be making game in a suit.

[whereagles]

The bid is 3NT, unless you're worried about stoppers (in which case you can try 3♣).