Nilz

1. [hv=pc=n&w=s62hakqt52dat2c96&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=pp1n(12-14)]133|200[/hv] LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak nt. New partnership, no agreements, all overcalls natural, double is penalties. Please rate the following calls, or say if you would make a completely different bid: 2H, x, P. Feel free to say if vul/scoring affects your decision too. 2. [hv=pc=n&w=skq762h82da83cjt5&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=4h]133|200[/hv] Do you bid? If not, what's the smallest change that would make you bid?

LHO had solid diamonds, good spades, a heart void and Kxx of clubs. Partner had the club Ace. I didn't lead a club, and our trick vanished (RHO had the Q). Glad I'm not the only one fooled!

[hv=pc=n&s=s752ht9742dt62c65&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1c1sp3dp4sp5hp5sp7sppp]133|200[/hv] Perhaps this is not an interesting hand, but there are certainly a lot of imps at stake. You hold a balanced 0-count, as always, and the above auction unfurls. 1C promised 4 (acol). 3D was a fit-jump. 5H was a cue, and 5S was a sign-off, apparently. You to lead.

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=skqxxxhj9xxdxxxc3]133|100|Scoring: MP 1NT-(P)-2♣-(x) xx-(P)-?[/hv] Double is lead directional. (a) Would you ever sit for this contract? (b) If so, would you ever sit if 1NT was 12-14?

OK, OK, I did expect the poll to be pretty one-sided. As it happens, bidding clubs would've worked out because the hands were: [hv=v=b&w=sk7532hd9cak98732&e=shkjtxxxxdxxcqjtx]266|100|Scoring: MP[/hv] If they don't lead or switch to trumps (which are 1-1), 6C makes (I think the spade Ace falls in 4 rounds, I think hearts are 4-2 or 5-1, but I can't remember for sure). Anyway, the opps will bid lots of diamonds whether you pass or bid clubs, so you won't get to play 6C or 3H.

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=sk7532hd9cak98732]133|100|Scoring: MP 3♥-(P)-?[/hv] Partner preempts your void as usual. Do you dig a little further, or pass and hope LHO balances? Partner's style: He'll always have a 7 card heart suit, QJTxxxx or better. Always 6-10 points (not necessarily in hearts!). Never 4 spades. Possibly a 4 card minor. New suit by you is forcing for one round. Also, if it affects your decision, partner is (shall we say) not the best declarer in the world...

Thanks for the responses. Partner playing the 4 seems consistent with declarer having something like KJTxxx-Kx-Kxx-Kx, in which case a diamond is necessary. But partner could also have K4 of hearts doubleton, and not the diamond ace, in which case a heart continuation is necessary. So it seems like I have to guess. From the responses (and common sense) it seems that partner holding K4 exactly (or K42 if declarer plays the 7) is less likely than holding the diamond ace, so probably a diamond is best. I chose the heart queen and declarer made. Reading the comments, it seems like most people chose a diamond, so maybe I am partially to blame. But partner could have made it easier for me if he had found a double of the splinter with AKQJT43 of diamonds... (declarer had KJT9xx-K7xx-5-K4)

Thanks for the replies... I chose 3H and double. Maybe I had a couple of spades in with my clubs, whatever. Let's call the second double 'aggressive' rather than 'insane'. Anyway, my partner had ♠3 ♥QT4 ♦T9762 ♣QT73 He misinterpreted my second double, and passed. 3S*+1. Not a great score. I assume based on the responses that partner should've bid 4H? That goes a couple off on best defence, so -170 in 3S is the best score we had available, so I should've passed. But it seems like neither of us bid particularly well.

P-1♥-P-P- x-1♠-x Do you agree that this double shows a penalty pass of hearts? What does it say about spades- takeout oriented (say a 0634 shape or similar) or penalty oriented (say a 4522 shape or similar)? Or does it just show a penalty pass of hearts and ask partner to do something intelligent (say a 2623 shape or similar)?

If you bid 3H and then double the second time, what should the double mean? Very strong and balanced? Takeout with good hearts (and a better hand than this)? Or pure penalty?

Seems like the consensus is to lead the heart ace, which is pleasing, since that's what I chose. Believe it or not, Dummy has: ♠AQ86 ♥J10 ♦8 ♣AQ9653 Partner contributes the 4 (standard carding), declarer plays the 2. What do you play at T2? Does your play change if declarer plays the 7?

[hv=d=w&v=n&s=sk84hakj87dqj8ck2]133|100|Scoring: MP (1♠)-P-(2♠)-A? (3♠)-P-(P)-B?[/hv] LHO deals and opens. What would you bid at A and B?

