BPO-003F

[inquiry]

[hv=d=w&v=e&s=sk94ht854dj965c98]133|100|Scoring: IMP

BPO-OO3F

 

West  North  East  South

 

 (1♣) 2♠ (Pass) ?

 

your bid as South

 

[/hv]

[hrothgar]

BPO-003F: 3NT

 

Partner made a weak jump overcall. I have a 3 count. The opponents have a vulnerable slam and we're white. My King ain't gonna be worth anything on defense cause its in partner's suit.

 

The ONLY question to consider is how do we cause the opponents the most difficulty. 3NT is the best way to do so. With luck, both RHO and LHO will place me for all the extra values that are actually sitting in their partner's hand. If we're REALLY lucky, LHO will have a running suit and be too “smart” to double 3NT and allow use to run to 4S. If the opponent's do double, 4SX shouldn't be too painful.

 

(There is one other question to consider which is where are all the points? Normally I would suspect that RHOhas a trap pass which suggests moving very carefully, however, between my Spades and partners its hard to construct hands when RHO has good enough Spades to penalty doubles at the 2 level)

[joker_gib]

4♠

 

Minimum room and maximum pressure on opps !

 

Alain

[P_Marlowe]

3S.

 

For anything else I am to dull or to old.

 

With kind regards

Marlowe

[ochinko]

Why did I bid 3Sp? Undo! Undo!

 

<H. Simpson>It wasn't me. Nobody saw me. You can't prove anything.

 

4Sp, of course. Sorry, partner.

 

Petko

[han]

3S.

 

My partner often has only 5 spades at this vulnerability, so I'm not going to stretch further.

[kgr]

3♠.

I would have bid 4♠ with less ♥'s.

[mike777]

3s

If P has 8 Working Pts (WP) and 6232 shape I can see us only taking 6 tricks on offense.

With RHO passing perhaps that shape is a bit more likely?

 

Anti law=13-4-3

[joker_gib]

3s

If P has 8 Working Pts (WP) and 6232 shape I can see us only taking 6 tricks on offense.

With RHO passing perhaps that shape is a bit more likely?

 

Anti law=13-4-3

At this vul, even down 5 = 1400 is still good if they have a small slam !

 

Alain

[pclayton]

Only 3♠. Years of -800's and -1100's have convinced me this is right. Pard always turns up with a slow diamond trick and we have a cashing spade.

 

I'm not at all convinced they have a slam. RHO passed vulnerable and he's not trapping. LHO didn't open 2♣. Seems like a 30 point deck, but I expect pard to be undisciplined at these colors.

[luis]

How can you vote? I can't believe it. I think this problem depends 100% on partnership style so it's not really a judgment problem. I did vote but I strongly objected the problem.

[Walddk]

I had a bigger problem, because I got that hand with the wrong format. Looked to me that the vulnerability was reversed. My vote would not have been the same non vulnerable against vul.

 

Roland

[inquiry]

I had a bigger problem, because I got that hand with the wrong format. Looked to me that the vulnerability was reversed. My vote would not have been the same non vulnerable against vul.

 

Roland

Well, time for confession on this one.. What Roland is talking about is that I used the excellent tool linconverter.exe to convert a real world BBO hand into a problem. In doing so, I got screwed up.. this is how the problem appeared to the panelist....complete with a courier tag that shouldn't have been there...

 

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=sk94ht854dj965c98]133|100|Scoring: IMP

BPO-OO3F

 

West North East South

 

  - 1♣ 2♠ Pass

? your bid[/hv]

 

As you can see, the panelist were put in the West seat and had to come up with a bid... But you will notice, that as given to the panelist, the vulnerabilyt and everything else is the same.. that is, you are not vul, they are vul... so Roland is mistaken about the vul.

 

But in doing this, I didn't present the problem I had intended. The problem I wanted to give was a hand that was failry good with spade support and rather or not you would pass, trusting your partner to be very weak at this vul, invite game, or yes force to game. But in the process I showed opener's partner's hand by mistake. I didn't catch it until it was too late. But still, this hand became somewhat intereting by accident, as there are some interesting views.....so we ended up being stuck with it... hope I am more careful in the future when using linconverter.

 

Ben

[HeartA]

4♠

 

Minimum room and maximum pressure on opps !

 

Alain

Yes, 4♠.

[Double !]

3 spades

gotta look at whole hand

your 4 hearts make it unlikely that opps are bidding game or slam in hearts, and your hand is flat. LOL, and partner could be on a real rag at favorable and took a risk: let the pre-empt do its work.

[Winstonm]

I have neither the shape nor the length in spades to want to get too high - this is not a hand with which I want to sacrifice unless forced to do so. My RHO couldn't even muster a negative double, so LHO must be loaded for bear - and it's going to be hard for him to describe his hand - that plus my heart/diamond holdings suggest opponents best spot will be in clubs; club slams are not easy to find opposite passing partners when opener failed to start with 2C.

 

If I start jumping around, I'll actually help the opponents place the high cards and singleton spades and have a more accurate auction; hence, the bid I can make that puts the most pressure on the opponents is: pass.

 

And that's what I do.

 

WinstonM

[luke warm]

i voted for 3♠ because i love the bid... opener has a big decision facing a passed partner... i think 3♠ is high enough to buy the hand and is less likely to be doubled

[Rebound]

Call me wimpy, but no one ever got shot for passing with a weak hand. ;-)

[Double !]

Call me wimpy, but no one ever got shot for passing with a weak hand. ;-)

not wimpy

but,

what do you want partner to lead at trick 1?

[fifee]

Ben, I think your converter would be much better if we could line up who is bidding what.

 

4♠ is my choice if pd is making a weak jump overcall since we have 6♠ for that bid and very little outside. Opponents could definitely be headed for slam.

