[Tramticket]

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Match Points

You play four-card majors and the 2♥ responder rebid is agreed to be constructive, but not forcing. What, if anything, do you do now?

[FelicityR]

You got what you deserved by opening this hand. It's poor. I'd rather try to come in later with 2NT as an unusual no-trump if allowed to. Any bid now by you now would be move towards 3NT I feel. It's a misfit. Pass quickly. Not all 11 point hands should be opened, and with so many small cards it's a downgrade as far as I am concerned. Just one and a half quick tricks.

[sfi]

Pass. The odds on our score improving if I bid again are not good.

[heart76]

This falls inside my 2NT opening range when I have it among the agreements.
If I don't and I feel I shall trust the minors' god and open, I'm glad 2H from partner is a weakish 6 card and pass.
In your case, it depends what non-forcing bid you have. If 2NT is non-forcing, as I would assume, then be it and hope to go down 1. If partner reopens that in 3m or 3H, I pass. If 2NT is invitational from your side, it's either 3C if non-forcing or pass.

Now I'm also wondering if I actually understand what kind of hand 2H can be. Can he be strong and just interested to hear about a honoured spade fragment? In this case I would go for 2S, unless it's game force.

[rmnka447]

Pass.

You've already told your story presumably showing at least 5 ♦ and 4 ♣. Partner has persisted in rebidding 2 ♥ despite that message. You can see the hand appears to be a misfit. The first rule with misfits is to get out of the auction as quickly as possible. So get out now by passing. As others have alluded, any further bidding isn't likely to improve the contract. Likely, all it will do is raise the number of tricks needed to make and the potential set.

BTW, I wouldn't open this hand.

[eagles123]

very easy pass

[Mkgnao]

If 3♣ is NF, then I bid it. I prefer a 5-3 or 5-2 minor fit over a 6-0 ♥-fit.

[steve2005]

Mkgnao, on 2018-May-01, 13:00, said:

If 3♣ is NF, then I bid it. I prefer a 5-3 or 5-2 minor fit over a 6-0 ♥-fit.

What is 3♣ going to get you?
Time to get out before we get high enough or breaks bad enough we get doubled.

[ahydra]

FelicityR, on 2018-May-01, 08:40, said:

You got what you deserved by opening this hand. It's poor. I'd rather try to come in later with 2NT as an unusual no-trump if allowed to.

I don't agree with this at all, sorry. 5-5 hands have a lot of playing strength and should be upgraded - OK, it's not so important when you have the minors compared to if you had a major, but still very relevant. We're just unlucky to hit a misfit here. Furthermore, you may not get to bid 2NT, and even if you did it would be better if the two suits were similar in quality so partner can calmly pick one when he has equal length, rather than one playing for 3-4 tricks and the other just 1-2 tricks.

Anyway, this is a case of holes and digging. Seems clear to pass.

ahydra

[neilkaz]

Just pass to make sure the auction doesn't go higher.

[Tramticket]

Thanks all. I made the consensus call - pass and thought that it was clear. Partner argued that I could show my shape with 3♣ - but I feel that this was based more on the table result rather than any bridge logic.

heart76, on 2018-May-01, 10:15, said:

This falls inside my 2NT opening range when I have it among the agreements.

Really? You would bury any chance of a spade contract?

FelicityR, on 2018-May-01, 08:40, said:

You got what you deserved by opening this hand. It's poor. I'd rather try to come in later with 2NT as an unusual no-trump if allowed to.

These forums have debated the merits of weak openings before and I guess we are not going to agree on this. This shape makes bidding attractive and there is no guarantee that you will get a chance to bid 2NT later.

[0deary]

At imps as soon as smell “misfit” you pass, but it’s Match Points so I’m focussing on how can I best beat the field?

Opponents are quiet even though they have the spades so I’m going to pencil in either the balance of points with us or West holds a decent Heart suit over partner. In one case we might be ok in a minor fit and in the second case I’d rather not watch partner struggling with such a nasty layout in 2H

My 2 Club bid hasn’t quite shown my hand yet: 3 Clubs shows the 55 minors whist repulsing the Hearts And provided 3C is not forcing....

There are two suits where we might fit compared with one suit we certainly don’t so I’m going for it- my partner never just bangs 3H without a thought and quietly bids 3D where I gather a pretty Club Heart cross ruff after taking a few top Spades too- just -1 beats the field for -3 for 100%. ��

[FelicityR]

Tramticket, on 2018-May-02, 01:32, said:

These forums have debated the merits of weak openings before and I guess we are not going to agree on this. This shape makes bidding attractive and there is no guarantee that you will get a chance to bid 2NT later.