[hv=d=s&v=e&s=s43haq953d9762cj2]133|100|Scoring: MP 1♠-4♦-4♠-6♠[/hv] You are West, RHO deals and the opps carry out the above uncontested auction. 4D was a splinter, 4S says "She wants to play in 4S". Your lead. There may be follow-ups.

[hv=d=w&v=e&s=sjxxxhxdjxxckqxxx]133|100|Scoring: MP P-1D-4H-P P-X-P-?[/hv] My partner held this hand as South. Am I going mad, or is his bid obvious? Also, the hand I held that doubled is hidden below. Would you double with that? If not, what's the smallest improvement you'd have to make in order to double? Does your answer change if S was dealer and passed?

I've read about hands where a 6 of trumps gets promoted before. The following hand is less impressive, but still amused me. [hv=d=e&v=n&n=sq862ht6542dq9cxx&w=s9h983dak86cqtxxx&e=sakt7543hjd43cj97&s=sjhakq7djt752cakx]399|300|Scoring: MP 3♠-x-P-4♥ AP[/hv] Play: ♠ACE-jack-9-2 ♦4-2-KING-9 ♦ACE-queen-3-5 ♦8-♥10-♥JACK-♦7 And if E plays a spade now, the 9 of hearts gets promoted into a trump trick for W!

1♦-(P)-1♥-(x) 1♠-(P)-1NT-(2♥) Is this 2♥ bid defined in standard bidding? What would you expect the bidder holds?

[hv=d=s&v=b&w=sxhakqjtxdqxxcktx&e=skxxxh987dxxcaxxx]266|100|Scoring: MP (1♦)-1♥-(1♠)-P (2♦)-2♥-(2♠)-3♥ AP [/hv] 3H made +1. Do you want to be in 4? If so, who is most to blame?

We are red they are white at MPs. You open 1NT with a 5 card diamond suit. LHO doubles for penalties. Partner escapes to your 5 card minor (in our methods partner bids 2C to transfer to diamonds). RHO passes (bids undiscussed), you complete the transfer, and LHO doubles for takeout. RHO bids 2S. Would you ever compete to 3D here? If so, could you ever be tempted to compete at these colours if the 1NT was weak?

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=sqxxhaqxxdkq10xxxc&w=saxxxhdajxcakxxxx&e=s10xxxhxxxxxxdxxxc&s=skjhkj9dxcqj109xxx]399|300|Scoring: MP (P)-1♣-(x)-1♦ (1♥)-2♣-(P)-3♦ (P)-3NT-(x)-P (P)-4♣-(P)-5♣ AP[/hv] 5C-5. Please ATB. For extra credit, feel free to comment on any of the bids, and say which you think was the single worst bid.

OK, thanks. So the answer to the original question is that you pass with almost any hand (especially balanced), since partner will know we have nothing, and can bid accordingly? And this is true whether the double shows 'some picture cards' or says "we're beating this"?

So you would not expect partner to run with a balanced 0-3 count (which he presumably must have)?

Closer to 'some picture cards' than the former. Partner wouldn't have worthless cards like QJ stiff (unless he has 16+ points elsewhere), but may (and did) have something like Axx-KJxx-AKx-JTx. Would anyone advise doubling a weak notrump with that?

Yes, you are right of course, the double was stupid. However, I thought it was possible that the slam may go 1 or 2 off, whilst some others may play exceptionally badly and go 1 or 2 off in some lower level contract. Maybe not common where you play, but I have known people to make 3 or 4 tricks fewer than other declarers in the same denomination through sheer bad play. Also, I hoped that if I could entice declarer to take a finesse through my worthless hand instead of my partner's, we may gain there. But it obviously was a silly double, and hopefully I'll learn not to make such impetuous bids in future.

What's the weakest hand that you'd pass with in 4th seat, after (1NT)-X-(XX)? Partner would double with most 16+ counts (although not wildly distributional ones). 1NT was 12-14 and XX showed the balance of points (ie 8+). Does it make any difference if they play a weak or strong notrump? If vul and scoring matter, please feel free to distinguish.

I thought there was a thread somewhere about weird auctions, but I couldn't find it. My opps perpetrated this auction on me last night. LHO opens a 19-22 2NT. RHO thinks and bids 3NT. LHO bids 6. I doubled on principle with a quacky 5 count, and of course it made an overtrick. LHO revealed that she'd miscounted, and therefore had to bid again. She had a balanced 23. I pointed out that her partner could've had 6 points (he actually had a 6322 8 count with KQ to 6 diamonds), but they didn't seem to understand how ridiculous the 6nt bid was. Nobody else bid slam at all, so the double cost nothing, as I knew it wouldn't. Yet they still insisted that the double was the stupidest bid at the table. Oh well. Sometimes, you just gotta laugh.