rmnka447

No need to preempt in 4th seat with a normal preempt, so the bid should be descriptive. 3 ♣ looks fine to me as a bid defining my strength and approximate playing strength. The problem with 1 ♣ is that the opponents may have the opportunity show a major holding via a low level overcall. Since both opponents have passed, it will be more difficult to compete over 3 ♣.

I think 2 ♠ stands out in the 2nd round instead of 3 ♥. It can't be a real suit since the opponent has advertised a 5-5 major hand. So, it must be a stopper. At MPs with minor hands, you want to keep 3 NT in the picture as a possible game contract. 2 ♠ does that because it's highly unlikely that partner has a spade stopper. On this hand, it enables partner to bid 3 NT (which is probably how the majority of the pairs playing 3 NT got there). If partner instead finds a 3 ♦ bid, tending to deny a good heart stopper, you can bid 3 ♥ asking for a partial stopper. That would enable you to find a good 3 NT game when partner holds something like ♠ K ♥ Qxx ♦ KJx ♣ A10xxxx. 2 ♠ also keeps open both 3 ♣ and 4 ♣ as rebids so partner can differentiate between unbalanced club hands.

I'm bidding 4 ♠ with this hand. IMPs is about total points won or lost. Let's say partner is right and that this IS a LOTT hand. Then with 17 total trump between the two hands there should be 17 total tricks in the hand. If 4 ♥ is making, then that leaves your side with 7 tricks in a ♠ contract. That's down 3. If you are Dbld NV, that's still only -500 versus a -420 if they play in 4 ♥ -- a loss of 2 IMPs. But it may be unclear to the opponent's whether to Double or not -- in an auction like this, it often hard to tell who's bidding to make and who's sacrificing -- then you might be -150 versus -420 -- a gain of 7 IMPs. If 4 ♥ is down 1 or down 2, then 4 ♠ would be set 2 tricks or 1 trick respectively -- potentially a loss of -150 or -4 IMPs -- not exactly a disaster. And, of course, the opponents might just hold 10 trumps, making it an 18 total trick hand -- so that bidding is even more attractive. Now let's look at your hand. You can see that your side has a 2 suited fit, you have ruffing potential in ♥, and you have a value in the 4th suit sitting behind what looks to be the stronger of the opponent's hands. So all the values in your hand are "working". If partner holds something as minimal as ♠ KJxx ♥ xx ♦ AKxxx ♣ xx, 19 total HCP, 4 ♠ still has a good chance to make. Any time you can catch one of these "thin" games, it's usually very good for your side. The jackpot is, as gszes points out, when partners are in 4 ♥ making and 4 ♠ makes. These double game swings are usually match winners. Also, some percentage of the time, your opponent's may take the push to 5 ♥ going down 1 more than your partners OR going down when partners are allowed to play and make 4.

Based on your description of LHO's demeanor, I'm opening 1 ♦ on this hand. It sounds like you're pretty sure that LHO is opening 1 ♣. So, why let the opponents get into their comfort zone with a rocking chair auction after a strong 1 ♣? Partner ought to allow some that I'm opening light in 3rd seat. If it works out badly, it's only one board, and at MPs there is time to recover. Sometimes table presence/instinct is as important as cold logic in deciding what to do. The hard part though is sometimes discerning between it and wishful thinking.

2 ♠ to give partner partner the most room to show what he/she holds. This is a hand where opener needs to captain the auction and ask the questions.

2 ♠. At unfavorable vulnerability and in second seat, a weak 2 bid should be made on good values. I fully agree with Statto's comments about how the auction may proceed.

I pretty much agree with gszes's assessment of why you should respond. It is possible that opener could hold something like ♠ AJxx ♥ AQx ♦ x ♣ KJ10xx and 4 ♥ even has a play. As for opener, the hand has only 14 HCP but is a 4 loser hand. The outstanding feature is the ♣ suit, so there's no reason not to tell partner that with your rebid. 3 ♣ looks about right because it's just possible you might have 3 ♣ losers if the hand is a misfit. Responder then can cooperate in finding the best spot. Responder will know that any ♣ honors held even a stiff can carry full value. Unfortunately, in this case, responder should just pass. It's a good bidding policy to never place cards in partner's hand until bridge logic tells you they are there.

