x 
x 
AJ98xxxx 
Axx
You are dealer.
-
Obviously, there are two general approaches: preempt or start slow.
The preemptors go for pressure on the opponents, despite the flaws.
As a group, the preemptors agreed on four as the right level.
- ED
-
4 . At unfavorable vulnerability, this should show about eight tricks without a running suit.4 is flawed (too many suits controlled, multiple potential losers in my suit) but I think the likelihood of the opponents taking the wrong action over4 makes it worthwhile. - DAVIDW
- I bid 3NT, showing an un-solid minor. CHO will have a reasonably accurate picture of my hand, although he won't know about the two aces. At least I won't have to make any further guesses after my choice. I will sit if CHO doubles them in anything.
- JJ
- 3NT,
4 , or4 whatever my 4 level1 , but with a minimum and 2 major suit singletons, a preempt seems better tactically.5 might be a decent call at other vulnerabilities, but is too much at Red v White. Thus, I’ll try whatever my 4 level4 if playing transfers (Lazard has been recommending these), and4 otherwise. If I have no 4 level3 . - MARK
-
4 (3NT if playing Namyats)... I certainly don't want to give the opponents a free run with 1-1 in the majors. Sure I have a little too much defense (would anyone really object to4 if the Club Ace were the King?), but I foresee bidding difficulties after the bidding takes off whether I open1 or Pass initially. Finally, opening5 seems suicidal at unfavorable vulnerability. - JOEL
-
4 . - ROBB
-
3 . I don't like having 2 aces, but this seems right on balance. - MICHAEL
-
5 . When given the choice, I pick the action call.
The
- BARRY
-
1 . 3NT may too easily be our game; two aces makes it wrong to preempt and I WON'T pass. How can I describe a good suit and a good hand that way? [Agreed. I will never have two aces to preempt opposite an unpassed partner. But5 might be an exception at unfavorable. That's a lot to bid. --Jeff] - MIKE
-
1 . 2 quick tricks and an easy rebid. It's the wrong texture for5 - the offense-to-defense ratio is a little too balanced for a 5-level unfavorable preempt. This won't be unanimous, but it should be. - BINKLEY
-
1 . If I switched my reds,4 would be much more tempting. With several of my partners,4 isn't even natural but shows spades and a decent hand. - BOBBY
-
1 . With 9 points, 2 quick tricks and an 8 card suit, it seems reasonable to start the bidding at a low enough level that we can investigate the hand. I have defense enough to withstand partner's double of the opponents. - ADAM
-
1 - MARSHALL
-
1 (same as you) - FLOYD
- I would consider
5 if not vul. I open1 . - DAVIDC
-
1 . Obviously there are choices to be made. However, pass is not among them. I plan to rebid my suit. - JEFF AT THE TABLE
-
1 . Good offense, good defense. But no pressure. - WINNING ACTION
- Probably a
5 opening. The whole hand was roughly
Any lower number of diamonds will likely get them to xxx Jxxx Q10 KJxx KJxxx AQxxx K xx
AQxx Kxx xx Q109x x x AJ98xxxx Axx4 PDQ. I don't know if LHO should bid over a5 opening. I don't know if I would.I was considering not including this problem, but the diversity of opinion on it justified its inclusion after the fact.
- VOTES
-
Action Votes 1 9 3 1 3NT/ 4 5 5 1 - JEFF UPON REFLECTION
- I don't know. I don't like two aces
for a preempt.
5 , however, red on white, ... the real issue with that call is that it can easily go for 800 against a game. They aren't making more than game unless someone has a diamond void, so I need to make 10 or more tricks to make5 a good shot. Could happen. Might not. The problem with1 is that I'm 1-1 in the majors. There's just no good answer, thus the roughly 50/50 split.
Qxx AK10x QJ Q108x
| You | LHO | CHO | RHO |
| | Dbl* | |
| ? |
Dbl was reverse "I have a secret." It
promises a balanced hand roughly 10+ HCP
without their suits nutted.
-
I guess this description of the methods was inadequate.
