Game over 1NT

[pdmunro]

Hi, I haven't met this situation before.

And it happened in 3 hands close together.

 

1NT (strong) was opened.

A major was overcalled.

And the overcaller's partner had both support and points.

What does he bid?

 

It's true, I really cannot recall prior occurrences like these.

I suppose it's another instance of that universal phenomenon:

busses always come in threes.

 

I was West and had to make the first two decisions.

Then on the 3rd hand, it was the opponents' turn to decide.

 

EW were intermediate players. NS were adv and expert.

_______________________________________________________________

 

Both sides played 1NT as strong (15-17)

 

EW (intermediates) were playing natural over NT

NS (adv +expert) were playing Cappelletti. (2S = spades + minor)

_______________________________________________________________

 

Hand 28

 

NS Vul

EW Not Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

Pass -- 1NT ----- 2H ---- Pass

?

 

♠ A 8 6 2

♥ A 9 2

♦ Q 8 7 3

♣ J 3

 

With this holding, what does West bid?

_______________________________________________________________

 

Hand 31

 

NS Vul

EW Not Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

----------------------------- Pass

Pass ---- 1NT ---- 2S ---- Pass

?

 

♠ K 8 4 2

♥ A 10 8 7 4

♦ 10 4 2

♣ 10

 

With this holding, what does West bid?

_________________________________________________________________

 

Hand 32

 

NS Not Vul

EW Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

1NT ----- 2S ----- Pass -- ?

 

♠ K Q 8 4 2

♥ 9 7 5

♦ void

♣ A Q J 7 4

 

With this holding, what does South bid?

(2S = spades + minor)

_________________________________________________________________

 

Thanks, Peter :P

 

____________________________________________________________________

[flytoox]

With the first hand, I think it is enoguh to raise to 3M. With second and thrid hand I just bid game. Slam is unlikely I think. Even I miss it I dont mind that much.

[hotShot]

First of all it is importent to know if partner promisses 5-5, 5-4 or 4-5 distribution.

 

If P has a 5-5 distribution, he has got only 3 cards in the other suits left.

This means (Asuming he holds 2-1 and not 3-0) that only AK-A = 11 hcp of the 20 hcp in those suits keep valuable. The other 9 hcp are irrelevant, and if nether you nor your partner holds then, you can invite for game.

 

If your side holds 10 cards in a suit, it is most likely that opponents Q and J will be of no value after all.

 

All the hands that you show, loose little to nothing of their value.

 

First hand it's eather 1 or 2 hcp, second looses nothing, third hand the !CQ is lost.

 

The hand of the 1NT opener might loose a lot.

Additionaly knowing who holds the high cards, and that the NT opener has to have 2+ cards in every suit helps a lot to make a game plan.

[pdmunro]

I have now checked what happened on other tables with these hands.

If I get a number of replies here, I can write a comparison with what players actually decided in the heat of the battle.

I will post this soon.

 

If you just write a short reply saying what you would bid in the 3 cases that's fine.

 

But I would also like to know what the SAYC system is.

 

***** SAYC *************************************************

 

After 1NT (15-17) opening, followed by overcall of major (2H or 2S)

support of overcalled major = ?

game support of overcalled major = ?

2NT = ?

new suit = ?

what do we need to think "slam time?

 

*************************************************************

 

Thanks, Peter

[pclayton]

In response to 2 of a major in regular Cappaletti; which most around here dont play;

 

Raise of major - blocking; although the capp bidder isn't barred with extra shape or hcp. However, vul I'd say the raise to 3 of a major borders on an invitational raise.

 

2N = asks minor. A MAJOR improvement is to play 3♣ as pass / correct with 2N as some sort of an inquiry: 3♣ / 3♦ = minimums with better hearts / spades respectively; 3♥/3♠ = maximums.

 

As far as the hands given; a lot of it depends on your philosophy on overcalling. If its wide ranging, then constructive auctions become problematic. On the actual hands:

 

1. Probably 3♠.

 

2. Definitely 4♥

 

3. Wow - what a monster! Wouldn't be surprised if LHO psyched the 1N opening. If 4♣ is a fit jump, I'd bid that; otherwise splinter with 4♦ and cue the club ace.

[Free]

Easiest way: use 2NT as a relay, just like after you opened a Muiderberg but with modified point-ranges.

[han]

EW (intermediates) were playing natural over NT

NS (adv +expert) were playing Cappelletti. (2S = spades + minor)

 

Hand 28

 

NS Vul 

EW Not Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

Pass -- 1NT ----- 2H ---- Pass

?

 

♠ A 8 6 2 

♥ A 9 2   

♦ Q 8 7 3     

♣ J 3

 

With this holding, what does West bid?

_______________________________________________________________

 

Hand 31

 

NS Vul

EW Not Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

----------------------------- Pass

Pass ---- 1NT ---- 2S ---- Pass   

?

 

♠ K 8 4 2     

♥ A 10 8 7 4     

♦ 10 4 2     

♣ 10

 

With this holding, what does West bid?

_________________________________________________________________

 

Hand 32

 

NS Not Vul

EW Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

1NT ----- 2S ----- Pass --  ?

 

♠ K Q 8 4 2 

♥ 9 7 5 

♦ void     

♣ A Q J 7 4

 

With this holding, what does South bid?

(2S = spades + minor)

_________________________________________________________________

 

Thanks, Peter  :ph34r:

 

____________________________________________________________________

 

Hand 1: natural over 1NT. I hope that means that you can still bid on very light, distributional hands. I bid 2NT, as a game try in spades. I play 3S as a preemptive raise.

 

Hand 2: As I'm a passed hand, I bid 3H, showing good spade support with side hearts. If partner signs off in 3S I pass.

