against strong 2C

[han]

They say you should interfere aggressively against 2C openers. These two came up in the same 8-board match:

 

[hv=d=w&v=e&s=sxhkqj10xxdjxcqxxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP

(2C) - p - (3D) - ??[/hv]

 

And this one:

 

[hv=d=w&v=e&s=sxhkqj10xxdjxcqxxx]133|100|Scoring: IMP

(2C) - p - (3D) - ??[/hv]

 

Will you enter the auction?

[mikeh]

No on both. On 1, because of the vulnerability, and the fact that, if LHO is about to bid spades, I have taken away no space (I'd never bid 4♥) and if they reach diamonds, I'm on lead.

edit: oops, got the heat wrong... on 1, at favourable, I'd bid for sure.... and I like 4♥ but I'm not brave enough to bid it :)

 

The second, I pass because I have no reason to want partner to raise/save.. simply no upside.

[Guest Jlall]

hand 1: 4H for sure

 

hand 2: pass

[ycos]

1) 3♥ because of the vulnerability,normaly 4♥

2) no

[blackshoe]

Well, I must have half a brain, anyway. I agree with Justin. :P

 

That second hand reminds me of a flock of ducks flying overhead. :)

[Codo]

Hand 1: 4 ♥

Hand 2: pass against the top 10% of players, 2 ♠ against the rest. They are so used to have it all to their own that they cannot handle any bid over their strong openings.

[Impact]

Hand 1: downside is they have already exchanged information as to suit and strength, and mostly bid so badly over their own bid that now bidding even 4H works only when we sacrifice...otherwise it places cards for them.

Upside is the vul is right and if we have a sacrifice this is the only way to find it...oddly enough the better my opponents the LESS likely I am to want to bid now on this auction as they will place cards for a putative slam much better after this if I bid (whereas if they don't have a splinter they may not get close to slam/grand even though tricks are running...)

 

Contrast with a 2nd position bid over 2C which really does make life MUCH tougher for them.

 

Hand 2: Bidding will mislead partner and your side quacks are too useful for defence, so I think this essentially balanced hand which knpows what it wants to lead should just go quietly...

 

regards,

[P_Marlowe]

#1 3H

#2 Pass, I look at the hand an I shudder

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[Fluffy]

Now he editted I agree with Mike :)

[Finch]

Hand 1: I would probably only bid 3♥, though I don't mind 4♥. It's getting late to do any serious pre-empting, because RHO has already shown his positive in diamonds.

 

Hand 2: I agree with codo. Against any but the best opponents, and with my regular partners, I bid 2♠. I wouldn't do it with a casual partner, because I'd get raised at an inopportune moment.

 

I have so much evidence that people can't cope with intervention over 2♣.

 

If we were at favourable I think this is clear. At love all it's a bit dodgier, but I'd still do it.

[Joe de Balliol]

Hand 1: 4 ♥

Hand 2: pass against the top 10% of players, 2 ♠ against the rest. They are so used to have it all to their own that they cannot handle any bid over their strong openings.

I agree with this. The hand is hideous, but I don't expect to be doubled here, and partner can hopefully work out how bad my shape is since I didn't open with Lucas or a Multi...

[helene_t]

I would pass both but this is probably because I play in weak fields in which 2♣ openings usually lead to bad results for opener anyway.

 

On the first one, 5 down against their slam is good so 4♥ does not seem that risky. If opps can be trusted to bid the right contract without my interference, I must bid 4♥.

 

The second one is more defensive, so three down could already be bad. And 2♠ gives them pass and double in return of 2♦ and 2♥ so it works only if p can raise. Besides I have no strong preference for a ♠ lead.

[Edmunte1]

1) 4♥, taking the bidding space, maybe we will sacrifice against their slam

2) pass, i'm not telling them how cards lie

[han]

Well, I bid on both. 4H on the first seemed clear and worked fine, they got to 6D-1.

 

The second hand I bid 2S and we went for 1100 in 3SX. It is not clear whether my opponents were in the top 10%. They both had stars but my LHO had far too much to drink.

[Finch]

The second hand I bid 2S and we went for 1100 in 3SX. It is not clear whether my opponents were in the top 10%. They both had stars but my LHO had far too much to drink.

But that doesn't prove anything other than your partner was not on the same wavelength. (See what I said earlier.)

[han]

I know Frances, I just provided the information because people often like to hear what happened at the table.

 

I was playing with awm and this may have been the first time we played together, it was no suprise we weren't on the same wavelength. In fact, he substituted for my previous partner who left with connection problems (I hope that was the reason ;) ), and we didn't even agree about carding until the last hand!

[Guest Jlall]

No conn probs you were just playin bad so i left obv

[han]

♥

[neilkaz]

On the first hand we are White and they are Red. I'll venture 4♥ to take up bidding space in hopes that the opps now make an error in their slam or not decision. If they whack me, and I go down 5 (taking no outside tricks) it is a near certainly that they have a slam which will score a bit higher than 1100. I just hope PD doesn't make an error in carrying on to a 6♥ sac. However, if we are Red, I pass, and if the opps are White as we are..I may pass.

 

Hand two is really one of the finest passes ever dealt to anyone. 2♠ doesn't preempt very much, and playing in a team match one can expect the opps to have some mutual understanding of what responder's pass, dbl, and bid mean now.

2♠ may also get PD to bid on when rather often we will be at too much risk of getting drilled in higher level contracts. I pass here even if White vs Red and even vs most tyro's who will so often mess up a 2♣ auction without interference.

 

.. neilkaz ..

[mikegill]

1) 4H if I'm confident partner won't hang me. It's possible that I'm bidding this over their 3N contract and that I'm about to get destroyed - but they haven't doubled yet. I feel like the pressure this puts on them would be worth it in the long run, but I really don't have the experience to back up that claim. Honestly, against bad players I might just pass because they make bids like 3d by responder too much and they might already be getting themselves in trouble. At matchpoints, I would always bid some # of hearts for the lead.

 

2) Pass for sure. I really don't see the point to bidding. Good players will use the information when they declare, even assuming pard doesn't take a joke, and bad players have some unbelievably bad auctions over 2c, even if left alone. Why not just let them hang themselves?