Another go

[wank]

Kxx

10x

Ak

Kqxxxx

 

All the Xes are very small.

 

Love all at imps

 

You open 1nt, 2d (one major), pass, 2h (pass/correct), bid again?

 

This doesn't seem very interesting to me but a reasonably experienced player felt quite strongly about it.

[nullve]

3♣

[broze]

Yes 3♣. I will sometimes go for a number but good things happen when you bid. For example when East holds a spade invite he can't show this on his first turn (unlike if he holds hearts). Our bidding now might mean that they will miss their spade fit with LHO holding spades and RHO with a spade invite.

[ahydra]

I'm not sure I would have opened 1NT, but agree with 3C now.

 

ahydra

[gszes]

3c for all the reason mentioned above PLUS if clubs break poorly they are to your RIGHT which makes a penalty x much more difficult for the opps. Risk vs reward.

[billw55]

The small k in the OP really looked like an x to me, it took a while to figure out what was going on http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif

[Kaitlyn S]

3♣

+1

[MrAce]

I see I am minority. I would pass.

 

Yes 3♣ might prevent them to show spades or an invitation. But who said showing spades is necessarily gonna end up good for them?

 

Who said it is bad for us if they invite and find a non making game or go down at 3 level?

Who said 3♣ will not help them to reevaluate their ♣ shortness?

Who said we are safer in 3♣ compared to -110 or -140 or -170?

Who said pd is not waiting to dbl them at 2 level? (If DBL of 2♦ by pd is diamonds)

Who said showing our 6 card suit will not help them when they declare?

 

I am not saying 3 ♣ is an awful bid and I can see myself bidding it depending on state of match maybe, but I do not think 3♣ is such a clear cut choice. Outcome of our decision will have too many factors involved that I have little or no control over. Which makes me want to go passive. After all if they are making only 2M and we are making 3♣, I may bail 6 imps, but if I bid and things go south, I may bail much more. Doubling a NT opener who later bids 3♣ is easier than other cases, since they know you have a balanced or semi balanced hand most of the time.

 

Or maybe I am just getting old. http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif

[Phil]

I'd pass too. Partner does not have 5 of a major and doesn't have six diamonds.

 

If LHO has hearts, partner will probably compete with 5-6 points unless he has four hearts. If LHO has spades we are probably happy we didn't bid.

 

It seems like there is too much downside to bidding. The offshape NT (my choice but not everyones) may have talked them out of a game.

[ggwhiz]

I consider it VERY unlikely they can double 3♣ and much more likely to defend 3 of a major instead of 2 or 4, either of which may be just in.

[nullve]

If LHO has hearts, partner will probably compete with 5-6 points unless he has four hearts.

How? Will your partner sometimes double for takeout with 3 H?

[Phil]

How? Will your partner sometimes double for takeout with 3 H?

 

If he thinks it's a 20-20 deck, quite possibly.

[wank]

Well i bid. I wouldn't expect p to compete with 3 hearts as he'd be expecting them to be in a 6-1 fit.

 

Partner had asked about the 2D bid then passed in a normal tempo. It transpires he has a 0355 13 count and raised 3c to 5. 6c by his hand is cold. 6c by my hand needed a non heart lead or the ace onside (it is). 3nt makes lots of overtricks. So we clearly had a negative position on the board.

 

Anyway lho wasn't impressed. He Called the director on me and was later heard complaining in the bar about perfidious professionals who care more about money than the beauty of the game.

[MrAce]

Well i bid. I wouldn't expect p to compete with 3 hearts as he'd be expecting them to be in a 6-1 fit.

 

Partner had asked about the 2D bid then passed in a normal tempo. It transpires he has a 0355 13 count and raised 3c to 5. 6c by his hand is cold. 6c by my hand needed a non heart lead or the ace onside (it is). 3nt makes lots of overtricks. So we clearly had a negative position on the board.

 

Anyway lho wasn't impressed. He Called the director on me and was later heard complaining in the bar about perfidious professionals who care more about money than the beauty of the game.

 

What was the reason for calling TD if your pd passed in normal tempo? Did they claim he hesitated?

