What am I supposed to bid here?

[661_Pete]

I suppose, the day after one's had a run of appallingly bad results, one is inclined to 'blame partner', 'blame opponents', 'blame the weather', 'blame a sleepless night' ..... anything in fact rather than admit to oneself that one's 'losing it'....

 

Oh well.

 

I honestly believed that, playing standard Acol, I can find the right bid more than half the time at the very least. But this sequence utterly stumped me. All playing weak two's:

[hv=pc=n&s=st7hat3dq872ckjt2&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=2sp3sdp]133|200[/hv]

Show one of my minors at the 4-level? 3NT with no spade guard (and lead coming through my partner)? WTF????

I passed, and, needless to say, the result was a mere -12 imps....

 

I think I'm in the wrong game.... :(

[MrAce]

You should not pass.

Pd has at most 2♠ which makes them have at least 9 if not 10 card fit.

 

 

I'd bid 4♣ and not get too excited. Am I happy with it? No But I don't think there is any bid that I would be happy with this hand and auction.

[nullve]

There appears to be 17-18 total trumps, so I think pass was the right LoTT decision.

[The_Badger]

You should not pass.

Pd has at most 2♠ which makes them have at least 9 if not 10 card fit.

 

 

I'd bid 4♣ and not get too excited. Am I happy with it? No But I don't think there is any bid that I would be happy with this hand and auction.

 

And I can think of plenty of worse hands than this where you have to squeeze a bid out of 'used tram tickets'. As MrAce says, don't pass, and I say don't complicate things by imagining that you may be missing game, bid 4♣. Keep it simple.

 

It's better to have any plus score than a minus score. Doubling opponents' part scores into games is one of the worse things, in my opinion, you can do at the bridge table.

[1eyedjack]

I passed, and, needless to say, the result was a mere -12 imps....

It may be inappropriate to imply a causal link between the IMP loss and the decision to pass.

 

Having looked up the hand I am unconvinced that your partner's double is gold plated, but that aside the contract should have been defeated (on any opening lead).

[661_Pete]

Having looked up the hand I am unconvinced that your partner's double is gold plated, but that aside the contract should have been defeated (on any opening lead).

Possibly; this hand came in the middle of a run of dire results (which ended in an explosion, but I won't go into that! :blink: ) - and I wasn't feeling too chirpy. Furthermore, defence is far from being my strong side.

 

Anyway thanks for the tips guys. I'm relieved that no-one's suggested 3NT - which is what my then partner said, after the hand, that they were asking for. So it's not 100% my fault after all.... ;)

[The_Badger]

I suppose, the day after one's had a run of appallingly bad results, one is inclined to 'blame partner', 'blame opponents', 'blame the weather', 'blame a sleepless night' ..... anything in fact rather than admit to oneself that one's 'losing it'....

 

Oh well.

 

I think I'm in the wrong game.... :(

 

Very British and stoic of you to post the worse board of the session here. That session was a humongous disaster, in my opinion.

 

I remember a long time ago having an evening session of 4 matches at a tournament and losing 20-0, 20-0, 18-2, 19-1. And our team had a long drive home too. Total silence in the car on the journey home. It happens...

 

But there's always another day :)

[661_Pete]

But there's always another day :)

"Another day" indeed! I'm half minded to give it another 30 days, just so as to ensure that yesterday drops off the "Hand Records" monthly average (just in case people are in the habit of checking me out).... But I'll probably be back somewhat before then - that's how addictive bridge is! At least opponents are going to love me.... ;)

[msjennifer]

Four Hearts.Partner has promised hearts.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

 

playing MP MP, Pass is certainly a good choice, it is most likely even be percentage.

playing IMP it is closer, ..., you have the majority, but they are in a 9 or even 10

card fit, so take your pick, I would not fault Pass.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[billw55]

Some decisions are difficult. I am convinced that the opponents do this on purpose http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif

 

That said, partner has found a takeout double at the 3 level, and I am looking at perfectly good 10 count with a near triple fit. I see no cause for panic. Is there some reason we can't have game here? I would bid 4♣ with much less, but at least it seems like a safe plus. Pass could also be right, we should beat 3♠ if partner has his bid. Yes, it is difficult, but bearing in mind that partner has forced me to the 4 level when I could have a substantially worse hand, I will try 4NT pick-a-minor. Maybe I am too optimistic, but I would rather overbid than underbid.

