[Ai Hao]

Bidding:

N     E     S   W
1C (1S)   ?

Sitting south, you hold:

Scoring: IMP

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what you bid after east overcalls 1♠?

[kenrexford]

Maybe I should double, but I know I'd bid 2NT in real life. Partners often want to yell at me for that, but then somehow their stiff Jack lets me get away with it.

[OleBerg]

2♠.

Clubs is the only possible suit-denomination, and I'll scramble back to nt at all opportuneties, but if partner can bid NT, it is even better.

[ASkolnick]

I agree with Ken. 2N is the most practical bid. the problem is partner with Qx is probably not going to bid NT when that is the only place to go. If you have the agreement, a cue followed by a 2nd cue shows a 1/2 stopper (which I do), I can see doing that as well.

[Lobowolf]

kenrexford, on Nov 17 2008, 12:58 PM, said:

Maybe I should double, but I know I'd bid 2NT in real life. Partners often want to yell at me for that, but then somehow their stiff Jack lets me get away with it.

Agree completely except for the bit about partners wanting to yell at me. I might get a scowl, though, if I guided us into hearts or clubs with the spade shortness in the long hand (or, on a bad day, if there were no long hand in a club contract). If partner's hoped-for spade honor is non-existent, maybe RHO's spades were so good, he took the opportunity to overcall a 4-card suit.

When these hands come up, most often it seems that partner has at least a stiff quack, and often a doubleton honor that might get eaten by the lead, but will produce at least one trick from my holding. On a good day, no reason you can't get a J♠ lead through Qx and set up a couple if they get excited about spades.

[whereagles]

I bid 2NT and I really don't care what pard thinks of it because I believe it's the right bid. (Unless you have a specialized bid for hands like this, of course.)

[kfay]

Really tough.

I kind of like the 2♠ approach but if partner goes crazy in ♣s I'm definitely going to regret it.

I'll just bid 2NT. I don't know what I'll do after this if partner bids more clubs but slam is on my mind. Too weak to bluhmer (sp?).

[Califdude]

What about a negative double? That would get partner to bid again without using up any bidding room. Or is the hand too strong for that bid?

If you bid 2NT, doesn't that make possible some tough continuations, such as Pard bidding an unmakeable 3NT, or even 6NT with a big hand?

[matmat]

Califdude, on Nov 17 2008, 07:56 PM, said:

What about a negative double? That would get partner to bid again without using up any bidding room. Or is the hand too strong for that bid?

a negative double here guarantees four hearts.

[rogerclee]

Close for me between doubling and bidding 1N, don't like 2N.

[jdonn]

I would bid 2NT, with second choice being 2♠. I never double on these hands. When they are 9 and 10 counts I pass and still believe it is right, but on this one the danger of partner passing out a balanced minimum when we make 3NT is too high so I have to act.

[pclayton]

2N. Right on values and on pattern. With Jxxx this would be unanimous.

2♠ never seems to work out for me. Somehow I just can't get pard to bid NT on Qx.

[655321]

Agree with Josh that passing these hands is best when they are up to around 10HCP, and that the choice here is between 2NT and 2♠. I don't much like 2NT, but I would probably bid it anyway (otherwise 2♠). Partner might have Ax of spades, or some other holding where notrumps is best played from his side.

pclayton, on Nov 17 2008, 11:15 PM, said:

Somehow I just can't get pard to bid NT on Qx.

Qx is so often a fantastic holding for playing notrumps - my partners can't wait to bid NT on Qx (or perhaps it is just that my partners are keen to get the notrumps in first...)

[benlessard]

X followed by 2S over 2C and 2Nt over 1Nt/2H. At least i give myself some chance to rightside the contract.

[P_Marlowe]

Califdude, on Nov 17 2008, 07:56 PM, said:

What about a negative double?  That would get partner to bid again without using up any bidding room.  Or is the hand too strong for that bid?
<snip>

Two comments:

A neg. X has no upper limit.

And it is a matter of agreement, if you are able to make a
neg. X with the given hand.
The majority on the forum posters believe, that the neg. X
gurantees a 4 card heart suit, in effect ignoring that hands
like original hand exist, and if they get one look for the
smallest lie possible, with the advantage, that certain other
auction get simplyfied.

Personnally I would make the neg. X, but than I play neg.
free bids, so I am forced to / used to go via a neg. X with lots
of good hands.

Neg. free bids work sometimes well and sometimes not,
the same is true for including bal. hand with 10-12 in the
class of hands with which to make a neg. X.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: 2S is not an option for me, since the bid guurantees a fit,
so you either go with Pass, a neg. X or with 2NT.

[gnasher]

I can live with driving to 3NT if I can get partner to bid it. I'd bid 2♠, which for me promises 4+ clubs. With a weak notrump without clubs partner will bid 2NT, regardless of whether he has a stop. That could work quite well on this hand.

[benlessard]

Quote

I can live with driving to 3NT if I can get partner to bid it. I'd bid 2♠, which for me promises 4+ clubs. With a weak notrump without clubs partner will bid 2NT, regardless of whether he has a stop. That could work quite well on this hand.

Interesting treatment. So i assume 2S is only 4C when holding a S stopper.

[keylime]

2NT, and with some pards, 3NT just to make sure we get to game.