 

Hand 3: wow, I'm bidding 4S (even 6 could make if partner has nothing wasted in diamonds and a stiff heart).

[MickyB]

In response to Dutch 2s, I play:

 

2NT - bid the minor you HAVEN'T got. Responder's 3♥ rebid is forcing

3♣ - pass or correct for minor suit

3♦ - Artificial invite to game in partner's major

3♥ over 2♠ - natural NF

Raise - Preempt

 

2NT can be used on a hand that wants to sign off in its own long minor, or on a strong hand that wants to know partner's minor. The same responses should work quite nicely over a Capp/Woolsey 2M overcall.

[pdmunro]

I have always wondered what is meaning of "Luck's a fortune".

Now I know! These 3 hands show the opposite: "Unlucky = bankrupt".

 

Hand 28

 

NS Vul

EW Not Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

Pass -- 1NT ----- 2H ---- Pass

?

 

♠ A 8 6 2

♥ A 9 2

♦ Q 8 7 3

♣ J 3

 

With this holding, what does West bid?

 

Here I decided to invite partner to game with a 3H bid. He held in his hand

 

♠ 10 4 ... ♥ K Q 8 7 3 ... ♦ A K 6 ... ♣ 8 7

 

He has 6 sure tricks (4H + 2D). I am promising 3 tricks. Now 6 + 3 = 9 tricks, so he passed.

 

We easily made 10. The diamonds, being 4333, gave us 4 tricks.

 

Hand 31

 

NS Vul

EW Not Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

----------------------------- Pass

Pass ---- 1NT ---- 2S ---- Pass   

?

 

♠ K 8 4 2     

♥ A 10 8 7 4     

♦ 10 4 2     

♣ 10

 

With this holding, what does West bid?

 

We were not going to miss game this time! I leapt to 4S.

 

Our 2 hands were:

 

West ----------------------------------------East

 

♠ K 8 4 2 ------------------------------------ ♠ J 9 7 6 5 3

♥ A 10 8 7 4 -------------------------------- ♥ K 6 3

♦ 10 4 2 ------------------------------------- ♦ Q 7

♣ 10 ----------------------------------------- ♣ K 5

 

How many losers do we have?

 

The opponents took their ♣A and ♦AK on the first 3 tricks. North held ♠AQ so that hurt. We also lost a heart. We lost 6 tricks in total. But my brain was in denial: it refused to count that high.

 

Luck's a fortune. Unlucky = bankrupt. Thank goodness, our opponents didn't double us.

 

Hand 32

 

NS Not Vul

EW Vul

 

W ------- N ------- E ------ S

1NT ----- 2S ----- Pass --  ?

 

♠ K Q 8 4 2 

♥ 9 7 5 

♦ void     

♣ A Q J 7 4

 

With this holding, what does South bid?

(2S = spades + minor)

 

South, from Mexico, spent a long time over his bid. I began to wonder if maybe a Tsunami wave had just hit Mexico. Finally a bid appeared: 4S.

 

Sitting West I held

 

♠ 7 5 3

♥ A K J

♦ A Q 10 4

♣ K 10 6

 

I have a long memory. I remembered that, on the previous board, the opponents had not doubled us. I felt no urge to repay the favour. They were big boys now: let them take their medicine. I doubled 4S.

 

I won the ♥A and ♥K. Declarer won the ♥Q. These were declarer's and dummy's hands:

 

North -(declarer)--- ♠ A J 10 9 6 ----- ♥ Q 10 4 ------ ♦ J 8 2 ---- ♣ 3

 

South (dummy) ---- ♠ K Q 8 4 2 ------- ♥ 9 7 5 -------- ♦ void ---- ♣ A Q J 7 4

 

Can you see how declarer won the rest of the tricks?

 

He won the ♣A and did a high cross-ruff. Result: 4SX (+1) 690 points. Luck's a fortune.

 

Results from the other tables

 

Hand 28

 

At the other tables, only 1 out of 16 tables bid to 4H.

 

So the invite looks like the right bid. It was just lucky to make 4.

 

Result: 0 imps.

 

Hand 31

 

Still not sure if the correct bid was to invite, or to jump to game. Did my partner have his 2S bid?

 

The results from the other tables:

 

Contract ----- Result ------ Number of tables (out of 16)

4SE -------------- -2, -3 ----- 5/16

5CN -------------- -1, -2 ----- 4/16

 

Oh, to have opponents who will make a sacrifice bid over our losing contract. Oh, to be so lucky.

 

Result :-1 imp.

 

Hand 32

 

No NS pair felt that their hands were worth a slam. Great men think alike.

 

I broke "the rule" that it is nearly always wrong to double a non-vulnerable game contract at IMPS. Bad, bad, bad bid.

 

At the other tables, there were two chumps like me who doubled the winning 4S contract. Fools seldom differ, and bad luck follows as close as their shadows.

 

Result: -9 imps.

 

The moral of the story

 

OK, OK, maybe it was not all a question of good or bad luck, maybe there were other factors. But sometimes you have to tell yourself "I was so unlucky" just to give yourself the strength to get out of bed.

 

Then in the clear light of day, you can look at your wounds more closely, give them a little lick, and see if there is some way to avoid the sword in the future.

 

Peter

[pdmunro]

I found the following in Klinger, "Guide to Better Bridge" 1990.

I presume it is SAYC.

 

____ Interference over 1NT _____________________________

 

Overcall of major at 2-level = powerful 5-suit, strong 6-suit, 9-14 HCP

(6.5-7 tricks Not Vul; 7-7.5 tricks Vul)

 

Responses to overcall:

raise = invitational

new suit = strong & forcing (except if 3rd player doubled the 2-major bid)

2NT = strong + doubleton support

____________________________________________________________

 

I am going to think about this a bit more.

 

Thanks to those who contributed their systems.