[Chamaco]

Hi all,
laste week the following deal happened at the table with my pard.
We play Precision with 10-12 NT and 2C as 6+ clubs or 5C+4M.

Scoring: MP

PASS-1♦-Dbl ?

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What should South bid ?

- In standard methods beginners are taught to Redouble with good hands to show "points" (usually 10+)

- then, after a while, we study more advanced bok that explain that "redouble is good for hands suited for penalizing opps; with good unbalanced hands, better show them with conventional bids/raises, otherwise they may jam the auction preempting in the suit where you are short".

- This hand is unbalanced, more offense than defense, according to the last point, such hand should not redouble, so I need to find a bid that describes both shape AND hcp.

-without agreements, new suit at the two level shows a 6-9 hand, non forcing, so I must either change the agreements, e.g. 2/1 is forcing one round, or find other conventional bids for unbalanced hands without majors.

- in the last version of SAYC I was using the following agreements after 1M doubled and 1m doubled

a) 1M-X- ?
- Redouble = good hand (10+) with potential for penalizing opps
- new suit at level 1 = 1 round forcing
-1NT->2D = Cappelletti transfers
-2M-> preemptive raise with 4 trumps
-2NT/3C/3D = Jacoby/Inverted Bergen raises
- all other jumps not defined above = preemptive

b)1m-X-?
- Redouble = good hand (10+) with potential for penalizing opps
- new suit at level 1 = 1 round forcing
- 1NT = natural
- 2/1 (non jump)= 6-9 hcp natural 5+
- 2m = weak raise
- 2NT = preemptive raise to 3 of a minor (flip flop)
- 3m = invitational raise to 3 of a minor (flip flop)
- jumpshift in other minor (1C:2D or 1D:3C) = unbalanced GF raise
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This has generally worked well so far, however I suppose that with Precision 1D (with balanced 13-15 hands) , things are different.

In particular with the above hand, pard is stuck. According to this scheme, she should redouble, no other option.

Do you suggest to use 2/1 as a 1-round force ? Or is there a better treatment to deal with this sequence ? Thanks !!

[helene_t]

Some people play transfers from 1NT -> clubs and on. (If you were playing a system with wide-range openings, you would probably need to have some agreements on the HCP range for the transfer so that opener knows if he should superaccept with 17 HCP). However, with this hand I would just bid 3NT (particularely after having seen partners hand

[Chamaco]

helene_t, on May 25 2004, 09:08 AM, said:

Some people play transfers from 1NT -> clubs and on. (If you were playing a system with wide-range openings, you would probably need to have some agreements on the HCP range for the transfer so that opener knows if he should superaccept with 17 HCP). However, with this hand I would just bid 3NT (particularely after having seen partners hand

Using NT bids as artifiial is something I like in cases where you do not want to play a NT contract.
This is because if there is the slight possibility to play NT, I want it to be played from the right side, and not the unbalanced hand receiving the lead.

So I like NT transfers for weak hands.
Or I like NT conventional bids to show a fit for a major.

In both cases we won't be playing NT.

But with good hands where a major fit is not found, using conventional NT is very dangerous.
You want to be playing NT and you want the right side to play it.

[mishovnbg]

Hi Tiger!

After double best way is to play by transfers similar to majors. Example:
1♦ - (dbl) - ?
rdbl: 4+♥
1♥: 4+♠
1♠: 5+♣ or bal unsuitable for 1NT/3NT
1NT: to play
above: you can use it as you like
Continue after transfer bids like after 1/1 rf bids, with addition you can safely stop at 1 level by accepting of transfer with 3 cards and weak hand.

rdbl as 10+hcp can lead to terrible contracts, if rdb-ler is short in ♦. Succesful double at 1 level is so rare happen, that is better to use rdbl as transfer too.

Note: You can read more about transfers and our (me+Ben) method called "Equality".

Misho

[whereagles]

I wouldn't have the slightest problem in redoubling for penalites on the hand above. If pard can double spades and diamonds, as it seems likely from my 2-1 in those suits, they're in real trouble and we may not even have a game on. (Especially opposite a singleton club and a 4-2 break...)

As for making redouble as 4+ hearts, I'm not sure that's a good strategy. What's wrong with a natural and 1-round forcing 1♥ or 1♠? It's a way out for that 6-4 hand, if you don't like redouble: bid 1♥ and later 3♣, if pard can't support the hearts.