Playing standard "I've Got a Secret" (more on that later),
pass of
- JJ
- Pass. Double seems wrong, and no # of NT appeals to me with an iffy
stopper, no trick source and not many quick tricks. If CHO bids
3 or 3NT I will pass. If CHO bids3 ,3 or3 then I will bid 3NT. That leaves what to do over double and 2NT. Double should be a dub spade and sort of action [Wrong. R-O-N-G. Wrong! Partner has shown defense and they are often in serious deep doo-doo. --Jeff] I’ll pass but with the knowledge that at IMPs it could go wrong. What’s 2NT? Natural? Lebensohl? Some artificial bid (such as TO w/o 2 spades)? TO probably makes the most sense since the natural 2NT hands would likely double. Thus, I’ll try3 over 2NT. This could very well be a problem hand from both sides of the table, but that’s not because of our "reverse secret methods" (which I think are fine), but because some competitive hands don’t have easy answers. - ED
- Pass. If partner has a balanced minimum, I can't make 3NT
and I might or might not beat
2 . If partner also passes2 , I'll lead a trump and hope to beat it. - MICHAEL
- Pass. Lead trump.
- BINKLEY
- Pass. I want to hear what partner has to say. 3NT is the right place, but I want to see of partner can suggest a useful spade holding.
- MIKE
- Pass. I have a secret, too. A secret belief that we belong
in
2 undoubled.
There are two main camps. Camp 1: I have a weak NT. Passing shows a weak NT, so I have nothing to say, particularly with this soft crap.
About half the passers say they don't understand the convention.
I don't see why not, upon reflection. Partner has 10+ HCP balanced.
You are not in a force (balanced 10-counts can't require minimum
openers to reach the 3-level without a fit). Partner doesn't have
a long suit, and doesn't have a stack in one of their suits. This
is exactly the same hand he would have playing normal methods if
the auction had gone
He might have a doubleton spade, but it'll be a high honor doubleton so
that you can hit it with honor third. He might have four spades, but
they won't be AK10x, more like A632. Much of the time, he is 3-3
in the majors. Again, it's the same hand as in the standard auction:
You LHO CHO RHO Pass
Pass Pass Dbl
You LHO CHO RHO Dbl Pass
Pass Pass Dbl
- DAVIDW
- I think I have a maximum pass. I'm not familiar with this method, but I would suppose that if partner has extras he can double again. Then I will guess to bid 3NT.
- ROBB
- Pass. I don't understand the convention, but see no reason to act in front of partner. Lead trump.
- FLOYD
- I'm not familiar with the method. Does this mean that partner has
three of each major? Then I double. Could he have a doubleton? Then I'm
not sure what to do; if partner is allowed to pass on a min with 2 spades
then I want to pass. If he has to do something, I probably still want to
pass as I assume that he would bid with 2 spades and double with 3.
So put me down for X if partner must have 3 spades, pass if he can have 2. [I'll guess that's a pass. Partner could have, say,
- DAVIDC
- Pass. To be honest, not a method I am familiar with. Is my pass forcing? What
does partner's second double mean? I am passing because a balanced minimum (this hand
is not much better than that) is what I think partner will expect. I assume double by
me would show a better spade holding (or does it show shortness — I would like it to
show exactly a doubleton). If partner passes, we didn't miss game. If partner's
second double shows something like honor third, then of course I sit. If partner's
double shows shortness (can he have 0-1 spades?), then I am not sitting and will bid
2NT. My understanding would be that 2NT is scrambling but on this hand, if partner
sits, I'll hope the
- BOBBY
- Pass and see what partner has to say. I must admit I don't understand this convention very well.
A third of the group realizes that after a trump lead, they are not going to have a lot of tricks.
- ADAM
- Double and lead trump. [Upon hearing the result] Only 800? This one wasn't hard — why did you include it?
- JEFF
- Double and lead trump. Let's see: they probably have only seven trumps. I have their second suit nutted. Partner normally has a trump honor, so when I lead trumps, it'll cost them a trump trick to get a ruff in the short hand, if they can manage that at all. We have 24+ HCP. They have no tricks. They are getting massacred. I think this is so far from a close decision, I couldn't believe it when partner passed.
- MARSHALL
- double (I admit I was a coward) [Yes, Marshall was CHO on these hands, but the methods here made that obvious anyway. --Jeff]
- JOEL
- Does "without their suits nutted" mean all minor suit cards? [No, it means he doesn't have HHxx in one of the majors. --Jeff] I'm assuming partner could've raised clubs or bid diamonds on the first round more descriptively with either 4 clubs or 5 diamonds, so with at least 6 cards in the majors that my partner hopefully has, I'm going to take a chance and double them. Hell, if I can draw trumps, they're done. [Well-done, charred, burnt to a crisp, in fact! --Jeff] I hope partner isn't all minors and leaves this in with a stiff spade.
