What would you do ...

[silvr bull]

My partner in an individual castigated me unmercifully because I did --.This is your chance to either confirm his insults, or to offer me some solace.

 

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[Tramticket]

IMPs or pairs?

[silvr bull]

This session was Master Points. If IMPs would have different results, a comment about IMP decisions would also be welcome.

[ggwhiz]

I'm in for 4♣ at both games, much more offence than defence and won't be surprised if my indy partner is nowhere close to owning that 3♣ bid or even 1♣ for that matter but they didn't pass it out although they often should have.

[Kaitlyn S]

My partner in an individual castigated me unmercifully because I did --.This is your chance to either confirm his insults...

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I have major issues with both your partner and you but more with him/her.

 

I don't like the double of 3S. The Law of Total Tricks says that there are 18 or 19 total tricks (tricks your side can make in clubs plus tricks their side can make in spades.) Your side has 9 or 10 clubs, their side appears to have 9 spades (East didn't compete to 3S so give him 5 but West did so give him 4.) Furthermore, you have the cards in your long suits which means that the Law understates the total tricks; for example, if your high cards were the ♠Q and the ♥AJ, your hand would look more defensively oriented than this one (not enough that I would double 3S) and the expected total tricks would be smaller.

 

That being said, unless this was close to the last board of the event, your partner probably cost your side more matchpoints than you did. Assuming a 12 top, you may have cost 7 or 8 matchpoints but your partner castigating you likely cost your side many more than that as you were at least subconsciously thinking about that board rather than the one you were actually playing, and he/she gets the charge for any errors you made later in the event.

[Winstonm]

I think I told my story with my previous bid. I'm at the top range but partner's bid did not ask me for further information so I pass at all forms of scoring.

 

Note: I have been wrong before.

[Phil]

I would have bid 3C on the prior round.

[TylerE]

Abstain. 2♣ is a horrible bid that lead us here.

[mr1303]

3C the first time was better, but I pass here, especially at IMPs since 4S might be cold

[neilkaz]

I would have bid 3C on the prior round.

 

Me too and on all days that end in Y in English.

[TylerE]

Moral of the story: When you have a hand that's only worth one bid, you'd better make good use of it...

[silvr bull]

With all due respect to the posters who focus on jumping to 3C instead of the specified 2C bid, I agree that 3C is what I would bid with a good partner. However, this is an Individual! On BBO!!! If you have not played many of those lately, you may be surprised to discover that the CHO can have much less bridge skill or reasoning ability than you would guess, no matter how pessimistic you might try to be. For many CHOs, a jump to 3C would be an automatic transfer for the CHO to bid 3NT if he had anything resembling a possible S stop. As the ops then take their 7 tricks, CHO will complain that you do not have the 13 points your 3C bid promised!

 

Although I agree that 3C would be a better call with a good partner, 2C is a much safer bid in an individual. On BBO!!

[TylerE]

If you want to tell yourself you did the right thing, you can do that without making a forum thread.

[silvr bull]

Thanks for the helpful and friendly advice, but I do not need help with the initial 2C bid. This thread is about the two questions in the op. Additional comments are welcome, of course, but the 2C bid is not the focus of this thread.

[apollo1201]

Partner freely bid 3♣, I have an extremely offensive shape, and we are green, so I'd bid 4♣, catching up from my prior misbid, which I understand was considered safer facing an unknown partner...but next time you do this, you'll find a partner who plays it as inverted even after intervention :lol:!

[msjennifer]

I, personally, feel that being a passed hand I would have bid 2Spade and not 2Club on the earlier round.Not only does it show a shortness in spades but also a massive fit in club suit,and 8 loser hand.Hence I abstain .

[GrahamJson]

I think it is close, and your partner was wrong to criticise you if you passed or bid 4C. I voted for Pass, just, as I feared that 4S might be on or, on the other hand, bidding could be exchanging a plus for a minus.Yes, I know these are contrary considerations but in an Individual almost anything could be going on, unless you know the field to be strong, which is unlikely on BBO.

 

And yes, I would have bid 3C or 2S earlier although I understand why that wasn't done.

[ggwhiz]

I do not need help with the initial 2C bid.

 

No kidding. I play in a lot of indies and it's a Forrest Gump thing, like a box of chocolates.

 

It's as different a game as playing with robots and bidding 2♠ or 3♣ is leading with your chin unless it's later in the round and your partner has shown a real pulse. I never play with robots and am curious as to what GIB might do, especially with the cue bid.

[PhilG007]

My partner in an individual castigated me unmercifully because I did --.This is your chance to either confirm his insults, or to offer me some solace.

 

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On the auction given,I would pass and hope we had pushed the opposition overboard. As for the lead,unhesitatingly it has

to be the ♥9 Safe and giving nothing away.

