thepossum, on 2019-August-21, 06:25, said:
On the following hand I used an inverted minor raise, rather than NT and ended up playing 3NT+1 by North. Others were in 3NT by south and didnt make an overtrick. I'm not sure that this was down to one side being easier than the other or a bad lead since double dummy suggests both make 3NT
This would be hard to determine without showing the opponent's hands and how the play went. The overtrick could be due to any of:
- bad lead (in practice on this hand, not necessarily in theory based on all possibilities for N/S hands)
- mis-defence in the middle of the hand
- bad declarer play at other tables
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Please can anyone advise on pros and cons of inverted raises with this type of hand, whether you would usually raise to 3NT immediately and if there are any clues in South's hand which way to play NT.
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Also what are the general principles for right/wrong siding a contract. I don't generally get to that stage of decision making, usually ending in wherever the auction took us.
Generally you want the opponent's lead against NT going through the hand with no stopper into the hand with the positional stopper. E.g. with xxx vs Kx, you definitely want the Kx hand to declare. This way you can't be down off the top on a lead in this suit. Player with the ace over the K might underlead the suit to begin with, giving you a trick you in theory didn't deserve, or lead something else in which case maybe you have 9 before RHO can get in to lead through the K. Or if both hands have stoppers, like Axx vs Qx you want the lead coming through the ace, that way you always have a double stopper. If the other way, if K is with third hand, you only have 1 stop.
On the hand given, the only other option besides inverted raise is a leap to 3nt (in modern style 2/1 / SA GF 2nt has fallen out of favor although it's probably theoretically better treatment than having to leap to 3nt). The inverted raise is better because:
- it gives room for partner to suggest alternate contracts. Partner might have a stiff (or void) in a major. In which case 5c (or 6c!) can often be better than 3nt. If you jump to 3nt he may not be strong enough to move, he doesn't know whether opposite his stiff you have xxx/Axx (where you probably want to not be in 3nt) or KJT/KQT (where probably you do). A raise may be able to find the shortage or weakness in that suit.
- You have no positional stoppers in either major. You want the lead into partner's spade stopper (only after seeing dummy do you realize he has AK where it didn't actually matter). Or toward's partner's possible Qx/JTx/J9x in hearts.
Generally you prefer to bid 3nt with this flat shape when you have more tenaces/positional stoppers and are pretty sure you want to declare 3nt from your own side. This hand there are clear reasons to raise minor instead.
But it turns out after dummy comes down that siding wasn't really important on this hand. But it could be on other dummies. And some dummies you want to be in 5c/6c instead.
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