[Poky]

Scoring: IMP

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.......................3♠ - Dbl
Rdbl - pass - pass - 4♣
pass - pass - pass

4♣, -4, +200

[inquiry]

EAST - I would assign it 95% unless this was an individual, as West gets 5% for playing with East....

After the RDBL, a pass should be forcing. East with three clubs should double 4♣ in my opinion, but if doubling on xxx is too much for him, his spades are good enough to play opposite extreme shortness so bidding on to 4♠ is equal clear. Partner's values will all be well placed behind the doubler...and there is not going to be trump losers, so game clearly should be bid.

Ben

[Free]

The 3♠ opening sucks, so this would be the entire cause of the problem. If East openens 1♠, no such troubles will arise. But imo, West should just bid 4♠ after the Dbl (not RDbl) because they're V, and game shouldn't be far away if the 3♠ opening is real. I don't think you should be playing 4♣*, but 4♠...

I'll make it
East 75%
West 25%

[daswallow]

I would blame East. After West's redouble, the opps can't be let off to play 4c undoubled. With the vulnerability and such good spades, I think it is clear for East to bid 4s. Pd should be able to provide the 4 tricks neded, sitting over the overcaller.

[luis]

Let's start with East: While I certainly understand Free's comments I think that being Vul vrs Not a 3s opening can be something like this hand for many partnerships. So I'll give east the benefit of the doubt and assume his allowed by his partnership agreements to open 3s.

Now what I really don't like is the redouble by west.
East has a penalty double of only 4d, He can't double 4c and his double of 4h is doubtful. Specially being the opponents NV. I think there're a lot of reasons to suposse that 4s is making so west has a clear 4s bid.

80% to west for a silly redouble.
20% to east for passing 4c after pd redoubled, as Ben noted it should be forcing but in this particular hand nothing would have happened had west bid a sane 4s in his first turn.

[mikestar]

East 100%--this is a forcing pass situation that isn't at all difficult to spot. West's redouble is reasonable (given that the partnership methods would allow 3S on a hand such as East's), though not as attractive as at matchpoints where +800 is a much bigger gain vs the +650 you can get in 4S.

East should double. His hand is extremely defensively oriented in the context of his preempt:

1. He has three trumps.
2. He has the Ace of his suit--a fairly likely trick.
3. With only six spades, his King might win a trick.

[inquiry]

I take a middle of the road position here... vul versus not vul, East hand has only six tricks, so I agree with Free that this is not (for me), a 3♠ bid at imps (at matchpoints, begrudingly I would accept it I guess). At this vul, I like to be within a trick or trick and half of my preempt. I have six tricks on a good day, I am trying for 9, 9-6 = 3. Thus, this is clearly not a good 3♠ bid. What is wrong with 2♠? or 1♠? But the opening bid is not the problem.

Second, I will tend to disagree with Luis on the redbl. I think a vulnerable 3♠ bid shows some nice values. WEST should be willing to take a direct shot at 4♥ or 4♦, and if they bid 4♣? Then a forcing pass to give partner an option to double or bid on seems just about right. Now, having said that, WEST surely could have bid 4♠ over the double just as well, and he could have changed his mind and bid 4♠ over 4♣ and I would not have faulted either of those options, given the vulnerability. But rdbl and make a forcing pass or bid 4♠ directly or after the redbl, doesn't really matter, the real problem is EAST's final pass. He simply must do something here. I wonder if he kept looking at his six winners and worrying that he promised more which lead to his pass.

Ben

[EricK]

After 3S (X), west should look at his 3 card support, and (probably) well placed honours in all three outside suits, and simply bid 4S. Either immediately or on the second round.

The 3S opening is not really my style, but pre-empting is mainly a matter of partnership agreement, so it could be OK.

Eric

[keylime]

Sorry but blaming East for most of the issue doesn't fly at all with me. I'm assigning the ENTIRE blame on West. West failed to bid the most logical game - 3NT. It's clearly an option, it demands to be bid, and when dummy appears voila, quality at its finest. It also prevents a likely 4-1 trump split. Not rocket science here, obey Hamman's Law and bid the game that is nearly bulletproof.

[luis]

keylime, on Mar 29 2004, 06:21 PM, said:

Sorry but blaming East for most of the issue doesn't fly at all with me. I'm assigning the ENTIRE blame on West. West failed to bid the most logical game - 3NT. It's clearly an option, it demands to be bid, and when dummy appears voila, quality at its finest. It also prevents a likely 4-1 trump split. Not rocket science here, obey Hamman's Law and bid the game that is nearly bulletproof.

Are you serious? I hope you are not. With 10 trumps do you you really want to play 3NT with Kx of clubs?

Lead high heart to the Ace, return cQ, down 4
Lead: a club, dummy has KQJTxxx of spades and a signleton, you play spades, down 5
Lead: A heart (wow, you say) dummy tables AQJTxxx of spades, the spade finesse loses, RHO returns a heart, down 2.

It's very very hard to visualize a context where 3NT is a better game than 4s.

[keylime]

Not only do I stand by my choice, my resistance to any other idea is stiffening. Given the two hands, 3NT is standout, and I expect many good pairs to be in it. If it's an option, it should be bid immediately - and that's where West's hand is living at. 4♠ just doesn't cut it because West's hand is a couple of controls short of guaranteeing 10 tricks. Why try for 10, when 9 has good play?

[the hog]

Don't like 3S, don't like the xx and don't like Dwayne's 3N bid. Like EricK's comment.

[bridgeboy]

I voted for 75% East.

West has some fault for not bidding 4S straight over dbl, the Kings look gd and 4S is the most likely game. ( Not 3NT, missing too many aces, p may not give yo9u AK Spades, at least not mine)
You have a 9/10 card fit, so likely opps has a big fit somewhere and some values too.. so not worth going for blood at unfav vul

Having said that, i think East is at fault for passing the forcing pass by his partner. West could have a different hand suitable for a killing , it's prob also one of the cardinal sins to pass partner's forcing bids

[daswallow]

3NT seems less likely than 4S to me. If pd puts down a broken spade holding, like K J 10 9 x x x how are you going to set them up in time? Even if he has better spades without the A, if they lead a club you are down when the spade game is v likely. Plus, how are 3 trumps going to split 4-1? Unless your usual pd opens 3s with only 5??

[Trpltrbl]

I would open East hand 1♠, but that aside, I blame West 100%. The XX is horrible, and after that not bidding 4 ♠ after 4♣, or even X. Good thing BBO is a good place to learn how to play bridge, hope West will use that chance.

Mike

[Trpltrbl]

Dwayne, I fully agree with whenever in doubt bid 3 NT.
BUT, not on this hand, this hand screams for a suit contract.

Mike