Worst misunderstanding with pick up partner

[mikl_plkcc]

I had my first F2F in my home club today but I don't have a regular partner at this club (I have one in another), so I'm matched with one.

 

There were a lot of freak hands in the 20-board session, including 9-card suit, 7-5-1-0, multiple 2♣ openers, etc. And I had my worst misunderstandings today.

 

My partner didn't have a system card and I brought mine, which is based on Standard American with a few gadgets for 1NT. We agreed to switch to another 1NT system but played everything else as stated.

 

I think we had at least 4 misunderstandings during the whole session:

 

1.

1♦ by me - (2♣) - 3♦ by partner - ....

I eventually doubled their 5♣, holding ♦A, ♥A, ♠KQ which was made by them. Turned out my partner has 6 ♦s where we should have competed to 5 ♦s.

 

2.

2♣ by me - 2♦ - 2NT - 3♠ - 4♦ - 4♠

Partner didn't realise the sequence should be treated as 2NT opening, where I treated as minors so I interpreted her with both minors and 4 ♠s. Actually she had only 5 ♠s and uninteresting side suits. Luckily I didn't bid 6♠ afterwards.

 

3.

2♣ by partner - 2♥ (2 controls) - 3NT - 4NT - 5♣

 

I had no idea what 5♣ meant as I was inviting 6NT. I treated her as 5♣332 and passed. Turned out she misunderstood I was asking for aces.

 

4.

(1♣) - / - (/) - X

(2♣) - 2♥ - (2♠) - /

(3♣) - 3♥ - (5♣) - /

 

It would be better if we played in ♥, because it turned out she had 8 points and 6 ♥s and I had 4. I thought she had only 4 ♥s when she bid 2 ♥, showing preference as she didn't bid 1♥ at the beginning, and I had no idea how many she had when she bid 3♥. She thought that she didn't have enough points to bid 1♥ and she didn't realise she should bid 2♥ over 1♣.

 

I want to know if anyone has worse misunderstandings when playing with pick up partners.

[LBengtsson]

only 4 misunderstandings with a pick up partner? lol! I think you were lucky :)

[Winstonm]

With a pick-up card the only appropriate answer when they ask "do you play" is No, I don't know that. Your card should look like the Howard Johnson Ice Cream shop from Blazing Saddles - 1 flavor.

[AL78]

1. and 4. sound more like poor judgement by your partner than a misunderstanding, unless the misunderstanding on 1. was partner thought she was inviting and you thought she was weak with five diamonds and some shape. 3. sounds like a lack of experience by your partner. I know some players at my club, even experienced players, would mistake a quantitative NT raise with Blackwood, but a strong player should recognise the difference. 2. is more understandable. I play 2NT - 3S as 5 spades and 4 hearts, pick a game, so if a pickup partner played that as showing both minors without any prior discussionb we too would have a disaster.

[mikl_plkcc]

only 4 misunderstandings with a pick up partner? lol! I think you were lucky :)

 

Normally I only have 1, at most 2 misunderstandings playing with a pick-up partner as what I play is very close to Standard American.

 

 

1. and 4. sound more like poor judgement by your partner than a misunderstanding, unless the misunderstanding on 1. was partner thought she was inviting and you thought she was weak with five diamonds and some shape. 3. sounds like a lack of experience by your partner. I know some players at my club, even experienced players, would mistake a quantitative NT raise with Blackwood, but a strong player should recognise the difference. 2. is more understandable. I play 2NT - 3S as 5 spades and 4 hearts, pick a game, so if a pickup partner played that as showing both minors without any prior discussionb we too would have a disaster.

 

For the 1NT-2♠ agreement, what I play with my regular partner is transfer to ♣, while 3♣ is transfer to ♦. However, she doesn't play this so our agreement after 1NT-2♠ is "11 points or either minor", where I bid 2NT if minimum, 3♣ if maximum. We didn't go through 2NT-3♠ though where I play as minor suit Stayman with my regular partner.

 

However, the misunderstanding here is that she didn't know that, in Standard American, the sequence 2♣ - 2♦ - 2NT is the same as a 2NT opening.

[akwoo]

I got passed in a splinter on BBO (1N-2H-2S-4H) a few days ago...

