Improving My Game 1

[Guest Jlall]

MP you pick up

 

AQJx x AJxx KQxx

 

Partner opens 2H 2nd seat red/white. Partner is medium level soundness at this vul. Your system is feature. What do you do? If you ask for a feature what is your plan over the various followups?

[ArtK78]

2nd seat red against white is medium level soundness? I would think that at those conditions you would play it as top level soundness.

 

I bid 2NT. If partner bids 3NT (solid suit) we will play in 3NT. Otherwise we will play in 4♥.

 

The only possibility of slam would be in a minor suit, and partner must have a good heart suit for a 2♥ bid 2nd seat red on white, so he can't have the right cards for a minor suit slam (unless he is basing his 2♥ bid on a two-suited hand, and you would have to know your partner to figure that one out).

[hrothgar]

Hi Justin

 

My understanding is that "Feature" is normally played as "Show a Feature with a maximum hand". Therefore, the 2NT feature ask incorporates a range ask.

 

Personally, I suspect that you want to play in 4H rather than 3N or 5m. I don't like a 3N contract. Even if partner tables AKQxxx we still need a 3-3 heart break to enjoy all his tricks and transport will be a bitch.

 

The chances of making 4M would seem to (largely) depend on the quality of partner's trump suit.

 

Given that partner has preempted Red versus White in second seat, I might very well just bid 4♥. If I didn't bid 4H, I'd bid 2N and bid 4♥ over any max.

[han]

I'd pass at matchpoints, I'd say the chance that we can make something at the 3-level or higher is less than 50%. I think that it is extremely close though and I would not be surprised if a simulation says I'm wrong.

 

I'd bid 3NT at IMPs when playing feature, oghust might be useful though.

[Guest Jlall]

Hi Justin

 

My understanding is that "Feature" is normally played as "Show a Feature with a maximum hand". Therefore, the 2NT feature ask incorporates a range ask.

Yes, partner will only show a feature with a good hand (in context).

[han]

Hmm, the others are probably right that 4H is more likely to make than 3NT given the seat and colors. Still, I'm becoming more confident that my initial pessimism was correct.

[mike777]

MP you pick up

 

AQJx x AJxx KQxx

 

Partner opens 2H 2nd seat red/white. Partner is medium level soundness at this vul. Your system is feature. What do you do? If you ask for a feature what is your plan over the various followups?

 

 

edit:

 

 

4H

[ralph23]

I will ask for a feature. When we played this (we now play Ogust), the agreement was 8+ HCP and an outside A or K to bid the feature; else, just return to the trump suit.

 

If opener can show a feature, I will bid 4♥. Our problem is then going to be to only lose 2 trump tricks, but maybe they'll lead a trump!

 

Not considering 3nt under any circumstances.....

[Guest Jlall]

Ok, so we have strain and level both as issues here.

 

For people who are going to drive to game this implies you think game will be good even when partner shows a minimum after we bid 2N.

 

What kind of minimum do you think partner might have?

 

x KQxxxx Kxx xxx if treated as a minimum is a pretty bad 4H game.

Kxx KJTxxx xxx x is also very bad.

xxx KQJxxx Qx xx is not a very good game.

 

etc.

 

Basically I don't see why we'd expect to make game opposite a 3H reply to feature.

 

Also I would like to see some justifications as to why we're picking hearts over 3N if partner shows, say, a diamond feature. Don't we have enough suits to play around with in NT to suggest that? And is 2N then 3N just a suggestion (since we didnt bid 3N direct) or is it a demand?

[mike777]

I think a minimum is a hand where partner has 6 tricks.....in hearts....and not solid with all the top hearts.

 

x...KQJTxxx.....xxx..xx

 

I think my dummy has good chances to add 4 more tricks.

[Cascade]

I bid 2NT. If partner bids 3NT (solid suit) we will play in 3NT. Otherwise we will play in 4♥.

I think my partner might show a solid suit with AKQxxx

 

Opposite a singleton this suit is better suited to 4♥.

[pclayton]

For me, 'medium level soundness' = 3 of the top 5 honors or better. AQTxxx, KJTxxx, QJTxxx all qualify. Pard could have another King and or/ queen too.

 

The range I would expect is: xx, KJTxxx, Qxxx, x on the low end and xxx, AQTxxx,Q,Kxx on the high end. Opposite the first, we are probably making 9 tricks in hearts. Note the heart 9 and even the heart 8-7 become very useful cards. Opposite the 2nd game looks pretty good.

