[jillybean]

What was he thinking about?

[Cyberyeti]

jillybean, on 2025-January-06, 05:24, said:

What was he thinking about?

Bidding 3♥ he admitted this, his partner more or less admitted he only bid 3♣ because of the hesitation

[mike777]

 Cyberyeti, on 2025-January-06, 05:12, said:

OK, I get the views here, hesitator actually had a 12 count with 4 hearts, 3♣ was bid and corrected to 3♥ and is solid, you can make 4 if you guess well or play really carefully, trumps QJ8xx/A9xx, stiff K onside.

We bid 3♠ over 3♥ and went -1 for a flat board.

Thanks for posting the problem.
It is nice to know that in 2024/2025
Cohen/Bergen are ignored/ dismissed or forgotten...

[mikeh]

mike777, on 2025-January-06, 09:16, said:

Thanks for posting the problem.
It is nice to know that in 2024/2025
Cohen/Bergen are ignored/ dismissed or forgotten...

I suspect that you misunderstand both Cohen and Bergen. Bridge isn’t as simple or simplistic as stating that one must always compete to the 3 level if one finds a 9 card fit.

Bergen raises are based on a 5 card major opening, and a 4 card fit for responder. And these days many top pairs have given up the bergen weak raise to 3Min favour of the mixed raise. Personally, we went to the mixed raise because we don’t like going -200 in 3M undoubled, when neither side can make anything.

Cohen’s LOTT is about more than just ‘how many trump do you have’. It’s an equation that involves the longest combined trump suit for both pairs, not just one. Here, for opener knows EW may have no real spade fit let alone a 9 card fit.

Plus sometimes bidding tells the opps info that helps them. Bid 3H as opener and now west, looking at xxx in hearts, knows his partner has a stiff or void and so he can bid aggressively. Pass and west lacks that inference and may swing low, missing a game.