What's your call?

[CamHenry]

You deal, and hold

♠AKJxxx

♥Qxx

♦Qx

♣xx

 

Playing a 4-card major natural system, you open 1♠. Auction proceeds:

 

1♠ - (2♣) - X - (3♣)

3♠ - (4♣) - P - P

?

 

What do you call here, and why? What other options are there? (Partner's X promises 4 hearts and 8+ points.)

[gwnn]

pass

 

what else? I overbid my hand slightly last round and partner passed. great! now we can pass in peace.

[P_Marlowe]

Pass, ... although you by doing this violate partnership agreement, since

partners pass may be forcing.

 

Your 3S call, showed a hand 15/16-18, partners neg. X, occurring on the

2 level showed +8/9, so it could be argued, that 3S did create a game force,

since our side will have at least 23/24HCP our way.

If you follow this argumant, you may regret your 3S bid.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[mcphee]

I can not imagine bidding anything other than pass (which should have been a consideration last time).

[neilkaz]

I don't mind the slight stretch to a competitive 3♠ last time noting a good 6 card suit and red queens that may be useful opposite pards negX.

 

But noting that we stretched we have a very easy pass now. .. neilkaz ..

[the hog]

I would have passed last time, of course. The 3S bid was an overbid. I pass now.

[Free]

I would have passed last time, of course. The 3S bid was an overbid. I pass now.

I couldn't have said it better.

[CamHenry]

Many thanks, all. This board was the subject of a ruling when W, holding the hand given, bid 4♠ - after partner's incredibly long tank. Despite missing 4 cashing tricks, this was allowed to make by NS, who confessed that they were more disgruntled about defending so badly than about the 4♠ bid.

 

As director, I needed a poll to decide whether pass was an LA to 4♠. In the EBU, the rules are that pass must be considered by a significant proportion of players, of whom some might select it: so this one's pretty clear-cut!

 

I'll get everything sorted.

[Cascade]

I would have passed last time, of course. The 3S bid was an overbid. I pass now.

I think 3♠ is fair.

 

Partner asked us to bid at the 2-level without anything extra.

 

We have a good six card suit. Which is enough to push to the three-level in competition i think.

 

Bidding 4♠ is over the top though.

[Fluffy]

I also find 3♠ the normal bid, I don't even feel its an overbid.

 

The player who bid 4♠ deserves a warning and something more. Point him to this thread if you can :)

[655321]

Yes, 3♠ then pass seem normal to me too. Of course bidding anything over 4♣ is unbelievably ridiculous, but if I was forced to make a bid at gunpoint I would choose 4♥ not 4♠.

[the hog]

I also find 3♠ the normal bid, I don't even feel its an overbid.

 

The player who bid 4♠ deserves a warning and something more. Point him to this thread if you can :)

So Fluffy, what do you do with a King, (or an Ace), more? Bid 4 and go off?

[NickRW]

I also find 3♠ the normal bid, I don't even feel its an overbid.

 

The player who bid 4♠ deserves a warning and something more. Point him to this thread if you can :)

So Fluffy, what do you do with a King, (or an Ace), more? Bid 4 and go off?

Well, I suppose it is possible to construct a layout where we have AKJxxx, KQx Qx xx, partner has a neg X and opps have their 2, 3 and 4♣ bids - but it is getting into the realms of relatively unlikely. Also opposite something like xx ATxx ATxx xxx we at least have chances.

[gwnn]

I also find 3♠ the normal bid, I don't even feel its an overbid.

 

The player who bid 4♠ deserves a warning and something more. Point him to this thread if you can :)

So Fluffy, what do you do with a King, (or an Ace), more? Bid 4 and go off?

I don't think it's impossible to have a 3S bid with a range that is about an ace wide, i.e. the difference between the weakest possible hand and the strongest possible hand is about an ace. In bridge you can't always have clear-cut ranges like '15-17 balanced' all the time, especially not in competitive auctions.

 

Anyway, I think that this 3S is a slight overbid while a 3S with an ace more would be a slight underbid.

[keylime]

Ditto the Hog. You've stretched. Be ready for high spade and shift.