[mikegill]

Scoring: MP

1N* P P 2D**
P P X*** P
?
*14-16
** d+M

---

*** takeout

[Fluffy]

2 spades

[FrancesHinden]

2H

[Free]

2♥

[pclayton]

Pass could be right, but I takeout pard's TO x's. Sounds like pard is a moderate 3=4=1=5 or 4=3=1=5, since no garbage stayman was used (do we play that?)

[whereagles]

pass and lead ♦K

[jdonn]

Pass is way too swingy and will lead to disasters more often than it works. Partner made a takeout double and I have two four card majors, and I'm considering passing with 3 trumps?

Incidentally, since 2♦ showed a major, and since partner's double showed 3 or 4 in each major, we know dummy will be short in a major and declarer will get ruffs. The more I think about pass the more I dislike it, I would rather even play in RHO's major than pass.

[whereagles]

I've seen some pretty unsuitable 2♦ bids as of lately. That's why I pass

[Halo]

2S

I will take out and this is my best suit.

[awm]

It seems like opponents may well have 9 diamonds. At a minimum they should have 8. This is not to say that 2♦ is making of course, but if you bid 2M in tempo you just might draw a 3♦ call from LHO...

[jdonn]

awm, on Apr 27 2007, 06:09 PM, said:

It seems like opponents may well have 9 diamonds. At a minimum they should have 8. This is not to say that 2♦ is making of course, but if you bid 2M in tempo you just might draw a 3♦ call from LHO...

And I'm not even so sure I want to double that. Maybe, but faaaaaar from automatic.

[mikegill]

Ok, I suppose my judgement was off here. My thinking at the time was that partner was likely to be (43)24 on average, and that if I pick a major, I was only 50% to be right, whereas I might beat 2d for 200, which would be a top. I was thinking I had about 5 defensive tricks, but that's definitely way too optimistic.

As it turns out they were only in a 7!-card fit (pard was 4333 for his t/o x), but RHO is 0544 and RHO was 5134 and 2d is cold because they crossruff the first 11,000 tricks.

[jdonn]

Partner's double seems pretty silly. Even if you bid say 2♥, it might go 2♠ p 3♣ from there, and he pushes them to even a better fit than before. He should know they might not be in their best contract.

Call me crazy, but if I made a takeout double with 3 of the suit and partner passed for penalty! and they made, I would start thinking twice about my double.

[Fluffy]

If they bid 3♦ I will bid 3♥, that's why I bid 2♠ first

[whereagles]

jdonn, if pard has a 4333 and like 6-7 hcp he has to do something at MPs. And dbl seems pretty normal under those circumstances.

If you pass and they make.. well, bad luck

[jdonn]

whereagles, on Apr 28 2007, 02:18 PM, said:

jdonn, if pard has a 4333 and like 6-7 hcp he has to do something at MPs. And dbl seems pretty normal under those circumstances.

If you pass and they make.. well, bad luck

Says who? It's illegal to defend with over half the deck and a balanced hand when the vulnerable opponents might be in a bad fit and we don't have a good fit either? Sorry, I missed the memo!

All partner's double did was change the contract from 2♦ making by them to either
2♦X making by them
3♣ making more by them
3M doubled down by us

Well done partner!

[mikeh]

jdonn, on Apr 28 2007, 02:22 PM, said:

whereagles, on Apr 28 2007, 02:18 PM, said:

jdonn, if pard has a 4333 and like 6-7 hcp he has to do something at MPs. And dbl seems pretty normal under those circumstances.

If you pass and they make.. well, bad luck

Says who? It's illegal to defend with over half the deck and a balanced hand when the vulnerable opponents might be in a bad fit and we don't have a good fit either? Sorry, I missed the memo!

All partner's double did was change the contract from 2♦ making by them to either
2♦X making by them
3♣ making more by them
3M doubled down by us

Well done partner!

Exactly!

It strikes me that partner is one of those players who has discovered that the passivity that afflicts most beginning bidders is a bad thing, but has not yet learned that winning bridge still requires the use of the pass card on occasion...even at matchpoints.

[whereagles]

Guys, I used to go passive on occasions like those (pard opens 1NT, we got 21-23 hcp and opps compete) only to get close to a zero in practice.

There are, of course, times where pass is right, but odds are being aggressive is the right action. At matchpoints, that is. At imps I couldn't care less