[skjaeran]

Scoring: IMP

1♦ P 1♥ P
2♥ 3♦ P P
3♥ 4♣ P ?

---

You're partnering me on this occasion (lucky you, or...) in a district teams championship match in the top division. What call do you make?

Editet: Missed 4♣.

[whereagles]

Pass. Pard seems to have long diams and probably has no other suit (otherwise, dbl 2♥).

[ArtK78]

Huh?

No other suit? What was 4♣? A cue bid?

I raise to 5♣. Partner has bid in the face of a lot of bidding by the opps and nothing from me, and I have Kxxx of clubs and the ♦Q. Certainly a lot on this auction.

Partner could be 6-5 in the minors here. I can certainly understand not bidding over 1♦ with 6 good diamonds and AQxxx of clubs.

How about:

x x AKTxxx AQxxx?

Would you bid 2♣ over RHO's 1♦ opening on those cards? And over 2♥, double is hardly the right call.

[Blofeld]

Pass is too deep for me with Q K9xx in support of partner's two suits.

[lilboyman]

My guess is that you held a 3 suited hand with a Heart void and not enough to double 1 Diamond. My call is 4 Spades.

[keylime]

Somewhat close, but I raise. I have length in hearts and the diamond Q is valuable.

[skjaeran]

ArtK78, on Nov 21 2007, 08:02 PM, said:

Huh?

No other suit? What was 4♣? A cue bid?

Whereagles replied before I corrected the auction, the 4♣ bid was missing. So entirely my fault.

[ArtK78]

OK. That makes sense. Sorry about the flippant comment.

[whereagles]

eheh... roger that. Pard is short in hearts and spades... still, I think there's a good chance we have 3 top losers in the majors. And even if pard has only 2 major suit losers, it's not clear we'll manage to avoid a minor suit loser.

So pass. Heck, if it were vuln I'd probably shoot at 5, though.

[kenrexford]

I like both of the first two passes.

As to the third call, I am wondering what impact a failure to bid 2NT over 2♥ and to bid 3NT over 3♥ must mean. It seems obvious that the first failure guarantees longer diamonds. So, it seems that either 4♣ or 3NT shows the minor two-suiter (4♣ as a fragment bid, although somewhat appealing, seems too esoteric to whip out, even for me). I also do not buy the idea that 3NT is some sort of delayed gambling; again, appealing in theory but too esoteric.

So, one of the two must carry a stronger message and the other a lighter message. Intuitively, it seems that 3NT should carry the stronger message, because that's the holding where you'd want to enable a rare pass.

However, "stronger" might mean more solid or more primed.

In the end, I think I have to bid here, because I don't believe my instinct and I am unsure that 3NT was considered by partner. I would have liked the slightly more comforting J9xx in spades, but this is what I have.

[Halo]

Pass.

At this point in time we have the contract.

[vang]

agree with blofeld. so, partner is bidding practically alone on 4th level and i cannot give him 5? yeah, we can loose 3 direct spade tricks or 2 spades plus one trick in one minor. still, there is a game prize.

[skjaeran]

kenrexford, on Nov 21 2007, 09:16 PM, said:

I like both of the first two passes.

As to the third call, I am wondering what impact a failure to bid 2NT over 2♥ and to bid 3NT over 3♥ must mean. It seems obvious that the first failure guarantees longer diamonds. So, it seems that either 4♣ or 3NT shows the minor two-suiter (4♣ as a fragment bid, although somewhat appealing, seems too esoteric to whip out, even for me). I also do not buy the idea that 3NT is some sort of delayed gambling; again, appealing in theory but too esoteric.

So, one of the two must carry a stronger message and the other a lighter message. Intuitively, it seems that 3NT should carry the stronger message, because that's the holding where you'd want to enable a rare pass.

However, "stronger" might mean more solid or more primed.

In the end, I think I have to bid here, because I don't believe my instinct and I am unsure that 3NT was considered by partner. I would have liked the slightly more comforting J9xx in spades, but this is what I have.

I never considered 3NT with my minor 2-suiter.

[mike777]

skaeran, on Nov 21 2007, 01:10 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

1♦  P  1♥ P
2♥ 3♦ P  P
3♥ 4♣  P  ?

---

You're partnering me on this occasion (lucky you, or...) in a district teams championship match in the top division. What call do you make?

Editet: Missed 4♣.

5c imps. easy bid.

[ArtK78]

3NT after bidding 3♦ would imply 6-4 or, perhaps, 6-5 with much stronger diamonds.

2NT over 2♥ would have to imply the minors here, since double would imply the black suits.

Still, bidding 3♦ and then 4♣ has to be natural and strong, perhaps with equal or near equal suits.

[Edmunte1]

The partner didn't bid up to 4♣ only on his values, he expects some help from us as long as opps stopped in 2♥. He's not 6-5 (he would have bid 2NT instead of 3♦), and doesn't have a very strong hand (would have doubled earlier instead of 4♣). He is almost sure 6-4 withh good diamonds (as long as we don't have club fit, 4♦ won't be a disaster). Something like xx x AKJ10xx AQJx is certain possibility. Bidding 5♣ seems more like hanging partner for fighting fot the part score. I would pass

[kenrexford]

ArtK78, on Nov 21 2007, 04:36 PM, said:

3NT after bidding 3♦ would imply 6-4 or, perhaps, 6-5 with much stronger diamonds.

2NT over 2♥ would have to imply the minors here, since double would imply the black suits.

Still, bidding 3♦ and then 4♣ has to be natural and strong, perhaps with equal or near equal suits.

I don't follow.

The auction starts 1♦ to you. With a strong hand and equal length in the minors, you pass.

Then, Responder bids 1♥, pass from partner, and Opener raises to 2♥.

You are looking at equal length in the minors. However, because you are strong, you for some reason opt to not immediately bid 2NT and to instead overcall in the suit opened to your right, not the unbid suit, when the auction could die here.

That makes no sense.

3♦ already announced longer diamonds than clubs. 3NT cannot change initial realities.

[kenrexford]

skaeran, on Nov 21 2007, 04:29 PM, said:

I never considered 3NT with my minor 2-suiter.

Did you never consider 3NT because:

(a.) it would mean something other than what you held, as far as pattern, or
(b.) it never occurred to you, but maybe should have, or
(c.) it occurred you you, and would have shown your actual pattern, but your strength was wrong (i.e., actually did consider, in a sense, but rejected), or
(d.) other?

Related, what would 3♦...3NT mean for you, as opposed to the actual auction?

[Rebound]

Just to get my 2 cents in for a change, I think pard has a good 6-4 in the minors and could easily have first or second round control in both majors. My initial reaction was to pass but I now believe 5♣ is right.

[Codo]

I am a chicken,
1. With a 6-5 he should have bid 2 club with a strong hand.
So I believe in a good 64 and don´t see how 11 tricks are rolling in.
2. And I belive that the suits are not breaking well for us.
3. His 4 Club bid was influenced by the weak bidding from the opps. He knows that we have some points and plays us for them. Yes I agree, our points are extremly well placed, but still....