[AL78]

MPs, Acol weak NT, 3 weak twos:

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Your call?

[mikeh]

Easy pass

It mystifies me why players think that, having opened the bidding and not having anything beyond what they’ve announced and with partner unlimited in strength, it’s right to bid at a high level rather than letting partner help us out. It’s almost as if they feel required to bid partner’s largely unknown hand for partner. Doesn’t anyone know this is a partnership game, and we don’t have to be the hero on every hand?


If we can makes 4S, does anyone think that partner is passing 4D?


Partner will do something, other than pass, if he has a hand that gives us a play for 10 tricks….usually that something is double, but it could be 4H or 4S. If he doubles, obviously we bid 4S.


Once in a long while this won’t work out…partner has a weak but highly distributional hand and decides to pass, but that’s rare. Meanwhile, if he has say xxxxx in spades and a bad hand, 4S could be very, very ugly.

Passing is the disciplined bid. Preferably in tempo. Fortunately, one is supposed to pause over 4D so one has a few seconds in which to think, although this should be automatic.

Caveat: AL’s posts almost always feature a partner who has very little understanding of the game, such that one can’t rely on partner doing something resembling good bridge. I can understand the temptation to try to anticipate partner making a mistake. However, that’s exactly the wrong thing to do.

Say you decide to bid 4S, because you have a nice hand…nothing extraordinary but definitely a good hand in context.

If it goes for a number, or even just a bad board, you’ve told partner that you can’t be trusted. Not only is this bad for partnership trust but also it undermines any chance of persuading partner when, on other hands, it is partner who screws up. People who live in glass houses….

If it makes or is otherwise a good board, you’ve again damaged partnership trust. If you pass and partner should bid (as will very, very likely be the case if you can make 4S) but doesn’t,then you have a teaching moment. ‘Saving’ partner from making a mistake on this board will lead to more mistakes later.

[Cyberyeti]

Can it be right to bid, of course it can (Kxxxxx, xx, xxx, Kx for example) but much more likely it's not (Jxxxx, xxx, Qx, Kxx for example), I think I'd want 5 spades to bid here.

[AL78]

I did pass because I do have some discipline in the auction (honest). The auction proceeds:

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Now what?

[Cyberyeti]

Did partner have the option of just bidding 4♠ or other ways of getting there ? a forcing 3♠ bid, a 4 level transfer ? and what do those show ?

[mikeh]

AL78, on 2023-February-18, 09:10, said:

I did pass because I do have some discipline in the auction (honest). The auction proceeds:

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Now what?

Cyber asks a relevant question, although the inference to be drawn, should partner have had the ability to go to 4S directly over 1N (by bidding it or bidding texas) aren’t clear

The problem is that he might have planned an invitational sequence, with something like 6=3=1=3 and have now decided that defending 4D doubled isn’t a great idea

So if he could have committed to game, but didn’t, then either he has a mild slam try or he has an invitational bid that he’s now upgraded.

Despite those concerns, and without knowing the answer to cyber’s question, I still bid 5S, but with little confidence. I have nothing wasted, more trump than he expects, and three delicious aces.

I do have to wonder where one finds opps who bid like that. On second thoughts, I’ve started playing club bridge again, so I think I know the answer😀

[pescetom]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-February-18, 09:43, said:

Did partner have the option of just bidding 4♠ or other ways of getting there ? a forcing 3♠ bid, a 4 level transfer ? and what do those show ?

As a TD I would take a dim view of the insufficient 3♠, but as a player I agree that we should discuss what 4♥ shows.

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2023-February-18, 13:52, said:

As a TD I would take a dim view of the insufficient 3♠, but as a player I agree that we should discuss what 4♥ shows.

You misunderstand me, common here that 1N-(P)-3♠ is natural, at least borderline slam invite.

If one of the other bids is available, I'd suspect partner was 6-4 and ws going to transfer and bid the second suit.

[akwoo]

Assuming partner would have done something else in their first bid (some form of texas or 4S) with a preemptive hand, I think pass is forcing.

I pass. I'm skeptical of the value of the extra trump here (what am I ruffing with it?).

