A hand from the Autumn Congress

[VixTD]

[hv=pc=n&s=s765hjt6d432c8743&w=sakhakq532djt7cj6&n=sqj983h87daq5caq5&e=st42h94dk986ckt92&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1hdp2c2h2sppp]399|300[/hv]

Swiss pairs, matchpoints.

 

I wasn't responsible for NS's bidding, but our own was bad enough and got us a poor score when we defeated the contract by three tricks undoubled. We play Benjamin Acol (not my choice) with a weak NT.

 

How do you think we should have bid?

[phil_20686]

I think you should fish out a 2N bid when 2S comes back to you.

[billw55]

I don't know benji acol and so can't really say if this applies there, but the west hand sure looks like a 3♥ rebid to me. East then has an easy raise to four. There must be some way to show a strong one-suiter, whatever it is west should use it.

 

Perhaps on the actual auction, east should find a raise to 3♥; sitting over the takeout double of a major, the minor suit spots could be especially valuable. This is quibbling though, peanuts compared to west's gross underbidding.

[aguahombre]

Passing a takeout double when we had a response without it is not a good idea. There should be agreements so that a call which takes up none of our bidding room gives us more tools, not less.

 

Here, East wanted to respond 1NT to 1H. I suggest that the partnership find a way of showing a hand which wanted to respond some number of NT to 1H when there is an intervening double. Whether that method is a transfer within the Cappeletti scheme, or a simple NT bid, is not as important as picking something and using it.

 

If North had overcalled 1S like a normal person, East would have a negative double ---even better description in this case; but North didn't do that. Either way, E/W can easily find their game as long as they don't let little or no interferrence interfere.

[Fluffy]

east has to bid 1NT over the double to show some values and no fit

 

west has to double 2♣ to show hearts later wich shows an invitational to game strenght, or open a storng 2 ACOL bid if avaible.

[Vampyr]

east has to bid 1NT over the double to show some values and no fit

 

It's not so easy -- I don't have a natural 1NT available; I would be stuck with this hand.

[aguahombre]

It's not so easy -- I don't have a natural 1NT available; I would be stuck with this hand.

That's easy to fix without giving up your toys.

[VixTD]

Experts at the Brighton Congress last year recommended keeping 1NT responses to one of a suit well up to strength after intervention, i.e. at least 7 or 8 hcp, so I didn't feel like criticising my partner's first pass. Is this view not widely held?

 

I felt I hadn't done enough to show the strength of the West hand, as did my partner. I gave the hand to a well-known expert at the event and he said he would have reproduced my bidding, but bid 4♥ with the East hand on the second round.

 

That made me feel a little better, but I'm still not sure what West hands should rebid 2♥, 3♥, 2NT, double.

[aguahombre]

Experts at the Brighton Congress last year recommended keeping 1NT responses to one of a suit well up to strength after intervention, i.e. at least 7 or 8 hcp, so I didn't feel like criticising my partner's first pass. Is this view not widely held?

The thing is: a double does not intervene. It merely gives you more room for your responses than you had without the double.

 

It is not the same as wanting a solid NT response after an opponent overcalls, or wanting a NT advance to partner's T/O double to be a bit better than a crappy hand which might respond 1NT to pard's 1M opening.

[Zelandakh]

I don't know benji acol and so can't really say if this applies there,

Benji Acol uses the same 2 level structure as SEF and Forum D. That is, a 2♣ opening shows a strong 2 (8 tricks) in any suit or some strong balanced range (no consensus, I usually play 22-23 but 19-20 is probably more popular) while a 2♦ opening is the strongest opening (can be played as a strict GF or as a standard 2♣ opening) and then 2M openibgs are standard weak twos.

 

There is a wide range of styles for the 2♣ and 2♦ openings at various levels but I would think the majority would open this West hand with 2♣. Whether that is a good thing or not is another question entirely. How it would go after a 2♣ opening is an open question but it is clear that game would be reached. On the auction with a 1♥ opening, I learned that it is ok to pass with 6-7 here but you then need to show some signs of life when partner bids again, at least if partner can have a hand such as this West. Of course, usually they cannot playing Benji, which I assume was East's thinking here.

[Cyberyeti]

On the 1♥-X-1N debate we play it as a good raise to 2 so don't have it available.

 

1♥-X-P-2♣

2♥-2♠

 

is all fine from your side. What is X from partner here ? if it's minors, values and heart tolerance, it's fine, otherwise P is normal.

 

When it comes back to you, you have 8 playing tricks and aren't vulnerable, X seems reasonable (and it's not impossible partner will pass). Were people making 4♥ mainly or were you losing out to 170/200 ?

[ggwhiz]

The bidding is almost consistent with East and South owning each others hands (except South wouldn't pass 2♠ if that were the case).

 

2♥ has shown some goods, just not this many and would play well opposite long diamonds so I'm in for double.

 

If I catch a crock it's reasonable to hope for 8 winners beating their partscore even if doubled but most likely bumping them up. In this case I'm likely headed for 3♥ unless partner is inspired.

[Vampyr]

That's easy to fix without giving up your toys.

 

Please tell!

[VixTD]

When it comes back to you, you have 8 playing tricks and aren't vulnerable, X seems reasonable (and it's not impossible partner will pass). Were people making 4♥ mainly or were you losing out to 170/200 ?

I've looked for the results online and for some reason I can't find this particular hand. It was board eight in one of the later sessions. I can't answer your last question.

 

I specifically asked my expert friend whether he would double 2♠ and he shook his head emphatically.

[MickyB]

2H+3 would have been worth 24%. Neither East nor West did anything terrible, but I suspect I'd have done some more bidding on both hands at the table. Passing over 1H-X is normal, bidding 4H on the next round looks bonkers, 2H from pard didn't promise eight tricks in hand.

[twoshy]

2H+3 would have been worth 24%. Neither East nor West did anything terrible, but I suspect I'd have done some more bidding on both hands at the table. Passing over 1H-X is normal, bidding 4H on the next round looks bonkers, 2H from pard didn't promise eight tricks in hand.

 

+1, I'm not sure what the attraction is bidding 1NT over 1♥X. Isn't it standard to up the strength requirements for a 1NT response (if balanced) after RHO doubles?

 

Anyway, I would definitely act over 2♠ with East's cards, and would have bid 3♣ over 2♣ as West. ♣K and four small ♦ is enough for 3NT.

[Fluffy]

I like 1NT by east because it doesn't leave room for 1♠ by LHO and because it shows some values I will have problems to show later.

 

Whatever expert who said East has to bid 4♥ over 2♠ is either resulting, condescending or an awful player.