What's wrong with Hearts, GIB?

[iandayre]

Here are two hands from an ACBL IMP Robot Tournament today. These are themes that are not often discussed, I thought they were worth mentioning.

 

http://tinyurl.com/ondgeft

 

I thought GIB bid quite well at my table. I learned my overcalling tactics from Mike Lawrence's books, and I overcalled 2C here despite the weakish suit on the theory that my ♦ length increases the chance for a fit from partner, and to take the one level away from the opponents. This was quite successful as I made an overtrick in 5C for +7.4 IMPS. I am posting the hand based on GIB's actions at other tables where my hand was, quite reasonably, passed. GIB passed the hand out in 4th seat. It is very difficult for me to understand why GIB would not find a balancing 1H call.

 

I found the next hand to be much more bizarre:

 

http://tinyurl.com/mdw9jcr

 

I thought any level of NT would be a misbid for my first rebid, and I had the extras GIB requires, so 3C it was. GIB's choice of 3NT rather than 3H is astonishingly awful. It should not only bid 3H but pull a subsequent 3NT to 4H in my opinion. After a D lead I needed two dummy entries so I crossed to the HA and finessed the SJ successfully, making 6 but likely going down if it had lost, with 4H a certain make.

 

On to the next revision I suppose.

[1eyedjack]

On the second hand I might open 1N. I am sure that this will meet with ridicule. So be it. Whatever, you are right about North.

 

On the first hand, I am not too keen on North's decision at the first turn to conceal an excellent 6 card major in preference for showing a sound Club raise. Sure, he HAS a sound Club raise. But as he bid it, his subsequent 3H bid only promised a 4 card suit. An immediate (and forcing) 2H bid would show at least 5 of them and not (in my view) deny Club support.

 

I have immense respect for Mike Lawrence, and his books have been a mainstay of my development. But I think that his theory about the expectation of a fit in a weak suit when you have length in the oppo suit has never sat well with me and I think has been largely debunked by serious statisticians. Worked well on this occasion, for sure.

 

 

 

[iandayre]

A new suit advance over partner's overcall is not forcing in GIB's system. I play it that way with human partners as well, though certainly many do play it forcing.

 

I have seen some of the discussions about overcalling with length in opener's suit, and while I cannot question them on a mathematical basis, I have had excellent results over many years using Mr. Lawrence's methods and I will continue to use them.

 

I don't ridicule a 1NT opening bid but rather than risk the 5-1 H fit or missing a good S fit I will take my chances rebidding 2C over a 1NT response and bidding again if partner rebids 2S.