Preparing the ground?

[Edmunte1]

Playing in the national MP's final, you hold as South in second seat:

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=shaqj10932dkq94cj9]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

and East opens 1♠.

 

a ) What's your first bid ?

b ) Considering that LHO bids 4♠ and it comes pass - pass up to you, what's your second bid?

[Guest Jlall]

4H then X.

[Echognome]

My first bid is 4♥. The tougher question to me is whether I make another move over 4♠. I hate bidding my hand twice, but to me the void and good heart suit make me try again with 5♦. Very difficult call though.

[P_Marlowe]

#a 2H, but I can understand 4H

#b having bid 2H, I now bid 5H,

having bid 4H, I now bid 5D

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[Sambolino]

2H then 5H; 2H allows pard to act, and if he passes 4s i'm willing to believe it makes

at IMPS 4H may be practical bid then pass

[BebopKid]

I like the 4♥/5♦ route myself.

 

Thinking partner will put me back in Hearts with at least 2 hearts and less than 4 diamonds

[whereagles]

4♥ first. If LHO bids the expected 4♠, I might try 4NT on a good day.

 

Prefer 4NT to 5♦ so that pard knows to expect a 7-4 and pick the right suit :P

[Guest Jlall]

4H then 5D seems way too unilateral. You have a lot of defense here, and if partner has short hearts you might well beat them. If he has some hearts he will usually bid 5H over your X. I agree you'd usually like more defense than this for the reopening X, but nothings perfect.

[keylime]

Ditto Justin. Bidding 5D is casting your entire lot (pun intended) into the mix.

[asc]

4♥, next 4NT-if P says 5♣, I-5♦ so i think that will show may very good ♥ and some ♦-just in case if my P have 5or more ♦

[Fluffy]

I don't think showing ♦ helps us at all, I would bid 2 or 4 ♥ depending on the day, next bid is 5♥

[skjaeran]

4♥, then double.

Double shows that I've got a very good 4♥ overcall with some defence. Partner bids on or converts as is appropriate with his holding.

[mikeh]

4♥, then double.

Double shows that I've got a very good 4♥ overcall with some defence. Partner bids on or converts as is appropriate with his holding.

agree 100%

 

Also agree with Justin that we's like a better hand, defensively, to double, but we can't always hold the hand they show in the dictionary next to our bid.

 

I cannot understand wanting to get ♦s in play: even if he has 4 of them, our hand may be dead after we are tapped at trick one...if ♦s are 4-1, we may be going down a LOT, especially since he rates not to hold the trump Ace.

 

If he has short ♥s and 5+♦s, then I am sorry.... but the odds say that this is not the most probable red suit layout.

 

And LHO was under pressure when he bid 4♠. BTW, I would not have bid 4♥ had I not intended to double next: the beauty of the 4♥ bid is that it puts pressure on LHO and partner may be sitting there with a delicious trump holding, unable to double because my 4♥ call did not promise any defence at all: I'd bid 4♥ on KQJxxxxxx and out.

[Edmunte1]

This was the full hand:

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=skxxhxd8xc10xxxxxx&w=sq109xxhxxdj10xxcqx&e=sajxxxhkxxdaxxcak&s=shaqj109xxdkq9xcj9]399|300|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

As you can see 4♥ then double was the right choice, even with almost nothing in partner's hand this goes down 2. My choice 2♥ followed by 5♥ ( i was hoping to have a second bid or partner to make a move before 4♠), -500 scored 3/20 MP's