[MrAce]

I think passers deserve to find pd with a hand that was too strong to start overcall. Something like

 

A

KQxx

AK

Axxxxx

 

or

 

A

KQxx

AKxxxx

Ax

[GrahamJson]

Some decisions are difficult. I am convinced that the opponents do this on purpose http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif

 

That said, partner has found a takeout double at the 3 level, and I am looking at perfectly good 10 count with a near triple fit. I see no cause for panic. Is there some reason we can't have game here? I would bid 4♣ with much less, but at least it seems like a safe plus. Pass could also be right, we should beat 3♠ if partner has his bid. Yes, it is difficult, but bearing in mind that partner has forced me to the 4 level when I could have a substantially worse hand, I will try 4NT pick-a-minor. Maybe I am too optimistic, but I would rather overbid than underbid.

I go along with this. I think it was Terrence Reece who said that it is usually worth going one level higher in order to ensure you are in the right strain.

 

Having said that, I wouldn't criticise anyone who chose to pass. It could easily be the winning option. However as someone else said, we would probably all do better if we took out partner's take out doubles and left in his penalty doubles.

[neilkaz]

Four Hearts.Partner has promised hearts.

 

I have such happy memories from a couple weeks ago of playing in a 3-3 fit after bidding 4H with a similar hand.

[661_Pete]

As to the play - well this was the full deal (rotated to match actual positions):

[hv=pc=n&s=skq9854hqj6d4c854&w=st7hat3dq872ckjt2&n=s32hk982dat963c97&e=saj6h754dkj5caq63&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=2sp3sdppp]399|300[/hv]

I led a trump to partner's Ace. If he'd returned another trump, we could have come to three club tricks before declarer can set up hearts, so contract goes down. But can you blame him for returning a heart, or me for not ducking the Ace? 3♠x made. OK we didn't find the right defence, but my point is, I was given an impossibly difficult position during bidding. The wide variety of suggestions given on this thread, testifies to this. As Neilkaz says, a 3-3 fit in 4♥ would have been - ahem - interesting :D .

[billw55]

I led a trump to partner's Ace. If he'd returned another trump, we could have come to three club tricks before declarer can set up hearts, so contract goes down. But can you blame him for returning a heart, or me for not ducking the Ace? 3♠x made. OK we didn't find the right defence, but my point is, I was given an impossibly difficult position during bidding. The wide variety of suggestions given on this thread, testifies to this. As Neilkaz says, a 3-3 fit in 4♥ would have been - ahem - interesting :D .

IMO east doesn't have his bid.

[neilkaz]

East should be shot for not returning another trump!

[MrAce]

IMO east doesn't have his bid.

 

Yes.

He should bid 3 NT if he wants to take any action and make 3 NT on ♠ lead.

[billw55]

Yes.

He should bid 3 NT if he wants to take any action and make 3 NT on ♠ lead.

As it happens yes, but I think east should pass. West need not have so much, nor the magic ♠T.

[Caitlynne]

This is a very difficult problem, to be sure, but the one call I would not make is Pass, converting partner's takeout Double to penalties.

 

If the opponents have a 9 card fit - a situational hypothesis strongly supported by the opponent's bidding AND your partner's TAKEOUT Double - you are 100% certain that your side has an 8 card fit. What's more, with a minimum of 17 total trumps (their 9 and your minimum of 8), the Law of Total Tricks "promises" you that if you can beat 3S two tricks or more, your side can take 10 or more tricks. If they have 10 spades between them and you can beat 3S, you almost surely can make game.

 

So the question is what to bid. Surely bidding 3NT is unreasonable, so you must consider 4C, 4D, or 4H. They are all underbids, but you don't have enough to do more and besides, bidding 5C or 5D is a mastermind bid.

 

Personally, I feel confident that partner has at least 4 hearts and I would bid 4H. I have a doubleton spade, so my hand can prevent a forcing defense on the long heart hand. And, if I am going to contract for 10 tricks, it might as well be a game.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=skq9854hqj6d4c854&w=st7hat3dq872ckjt2&n=s32hk982dat963c97&e=saj6h754dkj5caq63&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=2sp3sdppp]399|300|

As to the play - well this was the full deal (rotated to match actual positions):

I led a trump to partner's Ace. If he'd returned another trump, we could have come to three club tricks before declarer can set up hearts, so contract goes down. But can you blame him for returning a heart, or me for not ducking the Ace? 3♠x made. OK we didn't find the right defence, but my point is, I was given an impossibly difficult position during bidding. The wide variety of suggestions given on this thread, testifies to this. As Neilkaz says, a 3-3 fit in 4♥ would have been - ahem - interesting :D .[/hv]

AFAIR, in last Sat's Jec v BBO match, Garozzo brilliantly bid and made 3N on a similar hand to E's, when the auction started something like 2M (Pass) 3M to him.

