[kenrexford]

Scoring: MP

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This was the actual auction:

West: 1NT (15-17, balanced) North overcalls 2♠, spades+minor
East: Double (alerted as "shows a spade stopper") opps now pass throughout
West: 3♥ (I better bid them now, I suppose)
East: 3NT (I also have the minors stopped)
West: 4♥ (I have just decided that my LHO holds KQ10xx in diamonds. Not sure why. I just think this. I also think partner has AKx of spades. Not sure why -- I just do. My hearts can play opposite Kx, so I'll bid them, ditch my second diamond on the third top spade, and then set up my clubs, without having to lose control after the diamond lead.)
East: 4NT (I don't like your stupid hearts.)
West: 5♣ (I still think LHO has KQ10xx of diamonds. I'm still not sure why, but it seems like bidding again is right.)
East: 6♣ (Wow -- you bid 5♣ and I have this many? How can this be wrong?)
West: Pass (I knew that someone had KQ10xx in diamonds...)

Stumble bunnies.

[helene_t]

West: 1NT (15-17, balanced) North overcalls 2♠, spades+minor
>> Just bad (because of the vulnerability), not really bad
East: Double (alerted as "shows a spade stopper") opps now pass throughout
>> Strange agreement, but given that agreement quite good.
West: 3♥ (I better bid them now, I suppose)
>> Quite good.
East: 3NT (I also have the minors stopped)
>> Ok, it's matchpoints, so just bad, not really bad
West: 4♥
>> Shoot him if you have a weapon license which is difficult to get here in Europe.
>> Otherwise just idiotic.
East: 4NT (I don't like your stupid hearts.)
>> Quite good, at least consistent with the previous bid.
West: 5♣
>> Maybe he should be shot but I think we pardon him for at least not thinking 4NT was
>> Blackwood.
East: 6♣
>> Quite Good
West: Pass
>> Quite good

[sceptic]

for what it is worth, I have no idea why you had a premonition about his minor suit holdings and I think bidding over 3NT was crazy, but what the heck do I know

[keylime]

I'll bring the 50 cal machine gun to the party....

[blackshoe]

keylime, on Mar 16 2007, 10:45 AM, said:

I'll bring the 50 cal machine gun to the party....

Overkill. Besides, Ma Deuce is heavy.

Heh. I'm reminded of a bar fight I saw about 40 years ago. One guy jumped up, assumed a martial arts stance, and yelled "Karate". The other guy looked at him for a second, said calmly "chair", and hit him over the head with one.

... I knew there was something I didn't like about Europe (New York isn't much better, though).

[kenrexford]

I'll actually admit to being the Opener. I am not proud of this auction, but sonme context might add to the humor.

I was in the second half of the second session of the Silodor Pairs with a pcikup partner who was collapsing before my eyes. (He would agree.) So, the merits of the 1NT opening were questionable at best, except when one considers two factors. First, the lead coming into the only declarer still conscious and, second, the points are at least on the table.

The overcall was alerted as "spades and a minor," but the person just had spades.

Partner's double was his "neat gadget." I was not so enthralled, but fair enough.

3♥ seemed obvious.

When partner next bid 3NT, something seemed off. He was quite proud of playing "Western Cues," so I figured that he had to have spades locked up. Otherwise, I figured that he would clearly cue 3♠ to ask for a second stopper. Giving him AJx or AKx in spades seemed easy, but this made LHO's spades lousy. The only justification for an overcall seemed to be that his minor was great. The best option seemed to be diamonds, logically, and I could not withstand a diamond assault. Plus, I had no idea if he expected a fifth heart. Hence, the 4♥ call.

When he bid 4NT, and still not 4♠, I was convinced that the spades were more and more solid. Or, it suddenly occurred to me, he had a quantitative raise to 4NT initially but was afraid. Why not show his minor, whatever it was, unless he was near slammish? I smelled 6♣, but as a hedge 5♣ should get a raise if the slam makes, allowing a wild shot at 5NT or 5♦ if something else occurred.

