[cypress708]

At last nights club game---


I'm sitting N and and LHO opens the bidding and passes

I have AKQx xxx AKxx A10

p-p-2H-x
p-3c-p-?

What should I bid? And what do you expect from your p?

I passed at the table and unfortunately my p had xx Ax xxx KJxxxx making 6.

What would you have bid as south?

[quiddity]

There is a convention called "Lebensohl over weak-2 bids" for distinguishing between weak and invitational hands in this position - you can find details with an internet search but don't try it without discussion. Otherwise, you have to guess. You have 20 points, the weak-2 bidder probably has 7 or 8 on average, which leaves 12 points or so for the other 2 players. So partner will average something like 6-7 points. Given your extra strength and your club honor I would bid 3♥ asking partner to bid 3NT with a heart stopper.

[blackshoe]

Yes. Lebensohl gives you a lot of advantages, and the only disadvantages are (1) giving up the natural 2NT bid, which isn't much loss, and (2) the effort to make sure both you and partner are on the same page about how to use the convention and that you can remember the sequences.

[mgoetze]

It is perhaps worth pointing out that A10 opposite KJxxxx is not exactly guaranteed 6 tricks.

[VM1973]

Yeah like I'm assuming 3NT doesn't make. Duck the first heart, win the second, small club to the Ace, return the 10, cover with the Jack and RHO shows out. Now what?

[kenberg]

My views:

I agree with the bid of 3♥ over 3♣. It's true that Lebensohl might, emphasis on might, help here but there will always be hands where a convention that you are not playing might have helped. W/o Leb, the following seems right:

1. You have more, a lot more, than partner is expecting. You want to let partner know. 3♥ conveys the message "I have a lot, and I don't know what to do, please advise".

2. Probably the hand will be safe one level higher no matter what partner has. No guarantee, but probably. This is where Leb would help. When pard bids 3♣ he has something. With zippo he would have bid 2NT as a relay to clubs, planning on dropping 3♣. So with Leb you could be confident that going on is safe, but w/o Leb you should do it anyway.

3. On the current hands, pard will bid 3NT over 3♥. This is not because 3♥ demanded that he did so with a heart stop but rather because he knows you have a big hand and 3NT seems right. It will make on the sole assumption that the 2♥ was based on six cards since the other opponent then has only two. Over 3NT you pass. With better clubs you would still bid 3♥ first and then raise clubs over 3NT. That shows one big hand, a club fit, and slam aspirations. With the actual current hand, settle for 3NT.

[VM1973]

Why is no one considering a bid of 3♠? If partner holds:
♠Jxx
♥Ax
♦xxx
♣Kxxxx

You should be able to score 4♠, 2♥ (including the ruff in dummy), 2♦ and 2♣ for 10 tricks.

[mtvesuvius]

VM1973, on 2011-July-16, 09:38, said:

Why is no one considering a bid of 3♠? If partner holds:
♠Jxx
♥Ax
♦xxx
♣Kxxxx

You should be able to score 4♠, 2♥ (including the ruff in dummy), 2♦ and 2♣ for 10 tricks.

Because there are 4♠, 1♥, 2♦ and 2♣ tricks in 3N.

I agree with 3♥ here -- It says I have extras, but don't know what the right place to play is. Partner with a heart stopper will bid 3N, and otherwise will do something else to further describe their hand. From there hopefully we will know what to do.

[cypress708]

Lebensohl would have been beneficial in this position. I felt stuck and even if my p had a heart stopper---3nt wasn't guaranteed. And it seemed reasonably likely that LHO could have 10-11 Post mortem, I concluded that I should have bid 3s(my partner wouldn't have known what to do with 3h) if he had 3 spades he would raise which might make and if he had a decent hand and heart stopper he could have bid 3nt.

thanks for the help.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

with the hand you gave, you have two question to p.

#1 p, do you have a 4 card spade suit? 3C said "No".
#2 p, do you have a heart stopper?
The bid to ask p, if he has a heart stopper is bidding their suit, i.e. over 3C bid 3H.
=> P, by bidding 3NT will say "P, I have a heart stopper.".
And you will pass.

I am not good at anaylizing how good 6C is, but you need the Queen, of clubs, given that p
sits in 2nd seat, the preempt being in 3rd seat the finess is better than 50%, but staying
out of 6C ok, sometimes clubs do break 4-1.

Finally - Lebensohl is a sensible convention, but unless you have already mastered the
basics, dont bother intrdocuing it.
You have 20HCP, they opened with a preepmt, give the premptor 6-7, that leaves 13, hence
you can credit p with 6-7 HCP, this means th epartnership will usually have 26-27 between
them, you want to be in game.
And to arrive at this statement, you dont need Lebensohl.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[pooltuna]

VM1973, on 2011-July-16, 09:01, said:

Yeah like I'm assuming 3NT doesn't make. Duck the first heart, win the second, small club to the Ace, return the 10, cover with the Jack and RHO shows out. Now what?

Well you have collected a !h trick and 2♣ tricks it probably makes sense to just take your other 6 tricks?