Who to blame?

[HeartA]

These were two boards we played on Sunday's Regional held in LA:

 

Board #1.

[hv=d=w&v=n&w=saxxxhxdaqjxc9xxx&e=skj9xhkqxxxdxxcax]266|100|Scoring: IMP

Bidding goes:

West North East South

pass (1♣) 1♥ pass

1♠ pass 2♣ pass

3♣ (dbl) 3♠ pass

4♠ all pass

[/hv]

South had QTxx of ♠. And it was misplayed and ended up down 3.

 

Board #2

[hv=d=w&v=n&w=saxxxhxdaqjxc9xxx&e=skj9xhkqxxxdxxcax]266|100|Scoring: IMP

Bidding goes:

West North East South

pass (1♣) 1♥ pass

1♠ pass 2♣ pass

3♣ (dbl) 3♠ pass

4♠ all pass

[/hv]

South led ♣x. we made 13 tricks: ♥Kx were in North and South had ♦Qx.

[mcphee]

To me the first hand was off on the wrong foot when the overcaller cue bid 2C, a massive overbid. The passed hand raising C made no sense at all. In all it was not really a hopeless game, just not a very good one, but it had chances. 3-2 trumps with K of D onside and its making.

 

In all the entire auaction looks as though neither player understood the messages they were sending.

 

Hnad 2 was a very strong weak 2 bid and responder might have splintered in S which would have been a more reasonable bid I think, although we are a trump short this looks like the most descriptive call to me.

 

The autour seems to think that using ogust was the thing to do, but I do not see who that is going to help. The S shortage is the big feature here and when that is known the weak 2 bidder cue bids D and 6 should be easily reached. The 2H call was not very good containing 2 flaws, a aces and 3 card S support should that be a strain e/w could uncover. This hand looks more like a 1H opening to me.

[Guest Jlall]

hand one: It seems difficult to stay out of game but i don't like the 2C bid (which i actually play as natural, probably not a mainstream interpretation). I would just bid 3S, which would get lifted to 4. East is evaluating up because he thinks theres a 9 card fit, but west had a terrible problem over 1H and 1S was least of evils. I've been in worse games anyways.

 

hand two: Honestly I would probably bid 2H-2n(ogust) to see if pard had the AK of hearts. When he didnt i would give up.

[mike777]

1) I would bid 1nt not 1s. After 1s always getting to 4s somehow.

2) I would open 1H not 2H. After 2h opener if playing Ogust, 2nt is best. After good hand, good suit response, then cuebid.

[inquiry]

I will do no better than you on board one. I would open WEST hand 1D. and bid 1S over partners 1H reply. I could give a variety of auctons, bur 4♠ would be the contract.

 

The second one, I would also open EAST hand. Now it should be virtually impossible to miss the slam...

[whereagles]

2nd hand:

 

2H 3D

4D

 

Should be easy now.

[cherdano]

If you really don't want to open the second hand with 1♥ (this is a 6.25-loser hand with 2 defensive tricks, which won't even be a disappointment in 3NT), I think you should consider answering 3♠ to Ogust (I assume 3♦ is max, bad suit, and 3♠ max, good suit). I don't think "good suit" should have as strict definition as "2 of the top 3", rather "expect one loser opposite xx". It doesn't make sense to me to sell AJT9xx as a bad suit, and KQ98xx as a good one.

(And with so much extras overall, I think you should have some freedeom to choose the most positive answer in borderline cases).

 

Arend

[pclayton]

On the 1st, I don't care for either cue bid, but game looks somewhat normal. Hard to diagnose all of the duplication. Even then it has plenty of chances.

 

On the 2nd, I'm OK with a weak 2 on the 3622 pattern. I don't like the 3♥ rebid at all, I much prefer 4♦. A 2N response would help matters as well.

 

I missed LA - 1st time I hadn't played it for about 5 years :) How was the tourney?

[HeartA]

Hmmm, nobody is on the same page as me. I was sitting East (all day on Sunday's tournament). It is a very new partnership (only bidding and playing a few over BBO). Anyway, we did well and got X 2nd (A/X) and 10 gold MP.

 

For the first hand, I think my 2♣ was a very good bid. It showed something between 2♠ and 3♠. If pd was very weak for the 1♠ bid, he could rebid 2S and I would pass. If he got some useful cards (semi-support my H suit) and decent 5-card ♠, 4S was very promising: QTxxx, Ax, Ax, xxxx, or Axxxx, Ax, xxx, xxx, or Axxxx, Jx, Axx, xxx, etc. For the real layout, I don't think his hand is good, 4 spades only, 4 clubs (which was not good because it is his LHO, not RHO had ♣ suit), and very possible duplicates in ♦, and stiff in my suit.

 

For the second hand, it was a borderline to open 1H or 2H. If he had bid 2N (Ogust), I would have answered 3S for sure as I treat AJTxxx as good suit. Then he could have cue-bid 4C to see which Ace (or other honor) I had. When I was able to cue-bid 4D, he could bid 6H directly. In my opinion, 3♦ was the worst bid, which denies ♥ support. I could raise to 4♦, but in case 3NT would be the only good game? After all, my ♥ was not a bad suit.

