Unexpected High Level Action

[ArtK78]

You are playing out the string in the last round of a Regional Swiss Team. You are not in contention, nor are your opponents. That doesn't mean that you won't give them a good fight.

 

All vul. IMPs converted to VPs. 7 board match.

[hv=pc=n&n=s5hkqj64da6caq742&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1h2d4h4s?]133|200[/hv]

 

Your action?

[the hog]

What is the meaning of 4H, Art? What would 3D/4D show?

[mikeh]

5♣

 

RHO has a big diamond fit but is checking back for a cheaper 4-level save. Something like 5=1=4=3 or such. While slam is remote, opposite xx Axxxx xx Kxxx it is very good, hence worth a try

[ArtK78]

What is the meaning of 4H, Art? What would 3D/4D show?

4♥ is preemptive. 3♦ would show values. 4♦ would be a splinter.

[beatrix45]

I would go ahead and bid 5♥. Let them make the next guess. At least you have lots of trumps to support your bid. Will you push them into a makeable slam? I dunno. You get to figure that out on the next round of bidding.

[mcphee]

Not going quietly and bidding 5C should help us defending spades. Basically we are not even sure we can beat 5S, plus I am willing to bet they make 4 easy. 4H from partner could be resonable and attempting to shut out spades. All we really know is partner can't be really good. Looks to me like everyone has shape, we may have no H tricks so it appears it all boils down to how many C we can get should we defend 5S. No one knows with these hands 6H maight even be a good save.

[whereagles]

they have a makeable slam??? I can't believe that.. Rather, WE might very well have a makeable slam if pard has xxx Axxxx xxx Kx.

anyway, 5♣

[Jinksy]

Depends a lot on the range of hands your P will bid 4♥ with. If it could include reasonably strong hands, then xx Axxxx xx Kxxx might not raise to 6 anyway (what does Ax xxxxx xx Kxxx do?). If it's sufficiently thin then P might have bid something stronger with mikeh's hand.

 

While I think with most Ps, 5♣ would be odds on constructively, I'm also worried that when we don't have six on (most of the time), it could push them into a good 6-level sac over over our game, so I marginally prefer the more ambiguous 5♥ bid.

[ArtK78]

There was a lot here that did not make sense. Here is the full hand:

[hv=pc=n&s=sqj974h98752d53c5&w=sak863hdqt84cjt86&n=s5hkqj64da6caq742&e=st2hat3dkj972ck93&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1h2d4h4s5hppdppp]399|300[/hv]

 

I didn't have any slam aspirations - perhaps I should have. So, instead of bidding 5♣ (which, in retrospect, is probably a good idea), I bid 5♥.

 

But, going back to the auction. West passed with a pretty good hand. I made a normal opening and East made a rather aggressive overcall on a weak suit. My partner put the pressure on with 4♥. Now, West, having not opened the bidding, decided to introduce his spade suit at the 4 level. The 4♠ bid was made after very long thought. I bid 5♥, and East passed. Perhaps he should double, but his partner was a passed hand. This went back to West, who thought about this for a good 2 minutes. He found a double, which is an interesting choice with a heart void and QTxx in support of his partner's suit. This resulted in down one.

 

At the other table, my teammate holding the West cards opened 1♠. My hand bid 2♠ Michaels, and East passed (what should he do?). South bid 4♥, and this was passed around to East, who doubled. 4♥x was duly bid and made. Perhaps this should be an ATB problem.

 

The play in 4♥ (or 5♥x, for that matter) is not trivial, but both declarers took 10 tricks. 5♦x down 1 on a club ruff is par. Our opps beat par at both tables.

 

In any case, we lost 14 IMPs on this board and the match by 2 IMPs. A disappointing end to a disappointing day, especially considering that we won this event last year.

[MrAce]

There was a lot here that did not make sense. Here is the full hand:

[hv=pc=n&s=sqj974h98752d53c5&w=sak863hdqt84cjt86&n=s5hkqj64da6caq742&e=st2hat3dkj972ck93&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1h2d4h4s5hppdppp]399|300[/hv]

 

I didn't have any slam aspirations - perhaps I should have. So, instead of bidding 5♣ (which, in retrospect, is probably a good idea), I bid 5♥.

 

But, going back to the auction. West passed with a pretty good hand. I made a normal opening and East made a rather aggressive overcall on a weak suit. My partner put the pressure on with 4♥. Now, West, having not opened the bidding, decided to introduce his spade suit at the 4 level. The 4♠ bid was made after very long thought. I bid 5♥, and East passed. Perhaps he should double, but his partner was a passed hand. This went back to West, who thought about this for a good 2 minutes. He found a double, which is an interesting choice with a heart void and QTxx in support of his partner's suit. This resulted in down one.

 

At the other table, my teammate holding the West cards opened 1♠. My hand bid 2♠ Michaels, and East passed (what should he do?). South bid 4♥, and this was passed around to East, who doubled. 4♥x was duly bid and made. Perhaps this should be an ATB problem.

