Balancing problem

[bridgeboy]

[hv=v=b&s=saj652hakjdaj2ct2]133|100|[/hv]

 

Imps,

You open 1S, LHO overcalls 2H, pass pass to you.

Your bid?

 

Is it a clear choice?

 

We are playing Forcing Freebids over the 2H , just in case

[luis]

2NT no, I don't think it's clear. Pass is certainly an option.

 

Luis.

[whereagles]

Pard is probably 2344 or 2245. Two shapes suited to a negative double. If he didn't double, he's very weak, so no game here. Pass.

[luke warm]

make sure i understand auction

 

1S (p) p (2H) and my bid?

 

if so, i have to pass... well i don't *have* to, but partner hasn't much.. maybe we can make more on defense

[bridgeboy]

Sorry, LHO overcalls... so bidding is

 

1S (2H) Pass (Pass)

?

 

Thanks a lot

[luke warm]

ahhh that's a little different.. now i double... if partner bids clubs, i bid 3NT... if he bids 2S i make a game try (2NT the way i play)

[Double !]

2NT or Pass ( a very close 2nd choice)

Failure of partner to make negative double is an important consideration, but partner may not have a good enough hand to commit partnership to the 3-level opposite a minimum opener. I never bid enough, so this time I'll be aggressive. Minor suit T and J could be important cards. If partner has a blizzard, so I lose a few imps versus losing chance for a vulnerable game.

And if I'm down a truckload, well, there's always next hand.

[mike777]

Dealer: ????? Vul: Both Scoring: Unknown

♠ AJ652 ♥ AKJ ♦ AJ2 ♣ T2

 

Imps,

You open 1S, LHO overcalls 2H, pass pass to you.

Your bid?

 

Is it a clear choice?

 

We are playing Forcing Freebids over the 2H , just in case

Pass

 

Plug for Mexican 2D 18-19 balanced or many semi balanced hands.

1) makes your other auctions more constructive

2) Lose weak 2D, with those hands you must pass, or open lite 1D or weak 3D.

3) The Italians are playing it.

[the hog]

Pass. I have the values for 2NT but no source of tricks. No I don't really think its close.

[Fluffy]

I think I would double, bu it will leave me with an impossible guess next round probably, don't ask me waht would I do after pard bids 3♣ please.

[Rebound]

My brain tells me to pass and my heart tells me to double. :-)

 

So if it's IMPs, I pass, at MPs, I double. By this I mean I let my agressive nature come out more at MPs.

[Gerben42]

2NT. But it's not clear. The Mexican 2♦ would be nice ON THIS HAND, but remember that every convention works well on the hands for which it was invented.

[Guest Jlall]

2N. There are alot of hands partner couldn't bid with that produce game.

[HeartA]

Pass.

[P_Marlowe]

I think I pass, the alternative would be 2S, especially,

if I tank to much.

Double will only result in a contract on the 3 level.

Which I do not really want to consider.

 

My spade suit is ugly, but I have compensation.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[joker_gib]

An interesting problem is :

 

Do you play Lebensohl (2NT = weak (Xfer to ♣)

3m = Constructive) on this ?

 

1♠ (2♥) P (P)

X (P) ?

[joker_gib]

2N. There are alot of hands partner couldn't bid with that produce game.

It's clearly OK, Justin, but don't you think that there are more good hands that RHO cannot bid on 2♥ ?

 

Alain

[Guest Jlall]

If rho has some random 8 that couldnt bid on I don't think theres any chance he will X us. Therefore its much more of a disaster to miss a game than go down a few in 2N.

[Chamaco]

An interesting problem is :

 

Do you play Lebensohl (2NT = weak (Xfer to ♣)

3m = Constructive) on this ?

 

1♠ (2♥) P (P)

X (P) ?

Along the same line is:

do you play good-bad 2NT ?

E.g.

1♠ (2♥) P (P)

 

is now 2NT pupper to 3C ?

In this case, 2NT cannot be natural :-)

[Guest Jlall]

2 schools of thought in auctions such as this. One is that 2N in these type of auctions should be scrambling, looking for the best fit, another is 2N should be lebensohl/goodbad. Also in this line of auctions is 1S X 2S 2N. I have always been a "strain over level" person (the right fit is more important than the right level) so I like scrambling but good/bad can be very useful too.

[beatrix45]

:huh:

Got interested in this hand and ran a full blown simulation on it. Ended up with 75 cases conforming to the bidding as given. Even after this investigation, the best bid still is not clear to me. About 10% of the hands offer a good play for game, which is lost by passing. On the other hand, the deal is a misfit (85% of the hands will have fewer than 16 total tricks playing in 2♥), so passing has a lot going for it. The only way to compare passing with double would be to play out 75 hands in both cases - too much effort for me. It does look like PASS is the easy winner at matchpoints, but at IMPs it is unclear because of missed games and no doubled contracts.

 

One thing did become clear. Double is MUCH superior to bidding 2 NT. The bad side of the double is missing some of the eight games in the simulation set when partner has passed over 2♥ with one of the following:

 

7

753

K1087653

A3

 

K4

10

Q1096

QJ9864

 

43

65

1085

AKQ875

 

94

62

Q53

AJ9864

 

10

863

KQ10985

Q87

 

K10

72

10876

KJ976

 

9

865

986

AKQ984

 

or

 

10

Q76

764

KQJ973

 

How many of these games would be reached after a reopening double. I dunno.

 

In favor of the double is that 2♠ is the optimum spot (given that you declined to play 2♥) in 60% of all possible hands. When partner passed with three or four spades, but not enough high cards to bid or has a doubleton spade, 2♠ is almost always the best spot. If you reopen with 2NT, you stand to lose a partscore swing on most of these hands. You make 7 or 8 tricks in spades on lots of hands, but nine tricks are hard to come by.