rsteele

Playing with a well known expert but in a rapidly formed partnership you have agreed on 15-17 pt NT, up the line responses and Wolff sign off. You open 1C partner responds 1H and you rebid 2NT. Partner holds: QXXX, KXXX, X, QXXX What do you expect him to bid with this hand?

If you don't know what your pds bid means I certainly don't but I bid a confident 4 Spades as that has the higher upside at imps and I don't expect the opp trumps to be good enough to double.

Agree with pass. I have a max for three clubs but think it the lesser of evils. I now bid 4D!!

After you open one heart at imps with both Vul, your LHO bids 4S and partner doubles. By agreement the double shows transferable values but what is a minimum for his double?

One heart seems automatic and 2NT seems to fit the agreements. 3C with an unbalanced hand seems standard but at this point I think the proper rebid is 3 hearts. As 2C Drury would show the ten point hand with 3+ hearts a three heart bid now shows a doubleton heart with doubts about game.

Firstly I disagree with your premise "very good partner". He or she may very well be a very good player but no very good partner would torture you with an undiscussed auction of this sort. In Std a 3D overcall of one diamond shows diamonds. Therefoe partner does not want to play 3 diamonds. But it is perhaps std that without further agreements 3 hearts is a good raise in spades. So why confuse things with 3 diamonds. Certainly after the game you might discuss what 3D in the given auction means but for now you must guess. If partner has spades with a partial in Diamonds Axxx xxxx AQTx X You will play very well indeed. If he has - as some have suggested a 5 cr D suit and 4 spades - XXXX XXX AKTxx x you may make 6. So why not return the torture - I bid 5 CLUBS

As Marty Bergen said of this situation "there is no standard" so let me outline the simplistic method I prefer. I bid one spade with 4 spades and 11-13 support points and bid 2 spades with 4 spades and 14-15 support points. Therefore responder on the given hand will bid 2 spades over one spade. This is not invitaional but simply follows the law. The idea that the negative double "always" shows 4-4 is bothersome as always is seldom a viable term in a game of judgement. It seems reasonable to me that over one heart in the given sequence one might make a negative double holding AQJ xxxx XX Qxxx or even certain 4-6 hands.

I expect that pd has a limit raise in hearts with only three trump. He may even hold 4 spades in a 4-3-1-5 hand. I pass though I am one of a few left that believe penalty doubles are more lucrative than the "do something intelligent modern double". It should be noted that the 2S bid over one NT is often tactical and pre balancing.

Ultra light to dbles have the additional flaw in that you have disclosed your shape to a competent declarer when you do not declare.

Reading all the post it is obvious that the "field" favors action but doesn't know what the final contract should be. I suggest that 3 Spades is a better solution than 3 hearts. It says I had a trap pass of clubs, I don't have hearts and I do have spades. A considerabled improvement over simply directing a no trump contract.

Once I passed 1H I do not have a bid that shows a hand this strong. I look at this as a Leb. auction and bid 5D but do not expect partner to bid unless he should have opened 2C. Perhaps he has made a bid nearly as bad as mine.

Playing with a national champion you hear this auction: Pass - Pass - 1H - Pass 3H? You are playing fit Drury. How do you paly 3 Hearts?

At imps this is a clear cut 3C call. Pd should have a good hand and a good suit. At MPs this is a matter of style - not that of the advancer but that of the overcaller. I want my pds to bid 2C over 1D with any excuse. It is the most disruptive of the simple overcalls as it occupies the most space. It disrupts natural free bids, interferes with negative doubles and skews natural NT bidding. Therfore when I raise the 2C call to 3C I will have playing strengh and can stand the lead if it should come to that. This style also dismisses the Law of total tricks in this situation as 5 cd club suits (even 4) are as likely as 6. Over 1D bid 2C NV on XXX, X QTXXX, AKQJ