[mikeh]

Halo, on Jan 22 2007, 02:28 PM, said:

This is MPs.

You are passing.

Could work - don't understand the doomy 'nothing else appeals'.

Other options included showing a gf 2245... I don't hold this shape so why bid this way? If I'm going to force to game, which is an overbid that I would perpetrate in some circumstances, why add to the distortion?

Another option was to simply ask if partner were min or max.. yet with my hand, some minimums make for a decent game if vul at imps... AJx Kxx KJxx Kxx.. on a ♥ lead I need 2-2♣s with the A onside... not too terrible at imps... Kxx Kxx Kxx AQxx.... looks like a wonderful game to me, yet this is a sterile minimum...unless opener expects 6 ♣ tricks.... and so on.

A third unattractive option was to signoff in 3♣. This has one way to win: 3♣ outscores 1N: a very unlikely situation...

As I wrote earlier, this hand is of a type that I do not think I can usefully describe to partner, so I have to make the decision. With partner possibly holding 14 hcp (which I truly dislike), pass seems most likely to get us a decent mp score.

[mike777]

3nt...geez I almost opened this hand in first seat.

[the hog]

Didn't we have a thread recently where someone suggested 1NT on a good 14 count? I thought this was shown to be a very foolish action. I bid to play in 3C and change the system after this round.

[brianshark]

I don't think the clubs can be established, therefore yes, you do rate to make 2/3 more tricks in clubs than you would in NT. And I don't think I'm making 11 in clubs or 9 in NT, so that's why I sign-off in 3♣.

[Winstonm]

Hannie, on Jan 22 2007, 08:52 AM, said:

I don't understand why Winston and Justin think 1NT/2NT might play better than 3C. I'd bid 2C-3C.

Partner has advertised some kind of heart cards, so there are wasted values there, making my heart ruffing control of less value. Unless partner has pretty good clubs, I could easily have 3/4 club losers.

It could easily be a hand - and just as easily not be - a hand where 7-8 tricks in NT is the max but 3 clubs fails by a trick.

And like Justin said, even if it is a hand where 3N makes, because it is MPs you score better at +150 than +110. And even +120 is better than +110. In order to avoid a low scoring board, a club contract has to be totally right while NT only needs to be partially right.

BTW, change the hand to xx, Ax, Axx, 10xxxxx and I'd be much more prone to an invite to 3NT even with the poor club suit.

[mikegill]

I think everyone is reading a little too much into the good 14 thing. Let's just pretend that it's a 15-17, since that's what it really is. I think many would overcall 1NT on AT9 AQT KJT9x xx, since I think this is a better hand than, say, AJx Axx KQxx Qxx, on which I'm sure everyone would overcall 1NT, since it's a 16-count. Technically, our agreement is that we only could overcall on 14 over minors and when white - I think in general it's a bad idea like everyone else. But I forgot that when writing this post (swayed by the fact that partner actually held a 14-count on this particular hand). But nevermind that, that's his problem not ours. This seems like an interesting problem regardless.

At the table, I tanked for a long time on this hand, deciding first between inviting game and forcing game. I decided to invite via 2♠ - I think inviting in clubs is too much of a distortion. I still think, mainly for the reasons awm mentioned, that this is not worth a game force at matchpoints. My heart holding devalues many of partner's heart holdings (KJx, Qxx, etc.) and makes for serious communication problems, and I don't have high cards where my length is. I think I would force game here even if I had the ♦T, since that would give me a much better chance of getting tricks there.
That being said, I would force game at IMPs, even white, and I would choose to show 2245 in the process. If you're going to force, why not get partner's opinion? Sure it's a 1-card distortion of your shape, but partner will get the idea that he needs stuff in the majors to play 3NT. It's hard to imagine him making a terrible judgement based on this. They could be taking 5 spades (or 4 spades and a slow minor trick). They might not even have to lead them - we know a heart won't give us a trick.

[SoTired]

if this hand was xxx Axx Axxx 109x, what would you do? Since 1N overcall is behind the opener, most would invite with this hand.

So the hand is basically an invite plus a bonus weak 6-card club suit which may prove worthless if it does not run. But that still does not lower the invite status.

I bid 2S and if opener is max, 3N

[civill]

pass,I never regard bridge-playing as high-key.

[skjaeran]

At IMP's I'd surely just bid 3NT. The invite with clubs sequence isn't going to work, since pard wld bid 3NT with some wrong hands and not with some right hands, expecting me to hold a good suit.

At MP my choice is between 2NT and 3NT. The "value" bid is 2NT, but playing in a overly agressive environment, I'd most probably bid 3NT even at MP.

Harald