Competitive Auction

[Guest Jlall]

You hold xxx AK Axxx xxxx red/red. You pass in first seat (many wont like it, but it's consistent with your partnership and individual style). LHO opens 1D which is 0+ diamonds 10-15 (basically he could have either minor, or balanced) p 2H weak on your right, p p X from partner. Whats your bid?*

 

By agreement 2N would be scrambling. If you bid 2N, partner will bid 3D then you can tell me what you bid.

[paulg]

I'm not going to kill partner for balancing so will scramble and settle in 3♦. It's quite possible that we can make 3NT if partner has the right balanced 14 count (or even 3154), but with no obvious source of tricks I'm prepared to go quietly.

 

Paul

[Apollo81]

Game seems like a 35% favorite or so from the auction. If pard had 15 he probably would have bid something, but he also cant be too weak since he is balancing this high red in an auction that doesnt explicitly show a fit even if one is likely. I like that pards high cards are over openers but I dont like that 7 HCP are being wasted on 2 heart stoppers. I would scramble into 3d at MPs just hoping for a plus, whereas at IMPs I would probably just bid 3NT and hope for the best since we are red

 

One of these bids is probably wrong.

[mikeh]

I like the 2N scramble and I am comfortable that a 3♥ cue should be telling, not asking. Normally, a cue in the only known opp suit is asking (to the extent that it pertains to a NT investigation) but I don't see how that is possible here. Partner is most unlikely to have balanced with a hand containing a ♥ stopper opposite a passed hand partner and lacking the values to act over 1♦.

 

So I think that 3♥ shows a hand that is maximal and has grown up hearing about the ♦ fit. I hope that this is not Alice in Wonderland thinking.

 

If he bids 3N, I have a tough call: can we be off the entire ♣ suit? More germane: can we have 9 tricks in time? He clearly has ♠ length and strength and probably 5+♦s. He is unlikely to be really short in ♥: opener may well have raised the ante with 4♥s. So I see partner as holding, at best 4=2=5=2 shape. Will/should he bid 3N with KQxx xx KQxxx Qx? BTW, he could double with that hand, knowing that I will not bury him in ♣s, intending to correct to 3♦ if need be. However, that is hardly clear. He may be 3=2=5=3 or (my hope) 4=2=6=1, intending to correct ♣ to ♦s...or similar shapes with ♠ not suited for a 4 card overcall.

 

I think that I will aim for 5♦, not 3N. I am going to pull 3N (or any other bid below 4♦) to 4♦ and allow him to make the last guess.

[Guest Jlall]

Just curious, is 4243 a possibility here?

[Guest Jlall]

Partners actual hand was AKJx xx KT9xx xx. I chose to bid 2N scrambling and then 3N over 3D lol. This seemed weird but my reasoning was partner could have quite a good hand and pass the 0+ 1D bid if he had diamond length, but if he had club length he would be more inclined to have bid over 1D. So I was going to pass 3C, and bid 3N over 3D. The opps didnt find the club lead and the diamonds came in so 3N made.

[Robert]

Hi everyone

 

I would have overcalled 1S with your partner's hand and never even sniffed at 3NT. Well bid.

 

Regards,

Robert