[CSGibson]

Opponents silent, and NS have this auction.

Scoring: IMP

1♣-1♥,
2♠-3♣,
3♦-3♠,
4♥-4♠,
5♥-6♣

---

Who is to blame for this disaster? What is the single worst bid here?

[rogerclee]

3♣?!? I think this was where the auction went nuts. I don't like 5♥ by S, but that's way less criminal than north's silliness.

[jdonn]

rogerclee, on Apr 24 2008, 12:27 AM, said:

3♣?!? I think this was where the auction went nuts. I don't like 5♥ by S, but that's way less criminal than north's silliness.

??? 3♣ was normal. Through 3♦ I have no problem (south mainly doesn't want to bid 3NT in case north has a stiff spade) but over that I have no idea why north didn't bid 3NT. Also given the 3♠ bid south should certainly bid 3NT next. So I think both players missed their main chance to bid 3NT, and everything that happened after that doesn't interest me as much, although 4♥ and 5♥ strike me as quite awful.

I will vote 4♥ as the worst bid since it was the bid that bypassed the right contract, and at which point the auction went totally off the rails.

[655321]

North is to blame, that part is easy.

The single worst bid? I choose 3♠. 3NT looks fairly normal here; 3♠ would convince South that 6 is certain, and 7 is likely. 3♣ was perhaps not pretty, but it was understandable.

More sensible auctions are
1♣-1♥
2♠-3♦
3NT

or

1♣-1♥
2♠-3♣
3♦-3NT

[marcD]

North made 2 weird bids : 3♣ instead of 2NT or 3♦ is mindboggling and then 3♠ over 3♦ is almost as bad. South could have bid 1♠ instead of 2♠ as is first rebid (stiff Ace is a liability) but it's more a matter of style

[gnasher]

We're rather spoilt for choice here, aren't we? For completeness, I'd like to put in a word for 4♠, which is my own personal favourite.

By the way, everyone so far seems happy with South's 3♦ call, so presumably they play it as showing diamond concentration rather than fourth suit forcing. If North had bid 3♦ over 2♠, would that have been naturalish too?

[the hog]

In my view the worst bid is 3D. 3C is fine, though I play and would prefer a blackout response of 2NT. Asking Nth to bid 3NT over 3D with only Jxx is absurd in the extreme.

Two autions:
preferred
1C 1H
2S 2N
3N

1C 1H
2S 3C
3N

[Halo]

3C

On the specific hand this needn't have turned out badly, but I would much prefer this to show three cards, with 2NT as a negative.

[helene_t]

3♣ is ok with me. It looks as if South thought it showed values - whether that assumption was justified we cannot tell without knowing this pair's agreements.

3♦ is probably fine although I'm not quite sure what it is supposed to mean, patterning out and/or showing a feature. In either case the bid is ok.

4♥ is a really weird bid. I have no clue what it is supposed to mean. I think S has an obvious 3NT at this point.

[655321]

The_Hog, on Apr 24 2008, 03:28 AM, said:

Asking Nth to bid 3NT over 3D with only Jxx is absurd in the extreme.

And to me, North's bidding anything other than 3NT over 3♦ is absurd in the extreme.

[brianshark]

2 sensible auctions:

1♣-1♥
2♠-3♦
3NT
(If 3♦ is artificial)

1♣-1♥
2♠-3♣
3NT
(If 3♦ by responder would have been natural)

[helene_t]

655321, on Apr 24 2008, 10:47 AM, said:

The_Hog, on Apr 24 2008, 03:28 AM, said:

Asking Nth to bid 3NT over 3D with only Jxx is absurd in the extreme.

And to me, North's bidding anything other than 3NT over 3♦ is absurd in the extreme.

Maybe North thought that 3♦ was FSF.

[FrancesHinden]

Yes, where the real disaster hit seems to be the two different possible meanings of 3D.

i) If 3D is fourth suit forcing, South's 3D bit was crazy and he should have bid 3NT as he has a minimum for the 2S bid (extra points but horrible shape) and has two diamond stops.

ii) if 3D is patterning out, showing honours in diamonds, then North was crazy not to bid 3NT.

[hotShot]

2♠
Why rush? Both opps passed their first turn so there is no need to preempt.
South has a forcing 1♠ bid available and an easy ♦ bid as 4th suit forcing over any bid North might make.

I think modern bidding is to go slow on strong hands, so the jump to 2♠ implies an more unbalanced hand with less HCP.

I would guess that North expects South to have 6+♣ and 4+♠ and 3♣ is the weakest rebid North could make. ♥Kxxxx and ♠Qxx are harly the stopper you would bid NT with, and the South hand should play NT if its strong. So 3♠ promises help to stop ♠ and asks South to bid NT. South passing 3NT is a slam try.
North can only assume that South is even more unbalanced, if he ignores partners weak hand and bids on. Notth has only 2 possibilities to stop at game level, 4♠ (assuming South has 5) and 5♣ unfortunately he choose 4♠.

[FrancesHinden]

hotShot, on Apr 24 2008, 11:34 AM, said:

2♠
Why rush?
South has a forcing 1♠ bid available

1S is not forcing in standard methods.

[hotShot]

FrancesHinden, on Apr 24 2008, 12:42 PM, said:

hotShot, on Apr 24 2008, 11:34 AM, said:

2♠
Why rush?
South has a forcing 1♠ bid available

1S is not forcing in standard methods.

Introducing an unbid suit from an unlimited hand is not round forcing in std methods?
I don't think that North is allowed to pass.

[matmat]

hotShot, on Apr 24 2008, 06:10 AM, said:

Introducing an unbid suit from an unlimited hand is not round forcing in std methods?
I don't think that North is allowed to pass.

1♠ rebid by opener is non-forcing.

[helene_t]

Frances is right. In standard methods, 1♠ denies GF values. North can pass with an absolute minimum and typically 3-card spades.

[hotShot]

matmat, on Apr 24 2008, 01:12 PM, said:

hotShot, on Apr 24 2008, 06:10 AM, said:

Introducing an unbid suit from an unlimited hand is not round forcing in std methods?
I don't think that North is allowed to pass.

1♠ rebid by opener is non-forcing.

Learned something new today, I was not aware we play non standard methods around here.

[kenrexford]

1♣: OK
1♥: OK
2♠: OK
3♣: OK, but I would like the ability to bid 2NT as a weak relay, even though this is not a reverse.
3♦: OK
3♠: OK
4♥: Bizarre; head exploding bid
4♠: Squirrels running back and forth on the road get hit by the car. Panic is understandable, but run straight for your escape when this happens.
5♥: Sure, let's try for the grand
6♣: 5♠ or 5NT, although desirable as possible escapes, probably would have been further squirrel bids, yielding a grand.