[Phil]

Some friends of mine from the club tonight perpetuated this route to a Burn's Fit.

Scoring: IMP

---

South deals:

1♦ - (x) - pass - (2♣);
Dbl - (pass) - 2♦ - (AP)

ATB. Thanks.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

the bidding looks reasonable, espesially if you req. more for a 1NT
response than the actual North hand.

Put the blame on West, who made the T/O instead of a 1S overcall.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[whereagles]

what's wrong with passing South's double? Seems like a no brainer to me

[Free]

NS not being able to bid with some values and no 4 card M.

1♦-Dbl-1♠!-... makes it easy.

[pooltuna]

Phil, on Jul 6 2010, 01:02 AM, said:

Some friends of mine from the club tonight perpetuated this route to a Burn's Fit.

Scoring: IMP

---

South deals:

1♦ - (x) - pass - (2♣);
Dbl - (pass) - 2♦ - (AP)

ATB. Thanks.

stuff happens because bidding systems are imperfect no blame from me for NS. West however got lucky once again showing that in bridge sometimes bad bidding is rewarded and good bidding is punished.

[gwnn]

S and E bid normally.

N should have passed I think but make his clubs a little bit worse and then 2♦ is normal. I happen to think that it's normal even with a 4 card major.

West made a sick takeout double but he will be happy.

[jdonn]

You can argue north should pass the double though I'm not so sure, south isn't always 18 with Jx of clubs, he can be lighter with no clubs! But maybe it's still right. Certainly no other blame for any action by either player.

[JLOL]

jdonn, on Jul 6 2010, 09:18 AM, said:

You can argue north should pass the double though I'm not so sure, south isn't always 18 with Jx of clubs, he can be lighter with no clubs! But maybe it's still right. Certainly no other blame for any action by either player.

So they make 180 sometimes big deal. If partner is lighter with a stiff club, our hand is almost completely worthless to him (yes we have a jack and our clubs might stop them from playing clubs and force them to play other suits, but we still lack actual tricks for him), and we are almost always down.

Meanwhile if partner is 18-19 balanced (not unlikely at all), or just a strong/prime 4441/(43)51, we are going to beat them a LOT sometimes and might still go down in 2D.

The "big risk" on this type of hand of turning a +90 or +110 into a -180 just seems non existent on this hand when we are so poor for offense and potentially quite good for defense. I see it more like turning -50 or -100 into -180 sometimes, which an upside of turning a minus into a small plus, or possibly into +300 or +500.

Really seems like a no brainer pass to me especially at imps.

By the way, I think south should pull 2D to 2H and it should show 4432 though I have never thought about this before seeing this thread. I absolutely would not sit for 2D with 4432, north should frequently bid 2D on 3 even with a 4 card major possibly imo, and they cannot have 5 diamonds obviously. At worst we go from a 4-3 to a new 4-3, at best from a 3-3 to a 4-4 or a 4-3 to a 4-4 (the latter being quite likely).

[jdonn]

Good point about south, never thought about it before. Guess you have to know it's not 2461 or something if you do it.

If north passes they also make 280 sometimes. This can easily be when we make something. For example KQx xxxx AKQxxx - might be 380, just make it a little less extreme and it can be 280.

[ArtK78]

Please provide me with the origin of term "Burn's Fit." I have always referred to a 3-3 fit as a "Sub-Moysian."

[jdonn]

The reference is to Burns Law, which is something in reference to avoiding playing in a trump suit in which your side has fewer than half the cards. I have never heard anyone say Burns Fit though.

[JLOL]

jdonn, on Jul 6 2010, 12:30 PM, said:

Good point about south, never thought about it before. Guess you have to know it's not 2461 or something if you do it.

If north passes they also make 280 sometimes. This can easily be when we make something. For example KQx xxxx AKQxxx - might be 380, just make it a little less extreme and it can be 280.

doubling 2C with this hand is LOLworthy.

You have a void and a good 6 bagger and 2 defensive tricks opposite a partner who passed 1D X. You could at least put some thought into your example hands sometimes.

I also think doubling freely with bad hands in general opposite a pass is pretty bad, obviously with 4450 you will have to double light but you should hate it. Those hands are going to be pretty uncommon compared to 4441 (43)51 and (434)2 which should be reasonably good.

[jdonn]

jdonn, on Jul 6 2010, 12:30 PM, said:

just make it a little less extreme and it can be 280.

[dburn]

jdonn, on Jul 6 2010, 12:41 PM, said:

The reference is to Burns Law, which is something in reference to avoiding playing in a trump suit in which your side has fewer than half the cards. I have never heard anyone say Burns Fit though.

Burn's Law has acquired a certain wholly unjustified popularity among BBO commentators and spectators following an article I wrote many years ago that can still be read here. It was recently reprinted in the English publication Bridge Magazine, somewhat to my dismay, for I find myself in a position similar to that of the American humorist Gelett Burgess.

Achieving overnight fame for a piece of doggerel splendidly entitled "The Purple Cow: Reflections on a Mythic Beast Who's Quite Remarkable, at Least" and consisting of the lines

I never saw a Purple Cow.
I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.

Burgess was plagued in his declining years by people who would recite this verse whenever they encountered him. Eventually he penned the following retort, which I have used myself from time to time:

Ah yes, I wrote The Purple Cow.
I'm sorry now I wrote it.
But I can tell you anyhow,
I'll kill you if you quote it.

People have often used the expression "Burn's fit", usually followed by the words "to be hanged". It is a lasting tribute to the urbanity and good humor of Larry Cohen, however, that he has not been among them.