[cherdano]

Scoring: IMP

P-1♦
1♠-2♦
2♥-2NT
4♠

---

2♥ was natural and forcing.

[MickyB]

Looks clearcut until the 4♠ bid...think I would bid 3♠ there, and pass partner's 3NT.

[EricK]

South has been rather inconsistent IMO.

He has passed originally but then forced to game despite his partner making minimum bids at each turn and there being no sign that the hands fit well.

The fact that game, although far from laydown, isn't so bad on these hands (a quick sim shows that 3NT 4♥ or 4♠ each make on a reasonable proportion of hands) is due to North holding unexpectedly good cards in each of the suits (♠J, ♥9, great ♦, ♣Q instead of say ♣J8) .

Eric

[Free]

South has a 1♠ opening...

[slothy]

Whats wrong with spade game

♠ 3-3

A Q ♥ onside

94%

[Fluffy]

South should rebid 2 or 3♠, not 2♥.

[hotShot]

I like the bidding up to 2NT, but i don't think the 4♠ bid is ok.

Now you can trust your partner and bid 3NT or you bid 3♠ and leave him the choice.
I would prefer 3♠, because the suit is not good.

[luis]

This is a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde example
South has a personality disorder, first he is a rock and decides not to open 1s but then he bids the hand 3 times including an unilateral jump to 4s that could be described as "pathetic".
If south opens 1s a normal auction will lead to a better contrac, for example
1s-2d;2s-3d;3h-3NT or something like that.

It reminds me a hand where one of my pds decided not to open with 11 and then doubled, bid a cuebid, jumped in a suit and finally bid game in another suit :-). Isn't it better to just open light ?

[mcphee]

From the diagram it seems to me the hands have been inverted and the N hand is actually S as there is only 1 pass. Barring this, and as aggressive as I am at imps I am not so sure I would open 1S if I were dealer. I would not be unhappy if my partner did however. I would also never pass up showing the H suit.

I think the D hand may have approached the auction better electing to bid 3C rather than 2NT but I would not fault 2NT. The leap to 4S is hopeful and the player bought what he deserved (better in fact). 4S is a bad contract, and 3NT is not any laydown needing some good things to happen.

If the hands are reversed, 3C looks like a very productive bid to me that gives the partnership greater flexibility and is not going to be passed.

[mila85]

I would bid 3nt over 2h.
I think I'm too strong to bid 2nt only..

[cherdano]

luis, on Jan 27 2005, 03:13 PM, said:

This is a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde example
South has a personality disorder, first he is a rock and decides not to open 1s but then he bids the hand 3 times including an unilateral jump to 4s that could be described as "pathetic".

Luis, I really had a good laugh at this one, will have to remember this as an excuse: "Sorry partner, 'was my bidding personality disorder again." Yes I was South, and for reasons best known to me, I expected partner to have 2 spades.
(Even then, the bad suit quality and partner's wasted values in the minors may suggest that 3NT is a better contract.) I was mostly interested whether posters would agree with 2♥ and 2NT, and would prefer 3♠ or 3NT instead of the misguided 4♠. Thanks for all the answers.

[Gerben47]

Opening 1♠ is ridikullus unless you are playing some kind of system to cope with ridiculously weak 1-bids (like my forcing pass system). Let's quit this Zar stuff, this hand has 9 HCP with almost half of them in a singleton.

Agree with the bidding until the 4♠ bid, should be 3♠.