If I'm not so sure of our forcing pass agreements, I bid 5S at this vulnerability at MPs but double in every other situation. (At IMPs, even at this vulnerability, bidding is unlikely to gain more than 7 IMPs (+650 for +300) but has a reasonable chance of losing 10 (-50 for +500). Also, particularly if partner doesn't think forcing pass is on, they can pull the double with the right hand.)

[Cyberyeti]

akwoo, on 2023-February-18, 13:56, said:

Assuming partner would have done something else in their first bid (some form of texas or 4S) with a preemptive hand, I think pass is forcing.

I pass. I'm skeptical of the value of the extra trump here (what am I ruffing with it?).

If I'm not so sure of our forcing pass agreements, I bid 5S at this vulnerability at MPs but double in every other situation. (At IMPs, even at this vulnerability, bidding is unlikely to gain more than 7 IMPs (+650 for +300) but has a reasonable chance of losing 10 (-50 for +500). Also, particularly if partner doesn't think forcing pass is on, they can pull the double with the right hand.)

Smolen is not commonly played with a weak NT so 6 spades and 4 hearts is a possibility (with partner thinking 4♥ might be 5-5), or KQxxxx, Kx, x, KQxx for example might be consistent with this auction and while I'm unlikely to find a slam, I may not be getting rich out of 5♦ as I suspect I may not find the heart ruff if it even stands up.

[AL78]

Cyberyeti, on 2023-February-18, 09:43, said:

Did partner have the option of just bidding 4♠ or other ways of getting there ? a forcing 3♠ bid, a 4 level transfer ? and what do those show ?

We don't play Texas (or is it called Namyats?) and I assume 1NT - 3♠ would be a slam try but I haven't discussed that with this partner (sorry this seems to be a recurring theme) but that is standard as far as I'm concerned. We are lacking any solid agreements over high level pre-empts so haven't any agreement what 4♥ would mean although I would take that as natural showing a two suiter (which might not be a good agreement but with a once-a-month partner I have limited agreements).

If anyone found pass or double with my hand well done. I, however, decided to bid 5♠ and proceeded to get us a bottom. My reasoning was:

1. My hand, with three quick tricks and four card support to the ace is a lot better than many weak NT hands I could hold, and partner has still bid game on her own opposite my failure to do anything on the second round.

2. (This may be wrong of me) I judged it very likely the par score across the field will by 4♠ making and with the vulnerability, and I thought it unlikely that other opponents will re-preempt (my RHO is notorious for taking wild actions as though he has a phobia about defending). I don't think we can take 5♦ off enough to compensate. I therefore think we need to hope 4♠ makes with an overtrick, and if it doesn't, we have lost the board whatever we do.

3. It is not asking for the moon to hope partner has a hand where 11 tricks are there, and if we do have 11 tricks, it is far from clear we can take six tricks in defence.

I am still not confident I am judging correctly in these heavily contested MP auctions so feel free to point out flaws in my reasoning here.

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On the layout even 4♠ can go off but those in it made it. The traveller:

4♠= S +620
4♠= S +620
5♦X-2 W +300
5♦X-1 E +100
5♠-1 S -100

If I take the money and whack it we have a chance of an average board if we get all our tricks (which involves not flying up with the ace when West plays a heart).

[akwoo]

My question is whether ♠ KQxxxxx ♥ xxx ♦ - ♣ xxx is consistent with the auction, or if partner would have bid something at the 4 level over 1N with that.

If that hand is consistent with the auction, then (a) hands like it are sufficiently common they have to be taken into account, (b) pass wouldn't be forcing, and © double stands out, though 5♦ sometimes makes (but sometimes that just makes your 0 rounder).

[jillybean]

Opposite 12-14NT

1N:4♥
4♠

or if you don't play transfers at the 4 level
1nt:4♠

[AL78]

jillybean, on 2023-February-19, 01:13, said:

Opposite 12-14NT

1N:4♥
4♠

or if you don't play transfers at the 4 level
1nt:4♠

We don't play transfers at the four level but I can see a case for bidding 4♠ which would have a non trump lead coming up to the queens, although it doesn't matter on this hand.