Ok, maybe I hit the bong between sessions...

[gwnn]

I voted for "quite good actually", after all the result was quite good actually

( )

[Tola18]

Before reading Kenrexfords last analysis, I though:

1nt ok, 2sp ok, the conventional D ok, 3H OK, 3NT somewhat cautious, but if not sure about slam it is often good to play sure 3nt in MP.
4H - yes dubious, but 3H could perhaps be on only 4 hearts... 4NT great = choose minor! 5C natural, 6C - who plays 5C in pairs, when there is 3NT to be made with extra trick on sheer raw-force?? Nay, we must take the shot at the 6C.
6C as seen excellent contract, with throws on diamonds.

All in all, a quite good bidding, with only the 4H somewhat dubious. 4C at least as good; if pard has 3hearts he will bid them before playing a minor.

[jchiu]

Anyone who doesn't vote for "Idiotic" or "Shoot Both of Them" is being quite the results merchant. At least Csaba has the balls to admit it.

1NT: I open 1NT more than most of the advanced and expert players with whom I play, and this hardly occurred to me here. At matchpoints, this goes against Woolsey's suggestion of playing partscore deals in a fit rather than 1NT.

Dbl: This treatment is rare probably because it is inferior. For me, there are two sensible ways to play this double, penalty or negative. Depending on the rest of the "partnership"'s Lebensohl structure, one use should be more useful than the other. I quite like the European treatment of direct 3N shows a stopper and double is negative throughout.

3♥: I wouldn't pull a penalty double here. However, this is clearcut if the double was interpreted as negative.

3NT: I am uncertain (say if this came up in an appeals committee) whether this pair would know whether 4m is forcing or not. Besides this, 3NT is a bit wet.

4♥: Not deserving of comment. The justification of this sounded similar how my aspiring intermediate student tried to justify the last time he went for 1100 on air.

4NT: At this point, the 3NT bid precludes a sensible interpretation of this bid. Had I walked into a BBO table where the auction started as to 4♥, I would request a redeal. Failing that, I would bid 4♠ to highlight both minors and mild slam interest.

5♣: Quite possibly the first sensible call by E/W in this auction.

6♣: Quite possibly the second sensible call by E/W in this auction.

Pass: Quite possibly the third sensible call by E/W in this auction.

[Gerben42]

West: 1NT (15-17, balanced) North overcalls 2♠, spades+minor

1NT? Horrible! Playing Fantunes and the same hand with 3 HCP less I'd still open 2♥ not 1NT because of the good ♥ suit. Anyway...

East: Double (alerted as "shows a spade stopper") opps now pass throughout

If that's what Dbl means I'm not bidding it. Ugh. How about 3♦?

West: 3♥ (I better bid them now, I suppose)

Partner doubled for penalty sort of and I have Qx. Pass maybe, but bid on out of guilt. Or misunderstood the Dbl?

East: 3NT (I also have the minors stopped)

I'd be worried about ♠ at this point

West: 4♥ (I have just decided that my LHO holds KQ10xx in diamonds. Not sure why. I just think this. I also think partner has AKx of spades. Not sure why -- I just do. My hearts can play opposite Kx, so I'll bid them, ditch my second diamond on the third top spade, and then set up my clubs, without having to lose control after the diamond lead.)

Might as well bid 6♣ right away. Stubborn *g

East: 4NT (I don't like your stupid hearts.)

Good thinking

West: 5♣ (I still think LHO has KQ10xx of diamonds. I'm still not sure why, but it seems like bidding again is right.)

Hasn't finished showing his shape yet... maybe try 4♣ a round earlier then.

East: 6♣ (Wow -- you bid 5♣ and I have this many? How can this be wrong?)

Has realized partner has gone crazy and took the right conclusion.

West: Pass (I knew that someone had KQ10xx in diamonds...)

[cherdano]

Ken, you should try playing bridge once. It's a fun game.

[kenrexford]

Hey! I admitted my insanity on this one. YOU try playing with the partnership desk guy I found, and see how insane YOU get by the end! LOL