 

The play in 4♥ (or 5♥x, for that matter) is not trivial, but both declarers took 10 tricks. 5♦x down 1 on a club ruff is par. Our opps beat par at both tables.

 

In any case, we lost 14 IMPs on this board and the match by 2 IMPs. A disappointing end to a disappointing day, especially considering that we won this event last year.

 

 

Everything but 2♦ by E looks reasonable to me.(weak suit, weak hand, weak shape and vulnerable) We all knew W had a 5♦ raise with spades. So he (and me) believed that he already showed those diamonds. His double is debatable, but I am sure he decided that you guys can not make 5♥ because his side has more than the half of the deck.

[whereagles]

Well 2♦ preempts South out of its most common responses (1♠, 1NT).. in my opinion the blocking effect compensates for its friskiness. (sp?)

[Fluffy]

You can also overcall 2♦ with ♠J10x ♥QJxxx ♦10xx ♣xx, it will have its blocking effect :D

 

Yesterday partner jumped to 3NT with K109xx on their 2 level 5 card suit overcall, they were vul and we weren't *sigh*

[mikeh]

Well 2♦ preempts South out of its most common responses (1♠, 1NT).. in my opinion the blocking effect compensates for its friskiness. (sp?)

That comment reminds me of a hand from a local (well, about 120 km from home) tournament a few years ago. An aspiring player, a friend of my partner, got into a discussion about overcalls, and I said that when red one should at least have an opening hand and a decent suit for a 2-level overcall. AP laughed and said that that was too conservative and made life too easy for the opps.

 

Partner opened 1M, AP overcalled 2♦ on AKxxx and a side King, and went for 1400.

 

One hand proves nothing, but making bad, short suit 2-level overcalls on semi-balanced hands is evidence of playing in very weak games (where the opps don't know how to play) or possession of a suicidal impulse at the table.

[ggwhiz]

I totally agree with mikeh in principle but the red flag here is last match, both out of contention. I've pulled out the ole midnight ko style on similar occasion too.

 

A fun poll might be "Would you open the west hand?" .... and tell the unanimous YES voters that they lost 14 imps like I would have here.

[louisg]

There was a lot here that did not make sense. Here is the full hand:

[hv=pc=n&s=sqj974h98752d53c5&w=sak863hdqt84cjt86&n=s5hkqj64da6caq742&e=st2hat3dkj972ck93&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1h2d4h4s5hppdppp]399|300[/hv]

 

 

At the other table, my teammate holding the West cards opened 1♠. My hand bid 2♠ Michaels, and East passed (what should he do?). South bid 4♥, and this was passed around to East, who doubled. 4♥x was duly bid and made. Perhaps this should be an ATB problem.

 

5♦x down 1 on a club ruff is par. Our opps beat par at both tables.

 

In any case, we lost 14 IMPs on this board and the match by 2 IMPs. A disappointing end to a disappointing day, especially considering that we won this event last year.

 

Just to set the record straight:

 

1) At the other table, South bid only 3♥ in response to Michaels, and North raised to game. I was East, and my double was intended to show transferable values, though of course partner will pass most of the time at this level (I'd have doubled 2♠ with a purely defensive hand). My partner might have bid 4NT over it with his actual hand, but I have a lot of sympathy for his pass.

 

2) Par is 5♦x down 2 (not 1). After the singleton club lead, North should switch to his spade while he has trump control, and then both defenders get a ruff. Of course, an unlikely spade lead at trick 1 also works.

 

3) Certainly a disappointing end to the day, but we'll get them next year!

[ArtK78]

Just to set the record straight:

 

1) At the other table, South bid only 3♥ in response to Michaels, and North raised to game. I was East, and my double was intended to show transferable values, though of course partner will pass most of the time at this level (I'd have doubled 2♠ with a purely defensive hand). My partner might have bid 4NT over it with his actual hand, but I have a lot of sympathy for his pass.

 

2) Par is 5♦x down 2 (not 1). After the singleton club lead, North should switch to his spade while he has trump control, and then both defenders get a ruff. Of course, an unlikely spade lead at trick 1 also works.

 

3) Certainly a disappointing end to the day, but we'll get them next year!

Thanks for the clarifications, Lou. Can't remember when you last posted here.

 

Getting a spade ruff never occurred to me, but you are 100% correct that we can beat 5♦ 2 tricks. The reason that getting a spade ruff never occurred to me was that I was declaring 5♥x on a low spade lead (these opps had informed me that they lead low from a doubleton when they are seeking a ruff). I had assumed that the spade lead was a singleton and I never altered that assumption even when faced with concrete evidence to the contrary. Obviously, if we are defending 5♦x, it is not difficult to get a spade ruff.

 

The interesting thing is if I choose to pass over 4♠ (and only one person has voted for that action so far) it seems that East, holding Tx of spades, may pass. Now South may double (he could pass for +200 or +300). Do EW sit for 4♠x or do they go back to 5♦?