[mikl_plkcc]

I treat this sequence as 5-5 in the major, choice of game.

[hrothgar]

That I cared about his theories about bidding

[johnu]

1.

1♦ by me - (2♣) - 3♦ by partner - ....

I eventually doubled their 5♣, holding ♦A, ♥A, ♠KQ which was made by them. Turned out my partner has 6 ♦s where we should have competed to 5 ♦s.

Compete to 5♦ meaning you could make, or compete meaning you had a good sacrifice? If you couldn't beat 5♣ with your hand it sounds like partner just had a long string of diamonds which I would have expected.

 

2.

2♣ by me - 2♦ - 2NT - 3♠ - 4♦ - 4♠

Partner didn't realise the sequence should be treated as 2NT opening, where I treated as minors so I interpreted her with both minors and 4 ♠s. Actually she had only 5 ♠s and uninteresting side suits. Luckily I didn't bid 6♠ afterwards.

How long has partner been playing bridge? Not much you can do on this hand except hope to get lucky if partner thinks 3♠ is natural in this auction.

 

 

 

3.

2♣ by partner - 2♥ (2 controls) - 3NT - 4NT - 5♣

 

I had no idea what 5♣ meant as I was inviting 6NT. I treated her as 5♣332 and passed. Turned out she misunderstood I was asking for aces.

For some players, every 4NT is Blackwood. In this auction, some very good players respond to Blackwood even if 4NT was invitational. It costs nothing to check for the relatively rare case when you are off 2 aces and you can then stop in 5NT. In your position, I would have bid 6NT if there were enough aces. Passing 5♣ is a clear mistake no matter what partner thought it showed.

 

4.

(1♣) - / - (/) - X

(2♣) - 2♥ - (2♠) - /

(3♣) - 3♥ - (5♣) - /

 

It would be better if we played in ♥, because it turned out she had 8 points and 6 ♥s and I had 4. I thought she had only 4 ♥s when she bid 2 ♥, showing preference as she didn't bid 1♥ at the beginning, and I had no idea how many she had when she bid 3♥. She thought that she didn't have enough points to bid 1♥ and she didn't realise she should bid 2♥ over 1♣.

Likely has 5+ hearts to compete with 3♥. Just on the border between an initial 2♥ and 3♥ response. Do you really want to sacrifice over 5♣ when you could have passed out 1♣, or are you saying 5♥ makes and you never took a bid after the reopening double?

[mikl_plkcc]

Compete to 5♦ meaning you could make, or compete meaning you had a good sacrifice? If you couldn't beat 5♣ with your hand it sounds like partner just had a long string of diamonds which I would have expected.

 

If partner had only 4 ♦, there was a reasonable probability that the opponents weren't void in ♦, which justify my X.

 

If partner communicated that she had much longer ♦, given that we had 11 ♦ in total, I would expect them to have a void in ♦ so their 5♣ would make, and it would be right to compete.

 

How long has partner been playing bridge? Not much you can do on this hand except hope to get lucky if partner thinks 3♠ is natural in this auction.

I don't know.

 

For some players, every 4NT is Blackwood. In this auction, some very good players respond to Blackwood even if 4NT was invitational. It costs nothing to check for the relatively rare case when you are off 2 aces and you can then stop in 5NT. In your position, I would have bid 6NT if there were enough aces. Passing 5♣ is a clear mistake no matter what partner thought it showed.

I only play Blackwood when a trump suit is explicitly agreed, i.e. an 8-card fit is guaranteed by the bidding. Under all other situations, i.e. when we haven't excluded NT to be the final denomination yet, 4NT is invitation to 6NT, where any suit responses are an attempt to find a better contract.

 

Likely has 5+ hearts to compete with 3♥. Just on the border between an initial 2♥ and 3♥ response. Do you really want to sacrifice over 5♣ when you could have passed out 1♣, or are you saying 5♥ makes and you never took a bid after the reopening double?

 

I had 10 points and 2 ♣ at that hand, therefore I reopened with a X. I expected to pass any responses if they didn't compete further. I didn't expect her to have 6♥.

 

If she overcalled 2♥ at the beginning, I would advance to 4♥ having 10 ♥s in total, possibly shutting their ♣ communication out that they couldn't bid 5♣.