Troubles in the GNT

[Apollo81]

I have played at the national round of the open GNT 3 times.

 

If you think that a takeout double of 1C is automatic holding Jxx KQxx AKxxx x, then you don't belong in the event.

 

As for the 2S response on Q9xx Ax QTxxxxx x, that is just silly.  Bid your long suit and then spades.

 

Everyone wants to be a mastermind.  Just bid your cards.

Uh....lol

 

There are so many replies I want to make, but since Justin already replied in a much nicer way than I would have, I'll just say how much your post made me think of this.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?...=simmons/021107

I give you a solid 98.

 

Later Edit: No...No!!! Was Ken your world class partner??

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?sho...=0entry116958

Ok you get a 100, no doubts about it!

Yeah I agree that the UCR of this thread is pretty high.

[bid_em_up]

[jtfanclub]

Finally, my RHO, with 4 mediocre spades and six diamonds, bid 2S over 1H.

Fit-showing maybe? Insane otherwise.

Awww. Why do you think it's insane?

 

Your partner doubles, and you have a singleton in the suit. On the average, therefore, they have an 11 card fit. Seems pretty likely that you guys have a good diamond fit yourselves.

 

1♠ is pointless. It gives them extra space and helps them determine how good their heart fit is. Pass, well, I'm not used to passing when I know they have an 11 card fit and they don't.

 

OK, sure, I could have bid lots of diamonds, but why not look for the spade fit first? This looks to be a hand where 4♠ is going to be good on two levels, as a sacrifice or to make, provided partner has 4. If he doesn't, we don't have to end in spades, after all. I can always bid diamonds later, especially to escape an X.

 

I mean, take a look at the actual hands. Partner has about the worst hand possible across a spade response, partner has only what he promised so he shouldn't be raising spades, and even if he does 3♠ makes. Partner's not going to miss that level of bidding, but the opponents sure are.

 

I'm not sure I'd find the 2♠ call at the table, but I like it.

[Guest Jlall]

Your partner doubles, and you have a singleton in the suit. On the average, therefore, they have an 11 card fit.

lol

[bid_em_up]

Finally, my RHO, with 4 mediocre spades and six diamonds, bid 2S over 1H.

Fit-showing maybe? Insane otherwise.

Awww. Why do you think it's insane?

 

Your partner doubles, and you have a singleton in the suit. On the average, therefore, they have an 11 card fit. Seems pretty likely that you guys have a good diamond fit yourselves.

I guess because I had this auction in my head:

 

1♣-(1♦)-1♥-2♠ instead of

1♣-(X)-1♥-2♠

 

(which is why I kept saying 2S must be some sort of fit showing jump.....its fit showing for diamonds, lol)

 

After an X by partner, 2♠ isn't as bad as I originally thought.

 

But 3♦ would still be better, imo. When partner doubles 1♣, and you hold a stiff club yourself, since he "usually" rates to have some club length, he should also have extra values (unless very aggressive, I know there are those who would X on 4333 12 counts anyway). If he has extras, he is bidding something over 3♦ anyway. Your objective here should be to find your best fit, which is probably in your 6 card suit. If your side does not have the values for game, there is little difference between 3D making and 3S making and 3D is less likely to be damaged by a bad trump split. If your side does have the values for game, the safer game is probably going to be 5D, not 4S for the same reasons, and again, there is relatively little difference in the two where scoring is concerned.

[jtfanclub]

If your side does have the values for game, the safer game is probably going to be 5D, not 4S for the same reasons, and again, there is relatively little difference in the two where scoring is concerned.

If we have an 8 card spade fit and a 9 card diamond fit, I'd rather play in the 4-4.

 

-it's a level lower, and

-I can probably ruff twice in my hand, between hearts and clubs, while cashing the long diamonds. On the other hand, in diamonds, I'm not going to be able to ruff in the short hand.

-LHO should have the spade length (if a bad split) while RHO has the diamond length (if a bad split), but who really knows.

 

I think 4♠ is safer than 5♦.

 

And sure, it's true, we might be at the 2 level with a 7 card fit. Of course, partner could also be 4-4-2-3 and it's a 6-2 vs. a 4-4. Since my partners generally don't X with 3433 or 3352 without more points than should be possible in this bidding, the odds of a spade fit are much higher than those whose partners X with a 4333 12 count.

 

I like that 2♠ bid. I wish I could find bids like that at the table, instead of the post mortem.