I'm passing 3 NT. Your hands rate to hold 28-29 points between them and that's counting your jacks at full stroke. The stiff ♦ J probably isn't worth anything more than distributional value in a ♣ slam. So, I rate the 4 ♣ bid the culprit on this hand.

My preferred auction is 1 ♣/1 ♦ - 1 ♥ - 1 ♠ - 3 NT. If opener has a big distributional hand, then he can pull 3 NT to 4 ♦/4 ♠ suggesting a suited game (and implying at least mild slam interest). Or, with the 18-19 NT hand, opener can raise NT. The responding hand certainly looks like NT is the right strain to play in. After 3 ♣, opener can't have a 5 card ♠ suit, so 3 ♠ just can't be right. The choice seems to be between 3 ♦ and 3 NT. 3 ♦ is probably preferable because opener might well be 4-0-5-4 where a ♥ lead could be fatal. It allows opener the most options to describe his hand or set the contract. With a minimum 4-4-4-1 hand including the stiff ♥ A, I think opener has an easy 3 NT call. I would have also seriously considered making a 2 NT call over the 2 ♦ game force bid. Slam is unlikely opposite this minimum hand unless responder has a monster. If partner raises ♠s we'll get to 4 ♠. If a 3 of a minor is bid, 3 NT seems like a natural next rebid.

3 ♣ seems right. Opener should take into account that you may need to do so on the kind of hand you actually hold. A 4-3 ♥ fit might be OK to play if partner came accomodate short hand ruffs in ♦. But there's no guarantee that's the case here. 2 ♠ isn't right with just 3 ♠s. 3 ♦ should show a stronger hand. 2 NT is out because you have no ♦ stopper. So, by default, 3 ♣ looks about the only logical bid to be made.

Pass It's just possible that partner has something like ♦ xxxx and knows that you are void. Additionally, having a stiff ♣ and great cards in the majors, partner might well bid 6 ♥ knowing it's got a very good chance of making.

At MPs, I tend to be more aggressive opening hands. Hand # 1 - 11 HCP, but that includes a stiff K and a dangling J. 1 1/2 QTs, 8 losers -- so it looks like a weak 2 ♦ bid to me, but I wouldn't argue too much with a pass. Hand # 2 - 10 HCP, but 2 QTs and a 6 loser hand. I'm counting the ♣ J at a full value as it has supporting intermediates. That's a 1 ♠ opener to me.

4 ♠ -- It's OK to bid 4 ♠ with only 4 trump when you have a 6 card side suit. If partner has ♣s, your holding is golden. If partner holds other suits, you've distribution to ruff losers in them.

I'm passing. After my double, partner had a chance to bid over 4 ♠ with likely no more than a stiff in ♠ and didn't. (It's also just possible pard might have a doubleton if responder bid 4 ♠ with 4 ♠s and 6 cards in another suit.) Since partner didn't have an opener, double should show some decent values with no clear cut call over 4 ♠. If so, with my hand's values spread out between the 3 remaining suits, there's a decent chance that 4 ♠ can be beat. If not, -170 (+420 vs. -590, +620 vs. -790) isn't a completely unmitigated disaster.

Yeah, it's disconcerting looking at a void opposite partner's overcall. But, if you take a call are you likely to improve the result any? There's no guarantee partner has any good fit for your minors. At a minimum, you're increasing the level of the contract or the cost of the set by doing anything except pass. On a good day, however, you might just find partner with something like ♥ AKJ9876 where the damage can be minimized even though there's a trump stack behind him. If partner can hold the damage to down 1 or 2, you might not be too badly off versus, say, 3 NT making their way.

If 3 NT can be beaten, it will have to be with long suit tricks from partner's hand. Opener has advertised no 4 card or longer major, so is more likely to have 4=4, 5=3, or 3=5 in the minors than any 4-3-3-3 hand. ♠ 10 seems best guess for hitting partner's major holding, if any, and more likely not to give anything away.

Gee, there are a lot of points in this deck. Partner makes a takeout double, this hand has 12, and RHO finds a 1 ♠ response. Between opener's hand and this hand there are a minimum of 10 ♦s. Chances are that 2 entries will be required to set them up. Also, I'm a bit worried about ♣s. Partner shouldn't have more than 5. If opener has a minor 2 suiter, my diamonds are dead. Or, if, more likely, opener is opening better minor, ♣s will set behind partner's hand. So I'll be a little conservative and bid only 2 NT with this hand.