I agree. And the rule of 21, 20 or 19 says open this hand, but where you have a 5-5 shape and this sort of hand the honours should preferentially be in the long suits. With just one and half quick tricks and a poor ♦ suit, I just feel you are pushing the boat out a little too far.

[MrAce]

I disagree with everything in your post and don't know where to start.

0deary, on 2018-May-02, 01:36, said:

At imps as soon as smell "misfit" you pass, but it's Match Points so I'm focussing on how can I best beat the field?

You do not know whether you already beat the field or not yet by staying in 2♥.
You do not know whether to beat the field is auction related or play related or defense related yet.

0deary, on 2018-May-02, 01:36, said:

My 2 Club bid hasn't quite shown my hand yet: 3 Clubs shows the 55 minors whist repulsing the Hearts And provided 3C is not forcing....

There are two suits where we might fit compared with one suit we certainly don't so I'm going for it- my partner never just bangs 3H without a thought and quietly bids 3D where I gather a pretty Club Heart cross ruff after taking a few top Spades too- just -1 beats the field for -3 for 100%. ��

Your 2 ♣ bid showed 9 cards in minors. And you do not know whether you have a better fit than hearts.
Just to show extra 1 card in clubs you want this 3♣ to be such a weak hand 5-5 and does not want to play 2♥. This is not what you think it is (at least not for experts.)
You are weak, pd is weak and opponents are silent. Which means your pd is likely to have spades 4612 4621.
You are not doubled yet.
You are going 1 level higher just to show you have 5-5 instead of 5-4 which you already showed. (And that is assuming you and pd will be on same wavelength about your 3♣)
Even if you are in same page with your pd about the 3♣ bid on this hand, you guys will have awful scores anyway when and each and every single time one of you holds 5-5 or 6-5 minors with 14+ hcp in same auction.

You opened a 11 hcp hand. In your rebid you showed 5-4 minors and 11-18 hcps. Pd showed 6+ hearts and a weak hand. You have no business whatsoever to reopen his 2♥ unless your hand is improved or you have unexpected strength or shape. 5-5 & 11 hcp is not one of them.

[maartenxq]

Tramticket, on 2018-May-01, 08:31, said:

What if anything you should have done is pass in first round. Now we are in trouble. But then if p would have opened weak 2 ♥ I would have passed, so I will pass now.

Maarten Baltussen

[nekthen]

OK I agree with the passers. Partner looks to be 3622 or 4612. If his minors are better he should pass or bid 2♦. If he was really good he could have bid 2♠
I am also with the openers this is 28 Zar points and you have an easy rebid

[Cyberyeti]

FelicityR, on 2018-May-02, 02:19, said:

I agree. And the rule of 21, 20 or 19 says open this hand, but where you have a 5-5 shape and this sort of hand the honours should preferentially be in the long suits. With just one and half quick tricks and a poor ♦ suit, I just feel you are pushing the boat out a little too far.

You are massively out of touch, I would open this without ♣J.

I'd also open this if a small minor suit card was a heart, it's not close.

I would pass unless I'd agreed that one of 2♠/2N showed this hand.

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-May-02, 04:40, said:

I would pass unless I'd agreed that one of 2♠/2N showed this hand.

2♠ would be 4th suit forcing - I might be as strong as 17-18 HCP for the 2♣ bid.
2NT would be natural and invitational - I'm under strength and a void in partner's suit is likely to make NT very difficult to play.

[Cyberyeti]

Tramticket, on 2018-May-02, 05:30, said:

2♠ would be 4th suit forcing - I might be as strong as 17-18 HCP for the 2♣ bid.
2NT would be natural and invitational - I'm under strength and a void in partner's suit is likely to make NT very difficult to play.

Exactly, it's not a standard agreement, but can be a useful one. I would assume that if partner bid like this he doesn't want to play NT, so 2N is redundant as a natural bid.

[FelicityR]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-May-02, 04:40, said:

You are massively out of touch, I would open this without ♣J.

I'd also open this if a small minor suit card was a heart, it's not close.

My reticence to open is probably due to playing more than 95% rubber bridge and less than 5% club bridge these days. You are probably right in saying I am out of touch, but I am sure that in every book that I have read about light openings, the suit quality in the long suits was paramount.