[Kaitlyn S]

What was the reason for calling TD if your pd passed in normal tempo? Did they claim he hesitated?

I'm guessing it was because he asked about the 2D bid, implying that he had something.

[Kaitlyn S]

Anyway lho wasn't impressed. He Called the director on me and was later heard complaining in the bar about perfidious professionals who care more about money than the beauty of the game.

If you've been reading my rants in the Laws forum, you'll know that I have sympathy for you here.

 

BTW, from reading your other recent posts, I have very little doubt that you would have bid 3C anyway. Being passive isn't your style.

[sfi]

Well i bid. I wouldn't expect p to compete with 3 hearts as he'd be expecting them to be in a 6-1 fit.

 

Partner had asked about the 2D bid then passed in a normal tempo. It transpires he has a 0355 13 count and raised 3c to 5. 6c by his hand is cold. 6c by my hand needed a non heart lead or the ace onside (it is). 3nt makes lots of overtricks. So we clearly had a negative position on the board.

 

Anyway lho wasn't impressed. He Called the director on me and was later heard complaining in the bar about perfidious professionals who care more about money than the beauty of the game.

 

Where was he expecting the auction to wind up had you passed? Your side is clearly getting to game so it's hard to see any damage even if you did have UI (which it doesn't sound like you do).

[wank]

What was the reason for calling TD if your pd passed in normal tempo? Did they claim he hesitated?

 

he didn't hestitate and the opps didn't claim one. however, in england the official guidance is not to ask unless you're interested in bidding. this is obviously contentious.

[Kaitlyn S]

he didn't hestitate and the opps didn't claim one. however, in england the official guidance is not to ask unless you're interested in bidding. this is obviously contentious.

That seems like a kind way of putting it http://www.bridgebase.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

[1eyedjack]

Anyway lho wasn't impressed. He Called the director on me and was later heard complaining in the bar about perfidious professionals who care more about money than the beauty of the game.

Just curious; how much money was resting on this?

[broze]

he didn't hestitate and the opps didn't claim one. however, in england the official guidance is not to ask unless you're interested in bidding. this is obviously contentious.

 

Lol I actually wasn't aware of that - strikes me as a ridiculous guideline.

[Tramticket]

The EBU's blue book states:

 

2 E 1

A player has the right to ask questions at his turn to call or play, but exercising this right may

have consequences. If a player shows unusual interest in one or more calls of the auction, then

this may give rise to unauthorised information. His partner must avoid taking advantage. It

may be in a player’s interests to defer questions until either he is about to make the opening

lead or his partner’s lead is face-down on the table.

 

2 E 2

A player may use only information he has received from legitimate sources, such as calls, plays,

opponents’ system cards, their answers to questions and their mannerisms. A player may not

use information gained from his partner’s explanation, uncertainty, tempo or mannerisms.

(Law 73B1). A player may not ask a question solely for his partner’s benefit. (Law 20G1).

 

I don't think that this is especially ridiculous.

[mycroft]

I would argue (and have before) that the hands where I would not be interested in knowing what an Alerted overcall of 1NT was for *any possible Alertable meaning* - even *any Alertable meaning that is currently not extinct* are such that *failure to ask* would be passing more UI than asking. I'm not in the EBU, but I *always* ask about overcalls to NT (partly because we play a weak NT in a strong NT world, but mostly because it's always different. Yes, I know that I'm keeping them on the same page. Oh well.)

 

Note, this is not a universal rule. But (1NT)-2♦!, without thinking hard (as in, I've played all of them myself), could be:

• diamonds and a higher suit
• hearts
• spades
• spades and another
• both majors
• either major
• three-suited including diamonds
• three-suited including spades

 

What "unusual interest" does asking opposite 15-17 show? That I might make a call if they have a 11-14 hand, or an aggressive intrusion hand, or one or both majors, or diamonds, or not diamonds? Sounds like any hand with more than a 5 count, and many hands with fewer but a long suit.

 

Different, of course, is when it's a more one-expected-meaning Alertable bid; different yet when it's an unAlerted bid; different yet when it's the "What does 3♦ mean?" "It means you want your partner to lead diamonds against NT" or "how many hearts does 1♥ show?" "Fewer than you have, obviously".