mikeh Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 The double would lead to an interesting decision for North. It’s very hard to construct a hand that does not provide a play for 6D Of course, pass should also lead to at least 5D. So, in the field in which nobody bid slam (!), the double gains nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nudnikbp Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 My first reaction was to double, but mikeh's lucid competitive bidding tutorial convinced me that doubling is an anti-percentage call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeh Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 Great responses. Food for thought. Thanks. If you Pass, LHO passes and Partner bids 4♦️. Do you bid 5♦️ now? Yes, preempts do sometimes work. So, does that strengthen the case for bidding? D. Of course you bid at least 5D now. I’d actually bid 5C with a trustworthy partner. I cannot possibly have a desire to play in 5C rather than 4D but I may well have, as I do, a hand that couldn’t quite act over 3S. Now partner will surely drive to slam Btw, what spade holding do you think partner has for 4D? I’d be surprised if he has as many as 2. As for ‘preempts do sometimes work’, one big reason they often work against aggressive players is that aggressive players can’t make themselves use the pass card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelunch Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 At Matchpoints, playing Strong NT/5 card, your partner opens a natural 1♦ East's 3♠ is weak. Both sides Vul. Given that N may have everything from a re-biddable 11 count in ♦ to a bad 1NT 12 count rebid, to a powerhouse, what is your bid now? You are playing negative doubles. D.[hv=pc=n&s=s84hk983d765caqj9&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1d3s]133|200[/hv] I dbl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelunch Posted October 2, 2020 Report Share Posted October 2, 2020 I would dbl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas43 Posted October 3, 2020 Report Share Posted October 3, 2020 As an experienced 12-14 NT / 4cM player, who is trying to adjust to 15-17/5cM for online play, this discussion is particularly educational. When I saw it I thought "Ladybird book negative double, what's the problem?". The discussion shows why it's not so simple in a strong/5cM context. My thanks to the various posters. [Cultural reference: Ladybird Books were illustrated educational books for children in the 1960s. The modern spoofs, which use the original illustrations on humorous themes aimed at adults, are well worth a look] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miamijd Posted October 3, 2020 Report Share Posted October 3, 2020 Pass is the percentage action over 3S. In order for X to be right, partner would need either 5/5 in the minors or 6 diamonds, so that you have a 9-fit. Possible, but not likely. If you have a 4/4 heart fit, partner is likely to be balanced or semi-balanced, in which case he doesn't have a 15-17 NT, so you don't have a game (plus the trump are apt to break badly). If partner has 1444 and a halfway decent hand, he might find a X. I agree with Mike H. that if the overcall were 3H and your 4-card major were spades, X stands out. There's a big difference between a good shot at the 3-level and having to go to the 4-level. If partner reopens with 4D, WTP? 5D, of course. Partner is playing you for around 7 HCP on this auction; you have 10 really good ones, three-card trump support, and no spade wastage. If it makes exactly 10 tricks, well, I've gotten poor results before :) Cheers,Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miamijd Posted October 3, 2020 Report Share Posted October 3, 2020 Of course you bid at least 5D now. I’d actually bid 5C with a trustworthy partner. I cannot possibly have a desire to play in 5C rather than 4D but I may well have, as I do, a hand that couldn’t quite act over 3S. Now partner will surely drive to slam Btw, what spade holding do you think partner has for 4D? I’d be surprised if he has as many as 2. As for ‘preempts do sometimes work’, one big reason they often work against aggressive players is that aggressive players can’t make themselves use the pass card. Preempts work against Ron Gerard and Jeff Meckstroth alike. Indeed, it's more important to preempt against top players than against average ones. If you let top players have unimpeded auctions when you could have interfered, they will slice you up like a salami. Cheers,Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas43 Posted October 3, 2020 Report Share Posted October 3, 2020 Just a thought, but what about West? [1D] -3S -[Pass] and he's sitting there with 4 card support. Should he raise to 4S or should he pass and hope that each opponent thinks that their partner has losing spades? I'm not a fan of walking the dog myself, and would raise, but this does give NS another chance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsLawsd Posted October 4, 2020 Report Share Posted October 4, 2020 Double. A zero is just a zero and I do not want them to steal. That is why so many play some version of a Forcing club after all. Many top pairs play through 7 as negative. That, of course, puts lots of pressure on the open bidder. And the opponents will have to field the next call also. At Imps I pass and may regret it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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