A question for Moscito players

[sartaj1]

Playing Moscito in an IMP match , i held

 

98x

Jxx

Kxxx

Jxx

 

We are vulnerable, they are not

Partner opens 1H showing 4+ Spades ( 9-14)

Pass on your right.

 

Your choices :

pass = any

1S = psychic relay, 11+

1NT = nat, NF , denying support

2S = 6-9, 3 card spade raise

Or any other imaginative call

[the hog]

Justin and I always bid 2S on this sort of hand. especially vul vs not. You can't afford to play 1H down 6 and they are unlikely to double 2S.

Ron

[Codo]

2 Spades loks automatic to me. I thought these part score bidding space stealing bids with unknown LOTT descissions for the opps are the back boones for the mosquito. On the other hand: Did you ever see a mosquito with boones? But who am I to know?

 

Kind Regards

 

Roland

[luis]

1NT.

I have 5HCP and if 1NT is usually 6-9 it's not that far.

I don't want to play 2s vulnerable in a 4-3 fit we may have a 8/9 card fit in a minor suit so I'd be happy if pd can rebid a minor over 1NT.

With this particular vulnerability it's likely to be trapped after a T/O double and penalty pass if I bid 2s.

[hrothgar]

Playing Moscito in an IMP match , I held

 

98x

Jxx

Kxxx

Jxx

 

We are vulnerable, they are not

Partner opens 1H showing 4+ Spades ( 9-14)

Pass on your right.

 

Congratulations on the win in Manila!

 

You've posted an extremely nasty hand:

 

Systemically, I believe that the correct bid with this hand is pass.

Your hand is terrible. You have virtually no offensive values.

I'm extremely worried that partner will take some strong action if I encourage him.

I'll be horrified if partner makes a game try. Worse yet would be a penalty double of the opponent's three level contract.

 

With this said and done. Both Ron and Luis both raise very valid points.

1H - 5 is rarely a good score. Either a 1NT or 2S response have a real potential to improve the contract. However, for me, the 4333 shape and the soft values really degrade the hand too much. I'm going to pass. Maybe LHO is feeling generous and will rescue us?

 

I would raise to 2S holding either

 

Kxx

xx

Jxxx

Jxx

 

or

 

KTxx

xxx

xxx

xxx

 

but the hand you're tabling is just too weak

 

I'll be curious to see what happened at the table

 

I'm highly amused that Ron, Luis and I all prefer different responses

Who says there's no judgement to a relay system.

[luis]

The point is which is our best playable contract (we can't play 1s):

Options:

1nt, 1h, 2c, 2d, 2s

If we bid 2s or pass 1h we are gambling on one of 5 possible contracts.

If we bid 1nt we can still play 2c, 2d or 2s. 1nt is wrong if our best spot is 1h and I think that's not likely.

The problem of 1NT is that a doubling machine it's easier to start over a 1nt bid than a suit bid, someone may double 1n and it's easier for the other player to leave the double.... but still we can find a 2m contract that can't be doubled or is only down 1 if doubled..... if everything fails we'll likely end up in 2s doubled and if they can double 2s it's likely that a t/o double and penalty pass over 2s would have been found if we bid 2s.......

 

If you think 2s is indeed the right bid then bid 1nt then retreat to 2c if doubled and then retreat to 2d if doubled and then retreat to 2h if doubled and finally retreat to 2s if doubled. If they manage to double all those contracts and they manage to double 2s as well then bad luck but we have a lot of chances to escape..... They frequently get obfuscated and jump to 3nt or something :-)

[hrothgar]

The point is which is our best playable contract (we can't play 1s):

 

Luis, if I were assured that I had the option to play 2m or 2S I would be much happier to bid 1N or 2S. However, my fear is that any bid by me is going to lead to a three level contract.

 

Please note: The systemic response to a 1H opening with 3=3=4=3 shape is a direct raise to 2S. If you respond 1NT, you are telling partner that you hold 2 Spades and 3+ card support for either minor. Misleading partner about shape could have an ugly impact on partner's defense. Case in point:

 

Assume that the auction starts

 

1H - (P) - 1N - X

2C - (X) - 2D

 

If I see this auction, my expectation is that partner is scrambling with a hand like

 

xx

Qxx

KQJ73

xxx

[the hog]

If you think 2s is indeed the right bid then bid 1nt then retreat to 2c if doubled and then retreat to 2d if doubled and then retreat to 2h if doubled and finally retreat to 2s if doubled. If they manage to double all those contracts and they manage to double 2s as well then bad luck but we have a lot of chances to escape..... They frequently get obfuscated and jump to 3nt or something :-)

 

One problem with all this is that in my experience you are FAR more likely to get doubled with this sort of run out. Also Richard makes the telling point that 1N virtually denies 3S, and anyway the range is higher than Luis suggests.

 

A confident bid of 2S is likely to work best. 2S X is game and the opps may well not be prepared to play this contract, particularly if trumps are 3-3.

 

There are other problems with 1NT. The first is that it is the bid most likely to attract a penalty X. The second is that with a weak canape, opener may well not bid again anyway eg a 4225. (Not that he would over 2S). Another structure that we used to play is to play Ruben's advances. Here you give up the ability to play 1N, because bids are transfers to the next suit up. Hence 2H would be a good S raise and 2S is the poor S raise. Richard correctly points out that this does not place enough pressure on the opps.

 

Systemically the correct bid is to pass, and I would guess that Sartaj did this. As I suggested Justin hates this and ONLY passes with decent H, hence 2S for us is it.

[sartaj1]

Thanks Richard.

Moscito won the matchpoint event at the Far East but we finished fourth in the teams.

On the hand i posted from the teams, this is what happened

 

AK10xxx

xx

xx

Axx

 

98x

Jxx

Kxxx

Jxx

 

1H - pass - 2S - double

3S - dbl - all pass

 

Spades were 4-0 offside, diamond ace was offside,

the defense didnt punch dummy twice for the possible trump coup.

And i was - 1100 against measly 420.

 

While Paul (Marston) was sympathetic towards my choice, in retrospect i feel that the adverse vulnerability, the lack of shape and the lack of values

all shreak for a 1NT bid.

We are less likely to get into trouble after that and there will be more room to maneuver if we do.