Defence to Precision 1D

[thebiker]

Say opponents open 1D Precison style (zilch to 15) with a minimum of zero diamonds.

Partner doubles which shows (a) 12-15 balanced or (:P 19+ balanced or ©

Some good hand

Third hand passes

What should be responders philosophy when he holds considerable diamond length and values?

Should he always pass and try for a penalty? Bid notrumps at an appropriate level?

or attempt to explore the possibility of playing game or slam in diamonds?

 

thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions

 

regards

 

Brian Keable

 

alias thebiker

[P_Marlowe]

Pass.

 

You assume, partner has the bal. NT, making game a

possibility but not a certainty, hence you look for the

most likely plus.

If you make game, 1D should go down enough.

 

2nd, if they run, partner will believe you, that you have

lots of diamonds.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[awm]

In general after 1♦-X-P I would pass if I would pass in the same auction if 1♦ were standard and double were takeout. Over the "could be zero" opening partner's double should normally show either a takeout double of diamonds, a takeout double of clubs, or some power double hand. You seem to be playing double could be any balanced hand (i.e. doesn't promise major suit length if minimum) which I don't really recommend, but in any case the worst option for defending diamonds is when partner has a takeout double of diamonds (say 4414). If you would pass that double, you are fine to pass. And if you have long enough diamonds that you are seriously thinking about passing, chances are good that partner in fact does have a hand that resembles a takeout double of diamonds.

 

There is of course an occasional problem when partner has a strong distributional hand with a suit and you defend 1♦X instead of playing in your major suit game or whatever, but this is infrequent and you have the same problem in standard methods.

[benlessard]

12-15 doesnt seem enough for wanting to get in. I would play 14-16 for a balanced X

[Apollo81]

agree with Adam; pass if you'd have passed a takeout double of a Standard diamond

[xcurt]

The expected diamond length isn't that much shorter (although it varies according to what hands, exactly, are taken out of 1♦ by other methods).

 

Of course, in ACBLland, once the opponents open a conventional 1♦, you can play anything you want.* You should definitely take advantage of that to see if they have done their homework.

 

* Unless the primary purpose is "to destroy the opponents methods," whatever that means.