Barry and Mark hate their soft stuff for defense, so:
- BARRY
- 3NT. All these soft cards. I don't know why but I don't like
my chances on defence. It's only IMPs, right? [Not unreasonable.
The one serious problem I have with the double is that this hand
has no tricks, just soft schmoints. 3NT might make when
2 x is going down only one or two. But there are so many schmoints and so many trumps that after a couple of tricks, I expect to force them to be playing 2NT doubled. If we can make 9 tricks in 3NT, we ought to be able to make at least 8 in2 x. --Jeff] - MARK
- 2NT...My initial reaction was to pass and let partner double with Hxx in
spades (despite my horrible minor suit honors for defense). Sure, we can
probably get +500 or +800 in the unlikely event event that partner has Hxx
of spades and dummy has 2-1 in the majors; but, +600 in 3NT will be cold in
that case (unfortunately +200 or even -670 on a trump lead if dummy has
2-1-5-5 with a random Ace and a King in the minors). The problem comes
when partner has Ax in spades and has only a wrong-sided 2NT bid or a
3 preference available if I pass it around to him. I won't like raising 2NT to 3NT, and I won't know to bid 3NT over his3 preference. Thus, it seems to me that 2NT catering to a 3NT raise by partner with something like2 later with it, so I can't double now. Not that we won't be butchering them in2 x, though. Let's see... they'll take four spades (maybe) and the - WINNING ACTION
- Double and lead trump. I thought this was totally
obvious. Obviously, I was mistaken. At the table, I saw
partner's hand (after we played
2 undoubled) and my jaw dropped. Since I thought it so obvious to double at the time, I included my vote for a double. But it looks as if I'm outvoted. - VOTES
-
Action Votes Double 4 Pass 5 (understanding the methods) Pass 5 (not understanding the methods) 2NT 1 3NT 1 - JEFF UPON REFLECTION
- I got the actual hand wrong, even
after asking partner, etc. He really had
I'm willing to concede that just describing the methods as I did is insufficient. It's not obvious whether or not a pass here should be forcing. I think it's obvious; how else can you play
2 undoubled? But not everyone did. So some number of the passers were expecting partner to act. Most of those expected partner to double with as much as honor-third in spades. Which brings up the question, "what does partner's second double mean?" I think it means he has an extra king; some think he must have just the same hand with reasonable spades, so that he can start with a double when he has something like2 unhit, but that's not the end of the world. What followups are and what alternatives opener has are not obvious, either. Is his immediate 2NT good/bad? Is an immediate suit bid forcing? (I think it has to be, but it wouldn't surprise me if partner passed thinking differently.) How does a delayed 2NT differ from an immediate 2NT? There's more theory to this than meets the eye. Marshall, please answer those questions!As far as the actual choice, however, I still think the panel got this one wrong. Double and lead trump is such an obvious win on this board that I don't see why anyone wouldn't do it. You just know they are getting massacred. If RHO were supersound and was more likely to have 6-5 than 5-5, perhaps passing is safer. I see a lot more 5-4s than 6-5s perpetrating Michaels, though, so I'm a hawk. Several panelists said, "if I knew more about the methods, I'd change my call" in later communication. (Mark Bartusek also suggested that in the given auction, dummy almost certainly can't be 6-5 or 5-6 as declarer would have bid differently. That'd make it even safer to double.)
About that "I Have a Secret." Ed Manfield published an article in the Bridge World called "I've Got a Secret" in which he describes what have become "standard" methods in auctions like this (though he focussed on 1x-(Dbl)-?). Double shows interest in crushing them and pass followed by a double shows a good balanced hand with no clear direction. I called the article "I Have a Secret" for two reasons. One is that the original name is simply a grammatical error. The other is that I have a new name for the reversed methods: "I Have a Secret...From Partner!"
