Et Tu, Robot?

[uva72uva72]

Give the robots credit for one thing - they make it unequivocally clear and with regularity that when you play in ACBL robot individuals, you have 3 opponents at the table. Two recent examples:

 

1. Holding ♠AQ632 ♥52 ♦Q104♣J42 the robot sitting North conducted the following auction:

E S W N

P 1N P 2H

P 2S X 2N

3C 3N P 4S

Down 5, with ♠s 6-0 offside (big surprise there) and 3NT cold. North accurately showed its hand with its first two bids, and I bid 3NT with East's 3♣ bid right in front of me. There is no excuse for the 4♠ bid into a known 5-2 fit with a very likely 5-1 split offside.

 

 

2. Holding ♠ Q1087♥Q1087♦K10♣532 North bid as follows:

S W N E

1N P P 2C

2S P 2N P

3D P 3H P

P P

 

I realize that it is confusing to have exactly the same holding in both majors, but we do pay for the privilege of playing, and it shouldn't be too much to ask that partner raise your suit holding 4-card support at 1 of its 2 opportunities to do so and not introduce a moth-eaten 4 carder of its own at the 3 level instead.

[ArtK78]

In the second auction, I have learned the hard way that if you open 1NT and bid again after your robot partner passes, the robot is going to do something strange and you are going to get a bad score.

 

The moral of the story is that if you open 1NT, DON'T BID AGAIN unless GIB's bid requires you to bid again (and that includes accepting an invitation, which you do at your own peril - I find GIB's invitations to be VERY aggressive)

[Bbradley62]

North's sequence is especially weird given the descriptions of his last two bids. [hv=bbo=y&lin=pn|uva72uva72,~~M31554,~~M31552,~~M31553|st%7C%7Cmd%7C4S7JHTJAD3679KAC7Q%2CSH46789KD258JC5KA%2CS236QAH25D4TQC24J%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%202%7Csv%7Cn%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C1N%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2H%21%7Can%7CJacoby%20transfer%20--%205%2B%20%21S%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2S%7Cmb%7Cd%7Can%7CTakeout%20double%20--%203%2B%20%21C%3B%203%2B%20%21D%3B%203%2B%20%21H%3B%202-%20%21S%3B%2014-20%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7C2N%7Can%7CInvitational%20to%20either%20game%20--%205%20%21S%3B%209%20HCP%20%7Cmb%7C3C%7Can%7C5%2B%20%21C%3B%2011-%20HCP%3B%207-12%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7C3N%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C4S%7Can%7C5%20%21S%3B%209%20HCP%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7C]360|270[/hv]I'm not enamored of West's double, either.

[Bbradley62]

[hv=bbo=y&lin=pn|uva72uva72,~~M44278,~~M44276,~~M44277|st%7C%7Cmd%7C1S369JAH2JAD25QACT%2CS25KH59D3478JCJQK%2CS78TQH78TQDTKC235%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%2011%7Csv%7Co%7Cmb%7C1N%7Can%7Cnotrump%20opener.%20Could%20have%205M.%20--%202-5%20%21C%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2C%21%7Can%7CCappelletti%20-%20single%20suited%20--%2014-%20HCP%3B%2010%2B%20total%20points%20%7Cmb%7C2S%7Can%7C2-5%20%21C%3B%202-5%20%21D%3B%202-5%20%21H%3B%204-5%20%21S%3B%2017%20HCP%3B%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2N%7Can%7CInvitational%20to%203NT%20game%20--%207%20HCP%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3D%7Can%7C2-5%20%21C%3B%204-5%20%21D%3B%202-5%20%21H%3B%204-5%20%21S%3B%2017%20HCP%3B%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3H%7Can%7C4%2B%20%21H%3B%207%20HCP%20%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7C]360|270[/hv]Where to begin... (1) 2♠ should show 5 spades, not 4-5, and should deny 5 of any suit that isn't spades... (2) As OP says, if North wants to invite game over 2♠, he should bid 3♠... (3) 3♥ should show exactly 4 hearts, not 4+, since GIB would have transferred over 1N with 5+...

[iandayre]

I certainly agree with Uva's opinion of GIB's actions here. I would say that one action that has worked for me after 1NT by me, P, P, then an artificial 2C or 2D, is double showing a good 5 card suit there has been effective, GIB partner competing to 3 of the minor when appropriate.

 

I will add that I would also have opened 1NT with the ♦ six bagger, the same call with the small singleton ♣ would not have occurred to me, though I see it done fairly often. Whatever GIB's failings when I open 1S and bid 2D over 1NT with such hands I have not had big problems. Obviously it would have worked fine here when partner raises ♠.