[cnszsun]

Scoring: IMP

1♣-(2♥)-P-P
?

---

What to bid?
Any difference if LHO's bid is 3♥?

[inquiry]

We all suspect partner has a penalty double design on hearts -- and he lacks four spades (after a 2♥ jump overcall). Why? Somebody has a lot of hearts beside lho and if it was rho he would have supported. But I don't like double with a void. If the jump had been to 3♥, ok, ok. i double and if partner passes, hope it is right (it probably is).

Over 2♥, here is what I am not going to bid, I am not going to bid 2♠ if we had future in spades, partner will have bid something. I am not going to bid 2NT as part of any good bad thing. So that leaves me with three possible bids, none of which are perfect. 3♣, 3♥ and DBL. Each has a plus and a minus.

3♣ is an unbid, but gets us to a reasonable contract if parnter has hearts but not hcp. Down side, partner will not take us as having perhaps 7 or 8 tricks in hand.

3♥ will propel us to game no matter what partner has. If partner had the wack of 2♥ that game will be 3NT. In fact, the problem with 3♥ here is that you could alert it as a transfer to 3NT.

DBL shows values, shows heart shortness. even lets your parnter know about your spades. The downside is also the upside.. and that is partner might pass. Sometimes that will be great, sometimes horrible.

Probably the bid i would make at the table is 3♣. if partner has buncho hearts and weak hand, that will get us to a good spot, and if he has penalty double to 2♥, we can still get to 3NT. This is an advantage over 3♥. Also there might be some slams should partner unexpectedly turn up with reasonable clubs and and a diamond suit to go along with his expected 4 or 5 hearts (thus short spade).

[pclayton]

Im kind of partial to 3♥. This tells pard I have a great trick source in clubs which could be the key to slam.

We can always bail out in 4♣ if pard doesn't have the hand we expect.

[FrancesHinden]

Jlall, on May 9 2007, 08:10 AM, said:

I like 3C, 2S is too distorted with this hand and could lead to a dumb contract. I admit I might miss spades with this bid though.

Me too.

[Codo]

I had liked to bid 3 NT
But no need to be too creative when you have a good "natural" bid avaiable.
I try 3 Heart, my hand has too many tricks for 3 Club the obvoius other possibility.

[pbleighton]

3C, the hand is n't good enough for 3H, and it isn't close. East may be sitting there with a misfit and a bunch of points, waiting for me to stick my neck out.

Peter

[Halo]

3C - I think this probably suggests the hand I hold.

[whereagles]

Dbl for me, on both cases. 3♣ sounds like an underbid and 2♠ for some reason doesn't appeal to me.

[Apollo81]

3♣ is a bit conservative but I suppose no other bid has more merit.

[Fluffy]

I would bid 2♠, but I am limited to 4♠ from the opening.

[drinbrasil]

Fluffy, on May 9 2007, 05:56 PM, said:

I would bid 2♠, but I am limited to 4♠ from the opening.

Why limited? with 7♣ and 5♠ you open 1♠??


i would bid 2♠ showing my hand, strong and with clubs+spades...what can i miss here? one penalty double my partner was palnning...but if he have this, we can win 3NT or 5♣ (lucky day 6) and i prever not attack with void.


other question, if 3♥ change my mind, yes, i would double.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on May 9 2007, 12:38 AM, said:

Slam? Oo. What hand do we expect him to have, I don't think he showed any values with his pass.

If he's trapping, he could be unlimited.

[mrdct]

I was the victim holding the 4027 hand on this hand. A couple of pertinent facts:

- The 2♥ overcall was alerted as "not weak".
- You have a 10imp lead and you are on the penultimate board of the match.

Bidding 3♣ didn't really come into my thinking, although in retrospect it probably would been a reasonable bid.

I was 99.9% sure that if I doubled we would be defending 2♥x with what I expect to be a solid or semi-solid ♥ suit on my left and in all likelihood no more than 1 defensive ♣ trick in my hand. I didn't think we could afford a -470 at this stage of the match so thought we should try to get to a makable game. I chose 2♠ more so to convey the playing strength of my hand than seriously fishing for a ♠ contract. I was anticipating partner (with the trap pass hand) bidding 3NT and then living happily ever after.

As it happens 6♣, 3NT and 4♠ make, although my declarer play skills weren't quite up to the task unfortunately.

[BebopKid]

How about Double to show 4 spades.

[mrdct]

Double wouldn't show 4♠ as you would be generally expected to reopen with a double on any hand that wasn't stacked with ♥.

As I explained in my previous post, I was deeply concerned that partner would trap-pass 2♥x with something like:

Ax
Axxxx
Ax
Jxxx

With us winding up taking 4 or 5 defensive tricks only. Even if we shot it a trick or two, it would be inadequate compensation for what must be a cold 3NT for us if partner has ♥ stopped and 1+♣. In retrospect this was a bad decision as we take 2♥x to the cleaners, but I guess that's why my opponents at this table were the pros and I'm the amateur.

On the actual hand partner held:

Axx
J98xx
AT9xx
-

Both minors were 3-3 so we take a bucket of tricks against 2♥, but it would've have been a different story if the 3-3 breaks in the minors were actually 5-1 breaks.

[poirot2nd]

I will bid 3C. S is too weak to bid 2S. And since I am not sure i can get 9 tricks immediately if my P can stop the H, I won't choose 2H. Maybe double is good, but if my P have 5 small H and a very weak hand, I am not sure he is able to return to 3C cleverly.

[skjaeran]

Apollo81, on May 9 2007, 05:16 PM, said:

3♣ is a bit conservative but I suppose no other bid has more merit.

Agree with Noble. Partner might pass a double on quite a lot of hands where that would be disastrous (for us).

[nige1]

cnszsun, on May 9 2007, 12:56 AM, said:

IMPS NONE VUL ♠ Qxxx ♥ - ♦ KJ ♣ AKQxxxx
1♣ (2♥) _P (_P)
What to bid?
Any difference if LHO's bid is 3♥?

IMO 2 ♠ = 10, 3 ♣ = 6, 3 ♥ = 4, X = 2.
2 ♠ seems the least flawed rebid:
It saves space compared with 3 ♥.
It expresses the playing strength better than 3 ♣.
It is more likely to result in a plus score than X.
Admittedly the ♠ are grotty, but most modern partners are familiar with manufactured reverses.