Lynn Johannesen (once Mrs. Ed Manfield) adds: "'I've Got a Secret' wasn't exactly a grammatical error: it was an allusion to a once popular television show of the same name. No doubt Jeff (and most of the panelists on this list) are too young to remember the show. It revolved around a contestant who announced, 'My name is XXX XXXXX, and I've got a secret!' The contestants had to guess the secret to earn large money prizes. Eddie intended to imply that people who learned his secret would reap substantial rewards." [She's right, in a sense. I had never heard of the show. But I don't watch TV even today. --Jeff]
AQ x K10xxxx AKxx
| CHO | RHO | You | LHO |
| | ? | |
What's your plan? If you bid
-
The first two bids were obvious, I guess. Everyone bid
- JOEL
- I bid
3 , and over 3NT bid4 . I'm going to try and engage in a cue-bidding auction. If he bids 4NT over4 , I'm giving up. If he bids4 , I'll bid4 , and then I need to know methods. If 4NT by him over that bid is stronger than bidding 5 of a minor, then I'll sign off when he bids5 , but bid on over5 . Certainly if he shows extras with 5NT, I'll bid on (with 5NT, pick a slam). Without advanced methods, I'll drive to slam over4 . If he bids4 , I'll bid4 and then drive to slam. If he raises4 to 5, I'll not be happy...think for a long time, and pass with a long sigh. Then when partner shows up with the diamond ace, blame him for not bidding4 . - ADAM
-
3 , then4 . Over5 , too close to call. Partner could have signed off in 4NT with a terrible hand for suit play, so he should have a red ace. He didn't cue, though, so he must not like his hand. That's OK, I like mine. State of the match considerations would affect my decision. I suspect slam has play but that it will go down if diamonds don't break, 50-50 with the preempt. I'll pass. I can construct a hand where we're off two aces: - BINKLEY
-
3 , then4 over his rebid (including his 3NT). This is a good slam hand, and even bailing out in a sad5 or5 contract can't be too bad. If I make an immediate support bid in clubs with3 ,4 over 3NT isn't showing an alternative trump suit. Over5 , I'll pass with uncertain feelings. He is all but obligated to cuebid on the way to5 with anything but dreck as my sequence is so strong, so we ought to be missing two aces. If he turns up with one, we have something to discuss over the Chinese food afterwards. - JJ
-
3 .3 seems wrong to me, my clubs aren’t good enough. If I really thought my clubs were that good I would bid4 (splinter).Thus,
3 will be my first bid. I will follow up with4 (forcing obviously) over pards’ 3NT. The real decisions come after that.If pard rebids 4NT, I will pass, catering to
5 , I will pass catering to4 I will bid 5NT (pick a slam) catering to6 ) or6 ). If pard bids4 I will cue4 , hoping that pard has - ED
-
3 .4 over 3NT. Over5 , I pass. If MP, ugh...6 . Partner would probably bid5 with5 at MP. - BARRY
-
3 . I plan to bid4 over 3NT and give up in 4NT if he bids that. If he bids4 I'll bid 5NT and let him pick. If he bids5 I'll pass. - MARSHALL
-
3 . If partner bids 3NT, bid4 . Pass if he bids5 or 4NT. I'm not sure I would have had the discipline to do that, but I think that is right. [Odd. I have the discipline, but I don't know if it's right! --Jeff] - FLOYD
- I bid
3 then pull 3NT to4 . Followups: Over4 or4 I ask aces. I pass 4NT or5 . - DAVIDC
-
3 and over 3NT, I bid4 . If partner bids 4NT/4 I will quit but otherwise will push to slam. - MICHAEL
-
3 . Over 3NT,4 . Pass5 . - BOBBY
- I prefer
3 showing my suit as soon as possible rather than a relatively uninformative cue bid. After3 -3NT;4 -?:-
4 —4 diamonds is agreed
4 —4 clubs is agreed
4NT <- RKCB for clubs
5 — P
5 — P
-
The real problem was to pass
| Partner | You |
|
| |
| 3NT | |
| ? |
A few bid
- DAVIDW
- I bid
3 , hoping the opponents will shut up. Since partner seems to have hearts, I understand their silence. Over 3NT, I bid4 . If he then bids4 , I will try KCB (for clubs, the first agreed suit when the ranks are equal). If instead he bids4 , I will try KCB (for clubs, the only agreed suit). If he bids 5 of either minor, I'll raise one level. The only bid he can make that will divert me over4 is 4NT. I'll pass that. - MIKE
-
3 then4 . If he persists with 4NT, I let him go. If he bids4 , then4 , then if he can't Blackwood I'll give up on seven. [Over5 ,]6 . He has a good hand for clubs, otherwise I'd hear 4NT. - ROBB
- I bid
3 , then4 , then ask for aces over4 or4 , and investigate for a grand if appropriate. I bid5 over4 , and6 over5 . - MARK
-
3 followed by4 ...Seems clear to bid your hand normally. If partner rebids 4NT I will Pass.4 or4 by partner will cause me to cuebid4 trying for a grand.5 will get6 from me based upon partner's presumed distribution and likely Ace of diamonds. I will also bid6 over partner's4 . One lesson to the hand is that a 4NT rebid by me will often be taken as natural and non-forcing by partner since 3NT to play was voluntarily bid earlier in the auction. - JEFF AT THE TABLE
-
3 , then4 , then over5 , I raised. - WINNING ACTION
- after you show your suits, pass
5 . - VOTES
- Just about everyone bid
3 , then4 . I shouldn't've included that as part of the problem, but I actually reversed the two, so there'd've been lots of complaints.Action Votes Pass 11 6 5 - JEFF UPON REFLECTION
- I agree with the panel.