 

For the first hand, he said he was not sure what 2♣ meant. But after my 3♠, it was clear. He said then my 2♣ was forcing to game, which I don't agree. What hand did I have could force to game after I overcalled 1♥? For the second hand, he said he was worried that opps might find ♠ fit. Why worried about things that didn't happen? Three cards heading by Q was very good support, which he should have showed with his first bid. By the way, the opps did open 1H, but also stopped at game.

[the hog]

Hand one you would want to be in game at Imps. The 2C cue bid by East is an overbid - the hand is definitely not worth that; a simple 2S would have sufficed, but you would probably get to game anyway.

 

I agree with Ben that I would open the second hand with 1H; this hand is far too good for 2H. In your auction why did you bid 3H. Surely after the 3D bid, which should show a good 6 carder over the weak 2, you should raise D. Now it should be relatively easy to get to 6H.

[luke warm]

i have a question on hand 1... i know i have (and i assume most of you have) overcalled with 9, 10 hcp... this hand has more, it's an opening bid... for the sake of argument, say you have the same east without the ♣A... would you still overcall 1H? if you did, would you still bid 2S over partner's 1S? if you would, how do you differentiate between 9/10 and 13, with support?

[HeartA]

Hand one you would want to be in game at Imps. The 2C cue bid by East is an overbid - the hand is definitely not worth that; a simple 2S would have sufficed, but you would probably get to game anyway.

 

I agree with Ben that I would open the second hand with 1H; this hand is far too good for 2H. In your auction why did you bid 3H. Surely after the 3D bid, which should show a good 6 carder over the weak 2, you should raise D. Now it should be relatively easy to get to 6H.

I absolutely disagree with 2♠ bid. Without ♠KJxx, I could overcall 1♥. After my pd's 1♠, my hand is not minimun. Actually it was in the upper side of mid-range, imo. 2♠ was the right call, if I opened 1♥, not after I OVERCALLED 1♥.

[HeartA]

i have a question on hand 1... i know i have (and i assume most of you have) overcalled with 9, 10 hcp... this hand has more, it's an opening bid... for the sake of argument, say you have the same east without the ♣A... would you still overcall 1H? if you did, would you still bid 2S over partner's 1S? if you would, how do you differentiate between 9/10 and 13, with support?

We discussed when we were filling out the convention card before the tournament started that 1 level overcall could as low as 6 hcp (KQJxx, nothing else). And yes, with 9-card fit (Assume pd's 1♠ guaranteed 5-carder), I would certainly raised to 2♠ without ♣A.

[luke warm]

yes.. some are saying 2C was an overbid, that 2S should have been bid... so i'm asking what they'd have bid with 8, 9 hcp and the same spade support... seems to me there has to be a way to show a good vs. an indifferent overcall

[temp3600]

About the first hand, for those who think 2♠ is an underbid, why cue-bid 2♣ ? What's wrong with 3♠ ?

[inquiry]

About the first hand, for those who think 2♠ is an underbid, why cue-bid 2♣ ? What's wrong with 3♠ ?

Actually, while I agreed that I would be in game, I never addressed the auction other than to say I thought WEST's first pass was wrong. I would have opened 1♦. There would be no way for me to avoid 4♠ after opening 1♦, but on the surface it looks like a fair game. You may win 4S, 1D ruff, 3D, 1C, and 1H. You could win 2H, and 2D, 1D ruff, 1C and 4S as another option. It was unlucky to lose 2S, and 1D, and 1C and 1H... I am not sure what the other lose was for down three.

 

But assuming I passed as WEST, East would overcall 1♥, and I would bid 1♠ as WEST. Even though I love the unassuming cue-bid, I think here, since overcaller has already bid, 2♣ would not be unassuming but would show a stronger hand than this. A simple raise to 2♠ might be on three card support and might be a little weaker than what I have, but will not be as weak as KJ9x KQxxx xx xx, partner was a passed hand after all. I think I would mearly raise to 2♠ and see if partner can make another call with known fit. 3♠ is an overbid because if you raise to 2♠, your partner with fair values will bid again.

 

Another item about the auction.. what was 3♣? With both opponents cue-bidding the auction must now be game force, but let's assume that 3♣ was a strong game try along the lines of what WEST had. What should EAST bid be over the double. That is Pass = what?, REDBL = what? 3♠ = what? and 4♠ = what?

 

If 3♣ was game try, not game force, over the dbl, I think

PASS is modest game try,

3♠ is I am as weak as I can be for my previous bidding

3♦/3♥ better game try than pass

4♠, ok lets bid the game you invited me too.

 

With this said, if 2♣ showed a sound raise to 2♠, if 3♣ invited game, then over teh dbl, EAST did 100% right by biddign just 3♠. Giving his partner a chance to stop short of game.