[jahol]

Problem 1)

Opponents vulnerable, IMPs, you have

K8---K104---AK9543---62

the bidding

LHO----CHO----RHO----YOU
..................................1D
1S------DBL----2S------ 3D
3S------DBL----PASS---???

You may not agree with 3D bid, but what do you bid now?


Problem 2)

This will be piece of cake ... a very simple piece of bidding....

Opponents vulnerable, IMPs, you have

K854---J5---AKQ2---AJ4

the bidding

LHO----CHO----RHO----YOU
4S------pass----pass----???

What do you bid?

[benlessard]

1st 1 is an easy pass, partner should have a balanced hand with strenght and probably no S stopper. 3Nt might work but passing is safer way to get a +.

J5---AKQ2---AJ4 isnt enough to suggest a game at the 5 level. You might X thinking partner will pass most of the time and that Kxxx will work to get an extra 100 or 300 over the undoubled contract. But the problem is that +500 isnt likely and partner will bid 5H a fair amount of times. Its probably a very close decision but i prefer pass.

[dake50]

1. easy P. D ain't running on this auction, so 3N fails.
2. easy X. Partner is warned from 5-bid. if anyway 5H, I got good stuff except SK.
Got to have SOME way to take penalty 500/800 or opponents open 4S all the time --never losing doubled tricks. Esp.<4S> X must try set.

[the hog]

3NT on the first board. Would not be that surprised if 3S makes; also note that partner has no way of asking for a S stopper, so x is her only option. Who says D aren't running?

Pass on the second. Double is for takeout.

[Fluffy]

Agree with Justin and Ron. Both are clear IMO

[Codo]

1 3 NT but this is closer for me then it is for Gonzales.

2. Clear pass. Even if X was not pure take out, most partners will take out with short Spades and no tricks.
So, lets dream, that you can double for penalty here: I would give it a try, but won´t be surpirse if they make 9 or more tricks in most hands.

[Fluffy]

Codo, on Mar 18 2008, 11:05 AM, said:

1 3 NT but this is closer for me then it is for Gonzales.

My name is Gonzalo , 'Gonzalez' is a not a name but a family name, many people from northern Europe call me Gonzales, but I don't understand why

[whereagles]

agree with gonzalovsky above

[ewj]

Agree with what has been said....3NT and pass. I also wouldn't be surprised if 3S were cold.

[gnasher]

I don't think that the first one is as clear as the comments suggest. It's easy to picture xx Axxx Qx Axxxx, but Qx Axxx xx Axxxx is also quite likely, and Qxx Axxx x Axxxx would make a particularly disappointing dummy.

I'd like to have a clear agreement about partner's double - I don't think it works to let it cover both a constructive hand, inviting 3NT, and a more defensive collection.

[FrancesHinden]

gnasher, on Mar 18 2008, 01:52 PM, said:

I don't think that the first one is as clear as the comments suggest. It's easy to picture xx Axxx Qx Axxxx, but Qx Axxx xx Axxxx is also quite likely, and Qxx Axxx x Axxxx would make a particularly disappointing dummy.

I'd like to have a clear agreement about partner's double - I don't think it works to let it cover both a constructive hand, inviting 3NT, and a more defensive collection.

I would pass the double on the first one, because I have a clear agreement that double is penalties here. There are hands on which I might bid 3NT but this isn't obviously one of them.

The second one is an easy pass for the large percentage of the expert world who play double as take-out.

[skjaeran]

On the first one I think passing is most often the right decision. However, the downside (3♠x making) is horrible, and the upside of 3NT (it makes) is so big, that I believe bidding 3NT is the long time IMP winner. Thus I'm in the 3NT camp.

On the 2nd hand it's an easy pass.

[jdonn]

skaeran, on Mar 18 2008, 01:08 PM, said:

On the first one I think passing is most often the right decision. However, the downside (3♠x making) is horrible, and the upside of 3NT (it makes) is so big, that I believe bidding 3NT is the long time IMP winner. Thus I'm in the 3NT camp.

On the 2nd hand it's an easy pass.

I think he said it very well.

[Halo]

Pass and pass.

I don't have the agreement that on the first board the second double showed diamonds and no spade stop, so I am assuming partner has a defensive hand.

The second is close to a double, but not disciplined with vul opponents, who are presumably not offering up a big score on a plate.

[MFA]

3NT and pass.

In 1), a good south would have at least a vague hope of making 3♠ when he bids it vul vs not. Since he can't have much strength, he is very likely to have some shape, perhaps 6♠'s & 4♣'s. My ♠Kx onside is not going to paralyze him - passing is way too scary here.

[Cascade]

1. 3NT we actually play that this double is primarily aimed at finding 3NT. Also I think 3♦ is a good bid and we should be stretching here whenever we have a decent six-card suit. 3♦ shows a decent six-card suit in a minimum opening for me. With a stronger hand I have to do something else - usually double for us. Others might play Good-Bad 2NT or something but I prefer to show where I belong immediately with weaker hands.

2. Pass but getting close to double. Double just shows values here - there is no inference about heart length. Over the double partner can bid 4NT with two places to play. Discounting the ♠K if I had another card outside spades I would have to double.

With some partners I could double here as for them double is more penalty oriented than I would like.

[andy_h]

3NT and pass

[benlessard]

Im surprised by amount of player that are afraid of 3S making, the 2nd X show game aspiration, I did bid 3D freely so with Qx of D and xx of ♠ partner wont X unless he is sure 3S goes down. Opps wont bid 3S red with cheese so partner X in these position tend to show a stiff diamonds, but by the look of my hand its unlikely. I think partner most probable holding is xx in [D] and xx in ♠. So i have a hard timse seeing how 3S or 3Nt can make.

Of course if we have the agreement that X tend to ask for a stopper is a different story. Also if we had solid-semi solid diamonds and a spades stopper would you bid 3D or 2Nt ? For my 3D partner shoulndt play me for a S stopper too often.

[gnasher]

MFA, on Mar 18 2008, 08:50 PM, said:

In 1), a good south would have at least a vague hope of making 3♠ when he bids it vul vs not.

That depends on how often he thinks you'll save in 3NT.