A Couple from the Swiss

[rogerclee]

1) IMPs, All White, First Seat

 

♠J9xx ♥void ♦9xxxx ♣ATxx

 

P - (P) - 1♣ - (1♥)

Dbl - (2♣) - 2♠ - (4♥)

?

 

2) IMPs, All White, Fourth Seat

 

♠AJxxx ♥Qx ♦Axxx ♣Ax

 

(P) - P - (1NT) - 2♦*

(Dbl) - 2♥** - (P) - 2♠

(P) - 3♠ - (P) - ?

 

*2♦ = ♦+M.

**Pass or correct.

 

Do you agree with 2♦ (you have a natural 2♠ available)? Your opponents don't know what double means; righty suspects "stolen bid", so these guys aren't very good. Your call?

 

Edit: Sorry, the auction for problem 2 was slightly wrong.

[OleBerg]

8♠

 

Best Regards

 

Ole Berg

[cherdano]

4♠ both times, seems quite clear.

[Codo]

I pass first and bid 4 Spade on the second.

[gnasher]

On 1), I could be facing a 4=4=2=3 12-count, so 4♠ could be both a phantom and quite expensive. I'd pass.

 

This is easier if you play that partner can bid 3♠ preemptively over 2♣, so that an offensive 4xx5 would be ruled out.

[Edmunte1]

1) Pass

2) 4♠

[whereagles]

4x2

[Free]

1. lead ♦

2. 4♠

[skjaeran]

1) Pass, no reason to go all in here.

2) 4♠ looks obvious.

[effervesce]

1) Pass

2) 4♠

[jdonn]

4♠, 4♠.

[rogerclee]

On 1, I bid 4♠, which was an expensive phantom when partner held ♥KQJx among other defensive tricks in his hand.

 

On 2, I agree with the unanimous vote for 4♠. My partner, a good player, passed, and even though I thought 4♠ was pretty clear, I said I'd give it around. I had a very nicely fitting hand: ♠KTxxx ♥KT9 ♦xx ♣xxx.

[neilkaz]

Hand 1) I basically bid my hand when I made the neg X so now I'll pass it around to PD who may have 4 ♥ rather than trying 4♠ on an 8 card fit. I do have extra offence due to my void, but my ace makes me hope that PD can come up with 3 tricks to set 4♥. However, I don't fault the 4♠ bidders as this will sometimes be correct and PD often won't be able to take action here.

 

Hand 2) Sure looks like a 4♠ has good chances so I bid it.

[Apollo81]

agree with skaeran

[cherdano]

Why should partner bid 2S on the first one with a minimal 4423 hand? He doesn't want to encourage us to compete to a higher level (he knows we have exactly 4 spades), and he still gets another chance to compete to 2S if that is what the hand is about.

[gnasher]

Why should partner bid 2S on the first one with a minimal 4423 hand? He doesn't want to encourage us to compete to a higher level (he knows we have exactly 4 spades), and he still gets another chance to compete to 2S if that is what the hand is about.

Perhaps he'd prefer to defend 3♥ than play 2♠. Or perhaps he hopes that taking away bidding space from the opponents will cause them to misjudge and bid game when it's going down.

[Codo]

Why should partner bid 2S on the first one with a minimal 4423 hand? He doesn't want to encourage us to compete to a higher level (he knows we have exactly 4 spades), and he still gets another chance to compete to 2S if that is what the hand is about.

Perhaps he'd prefer to defend 3♥ than play 2♠. Or perhaps he hopes that taking away bidding space from the opponents will cause them to misjudge and bid game when it's going down.

And his plan had worked opposite some partners....