[jocdelevat]

Scoring: IMP

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West North East South

 -     -     -     Pass
 1NT   Pass  Pass  2♣
 Pass  2NT   Pass  Pass
 Pass  
.......................................................................................................................

Scoring: IMP

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West North East South

 Pass  1♠    Pass  2♣
 2♥    3♦    Pass  4♠
 Pass  Pass  Pass  
.......................................................................................................................
I don't understand why I lost imps when I made both contracts. I do not see better contracts for those hands. I thought major contract is better at imp than at mp.
top contracts was for first 1nt-4 for second 3nt+2.

[hrothgar]

I think that you answered your own question...

You scored poorly on the two hands because other people were able to achieve better results with the same hand that you and your partner.

Let's looks at the first hand: You scored +120 for 2NT making 2...

The pair that achieved the best result passed the 1NT opening and scored +400 when they cashed 9 tricks defending 1NT in the West. If you go back an inspect the traveller, you should find that the pairs that got more IMPs than you achieved a higher score on the hands in question.

[Cascade]

On the first board most players will not be able to overcall 2♣ naturally as they play Cappelletti or DONT or Landy or some other artificial defense to 1NT. Even if I could overcall I am not sure that I would with that hand. With a balanced hand even with a five-card suit I usually like to defend 1NT.

On the second board I can't imagine you lost many IMPs I would happy with 4♠ making four. I can see that some might receive a weaker defense and get 11 tricks and its possible that some might get a better score in 3NT. But at the most you will be losing only one or two IMPs to those tables. I wouldn't worry about one or two IMPs unless you have made a bad error or are losing one or two IMPs every board. In other words sometimes you will win an IMP or two from being in 4♠ on a similar board.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

1) I North should pass your 2C overcall,
assuming that you regular open 13HCP
hands, I wonder, why North did bid 2NT,
since South was a passed hand.
I dont think a South should make a 2C
reopening bid, but that is a different story.

2) -40 (=1-2IMP) is nothing to worry about.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[barmar]

On your auction on the 2nd board, I'd expect a ♥ lead from East, in which case you should make an overtrick in 4♠ (the lead allows you to pitch a ♣ on a high ♥, so you lose only the two side aces), and lose no IMPs against 3NT+2. And even on the auction you had, only a ♣ lead should hold you to 4, as you have time to finesse ♥10 yourself before they start ♣.

But since it's IMPs, you generally don't worry too much about overtricks. As others have pointed out, the difference between 620 and 660 is only 1 IMP, which is nothing to fret over. This hand is more of a problem at matchpoint, where even the difference between 650 and 660 can be significant.

[neilkaz]

Hand 1) I prefer to pass out 1NT rather than 2♣ and over 2♣ I think pass or 2♠ are better calls than 2NT, but all this is a close decision.

Hand 2) Some players open 1NT when they have a 5 card major and a flat 15-17 and then responder bids 3NT and you play NT. But don't fret about small IMP differences.

[barmar]

I have some sympathy for South's 2♣ bid on hand 1. When the auction goes 1NT-P-P and you have less than 10 HCP, partner often has a reasonable hand, and it's worth balancing. This is more true in MP than IMPs, though -- if you can only set 1NT down 1, but you can make a part score, or if they can make 1 or 2 NT while you go down only 1 or 2 at favorable vulnerability, you'll get a good board by bidding. At IMPs it's usually just a difference of 1 or 2 IMPs one way or the other; the situation in this hand, where the defense can take so many tricks, is pretty rare (down 4 seems to require excellent defense, I think).

Note, BTW, that you should prefer to reopen with WEAK hands, not good ones. You want the strong hand to be sitting over the strong NT bidder. If you have a good hand in the balancing seat, much of your strength is negated because your high cards will be captured by LHO.

However, I also usually play conventional overcalls of 1NT, to show two-suiters (there are a number of good conventions, I happen to like DONT). When partner doesn't make such an overcall I have an expectation of a flat hand across the table, which is likely to have a fit for one of my suits, so we'll probably find a good place to play. If you don't use a convention like this, coming in by yourself with only a 5-card suit can be dangerous. Especially if the suit is a minor, as RHO may also have length there and no way to show it (he needs 6 of them to transfer to the minor).