[Chamaco]

Hi all,
I have a few questions on the following sequence:

None vuln, IMPS scoring

1♠-Dbl-2♠-?

I held

AQ-xx-Qxxxx-T9xx

Having agreed with pard, I chose to double, as responsive double.

We play responsive double as showing 8+ hcp, and exactly 4-4 in the majors if the bidding was 1m-x-2m.
In case of a major opening raise, double would show the monors, but we did not discuss whether in thsi case it would show exactly 4-4 , or whether, with 5-4 or 5-5, it would be better to bid 3 of a suit.

After I doubled, my pard played me for a 4-4 in a minor, and jumped to 4 H (she had doubled with a 5 card major reverse).
Also, she pointed out that in order to bid a responsive double, it would be better not to have 6 of my 8 hcp in opps suit...

Question 1 (actually 1a thru 1c .... )

Does responsive double for the minors show exactly 4-4 or would you extend it to 5-4 ?
What would u bid with 5-5 and 8/9+ hcp ?
And what would you have bid with my hand ?

Question 2

After this hand we also discussed the possibility to use 2NT Lebensohl in the given sequence (1y-X-2y-2NT).
I objected that the Lebensohl schemes I know of use penalty Double to make for the loss of the 2NT invitational bid.
If you give up BOTH the penalty double (and use it as responsive) AND the natural invitational 2NT (using it as Lebensohl relay), there will be balanced hands with hcp in opps suit where you'll be forced to pass and quite often pard will be in an awkward balancing situation.
It is true you seldom want to penalize opps but you want to be able to show your hcp when u are balanced and cannot bid at the 3 level, no matter if for competitive or constructive purposes...


Thanks to anyone will reply !!

[inquiry]

I suspect your parnter doubled with a hand more suited for an overcall, any hand with just five ♥'s, I would rather overcall than double. I know a lot of people prefer to double with something like 16+ hcp regardless of their distribution so that they limit their overcall to less than that. But this isn't for me.

When holding five card suits, I would rather overcall 2♥ over 1♠ unless my suit is too ratty (poor) for a 2/1 overcall... a suit like ♥AJ653 would not be strong enough to overcall if double was available (1-5-3-4 or 1-5-4-3).

But ok, to your hand and questions...

Quote

Question 1 (actually 1a thru 1c ....  )
(1a)Does responsive double for the minors show exactly 4-4 or would you extend it to 5-4 ?
(1b) What would u bid with 5-5 and 8/9+ hcp ?
(1c) And what would you have bid with my hand ?

1a. I use the responsive double when I want my partner to pick between the other two suits... 4-4, 4-5, 5-5, 5-6, and wven some 6-4's
1b. Dbl
1c. Dbl

Question #2... I am not sure what the question is exactly, but I do play good/bad 2NT on this auction, where if I bid 3m (or 3♥ I am showing fair values and invitational, whereas if I bid 2NT, I am showing a one suited hand and less value than the direct suit bid at the three level. This works GREAT, btw. As an adjuct, let's take away your ♠A... and give you ♠Qx ♥xx ♦Qxxxx ♣T9xx how might the bidding go? Imagine it goes....

1♠-DBL-2♠-Pass
Pass-DBL-Pass-? ?

Do you bid 3♦, nope, here you bid 2NT as scrambling 2NT. Your partner will then his bid his better minor. This is called scrambling notrump. But this latter acution also has the merit of showing how you get have your cake and eat it too. When you are long in ♠ and want a penatly double, you pass this 2♠ bid relying on LOTT and your partner when short in ♠'s to reopen with a double again. This way you can:
1) show one suited hand weak (2NT immedaiate) or invitational (bid it)
2) choice of contracts weak (pass then 2NT scramble) or invitational (responsive X)
3) or a penalty when stacked in their suit... pass then pass partners reopen dbl

If you haven;t done so, go to Dan Neill's webpage and download the Robson/Segal Notes on competitive bidding (notes is a misnomer as this is 234 page adobe-pdf book that is 234 pages long).
http://www.geocities...neill_2000/sys/

Ben

[42]

Hi!
My overcall was not really good, I should have bid 2♥, and then, after the responsive X, ask for ♠-stopper. 5 losers seemed so beautiful
Full hand:
♠xx
♥AKDxx
♦AK
♣10xxx

We later discussed and I mentioned that I was surprised by ♠AD. Chamaco did fine in this hand!
The questions did not only depend on this special hand...
Have a nice day
Caren

[Cascade]

IMO Lebensohl (Good Bad NT) works well with takeout doubles.

I use Lebensohl in conjuction with takeout doubles (takeout, negative,responsive) in many competitive auctions where we are forced to the 3-level.

If you have values in the opponents suit then you have the choice of defending undoubled (unless partner reopens) or bouncing to 3NT. Its not such a bad choice.

When more often you have a suit to bid it is nice and much more useful to be able to show partner your range.

Wayne