[42]

Hi all! Always these problems....
Club tourney, MP, all red. System: better minor with 15-17NT (not 2/1). This is a first-time partnership, partner's level is advanced(-), yours
Partner opens 1♦ and you hold:

♠Axxx
♥Jxx
♦A
♣J98xx

I found my hand too weak for 2♣ and chose 1♠. Further bidding:

1♦ pass 1♠ 2♥
dbl* pass ?

*you think it is support-dbl, but you did not discuss it before. Which action would you take??

Tia,
Caren








Opener's hand:
♠KQJ
♥K9x
♦KQ109xx
♣Q

[Free]

If you don't consider your hand strong enough for an immediate 2♣ bid, then I'd just bid 2♠ here. If partner has extra strength he can still show it by bidding 3♦ for example, then you can go with 3♥ and you'll end up in 3NT. Entire bidding:

1♦ - pass - 1♠ - 2♥
Dbl - pass - 2♠ - pass
3♦ - pass - 3♥ - pass/Dbl
3NT - all pass

Nobody says 2♠ has to show a 5 card, sometimes you just don't have any other bid available.

[vang]

i'd pass.
honest, i said pass (because MP and vuln) before reading partner hand ;-)

[jtfanclub]

I like my hand more after the 2♥ and X, so I find the extra points to bid 3♣.

As it turns out, 3NT makes, yes? Although it plays much better from my side, so perhaps I should lie and bid 2NT. But then partner isn't going to trust me again if he turns out to have xx in hearts, so maybe 3♣. But then, partner can bid 3♥ if he wants to know about my heart stops, so maybe Jxx is enough. So I should bid 2NT.

I think I'm going to settle on 2NT, and say that I thought my J was the Q if my partner starts throwing things at me. If I had Txx, 3♣ would be clear to me.

BTW, with a pickup partner, I don't bid 2♣ with 5431 with any number of points.
Suppose the bidding goes:

1♦ 2♣
3NT

Now what? Of course, your regular partner would never do that to you but a pickup partner might not take the chance that you'd pass 2NT or you'd head for slam after a 2♠ reverse.

[paulhar]

Quote

I like my hand more after the 2♥ and X, so I find the extra points to bid 3♣.

I don't like my hand after 2H and double - I'm known to have only a seven card fit and if partner is trumping hearts, my weak trump suit becomes the suit which will "draw" trump..., and if partner has heart length, maybe Kxx is OK since it temporarily stops heart leads, but xxx is terrible, Qxx will allow the heart bidder to set up hearts giving up one trick (even with a ruff if not NT) and Axx will allow one heart lead (which loses) before LHO has to get to partner to lead a second heart. In any event, this hand doesn't appear to have that good a source of tricks, if partner has 3S, enough hearts to make NT palatable, and diamonds, your clubs aren't going anywhere, so partner needs extras to go on over 2S. I think 2S is quite enough here.

[jtfanclub]

paulhar, on Aug 26 2004, 01:32 PM, said:

Quote

I like my hand more after the 2♥ and X, so I find the extra points to bid 3♣.

I don't like my hand after 2H and double - I'm known to have only a seven card fit

My theory, misguided as it is, is that the X and H bid make it more likely that my partner has clubs. I've given up on spades as trump, for the reasons you've mentioned, but 3♣ looks to me to have more play now. Partner does not have 4 spades or 4 hearts and if he has 6 diamonds and two clubs, well, we'll play 3♦ in a six-one fit. Worse things in life have happened. Assuming partner would have either opened 1NT (with 15-17) or passed the 2H bid (with 12-14) with 5332 shape, I'm thinking 3 of a minor or 2NT is the place to play it.

[hrothgar]

I expect to be alone on this but... this looks like a 15-17 HCP balanced hand to me.

T'd have opened 1NT to start with. I think that i'd be well positioned regardless of how the auction developed.

At MPs, I'd porbably pass 2♥X. I have a decent looking defensive hand and am willing to take a gamble. IMPs, i'd rebid 2♠.

[42]

Paulhar, I thougt exactly as you did
I bid 2♠ after some seconds of thinking, and p said 3♠ which I passed: -1, trumps did not behave friendly.