[Wackojack]

Scoring: MP

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Playing against indifferent opponents in a club sim pairs event. Partner East dealt and passed. South openend with a weak 2♥ (6-card suit 5-9HCP). I overcalled 2♠ and all passed. Partner thought that it was odds on that there would be a heart ruff against us and opps cards would lie badly. Was 2♠ my best bid or should I have doubled and converted the expected diamond response to equal level in spades? Having heard 2♠ was my partner right in passing or too timid?

[flytoox]

Pd own you a raise. I think his hand is worth 4S. It is not cold, but it has play facing most indifferent hand pd has.

[arrows]

I would raise 3♠ if i were East. understandable that ♥KQ seems no
good, but that's not enough an excuse for not raising with 5 card support.

As west, if the RHO opened 1♥, I would probably double , then
convert diamond response to spades. But right now because
the 2♥ had taken away lots of my room, it could end up awkwardly
if I do the same thing. So I think 2♠ is the preferred call in this situation.

[pclayton]

I'd certainly overcall 2♠ too. I just don't like the texture of the hand for a double followed by spades.

Pard should raise as well. To worry about a heart ruff is a real 'half-empty' mentality. Can't pard hold a doubleton heart here? I'd probably just bash 4♠ and hope.

[luke warm]

i would double first then bid spades over diamonds, raise clubs, or bid 3c if pard bid 2nt

[Flame]

Id bid 2S not double.
I can understand partner's pass since his LHO isnt suppose to bid and 4sp doesnt look promissing, so why go higher then needed and why give them another chance over
2s-p-3s
P P (a direct bid might not suit RHO because it might show something else like FJ, or maybe he doesnt have a bid for 2 suiter now but will have it over 3sp)
Anyway even if partner bids 3s, it doesnt mean you find the 4sp.

[the hog]

You guys have a play for 6 here and you are asking how to get to 4??
Partner's failure to raise the S overcall verges on the criminal.

[Fluffy]

You can also go down to 4♠ Ron .

I think 2♠ overcall is crystal clear.

East ahs no real bid to make, how much is singleton diamond worh for? and 5th ♠?, and ♥KQx? maybe nothing, maybe a lot, can't say any bid is better than other.

[HeartA]

I am against the majority here. I would dbl first if I were sitting West. Those 17 hcp were too good (controls in every suit, only disadvantage is spades not strong enough) to make simply 2S overcall. East could raise, but he has too many to worry: wasted HKQ, North might balance with diamonds or decided bid game because of shortness in spades (in another thread, a lot of you agreed to pass with 5-1-5-2 and balance with 4S after rho opens 3H).

[Fluffy]

Double with singleton Diamond?, you partners never bids 5♦ on this biddings?

[HeartA]

Fluffy, on Jan 14 2005, 01:18 PM, said:

Double with singleton Diamond?, you partners never bids 5♦ on this biddings?

5D? why? I would NEVER bid 5D over 2H-X-P-?. cue-bid would be a better choice. A direct 5D bid could miss 6D or go down while 3N is cold.

I even wouldn't bid 4D in this sequence (2H-X-p-?).

[pbleighton]

I think double is better than 2S, but 2S is OK.

I don't understand pd's failure to raise at all.
He must bid 4S.

Peter

[Fluffy]

HeartA, on Jan 14 2005, 06:25 PM, said:

Fluffy, on Jan 14 2005, 01:18 PM, said:

Double with singleton Diamond?, you partners never bids 5♦ on this biddings?

5D? why? I would NEVER bid 5D over 2H-X-P-?. cue-bid would be a better choice. A direct 5D bid could miss 6D or go down while 3N is cold.

I even wouldn't bid 4D in this sequence (2H-X-p-?).

Yeah sure, now bid after 2♥-X-3♥ or 2♥-X-4♥.

[luke warm]

Fluffy, on Jan 14 2005, 12:45 PM, said:

Yeah sure, now bid after 2♥-X-3♥ or 2♥-X-4♥.