 

Patricia Anderson

[inquiry]

Ben, I think your converter would be much better if we could line up who is bidding what.

 

4♠ is my choice if pd is making a weak jump overcall since we have 6♠ for that bid and very little outside. Opponents could definitely be headed for slam.

 

Patricia Anderson

Hi Patricia

 

Ideal lining up of the auction is something we all hope for. Our resident computer guru has not been able to figure out and ideal way to that however. I could provide links, but so far, this has been a stumper....

 

Ben

[Fluffy]

I think I missread it too thinking I was vulnerable.

[Dwingo]

Alain

 

4S - Minimum room and maximum pressure on opps !

 

You haven't see max. pressure yet

 

5♠

 

I get the feeling that slam is going to fail and I get a stronger feeling that opps is going to take the bait in bidding a blind slam.

 

Understand the risk when slam doesn't make and you go for 800 or 1100

 

Godwin

[joker_gib]

Hi Godwin, :D

 

I don't like the 5♠ bid because it really "tells" opps that they have a slam and it should encourage them to bid it ! (and as I have nothing in defence I think it will make)

 

On 4♠, I let them do what they want and I'm pretty sure that east's next bid (after dbl or a suit by west) will be difficult enough.

 

Alain

[inquiry]

[hv=d=n&v=n&s=sk94ht854dj965c98]133|100|Scoring: IMP

BPO-OO3F

 

West North East South

 

  - 1♣ 2♠ Pass

? your bid[/hv]

 

Again, I apologize to the panel. This should have been a much more interesting problem, as I posted the wrong south hand (see explaination in earlier post in this thread. However, only Luis really complained about it (I agree luis, sorry).

 

Luis "I bid 4s but I strongly object the problem. This kind of problems depend a 100% on partnership style. With most of my pds I can be very sure they have a game or probably a slam so bidding 4s is a clear option. I had exactly the same hand some time ago, opener had a strong 1444, he would have doubled 3s for takeout but he decided that he had not enough to act over 4s. I really don't think this can be scored and I don't think we can get any interesting answers since everything depends on style. "

 

The other panelist at least tried to come up with some solution the inexplicable problem of why the opponents with so many points are not bidding. Did partner go way out on a limb and RHO is waiting to pounce with a spade stack when his partner reopens with a double? Can LHO have a true monster and only open with a nonforcing 1♣? The consensus vote of 3♠ seems logical to me for two reasons, that I will share is a moment.

 

Fred "3♠. There is a reasonable chance that the opponents have a slam. Is so then 4♠ might work out better, but playing 4♠ doubled could be a disaster if they don't have a slam (or if they couldn't have bid a slam). My 3♠ will make life a little harder for them, while keeping our side at a safe level.

 

Jlall "3♠. 4S or 3S, that is the question. At this vulnerability we might try 4S with the expectation (hope?) of going for at most 800 when they could easily have a slam. There are a few things that bother me about this though. First, we may go for 1100, its not likely but possible. Second, we may push them to slam on momentum. Sometimes if you just bid 3S they will stay out it. Since RHO passed over 2S I don't see them bidding a slam if the opening bidder couldnt start with 2C if I only bid 3S. Even if they have one, they will often miss it.

 

Reisig 3♠ - not jumping in with both feet

 

Ritong 3 spades can t find an astute psych , which could be pass..

 

Walddk 3♠ Opener has a good hand (no bid by my RHO). It's too easy for him if I just pass. Let us see if has the muscles to act over 3S. I would have liked to bid more, but not at these colours.

 

In fact, 3♠ seems so obvious the panel, Cherdano bid it without adding any comment, in fact, none is really needed. I guess I will have to say, I would bid 3♠ also, for two major reasons. First, I want a spade lead. Second, it prevents my LHO from cue-bidding 3♠ to show his, what has to be, truly very strong hand. Like Fred said, 3♠ just makes it a little harder on them.

 

But 3♠ and Luis’s 4♠ are not the only possible bids. Two of the panelist found two more bids. One out of very reasonable caution, one out of pure unadulterated fearlessness.

 

Fluffy Pass, don't have enough to make a bid.

 

Ng "3NT An 'action' bid at this vul. It's time to do something. I will be alone with this one, I know." ----A sound prediction, proven to be absolutely correct – ben ---     "We will be in trouble, if 2S was already an 'action' bid (but only with 5332). E-W presumably have game or slam, so this 3NT bid will disturb their action. I guess, West has 18-20 HCP (RHO was quiet), they have 26-30 points. My plan is: after double I will bid 4D, then 4H, then 4S:). I'm sure, after this sequence and ending at 4S, they will not double, but bid something else. If they pass 3NT (impossible, but who knows?), my score will be -450 (9 down, new record) with +5 or +14 IMP. If we play 4S double, we have 6-8 tricks, our score will be -800 or -500, not a big deal, and -4, +3 , +12 or +14 IMPs. Other possible bids are: 3S is the textbook bid, not too much pressure for opps, 4S is same as my 3NT, Pass is a 'chicken' bid: easy room for opps. 4C (pseudo splinter) would be good choice also, but only, if there are no kibitzer at my table. In case of 4Sx for -1100? I hope for +1370 or +1100 on other tables, but I have an excuse: sorry partner, one of my club card was among spades! "

 

So the odd little problem had some interesting points after all. Since several panelist considered 4♠, that bid is upgraded in the scoring. I also upgraded the cautious pass, since you are never going to out bid them anyway, and if your RHO is waiting to punish 2♠, then it is far safer at two than three spades.

 

VOTES  Panel  Score

3♠        7      100

4♠       1       50

Pass        1      50

3NT        1      30