[shyams]

I am not sure which forum this should be in. Anyway, in 4th seat / none vul / MPs, you hold:
5
Q842
8765
AT74

The bidding starts inauspiciously as follows:
LHO Part. RHO You
1H   1S   pass  pass
Dbl pass pass ???

[gwnn]

i think 1♠x will be a bad score for us. Let's try to get a better one - xx.

BTW maybe at imps it is not so clear. I think 2mx can go potentially for quite a bit more than 1Sx, so that could change the odds.

[rd6789]

XX - rho has loads of spades to pass at the 1 level

[Codo]

Passing when I can recover?

It is the choice between 1 NT and XX. I prefer the first. Partner will get quite a good view of our hand (0-1 spade, around 5-6 HCPs, some hearts with an honour), so if we belong in 2 of a minor he can bid it.

[ArtK78]

1NT is better than redouble. Clearly, I have spade shortness for my call, otherwise I would pass. But I am not broke (which might be expected on this auction) and the 1NT bid should show that I have some values.

If partner wants to pull 1NT to 2 of a minor, that is fine. But I am not going to demand that he do so by redoubling. Redouble will almost always prevent us from playing what may be our best contract - 1NT.

[aguahombre]

Yep, that is about typical of what happens to me when I mess around. 1NT would now sound too "unusual" to Partner, so I guess XX as slightly better than having made my bed and then lying in it with a pass.

[skjaeran]

I always run from a doubled 1-level contract if it's at all probable that we'll do better in some other spot.

I prefer 1NT to xx here, for reasons already mentioned upthread.

[Phil]

Running looks clear to me, but I prefer xx.

1N will not get partner to bid a 4 card minor, and rates to play poorly unless partner can contribute something to the heart suit. If that is the the case, he might be able to bid 1N himself.

[nigel_k]

XX.

I think this is the wrong hand for 1NT. I'd be surprised if 1NT plays better than 2 of a minor (unless partner bids 1NT himself) and he may well pass expecting more in hearts and less in the minor suits.

[Echognome]

I'm passing. Of course running could be right, but we're going to be a level higher.

[H_KARLUK]

Pass. Anything possible anytime.

I don't want to promise a rose garden. Sometimes the correct bidding is by no means obvious. A counterbalance by a defensive error mostly possible, so that the par result could easily achieve in spite of the worst efforts of both sides.

[Double !]

Decades ago, Terrence Reese presented a similar problem hand in his book titled (then) "Develop Your Bidding Judgment". (It was then re-issued under a different name.) He recommended XX with comments about the possibility that partner could have enough to make the contract in his hand and that the XX catered for that possibility. Any other bid (except pass) would take partner out of the decision-making process.

DHL

[shyams]

Scoring: MP

---

The actual hand is above. We played in 1NTx by South. Most Wests did not open the bidding, so the actual result on the board may be irrelevant. Some points / follow-ups:

1. Before I posted the hand, I thought the only logical action for South was XX. But many of you said 1NT embeds an option to partner to remove.
1a. Should North take-out to 2D after 1NT is doubled by East?
1b. Would North not expect South to have 5 clubs & 1 spade (after all 1C can be 3-cards)? In such a case, North still risks playing in a 4-3 fit.

2. I thought XX is better than 1NT also due to reasons listed by DHL. Occasionally (rarely) partner may choose to play and may even make it (or at worst be -1 when opps have game)

3. Some of you chose pass. Isn't "do something" a winning strategy in the long run?

Thank you all for the responses.

[gnasher]

shyams, on Aug 24 2009, 11:07 AM, said:

LHO Part. RHO You
1H   1S   pass  pass
Dbl pass pass ???

Did you give us the right auction?

[shyams]

gnasher, on Aug 25 2009, 12:40 PM, said:

shyams, on Aug 24 2009, 11:07 AM, said:

LHO Part. RHO You
1H   1S   pass  pass
Dbl pass pass ???

Did you give us the right auction?

Oh, no! Terribly sorry. I feel stupid for not noticing the blunder despite having looked at the post at least 5 times!

The typo in my first post renders is a major flaw. The opening bid was 1C My mistake, don't know how I never noticed it at all

I apologize to all. Oh, no!

[Codo]

So the auction was
1♣ 1 ♠ pass pass
X pass pass 1 NT
pass pass X pass
pass pass?

It is tricky, but I think North should redouble here for SOS. He has tolerance for both red suits and knows from just around 16 HCPS between him and partner. But 1 NT X -1 is the best result possible, well done anyway.