[Kaitlyn S]

Hi - these problems should be very easy for experienced players but an I/N player needs to think about the right things in an auction. If you get them wrong, don't feel too bad as long as you understand the rationale for the answers. I'll provide the answers later but I'll put a hint as a spoiler. Try to solve the problem without the spoiler. Also, let me know if you would be interested in seeing more of these from time to time.

Assume you are playing Standard American (a natural system with 15-17 1NT openings and 5-card majors), IMPs and nobody is vulnerable.

Previous problem sets can be linked to from here:

Previous problem sets

On these hands, you responded 1H and partner raised, showing a minimum opening hand. What do you do?

1.

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Spoiler

With 11 points, you would normally invite. Is this hand worth 11 points with this auction?

2.

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Spoiler

Is it possible that partner doesn't have four hearts?

[JanisW]

1. Pass
As P is limited and I'm mostly looking at Q&Js I see no point in inviting to game. If the ♣QJ were a K in any other suit and my shape improved to 4-4-3-2, I would invite to game.

2. 3NT
Partner is limited so no need for investigation beyond game. As I have both unbid suits well stopped and a balanced hand I bid 3NT and let partner choose.

reagrds
JW

[Cyberyeti]

1. 4♥ is not going to make very often although it can (Kxx, KQxx, A109xx, x is decent for example) 3N just might opposite a balanced hand, particularly if partner doesn't upgrade 14s that often. Also depends on your style for 2♥, what he does with 3 in a weak NT.

2. How does partner bid a 4324 ? does he bid 1♠/1N/2♥ ? I've seen people do all these in the past.

[Kaitlyn S]

Cyberyeti, on 2017-October-15, 12:55, said:

2. How does partner bid a 4324 ? does he bid 1♠/1N/2♥ ? I've seen people do all these in the past.

I am assuming that partner doesn't raise with 4=3=2=4. If you need to cater to your partner raising with 4=3=2=4 then your answer to problem 2 may be significantly different than mine.

[ahydra]

Spoiler

1) 2NT. Yes, 4333 bad, quacks bad, lalala, but partner can have as much as a poor 15, and while the DJ looks like it isn't working, it is a filler for partner's suit. I want to suggest no-trump because of my slow values - 3NT may make while 4H does not - and to cater for a 3-card raise. I don't expect partner to accept with a middling weak NT as he can trust me to punt game if I have a decent 12.

2) 3NT, CoG. (Unless, as CY points out, we can have a 4-4 spade fit here. But in the style I'm used to one would not raise on 3 cards as opener unless no better bid is available, and with 4324 partner can bid 1S or 1NT, with 4315 partner can bid 1S)

ahydra

[Tramticket]

ahydra, on 2017-October-15, 20:52, said:

Spoiler

1) 2NT. Yes, 4333 bad, quacks bad, lalala, but partner can have as much as a poor 15, and while the DJ looks like it isn't working, it is a filler for partner's suit. I want to suggest no-trump because of my slow values - 3NT may make while 4H does not - and to cater for a 3-card raise. I don't expect partner to accept with a middling weak NT as he can trust me to punt game if I have a decent 12.

2) 3NT, CoG. (Unless, as CY points out, we can have a 4-4 spade fit here. But in the style I'm used to one would not raise on 3 cards as opener unless no better bid is available, and with 4324 partner can bid 1S or 1NT, with 4315 partner can bid 1S)

ahydra

Spoiler

[1] Are you really bidding 2NT? Its not my system (I play a weak NT), but this looks like a pretty awful 11 count with soft values, no intermediaries and no ruffing potential. Yes its IMPs, but you are NV, so not worth shooting for low odds games.
[2] Agree 3NT.

[Cyberyeti]

ahydra, on 2017-October-15, 20:52, said:

Spoiler

1) 2NT. Yes, 4333 bad, quacks bad, lalala, but partner can have as much as a poor 15, and while the DJ looks like it isn't working, it is a filler for partner's suit. I want to suggest no-trump because of my slow values - 3NT may make while 4H does not - and to cater for a 3-card raise. I don't expect partner to accept with a middling weak NT as he can trust me to punt game if I have a decent 12.

2) 3NT, CoG. (Unless, as CY points out, we can have a 4-4 spade fit here. But in the style I'm used to one would not raise on 3 cards as opener unless no better bid is available, and with 4324 partner can bid 1S or 1NT, with 4315 partner can bid 1S)

ahydra

Spoiler

2: There is a reason to show the spades anyway, if partner has Axxx, xxxx, Kx, AQJ 4♠ may play better than 4♥ (and Axxx, xxxx, KQ, AKQ the slam plays a lot better in spades if the rebid had been 3♥)

[Kaitlyn S]

Answers:

1.

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Hint: With 11 points, you would normally invite. Is this hand worth 11 points with this auction?

Answer: While you have 11 HCP, when you picture how your hand fits with partner's, it's not pretty. Partner has a doubleton or shorter in least one black suit so your black high are likely close to useless. Other than the ace, your trumps are poor so there is a lot of potential for trump losers.

Picture some hands where partner might accept a game try opposite this hand:
S-85 H-KQJ3 D-AK763 C-92; This is a maximum 2H raise, yet you have four inescapable losers in 4H plus a potential diamond loser. In 3NT, you need the queen doubleton of diamonds, not a good game. 2H is plenty.

S-K85 H-KQJ3 D-K7632 C-5; Now I've made your spade honors useful. Partner can't have any more; if the ♦K were the ♦A, partner would have raised to 3H. In 4H you lose two black cards and at least two diamonds. In notrump, even if you get a spade lead to the ace and a spade continuation and the ♦A is onside, you will only score two spades, four hearts, and a diamond before losing the four top tricks and either a second diamond or the fourth spade. If the opponents set up a club trick for you, that's still not enough.