1) 3♠
2) 4♠

[DrTodd13]

I am in the doubling category. First off, partner is a passed hand so a hand that would like to bid 5♦ is unlikely. This is especially true because I'm a super-max for my double. Second, even if partner does want to bid 5♦, what is the rush? Start off with a GF cue-bid and see what your partner has to say.

Todd

[han]

I'd bid 2S with west. I think east's pass is absurd.

[jahol]

In my opinion, west should have bid his hand. 2 spades did not describe such nice hand sufficiently.

From east point of view, everything is wrong regarding expectable position of unknown honours. Even 3 spades may be too much.

The situation is completely different after some other bid from north. After 2H-2spades-DBL, I would bid 4 spades, of course. The same after 2H-2spades-3(4)H. But with north passing, it seems to me, that 2 spades contract is going to a sufficient and best one, with high probability (I do not expect south bidding once more)..

[Wackojack]

OK I have given this more thought as there seems to be quite a spread of opinions. Also partner thinks I might have doubled and justifies his pass.

First my overcall:

The only obvious options appear to be 2S or double. The hand is rich in controls and opposite the right hand will present lots of tricks. On the other hand, if there is a misfit with partner, embarrassingly few tricks can be made. Give partner not such an unlikely hand where all his points are in diamonds:

S xx
H xxx
D KQxxx
C xxx

Then what might happen if you double for take out? You are playing Lebensohl, which helps you a little but not enough. Partner will respond 2NT, to warn you of a weak minor based hand. Now it is no good you bidding 3S. That shows a GOSH with long spades and partner would be quite right to raise to 4S. So you must bid 3C, which partner will pass if his suit is clubs and you may well have missed game. The expected response of 3D, however is even more of a problem. Since you embarked on this course of expecting a fit, you now bid 3S, revealing to your partner that you started with a strong hand with the black suits and 5 or 6 spades. Partner now passes and if you are very lucky you won’t be doubled for penalties. If you are doubled, expect to go for 800. A perfectly normal hand with LHO would be:

S KJ10x
H x
D Axxx
C Kxxx

Give partner a stronger hand and the result is still likely to be bad.

S xx
H Jxx
H KQxxx
C Kxx

Now after your double, partner will make an invitational bid of 3D. You now have to bid 3NT wondering if you have missed a 5:3 spade fit. Regardless of this, game is unlikely.

Conclusion: To double on your hand grossly overstates it and is likely to land you in big trouble. 2S is the only sane bid.

Now for partner's response to 2S:

You have a super fit in spades but your high cards are in the wrong suit. If partner has something like:

S AKJxxx
H xx
D Axxxx
C -

Then you have almost certainly missed a slam. On the other hand, is there any likelihood that even 3S could fail? You might argue that since you have H KQx, LHO is unlikely to have opened 2H without the ace, so with a singleton heart lead, partner will lose the first 2 tricks and then lose another 3 tricks in the black suits as any finesses are likely to lose. What could partner have for this scenario?

S AQxxx
H xxx
D KJx
C Ax

This is just about the worst hand for overcalling that you could possibly imagine. Overcalling at the 2-level with 3 small in the opponent’s suit is always risking a large penalty. This is especially so over a weak 2, since any double is now for penalties. Nevertheless, just suppose your partner has taken leave of his senses and has been unable to resist overcalling on such a weak hand, then how many tricks are you likely to lose? Yes its true that if spades split 3-0 you will only make 8 tricks. That however has got to be put into the context of its probability. Partner has made a lunatic overcall and spades break 3-0. This seems even less likely than partner having the right cards for slam as illustrated earlier. Far more likely is that partner has a doubleton heart. Then with a typical overcall of say:

S AKJxx
H xx
D Axxx
C Kx

even with a worthless CK, 4S will be made in comfort.

Conclusion:

If you are a pessimist bid 3S. If you are a realist bid 4S. If you are a super optimist bid 4H.