 

I'll invite with 2N. Even at MPs, I think this hand is just too good to pass.

[Echognome]

Count me amongst the inviters. At this position and vulnerability, I expect partner to be sound. If partner bids 3♥, I hope he can take exactly 9 tricks. Gotta try though.

[hrothgar]

Also I would like to see some justifications as to why we're picking hearts over 3N if partner shows, say, a diamond feature.

When I used to play "Feature", a feature could either be a high card control (A or K) or shortness.

 

Admittedly, this makes it more difficult for responder to accurately judge how his hand matches up with the feature. However, it also increases the chance that you have a feature that you can show at a low level and often permits a counter trial.

[Guest Jlall]

BTW if you bid 2N partner will bid 3D. Are people going to 4H or 3N over that?

[Halo]

I think I should bid 2NT, and 3NT over a positive response.

 

Second choice would be just to bid 3NT immediately.

[ralph23]

BTW if you bid 2N partner will bid 3D. Are people going to 4H or 3N over that?

4♥.

 

I was thinking I'd get a black card if I got a positive response to 2NT, but the King of ♦ isn't so bad.

 

After all if they lead a diamond, I may be/will be cooked without the King, as they're going to unhinge my ♦ stop right away and then will cash their good ♦ once they get the lead back.

[Foxx]

I would make a preliminary move, for two reasons:

 

(1) The Rule of 17 ---- when partner makes a weak two bid, add the number of HCP you hold to the number of cards of trump support you hold. If the total comes to 17 or up, make (at least) a game try.

 

(2) At this vulnerability, partner's hand should be delivering about 6 tricks. We can expect to provide about 4. When partner is above minimum, we have 6 + 4 = 10.

 

I would bid 2NT and go on to 4♥ over any response other than a retreat back to 3♥. When partner holds something akin to ♠xxx ♥KQ109xx ♦Kx ♣xx, the game is good enough on the matchpoint odds to bid it: Partner just needs to find the ♠K onside, or pick up the ♥J in the play of the trump suit. Note that 3NT opposite this hand is poorer against the matchpoint odds: it probably needs the ♥J onside, in a three-card or shorter holding.

[benlessard]

It mostly a preemptive style question. Red vs white my 2 level preempt 2nd seat show at least 5.5 tricks. So passing doesnt even come to my mind. And i wont stop before game.

 

If you preempt red vs white 2nd seat with

 

xx

KQxxxx

Kxx

xx

 

what can i say ? its a free world.

 

I strongly suggest for anybody to read Bergen unconsted auction section about weak 2`s and the Bergen-Cohen weak 2` agreement in the same book.

 

And i also suggest to discuss with your partner each number of tricks-number of losers for each 1st 2nd 3rd seat depending of the vulnerability.

[SoTired]

If partner shows a feature, then I bid 3N, not 4H. With a feature, if partner has a good suit, then 3N or 4H makes, but if partner has a bad suit, then we may lose too many trump tricks at 4H.

[mr1303]

Personally, a large percentage of the time I'm going to pass 2H. KQxxxx and an outside K looks like an automatic weak 2 any seat any vulnerability, and opposite that hand, game has virtually no chance at all.

 

I'm not going to hang partner for trying to make life difficult for the opponents.

[skjaeran]

I'll go for 2NT.

Over 3♦ I'll rebid 3NT.

Over 3♣/♠ I'll bid 4♥.

[Finch]

I think this is way short of a game force.

It's close between a pass and an invite. At matchpoints it's easiest to pass quickly and hope LHO fancies a light protection(!).

 

There's clearly no 'obviously correct' answer to this. The following both look like non-minimum weak twos with a diamond feature:

 

 

xxx

KQJ109x

Kxx

x

 

(game is very good indeed, though not cold)

 

x

AQ109xx

Qxx

Jxx

 

(I don't fancy 4H at all)

 

My instinct is to pass 2H and expect to miss some games.

[han]

Thanks for the support Brits, I felt quite lonely among all those gameforcers.

[Echognome]

Thanks for the support Brits, I felt quite lonely among all those gameforcers.

Passing has some big potential upsides too. Lefty may decide to balance!

 

I think it's difficult and it depends somewhat on how sound you play your weak 2's. At this position and vulnerability is when I play the soundest. That's what pushes me to an invite.