What would you bid?

[jmc]

Playing 2/1 you hold:

 

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=skj1085hdk54ckj732]133|100|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Partner opens 1H you bid 1S and partner bids 3H. You have agreed to play 2/1 game forcing and this bid shows 16 to a terrible 18 and 6 hearts. What is your call? Please assume no special agreements but explain what normal agreements you would assume with a good pick-up partner. Explain a follow up plan if you have one.

 

jmc

[whereagles]

3NT. I got no plan except to make it :D

[pbleighton]

3NT. I got no plan except to make it

 

Yup.

 

Peter

[mike777]

3S

 

Will pass 3nt and let partner plan to make it. :D

[han]

3NT, not going to overthink this one.

[pclayton]

Overthinking leads to 4♣ which is a cue for hearts. So 3N for me.

[keylime]

3NT. Don't play pard to have 3 card club support.

[fred]

My judgment suggests that 3S is significantly better than 3NT here.

 

Partner won't bid 3NT unless he has some strength in both minors. In that case you rate to be in the right contract from the right side of the table.

 

If partner has a doubleton honor in spades he will usually bid 4S and I would expect that to be a better contract than 3NT most of the time.

 

If partner has 3-card spade support he will likely bid 4 of a minor (a cuebid in support of spades). I might have a problem in terms of deciding whether or not to cooperate, but that problem rates to be less severe then the problems I might have playing in 3NT opposite such a hand.

 

If partner has none of the above then his heart suit rates to be exceptional. He will likely bid 4H next and I will Pass. 4H will usually be at least as good as 3NT opposite a hand like that.

 

Even if you belong in clubs there is no way to get there (since 4C will be understood as a cue in support of hearts).

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[Guest Jlall]

The only problem I see with 3S is if partner is 1633 with a minor suit unstopped, I'm not sure if he's supposed to gamble 3N or what with that. Anyways, I would still bid 3S, the 5-2 has lots of upside. If my spades and clubs were reversed I would go 3N probably.

[kenrexford]

Explain a follow up plan if you have one.

I'm not telling what I would bid right now. But, whatever it is, my follow-up plan is to blame partner if my bid turns out not to be the right one for this deal. ;)

[redbird97]

3nt. I don't like it, but don't see any other bid.

[Fluffy]

Just 3NT, don't like 5-1 fits nor 5-2 fits where I had 9 running tricks.

[Codo]

Fred always, I mean really always convinces me. Justin convinces me in 95 % of his reasoning.

 

Okay not today.

I will still bid 3 NT because I would fear that pd won´t gamble 3 NT without a Club stopper, or that he would take me to a tricky 4 Spade contract with 9 top tricks in 3 NT.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

3S, and see what develops from it,

that is my plan.

I will pass 3NT, and I will pass 4H.

 

I cant bid 4C (it would be a cue in support

of hearts for me, maybe not the best agreement,

but I have to live with it, ... but I know, that

I dont have a clue, what my unknown partner

takes of 4C for).

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[Finch]

3S.

 

I play 4C as natural here, but I don't have the right hand for it.

 

It is a very special hand that

i) has 9 tricks in 3NT

ii) does not have 10 tricks in 4 of a major

iii) partner does not bid 3NT

 

I don't deny that such hands exist, but I think they are less common than some boring offering opposite such as

 

Axx

AKQxxx

xx

Ax

 

or

 

Ax

KQJ109xx

Jx

Ax

[Guest Jlall]

I play 4C as natural here, but I don't have the right hand for it.

Interesting, I think this is a minority treatment (not saying you don't play it, just that I don't think most do). Would have been nice the other day, I was 6-6 and the auction started this way.

 

Do you also play 4D as natural? If so, how do you try for slam in hearts?

[SoTired]

3S. The trouble with 3N is the heart void. Without at least 1 heart you may not be able to set up and run the hearts if partner's heart suit is good. You will end up stuck in your hand have to lead away from clubs or spades... YUCK! ;)

[Finch]

I play 4C as natural here, but I don't have the right hand for it.

Interesting, I think this is a minority treatment (not saying you don't play it, just that I don't think most do). Would have been nice the other day, I was 6-6 and the auction started this way.

 

Do you also play 4D as natural? If so, how do you try for slam in hearts?

Sorry, I didn't read the auction carefully enough, I also play this as a cue for hearts.

 

After a 2/1 and jump rebid I play new suits as natural (1H - 2D - 3H - 4C for example) and reserve 3S to agree hearts. (We play 1S - 2D - 3H as a 3S rebid allowing 3S to agree spades and 4C as natural). But this is in a non-2/1-system where the jump rebid is less committal as to strain.

[jdonn]

At the table I'm sure I reflexively bid 3NT. After reading Fred's post I am kind of on the fence, since I am less convinced of the goodness of a 5-2 spade fit. But I see his points.

[jmc]

The 3H bidder's hand was as follows:

 

[hv=s=saxhaq10xxxdxxcaqx]133|100|[/hv]

 

I normally play a big club system and felt uncomfortable in this auction. I chose to bid 3NT and it all worked out. I really wanted to bid 3S but thought partner would assume a 6-card suit. Giving up on a slam here with 3NT seemed a bit dangerous to me.

 

jmc

[skjaeran]

3♠.

I'll pass 3NT, 4♥ and 4♠ from partner.

If partner rebids 4♣ (cue), I'll give him a hand with 4♦ (a slight overbid, I know).

[fred]

Strangley enough, today in the USBC I held:

 

A109xx

void

A108

Q98xx

 

and the auction went 1H-1S-3H :)

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[Guest Jlall]

Strangley enough, today in the USBC I held:

 

A109xx

void

A108

Q98xx

 

and the auction went 1H-1S-3H :)

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

yeah, baze bid 3N and sontag passed(in a strong club system setting though, but still seems like a position) in the match I was watching, I thought of this hand too.