[Fluffy]

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[gwnn]

East 100% for describing a 2♣ opening as a good takeout double. Yes I see that he doubled twice but 2♠ still doesn't show what he has. I think he can bid 3♠ and then W can accept.

[1eyedjack]

1S could be a 3 card suit, right?

[Cyberyeti]

Is this a good game ? If S has ♥AJ or ♦Q or a stiff diamond you may very well not be making 4♠, in fact if N leads ♦ Ax and you guess wrong, you might not even make 3.

[the hog]

I agree with CY. This is not a great game and I am not sorry not to be in it.

[mcphee]

If your partner opened 2NT , and you had this hand are you insisting on game? I'm not. I would have cue bid rather than just bid 2S which is not going to get responder going either.

[Lord Molyb]

I blame south for not having the ♦Q

[hautbois]

West could have a stronger hand and still pass 2♠ without blame.

[chasetb]

I don't really blame either player, though over a 2NT opening and 3♥ transfer I would completely blame East if (s)he didn't super-accept with that hand.

If I have to blame someone, then I blame whoever decided that a 2NT overcall specifically in this seat WOULD NOT show a very strong balanced hand like this one.

[Fluffy]

chasetb, on 2014-January-13, 01:29, said:

I don't really blame either player, though over a 2NT opening and 3♥ transfer I would completely blame East if (s)he didn't super-accept with that hand.

If I have to blame someone, then I blame whoever decided that a 2NT overcall specifically in this seat WOULD NOT show a very strong balanced hand like this one.

Perhaps East could bid 2NT over 1♥ instead of doubling again?, but that would bury the 4-4 spade fit if there is one.

[Fluffy]

What does a 2♠ jump from west show after he has not been able to bid 1♠ over 1♥?

[Fluffy]

Lord Molyb, on 2014-January-12, 19:31, said:

I blame south for not having the ♦Q

You have 25 HCP leaving 15 for the opponents, playing for ♦Q for not being on the 1♦ opener's hands its not a good bet.

[Cyberyeti]

Fluffy, on 2014-January-13, 06:07, said:

You have 25 HCP leaving 15 for the opponents, playing for ♦Q for not being on the 1♦ opener's hands its not a good bet.

Responder has bid 1♥, 10/5 or 11/4 are very likely, if it's 10/5 the 6-1 diamond break is very likely

[mikeh]

I think West has a fairly clear 2 ♠ call over the 2nd double. That 5th spade is a huge card, especially when partner will have to consider that West could be something like 3=3=4=3 zero count.

While it is easy to point to East's superficially timid 2♠ raise, that is fair only if one accepts that West could have a still better hand than he had for his 1♠ bid.

IMO, East has spoken as follows:

1. I have a takeout double of 1♦, which could include a very big hand but usually won't
2. I have a bigger than normal takeout double
3. I heard you pass over 1♥ the first time, so you have a weak hand. I heard you bid only 1♠ the second time, so you don't have a good hand in the context of point 2. Do you have ANY excuse to bid again?


For west, who has held back very conservatively over the 2nd double, to now deny having a good hand in context is simply wrong.

This is a common problem for many players. Those who claim East should be more aggressive may have a point in that East could well have chosen 2N on his second call, but double (with those spades and only 1 diamond stopper) is not, imo, a clear error.

Having got to that point, west failed to understand what the auction was asking him: he failed to see that his hand, which he had limited to being really bad, was (in that context) quite strong. Equally, those who criticize the 2♠ raise fail to understand what that call meant: it was asking partner, who had announced a horrible hand, whether he had any reason to bid. Clearly he did.


As for the game: this is red at imps. I am usually one of the posters who, on an ATB for missing game, points out that game wasn't that great. This is clearly a game one wants to be in, even tho it is far from cold.

[mfa1010]

I agree that 2♠ over the second double would have been a good bid.

[cherdano]

West's final pass was very very bad.

I really disagree that East should bid 3♠ here. Consider West's range: with a 5-card suit and 5 hcp, he would have bid 1♠ over 1♥. Same with a 4-card suit and 7 hcp. Over the second double, he should jump to 2♠ when he is maximum for his range so far (since he can be assured of a fit). So the range for 1♠ is maybe 0-3 with a 5-card suit, and 0-5 with a 4-card suit; and as Mike says, 3 hcp with 5 spades might well bid 2♠. 2♠ by takeout doubler now says we make game opposite a maximum in that range. Seems to me it describes East's hand perfectly. (Even opposite an ace game isn't cold if partner does not have a ruffing value.)

[MrAce]

I am in the same camp with people who thinks this is on West more than East.

And for those who says this is not a great game, i will ask "Since when do we need it to be a great game, when we bid games at IMP scoring ?"

[dake50]

West transfers to spades after X, then 2NT rebid. Much improving the 4S play.
Which of HAJ, DAQ, CA won't be North for his opener?

[Cyberyeti]

dake50, on 2014-February-08, 07:36, said:

West transfers to spades after X, then 2NT rebid. Much improving the 4S play.
Which of HAJ, DAQ, CA won't be North for his opener?

Whatever S had for his 1♥ bid, he could have passed.