2 ♦

I'm finessing. You have 22 HCP and LHO has shown up with ♠ K at trick 1. Then RHO (opener) led a low ♣ at trick 3. That indicates the RHO is unlikely to hold ♣ KQ(J)x, giving LHO either ♣ K or ♣ Q. Therefore, LHO looks to have at least 5 or 6 HCP. Added to the 22 HCP your side already had, that leaves 12 or 13 HCP for opener. So it's unlikely that RHO has enough for an opener if LHO also has ♥ Q. BTW, it's better the lead ♥ J on the second lead of the ♥s. First of all, it might induce RHO to cover with the ♥ Q. Secondly, it's the start of a safety play in ♥s. An alarm bell should go off in your head when LHO plays the ♥ 8 under your ♥ A. There is a possibility it just might be a stiff. If RHO fails to cover from an original ♥ Q965, then you can repeat the finesse. If RHO properly covers the ♥ J with the ♥ Q with that holding, you win with the ♥ K. Your only hope is that RHO held at least 2 ♦s. You try to transport back to dummy with a ♦. If successful, you can lead your last ♥ from dummy and finesse the ♥ 7 from your holding of ♥ 107x to capture RHO's ♥ 9x.

Bid 5 ♦. There's just no way to know if partner or opener has 2 of the 3 remaining As. The opponent's 1 ♠ - 4 ♠ preemption has done its job, so opt for the most likely positive result. If the opponent's bid further, we'll be in a forcing pass situation as we've voluntarily bid game.

2 ♥ -- I don't like doing it, but do so for maintaining partnership confidence. Partner has shown the equivalent of a Standard strong and artificial 2 ♣ opener. So, I'll give partner one more chance to tell his story.

I'm a 4 ♠ bidder also. Partner might find a minor suit game after a Dbl, but if 4 ♠s also makes you're probably not getting many matchpoints. If partner finds a 4 ♠ call, responder will be making the opening lead through your hand to opening bidder's hand. Undoubtedly, the lead will be a ♥ and probably a ♥ honor. If opener can let responder hold the lead, responder may find the killing shift (or, worse, be told if opener is able to show a suit preference on the opening lead). In any case, seeing your hand as dummy is likely help the defense more than seeing partner's hand. If partner sits for the Dbl, then he probably holds enough cards for you to make game. That means you'll need to beat 4 ♥x three to get a better result. If 4 ♠ goes down you're likely to have company.

If you "go with the field", then a number of other pairs are very likely to have the exact, same score as you do on the board. As a result, your score on the board is likely to be somewhere near average. On an 8 MP top (average=4), the result would likely be somewhere between 2.5 MP and 5.5 MP. Neither result is likely to lose or win the session for you, but you are likely to remain competitive. If you decide to go "against the field", then you know other pairs are going to be getting a different result. If your decision was right, then you're going to get a better score giving you a very good result on the board -- a near top or top. BUT if you are wrong, you're going to get a bad result -- a bottom or near bottom. As you get more experienced as a matchpoint player, you'll find that playing above average on most of the boards and minimizing bad results (bottoms or near bottoms) is a route to some success. Since "going with the field" usually precludes you from getting a bottom or near bottom, it falls in line with this approach to doing well at matchpoints.

Hand # 1 - Partner has shown something like a 19-20 point hand opposite your 5 loser player, so it's certainly worth a try. Since the critical issue is the ♣ control, a 4 ♠ cue, if available, would work best. Hand #2 - It's harder for West to take action toward slam on this hand. But the hand is a 7 loser hand opposite at worst a 5 loser hand. The concern is the ♥ suit, so it's probably best to cue the ♦ A. East could have made slam a whole lot easier to bid by reversing to 2 ♥ rather than jumping to 4 ♠. West could make a positive raise to 3 ♥, then East can show spade support (and by inference the ♦ shortness). Now West has no problem using RKCB. If you don't play splinters, then using reverses to bid out the pattern of a very strong supporting hand is quite useful. But the reversing hand should have good honor texture in the non trump suits.

Partner's double shows a good hand, 16-17+ -- might be shaded a little if distributional. First round pass was fine. You are a touch too strong for a WJS in ♦s. 3 ♦ looks right at this point.