[awm]

IMPs, all vulnerable. You hold:

♠KJxxx
♥xxx
♦Q
♣KQ9x

The auction so far:

1♥(1) - P - 1♠ - 3♣(2)
X(3) - 3♦ - ???

(1) Five or more hearts; could be light in values (strong diamond with aggressive openings)
(2) Weak
(3) Takeout-oriented; usually three spades, top of the range (like 14-15 hcp)

[Phil]

4♥

[aguahombre]

3H. Partner knows I have this much strength, once I bid 3H freely/3D --overwise i would pass, or would have raised hearts the first time rather than 1S.

4H seems misdirected with 3 small hearts.

[mike777]

4h


I am going to assume:
3h would be around 8-11
4h=around 12-13 or so.

[mohitz]

My first thought was 4H but on some more thought i figured this looks like a 16 trump hand. Assuming that, if we make 4H, they rate to go down 3. And if we make 9 tricks, let them be 2 down.

So, i want to let them play in 3DX

[aguahombre]

mike777, on Dec 8 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

3h would be around 8-11
4h=around 12-13 or so.

8, 9, 10 would have raised to 2H the first time.

[mike777]

I dont expect pard to have less than:


AQx..AKJxx...xxxx....x.
or
AQx...AKJxxx...xxxx......void.

and could have more....

[suokko]

mike777, on Dec 9 2009, 07:22 AM, said:

I dont expect pard to have less than:


AQx..AKJxx...xxxx....x.

What if partner holds Qxx AKJxxx KJxx x? Is double allowed with this? Is 4♠ better contract? Can I somehow ask partner to choose? Maybe 4♣ is option here.

[mike777]

I guess you guys have everyone bidding 3c and 3d vul in the middle of our bidding with not much.....and then you give pard a total defensive hand.

[gnasher]

mike777, on Dec 9 2009, 06:22 AM, said:

I dont expect pard to have less than:

AQx..AKJxx...xxxx....x.
or
AQx...AKJxxx...xxxx......void.

and could have more....

The original poster implied that 1♥ showed a maximum of 15, so he won't have any more than your examples.

[Fluffy]

♣KQ opposite shortness, ♦Q, awful hearts to get overruffed, and bad spades.

The one bid I don't like at all is 4♥.

Double risks that partner takes it as penalty, and if he has 3622 we are in trouble.
Still dummy will be mostly useless and ♦Q might have a play. If parnter has everything concentrated in our suits I hope he has the brilliant idea of taking this out.

[gnasher]

I'd like to make a forcing pass, but I can't. I bid 4♣, choice of games.

Am I starting to sound like a broken record?

[Codo]

Just 3 Heart, I would like to bid a choice of strain bid that includes 3 NT and 3 Heart, but I cannot, so I will show my support.

[mike777]

gnasher, on Dec 9 2009, 04:22 AM, said:

mike777, on Dec 9 2009, 06:22 AM, said:

I dont expect pard to have less than:

AQx..AKJxx...xxxx....x.
or
AQx...AKJxxx...xxxx......void.

and could have more....

The original poster implied that 1♥ showed a maximum of 15, so he won't have any more than your examples.

again...i thought my examples were dead min.....not super max.....

I note even gnash force to game.


nowhere do I see a max of 15 hcp by opener in op.
A suggestion...is not a fact ....sigh........come on....

If so say so.....

[whereagles]

Dbl and lead a trump. Our hand is very defense-oriented and where are their tricks?

[suokko]

mike777, on Dec 9 2009, 07:33 AM, said:

I guess you guys have everyone bidding 3c and 3d vul in the middle of our bidding with not much.....and then you give pard a total defensive hand.

Isn't it clear from our holding ♣ hat opps are biding for fun

ok. I agree that my example was bit too much defensive but I don't thing partner has to hold all the values in majors here so ♠ contract may well be better than ♥. Specially if there is entry problems.

Let say partner has nice hand like like QTx AKQJx Kxxx x or ATx AKQJx xxxx x? yes. Again extreme example to favor spade contract

[Hanoi5]

I like double. It passes the ball to partner I think, who might have some 4 diamonds. The thing is, are all doubles after a take-out double of this sort for penalties? In that case I'll pass and leave it to him.

[Fluffy]

whereagles, on Dec 9 2009, 10:59 AM, said:

Dbl and lead a trump. Our hand is very defense-oriented and where are their tricks?

not sure about you, but I am afraid of 7♦, ♣A and a ruff in dummy

[gnasher]

mike777, on Dec 9 2009, 11:26 AM, said:

nowhere do I see a max of 15 hcp by opener in op.
A suggestion...is not a fact ....sigh........come on....

If so say so.....

Well, it could have been clearer, but "top of the range (like 14-15 hcp)" says to me that "14-15" = "top of the range", and therefore 16 is impossible. Hence we culd add at most a jack to one of your examples (and even then it would look a lot like a 16-count to many of us.

Perhaps Adam could give us a definitive answer about the upper limit of 1♥?

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-December-09, 06:14

[helene_t]

As much as I love Mohitz' lawful analysis, I see no way of getting to 3♦x. Double and hope that p has four diamonds is too much of a gamble I think - he would pass with 3631 or maybe even 3622.

I bid 4♥. I think hearts is better than spades because we may need to ruff diamonds but not clubs, and because we may have 9 hearts but can't have 9 spades.

Aquahombre's argument for 3♥ makes sense. Not sure if I agree that I can't have a competitive 3♥ bid because of my failure to bid 3♥ before. I think that depends on partnership style.