[gszes]

I hate the 2c call for various reasons but I will deal with the set of conditions as presented. I opted for pass mainly because bidding 4c just all too easily will force our side to bid 5c if/when the opps bid 4s. We have enough offense to consider 4c but not enough defence to beat up 4s (maybe zero defence). Opening lead will be the club A mainly because I have zero clue how to defend this 3s contract and maybe I can stay on lead and have a better clue when dummy hits. There is also too great a chance the club A could be lost if not taken immediately. Your partner probably knows u are short in spades (after the 3s bid) yet they chose pass so bidding on because you have short spades is not a good reason at this point since we have no clue why p bid 3c in the first place.

[helene_t]

A diamond lead could work and obviously if partner meant 3♣ as invitational it would be logical to bid 5♣. Other than that, pass and lead ♣A looks fairly clear.

[helene_t]

your partner castigating you likely cost your side many more than that as you were at least subconsciously thinking about that board rather than the one you were actually playing, and he/she gets the charge for any errors you made later in the event.

This is very good advice if you play with the same partner the whole evening (or even multiple evenings).

 

However, this is a indy so the advisable strategy is only to be nice to partners who you perceive as being either much stronger or weaker than yourselves. Partners who are approximately at your own level you should terrorize psychologically after the round. Turn all rank-competitors into wrecks and you will likely go up a position or two on the ladder.

[ggwhiz]

However, this is a indy so the advisable strategy is only to be nice to partners who you perceive as being either much stronger or weaker than yourselves. Partners who are approximately at your own level you should terrorize psychologically after the round. Turn all rank-competitors into wrecks and you will likely go up a position or two on the ladder.

 

 

:)

[IGoHomeNow]

3C instead of 2C?

ONLY if BBo defines 3C as less then a limit raise. But if that is the case, then what does BBO define 2C to be. I expect BBO defines 3C as a limit raise and 2C as vanilla since I've never heard of anyone playing inverted minors in competition over a suit bid.

So let's assume 2C is correct.

 

Next.... What was partner's 3C bid. In this auction, 3C is strictly competitive, but that is ONLY if 2NT is an artificial bid showing strength. I doubt BBO has that tool. For this reason, partner's 3C bid is quite variable. In cave man standard, this probably shows values to jump to 3C. In the more modern game, 3C is probably competitive. But unless partner wants to bid 4C, he cannot invite since everything else is a game force. So while your partner might have a hand that would have bid 3C freely over your 2C call (game invite) he probably has less because two bidding opponents have something, yet have not jumped in spades.

 

All things considered, best assumption here is that 3C is on the light side and probably has 5+ clubs.

 

In that case, doubling is bad. If opponents were non-vul, it would be horrific.

 

What about bidding 4C?

 

It certainly can be a good save vs 3S. I doubt you go down 2 and get doubled in 4C.

 

So why not bid it.....? The answer is that you cannot defend 4S. Bidding 4C may lead opponents to feel they have to bid one more. And if they assume we have 10+ trumps, they are probably correct to do so. If they do, I would not double. My 5th club and lack of defense are very bad here, and we certainly have 10+ clubs, meaning we only have 1 trick there at most. If we should be doubling, it will be partner In fact, the only other call I would consider is 5C. But I'm not taking a sacrifice against a game they have not bid yet and I cannot quite imagine wanting to bid to 5Cx on the hopes that its off one. It is a mistake to assume the opponents have landed in their optimal spot.

 

Had the opponents bid to 4S freely, I would take the sac.

 

In IMPs, it might be OK to bid 4C and PLAN to bid 5C over 4S. After all, if our hand was the same (but black suits reversed) we would drive to 4S after a 1S opener and we'll make it fairly often, so on that basis, bidding on cannot be awful.

 

My scoring for the bids. (Scale of 1 to 10)

Double = 0 (or less if I can award a negative score)

Pass = 10

4C (planning to bid 5C over 4S) = 8

4C (planning to double 4S) = 0 Same deal.... I have no defense, so I cannot double.

4C (planning to sit if partner doubles) = 6 After all, par for this hand could well be 4C making exactly 4 and the double may be necessary to protect that result, but that is partner's decision since your hand is as weak and defenseless as it can be.

4C (planning to pull even if partner doubles 4S) = 4. Partner may infer more defense when I push them, but he might simply have them DOA. Remember, he could have more than a minimum yet not want to jump to 4C. Since my defense is awful, it could be right to pull, but since my hand is not GROSSLY different in defensive strength than partner expects, pulling is, at best, taking a view.

5C = 0. I see no advantage to this over 4C planning to pull to 5C

I've not seen the hand, but I suspect you ate 3SX and probably an overtrick or 2 on the side.

[rmnka447]

I'm going to pass now.

 

If you want to bid 4 ♣ fine. However, you better be prepared for what you'll do if the opponents bid 4 ♠.

 

I'm leading ♣ A. If it holds, I'll have a chance to look at dummy and on occasion may allow partner to make a suit preference signal.