Against unsound opponents

[CSGibson]

[hv=pc=n&s=sakjt86hkq4daq6ct&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=2cp2d(waiting)]133|200[/hv]

 

You are playing for the first time with a competent player, you have discussed CRASH as your defense to strong club systems, and assume it would follow here (where X, 2N, and 3C are going to be conventional 2-suiters, & everything else natural). Opponents have lots of masterpoints due to the number of tournaments they attend, but have mediocre skill/judgement. Lefty considered a few seconds before opening 2C, which is strong, forcing, and artificial.

 

Over to you.

[Codo]

My first idea had been 3 ♠. They may have trouble to double this and if the go on to 3 NT or 5 club, I feal pretty good about that.

But what will happen after a double and nobody is running? I may lose a spade, and 5 tricks in the other suits on a real bad day. But whatever. I will try this. I bet that West has more of a club one suiter then anything else, so it is very likely, that they will run... I double 5 clubs...

[mr1303]

I pass. I hope I'm playing in EBU land when they've opened on AKQ to 8 as "8 playing tricks" and I can call the director.

 

Every bid I make will be weak here. I may hopefully be able to bid spades later, but partner will never play me for this much.

[phil_20686]

This is a bizarre problem. I have never held a nineteen count over a GF opening. If they get to 5C I will double. But I am concerned about lho having, say Qxx AJx - AKQxxxx, or similar, in which case I need to prevent them reaching 3N. They have probably five tricks vs 4S doubled, but it might well be worth the risk. I would say its probably like 90% that LHO will bid over 4S if they are weak to intermediate players.

 

Ok, I have convinced myself to bid 4S. As fluffy said in another thread "intermediate players like to bid their suit at least once" :)

[billw55]

I try 2♠ which gives ops the most room to make a mistake. If they double it, I may make it; if they bid game themselves, I double that; and I expect interference to make it harder for them to stop in a partscore where they probably belong.

 

Red on white, I don't go higher, LHO could easily have every missing honor card and -200 will probably be a zero.

[aguahombre]

We also play CRASH over artificial 1c and 2C, but in 4th chair we do not pass and then bid later with good playing hands, so 2S would be appropriate to the colors on this hand.

 

The reason we reconsidered and do not bid directly only with weaker hands is because waiting around would now have given them 4 bids to decide where they are going before we step in.

[CSGibson]

I pass. I hope I'm playing in EBU land when they've opened on AKQ to 8 as "8 playing tricks" and I can call the director.

 

 

ACBL

[mycroft]

Hmm. 3♣? Nah, at these colours, I'm bidding my hand and letting partner deal with it.

[lalldonn]

I bid 2♠ since they are in a force anyway. Then I will double things later most likely.

[ggwhiz]

2♠ is enough on these colours and might go down 1 but they are on their way to a game I think I can beat and double most often .

[the hog]

2S. As someone said, this gives them the biggest opportunity for a mistake. I expect West has long solid Clubs and a card or so.

[CSGibson]

At the table I bid 3♠. I suspected strongly that RHO had a trick-based hand in clubs, and that her 2♣ opening would not be repeated at other tables; as such, I thought that I needed to alert partner to the trick-taking potential of my hand, and I thought 3♠ was the bid to do that at unfavorable vulnerability.

 

The hand wound up being

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sakjt86hkq4daq6ct&w=sq5h6dk7cakqj9843&n=s743haj52dj532c75&e=s92ht9873dt984c62&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=2cp2d(waiting)3s4c4spp5cppdppp]399|300[/hv]

 

Partner made a nice raise to 4♠ (saying, "if it was wrong, I figured it was going to be your fault because you didn't have your bid"). Opponents are not playing any sort of forcing pass. It was not hard to exact the maximum penalty, but scant reward against any pair that bid and made 5♠.

[ggwhiz]

Unsound opponents does not do justice. More like criminally insane.

[Quantumcat]

I'll pass, bid spades if they try to stop low, and double when they get high (if pard hasn't stepped in by now of course). I think this sounds like a better hand than bidding right away (which could just be to find a good sacrifice or get in their way). Maybe it will encourage pard to co-operate with me (in terms of doubling them or bidding something).