S-K85 H-KQ86 D-AQT9 C-64; This is about the best dummy you can see on this auction opposite your hand. Still, 4H requires a 3-2 heart break and a diamond finesse. Because partner has the ♦10-9 (both are needed because your jack can be covered), 3NT will also make with a working diamond finesse and a 3-2 heart break; however if clubs are 4-4, you can still win a spade trick if hearts are 4-1 but the diamond finesse works.

Game requires a lot to make here, and as you can see, even 3H or 2NT could be too high on some of these maximums, and will more often be too high when partner doesn't have an accept of a game try. I recommend you pass 2H.

2.

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Hint: Is it possible that partner doesn't have four hearts?

Answer: Even if partner virtually guarantees four-card support with his raise, there will be instances in which all other choices are less palatable than a raise on three cards. For example,

S-2 H-Q65 D-KQ43 C-AQ865, rebidding the clubs risks playing in a 5-1 fit since responder almost always passes this auction with a minimum without six hearts, and 2D should show extra values (a reverse) because you are forcing partner to go back to the three level to return to your first suit. 1NT would be ridiculous with a singleton spade. So partner bids 2H with this hand, and if you bid 4H, you risk losing three trump tricks and a spade (and possibly a club on a club lead.) You can bid 3NT to cater to the fact that partner may have needed to raise on three cards. Partner knows you have four hearts and can return to 4H with a real fit.

What about bidding spades? If your partner might raise hearts with four spades and three hearts, then you may need to bid spades here. I don't recommend that approach; in fact, if I bid 2S, most of my partners would interpret it as a game try in hearts needing help in spades.

That being said, some posters have pointed out that 4S may play better than 4H if you have two eight-card fits. While I don't disagree, I think that bidding 2S helps the opponents defend on the hands that your partner does not have four spades, and most of the time, both eight card fits will take the same number of tricks in either trump suit; i.e. any heart losers will have to be lost in spades also. Bidding 2S is going to get you a diamond lead most of the time because it's the unbid suit (assuming it isn't a game try asking for help) and if partner has no diamond honor, that appears to be a pretty deadly defense.

I recommend 3NT.

[ahydra]

Hmm, it seems some of those opener's raises to 3H you describe are quite aggressive. These days people respond on pretty much all 5 HCP hands, often even less, so I'd be very wary of inviting with just Kxx KQJx Axxxx x. Something like xxx KQJx AKJxx x is the minimum I'd expect for 3H but only due to the wonderful concentration of values and a shortage. This is obviously a partnership style thing, and I am likely heavily influenced from always having played weak no-trump (where a sequence like 1D-1H; 2H shows an unbal hand, giving partner more leeway to invite).

When I bid 2NT on the first hand I'm primarily looking for 3NT rather than 4H. Partner will commonly have a weak NT with 3-4, 3-5 or 4-4 reds, and if he has a max we want to be in 3NT - after all, would we not invite over a weak opening 1NT with this? 2NT describes my hand to a T - likely soft values, flat, no 4-card diamond support, 11 or a bad 12. Partner will know what to do. It is close though - remove one of the jacks and I would pass.

ahydra

[rmnka447]

Hand #1 - I agree with pass. It's a 9 loser hand, so worth less than its point count. A hand with 5 Qs/Js and only 1 A is overvalued by point count.

Hand #2 - Opener might anticipate the rebid problem if a 2 ♣ rebid definitely promises 6. In that case, the opening might be 1 ♦ with a 2 ♣ rebid rather than a ♥ raise on Qxx. Normally, that opening and rebid should show 5 ♦ and 4 ♣. With a 1 NT rebid out because the hand is unbalanced, the "lie" emphasizes the minor nature of the hand. It's done pretty commonly these days.

[Tramticket]

ahydra, on 2017-October-16, 17:05, said:

after all, would we not invite over a weak opening 1NT with this?

Actually no. I also play a weak NT and would pass a weak 1NT opening with this hand at pairs and at teams if non-vulnerable. playing teams, I would invite if vulnerable.

[NickRW]

Tramticket, on 2017-October-17, 00:41, said:

Actually no. I also play a weak NT and would pass a weak 1NT opening with this hand at pairs and at teams if non-vulnerable. playing teams, I would invite if vulnerable.

I agree. My invites over a weak NT are 11 or 12 - but 11 counts need to at least be reasonably good - and 12 counts, if they're good, then I take matters into my own hands by just bidding the game. This "11 count" is worth about ten and a half.

[JanisW]

Kaitlyn S, on 2017-October-16, 12:57, said:

Game requires a lot to make here, and as you can see, even 3H or 2NT could be too high on some of these maximums, and will more often be too high when partner doesn't have an accept of a game try. I recommend you pass 2H.

this is the bottom line. There is no doubt whatsoever that P can have the magic cards for a virtually cold game, but much more often 2♥ is the last save resting place for a plus score. That said, I'm jeopardising 160 (+110 vs -50) for 290/310 that's a terrible wager on this bunch of beauties held in my Hand.

[Zelandakh]

NickRW, on 2017-October-17, 03:27, said:

This "11 count" is worth about ten and a half.

You are generous. I think it is certainly not worth more than a basic 10, while K&R gives it a whopping 8.2 (and 8+ DKhcp).

[JoshuaR]

Noob here. First hand I'd pass for reasons stated (not really enough points to get to game since some of the points I have are "weak").

Second hand I would feel the need to explore spades (2S) and partner goes back to 3H or diamonds then just "settle" on 3NT. Then again I don't know the convention mentioned (2S would indicate needing help in spades), so that would depend on whether my partner was as noob as me or misinterpreted that idea, haha.