[miamijd]

As to the play - well this was the full deal (rotated to match actual positions):

[hv=pc=n&s=skq9854hqj6d4c854&w=st7hat3dq872ckjt2&n=s32hk982dat963c97&e=saj6h754dkj5caq63&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=2sp3sdppp]399|300[/hv]

I led a trump to partner's Ace. If he'd returned another trump, we could have come to three club tricks before declarer can set up hearts, so contract goes down. But can you blame him for returning a heart, or me for not ducking the Ace? 3♠x made. OK we didn't find the right defence, but my point is, I was given an impossibly difficult position during bidding. The wide variety of suggestions given on this thread, testifies to this. As Neilkaz says, a 3-3 fit in 4♥ would have been - ahem - interesting :D .

 

No you aren't nuts; your partner is. Very much so, in fact.

 

First, his double is just awful. He has all of 10 HCP outside spades, 4333, and no source of tricks. Is he going to be happy when you bid 4x? Certainly not. Is he happy when you pass the X? Not really; he has only 2 defensive tricks. He ought to pass. If he wants to be insanely aggressive, then he should bid 3NT. At least that has a chance to do some good. Double is going to be disastrous more often than not. If you are weak, your side is up the creek. If you have a decent hand, you likely belong in 3NT, but you'll never be able to bid it.

 

There is a very simple solution to someone who suggests a 3NT call with your hand. Smile; say "I didn't think of that" very politely; and after the event, promptly find a new partner.

 

And yes, I can blame your partner for returning a heart at trick 2. Another trump is blitheringly obvious. It's highly unlikely declarer has only 2 clubs, because with 5 clubs and two small spades, you would have bid 4C. Likewise, declarer probably has at least 3H, because with 4H, you probably would have bid 4H. So declarer ought to be 6313, and your side needs to prevent a club ruff.

 

As for your not ducking the AH, that only helps if you then duck a second round of H, win the third round, and switch to a diamond. That is very tough to find at the table.

 

Cheers,

Mike

[msjennifer]

I have such happy memories from a couple weeks ago of playing in a 3-3 fit after bidding 4H with a similar hand.

No point in telling funny stories.Doubling 3 S as a take out with only a 3 carded hearts ,iis what even beginners will not.Did the doubler want to only compete at 4 level in MINORS? And if he wanted to play a minor suit game he would bid 4NT.With a doubleton spade ,only 3 hearts and only 8 cards(4/4 )in minors, only a lunatic will make a TOD over 3S opposite a passed hand .partner.If you don't like the 4 heart bid it's only polite to say ,"I don't agree".I am confidently saying so as We NEVER make a TOD without 4 decent cards in hearts over 3 S level preempting bid by opponents ,which please note.

[msjennifer]

As to the play - well this was the full deal (rotated to match actual positions):

[hv=pc=n&s=skq9854hqj6d4c854&w=st7hat3dq872ckjt2&n=s32hk982dat963c97&e=saj6h754dkj5caq63&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=2sp3sdppp]399|300[/hv]

I led a trump to partner's Ace. If he'd returned another trump, we could have come to three club tricks before declarer can set up hearts, so contract goes down. But can you blame him for returning a heart, or me for not ducking the Ace? 3♠x made. OK we didn't find the right defence, but my point is, I was given an impossibly difficult position during bidding. The wide variety of suggestions given on this thread, testifies to this. As Neilkaz says, a 3-3 fit in 4♥ would have been - ahem - interesting :D .

Perhaps, East was playing for peanuts.With 8 losers he wants to compete at 4 level opposite a passed partner.Perhaps,he meant it as a penalty double as played perhaps in ancient days.

[Kaitlyn S]

If he'd returned another trump, we could have come to three club tricks before declarer can set up hearts, so contract goes down. But can you blame him for returning a heart

Yes. But not until after the game :)