[mtvesuvius]

Me and 3 other juniors just finished playing a match against Garozzo, we lost by 2. Of course there were a few other missed opportunities, but this one stood out the most. With the score 47-44 in your favor, on the last board you hold:

xxx
Txx
AK9xx
xx

Red/Red, LHO (Valerie Westheimer) opens 1♣, partner bids 2♣ michaels, and RHO (Lynn Deas) passes. You bid 2♥, which nets 3♣ from LHO passed back to you.

(1♣)-2♣-(P)-2♥
(3♣)-P-(P)-?

What is your bid?

[hrothgar]

Hmmm

Not sure whether I like the original 2♥ call.

I understand the motivation. The 10 is a lot nicer than an x. However, this leaves you in something of a pickle.

I think I prefer 2♠ spades to start, planning to rebid 3♥ if 3♣ gets sent back to you.

[aguahombre]

hrothgar, on Sep 27 2009, 05:34 PM, said:

Hmmm

Not sure whether I like the original 2♥ call.

I understand the motivation.  The 10 is a lot nicer than an x.  However, this leaves you in something of a pickle.

I think I prefer 2♠ spades to start, planning to rebid 3♥ if 3♣ gets sent back to you.

I don't think the prepared 2S bid is necessary unless partner is prone to perpetrating Michaels with a four card major. So, now it is just to decide whether to bid 3H or not. I smell two diamonds a diamond ruff and two major suit tricks on defense and a good chance of losing 5 or six tricks on offense. pass.

[hrothgar]

aguahombre, on Sep 28 2009, 02:28 AM, said:

hrothgar, on Sep 27 2009, 05:34 PM, said:

Hmmm

Not sure whether I like the original 2♥ call.

I understand the motivation.  The 10 is a lot nicer than an x.  However, this leaves you in something of a pickle.

I think I prefer 2♠ spades to start, planning to rebid 3♥ if 3♣ gets sent back to you.

I don't think the prepared 2S bid is necessary unless partner is prone to perpetrating Michaels with a four card major. So, now it is just to decide whether to bid 3H or not. I smell two diamonds a diamond ruff and two major suit tricks on defense and a good chance of losing 5 or six tricks on offense. pass.

I don't advocate a 2♠ followed by 3♥ sequence because I am worried about identifying the best major suit fit. I'm not expecting partner to hold a 4 card major and 5-5 is much more likely than a 6-5 hand. However, 2♠ followed by 3♥ lets partner know that you have a fit for both of his suits.

As for the Diamond ruffs: If partner has a stiff Diamond the a Diamond lead seems very likely. Not sure whether partner would lead a Diamond off a 5=5=2=1 hand. (Indeed, a case could be made that IF you think that Diamond ruffs are necessary to set this contract, a 3♦ might be called for)

[aguahombre]

since I dont think we belong minus at the 3 level if they are down in 3c, bidding 3d is probably not going to happen. I just hope since the auction is dying, they have nine, not ten clubs and pard is 5512. As Dennis Miller says, "It's just my opinion, I could be wrong." Am also not concerned about showing partner I have 3 in each of his suits, since I am not bidding at the 3 level and he is not part of the auction any more.

[CSGibson]

I like 3 diamonds, but also would like to hear about the implications of your partner's Michaels call. Would he use that on Axxxx Kxxxx xx x, for example? How about weaker hands?

[akhare]

Tough call -- LHO is likely to have at least 7♣ headed by the AK to come back into the auction and is likely at least 7♣3♦(21 in the majors).

Since you lost by two IMPs, it can't possibly be for +110 for 3♣= at one table and 3♥ -1 at the other. Ergo, the likely score was +140 at one table and +110 at the other, which indicates that I should bid 3♥ .

Of course another possibility is that one major suit strain makes and the other doesn't...

[Hanoi5]

I vote for 3♦, I don't want to let them play.

[Codo]

I would pass.

Maybe partner leads his singelton diamond if he has one, maybe we beat it by force and maybe we just avoid -500 if one major is 4/1.

Two more dettails had been of interest: If you had bid 2 Diamond instead of 2 Heart, what had this shown?
If rho had doubled 2 Club, what had this shown?

[Jlall]

Pass, partner is a good favorite to be 5512 and he will lead his stiff D etc. Our hand is garb on offense. Of course if he is 5521 I will prob regret it.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass.

I am used to play Michaels as 5-4, even at all vul., so
there is no gurantee for me, that we have a double fit.
So I am just following the Law.

With kind regards
Marlowe