[pclayton]

Both matchpoints

1. w/r: QJ, AKx KT9xx QTx pard opens 3♠.

2. w/r AKQTxxx, Qx, K, Axx. RHO opens 1♦. If you overcall 1♠, LHO bids 3♦.

[Echognome]

1. Unless my partner opens extremely undisciplined preempts at these colors, I think it a pretty clear bump to 4♠.

2. I would have overcalled 4♠ to begin with (for better or worse).

[MickyB]

4♠, fairly close, most of the time it will be on a finesse but think it will be cold more often than it is very poor.

3♠ seems plenty - wastage in oppo's suit = partner is minimum. Shame I'm not vul, more likely to catch a MP double otherwise.

[655321]

1) 4♠ for me. I am not at all confident it will make - we could easily lose 2 or 3 clubs, 1 or 2 diamonds, and perhaps a spade or a heart. Partner doesn't need much to preempt w/r.

However, I still think raising is best. Sometimes partner preempts and I am dealt a chunky 14 count or so, with plenty of defense, and decide to pass on the grounds that the opponents cannot make anything. But it seems to me that every time I try this, they bid to their cold game. So, even with our very defensive hand here, it would not be a shock to find the opponents bidding and making a game. And, yes, sometimes 4♠ will make - for that reason, I prefer a 4♠ bid to 3NT.

2) I also prefer 4♠ last round.

[gnasher]

I'd pass on the first one. Game will be on a finesse at best, and often completely hopeless. I also see little reason to raise preemptively - I have a balanced 15-count, so it's quite likely that 3♠ will be passed out, and if it isn't I have reasonable defence.

On the second I'd bid 1♠ and then 3♠. Again, I think 4♠ needs too much from partner to bid to make, and has too much defence to make it attractive as a preempt.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

#1 Depends on your preempt style.
We promise to go down at most -4, you have
4-5 tricks for partner, so 4S is an option, but
playing MP, pass is also an option, take your
pick, I play like MP the way I play IMPs, so 4S.
#2 X, followed by 3S.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[gwnn]

What the Gnome said, I wouldnt think much about hand 1 though.

[FrancesHinden]

I pass on the first one. First at favourable I wouldn't dream of raising here, I expect to go off in 3 and I don't see that they are making much.

On the second I overcall 1S then bid 3S when 3D comes back to me.

[skjaeran]

FrancesHinden, on Oct 10 2008, 12:38 PM, said:

I pass on the first one. First at favourable I wouldn't dream of raising here, I expect to go off in 3 and I don't see that they are making much.

On the second I overcall 1S then bid 3S when 3D comes back to me.

Agree completely.

[pclayton]

1. I passed. My partner (ok, student) opened 3♠ w/r on A9xxxxx x x A9xx. Not a happy spot,

2. I think 4♠ is just too much at MPs. I overcalled, competed to 3♠ and sold out to 4♦. Pard had xx xxxx xx Jxxxx, so obviously we aren't coming close to 4♠. The problem is the weak player on my right drops my K♦ offside with 3 out so they wrap 4♦. 4♠ should get out for -100 nv.

[Echognome]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't expect your partner's hand on 1. It wasn't one of the possibilities I was considering when raising, but it's so much a style question. I would pass opposite myself, e.g., but I reckoned I opened more aggressively than most... maybe not by the comments.

On the second one, I would bid 4♠ right away as I think it's a good spot for a pressure bid. I would not, however, overcall 1♠ and then later compete to 4♠. If I had overcalled 1♠ then I would have gone only to 3♠ as the others.