[MrAce]

---

IMP, knock-out

1♣ is 16+ artificial, opponents are world class. So is your pd.

What is your choice of call ? Basically would you pass or bid clubs at some level or do something genius ?

Agreements are

DBL = majors
NT =Minors
Rest natural

[ArtK78]

I would absolutely bid 2♣ natural on these cards.

Given the stregth of the suit, it is unlikely that the opps can punish me. And it will take away a full level of their auction.

Besides, I want a club lead if LHO winds up as declarer.

Anytime I can take the opponents out of their comfort zone there is a greater chance that the opps will have problems. Taking away the one level can do that.

[dake50]

I'm really tempted to 1S.
I have a rescue good club suit.
Little chance this is our hand, maybe blow smoke works.
Partner won't go too high, he knows we're just obstructing.

[hrothgar]

I'd bid clubs at the two level. Probably even the three level.

I want a club lead.
I have a solid enough suit that it will be difficult for the opponents to double for penalty or convert.

Playing my preferred methods, I'd need to bid 2NT showing clubs or (diamonds and a major).
Single suited hands with clubs are one of the few hand patterns that I can't show naturally.

[hrothgar]

I'd bid clubs at the two level. Even the three level.

I want a club lead.
I have a solid enough suit that it will be difficult for the opponents to double for penalty or convert.

Playing my preferred methods, I'd need to bid 2NT showing clubs or (diamonds and a major).
Single suited hands with clubs are one of the few hand patterns that I can't show naturally.

[Jinksy]

3C for me. I virtually have a 3C opening bid, and after a precision 1C, I have a better than normal risk/reward ratio for preempting.

[steve2005]

2♣ vul
would do 3 NV
most precision players can double 3♣ with values and opener may able to convert to penalties for a profit

[gszes]

2c in all forms of scoring---against strong club most calls are for the purposes of

sacrifice or lead direction anyway and 2c might just scare the opps out of an

easily made 3n fearing we might have an entry to go with our long clubs.

[nige1]

 MrAce, on 2013-December-19, 14:47, said:

IMP, knock-out
1♣ is 16+ artificial, opponents are world class. So is your pd.
What is your choice of call ? Basically would you pass or bid clubs at some level or do something genius ?
Agreements are
DBL = majors
NT =Minors
Rest natural

---

2♣ = 10, Pass = 9, 3♣ = 5.
The danger is that opponents might settle uncomfortably for 1100 in lieu of their partscore.

[sfi]

Defending against a 3C overcall is far more difficult than against a 2C overcall. I don't need too many good results to make up for the occasional -14 IMPs even if they can sort themselves well enough to double (which I don't see as a great danger), so this looks like a clear 3C to me.

Much as I'm in favour of messing around against strong club openers, I don't get 1S. Good opponents can manage to bid the suit naturally most of the time, if we've just talked them out of their suit we may well give up the game bonus in undoubled undertricks anyway, and partner with 5 card support and a stiff club may well bounce to the 4 level. Oops.

[the_clown]

2♣ for me, second choice is 3♣. Doing something genius is not my style, especially not when vul against not.

[gnasher]

3♣. Did somebody really mention pass?

[cherdano]

 gnasher, on 2013-December-20, 03:37, said:

3♣. Did somebody really mention pass?

Well, I'd day it's better than 1S.

[MrAce]

 gnasher, on 2013-December-20, 03:37, said:

3♣. Did somebody really mention pass?

Yup. It surprised me too. I stole this hand from B.W. The problem asked in B.W was not focused on pass over 1♣ but it was mentioned.

Steve Weinstein passed with this. And then in B.W the dialogue between Steve and Gavin Wolpert - Fred Stewart was

G.W : What would Kranyak say about your pass over 1♣ ?

S.W :He would say Pass?? I would raise my eyebrow at him. Later that day he would come back and say "oh pass is right since bidding squeals so much bout your hand when you are so unlikely to be playing it. There is a good chance you will be on lead and if its a slam going auction you will have a good chance to double clubs at some point." After that I would just smile at him.

Fred Stewart : I must have passed before looking at my hand,

S.W: Yeh yeh yeh

Obviously our panel here disagrees with him. So do i. I personally would have bid 3♣ myself.. Just wondered if pass was even an option for some of us. But i have mad respect to Steve and his bridge and his opinions.He has some valid points to think about, i am not sure if they justify the pass though. Below is the link for full article. You decide yourself.


http://bridgewinners...g-problem-2995/

[mfa1010]

2♣ for me. 3♣ at all other vulns.

[mycroft]

A lot of people play a similar style of defence against strong club interference to me, and my issue with 3♣ is that it is much more likely to go "who knows what we can make, pass" after 1♣-3♣-X (random semi-positive)-p, and this is a hand I want them to guess wrong (I sure do expect that defending 3♣x isn't the wrong guess). Sure, if they bid, I'm much better off than if I'd taken the low road; but I'm betting the system is against me here.

[ahydra]

2C for me. I'd be bidding 3C too if it wasn't for the vul.

ahydra

[Jinksy]

 MrAce, on 2013-December-20, 04:36, said:

S.W :There is a good chance you will be on lead

What, after I bid 3C their methods allow them to find the right spot *and* reliably rightside? That's some powerful system they've got.

Also his discussion of Xing makes it sound as though he thinks we're mainly doing this for lead. I expect my P to virtually ignore my bid on this type of auction where lead's concerned (albeit less so at these colours) - I want to damage their bidding, with anything else a minor bonus.

[awm]

2♣ is really clear for me. I don't think this really gives the opponents that much information about the hand, besides that I have a club suit (which they are likely to know after I make my opening lead of a top club in any case). However, it does take away the whole one-level from the opponents when negotiating the right contact, and it will help partner out substantially in the case that he is on lead.

Bidding 3♣ seems like too much. It offers the opponents a number when they have game, might even offer them a number when they don't have game, and also might push them into a light making game (given my lack of defense).

[GreenMan]

 Jinksy, on 2013-December-21, 11:34, said:

What, after I bid 3C their methods allow them to find the right spot *and* reliably rightside? That's some powerful system they've got.

And why not? OP specified world-class opps. I would expect players at that level to play transfer responses over interference. And even if they're not, a responder with values and no clear bid over the OC will likely double and let opener take charge.

I'd say "could well be on lead" is, if anything, an understatement.