3 first, then4 , then pass5 . I'm surprised no one considered a fit bid of4 the first time.
9xx 9xx AQJ10987 —
| RHO | You | LHO | CHO |
| Pass | | | |
| ? |
-
Most bid
- BARRY
-
5 ; lead directing; I'd bid 4NT to offer a choice of five-level contracts without the void. Am I going to 6-level — not sure! [Nope. You are getting doubled here. --Jeff] - MARK
-
5 ...I don't know if it is our hand or the opponents'. This hand is certainly worth a cuebid in case partner is interested in slam; while attracting a club lead from partner is mandatory if the opponents buy the hand. - MICHAEL
-
5 . Then double5 . - DAVIDW
- I would not have opened
3 in second seat at this vulnerability, as the hand is both too strong and too suitable for play in a major. It's not the worst opening in the world, but it's far removed from what I think is a playable approach to preempting.So I'll have to pretend that I was called in to replace the guy who was deservedly struck by lightning after he put his stop card back in the box. The auction seems to have come up much better than we deserve. Even if partner is screwing around, always a possibility at favorable, I have a great hand. I will try
5 , which should get me a club lead if the opponents press on to6 . I will not defend five spades unless CHO pounds it. - DAVIDC
-
5 . First, I am bidding. Partner's bid allows me to compete. Second, I want a club lead against5 . If it goes5 -P-P-P, I probably won't make. Else I bid5 and pass (no, I don't think I need to double)5 . - ED
-
5 . I hope it doesn't go all pass in5 . I'll hit5 . - ADAM
-
5 - FLOYD
-
5 . My hand could be better in support of hearts, but not by much.
The
- JOEL
- This is very interesting. If I could be sure that
5 was lead directional and not natural, I'd bid that 100%. However, I also believe it could be mininterpreted, and that if I bid5 , and they compete to5 , when I double that is clearly Lightner. So, for that reason I'm bidding5 , and then doubling5 for the club lead.4NT is better still. This should be 2 places to play, and since if partner bids clubs, I'm bidding diamonds, it'll be clear that I have very good diamonds with weakish hearts. I don't want to get to hearts if partner has long weak clubs and a diamond fit (or so I think).
- JEFF AT THE TABLE
-
5 . Then I sawed off5 . Sticks and wheels. - ROBB
- 4NT. I am too nervous to bid
5 , even though I think it should be a cuebid. 4NT, correcting clubs to diamonds should at least describe my suit holdings. - BOBBY
-
5 . I have support and partner shouldn't be disappointed. - BINKLEY
-
5 . Please4 be natural. [Brian must've played with Marshall before! --Jeff] - MIKE
- 4NT. I've changed my mind. If I double, partner will mistakenly
think I have a heart void and fail to continue with an appropriate holding.
5 vs5 is a toughie...5 would be natural but surely 4NT isn't. - JJ
-
6 . If CHO isn’t fooling around, we have a monster hand for her/him. If CHO sort of has a4 bid then it may be the opps hand and I need to get CHO to give me my club ruff on stroke.6 make it clear that I have a heart fit and I am not prempting on a 2 suiter and then bidding again w/o a fit for pard’s suit (it’s not my style to preempt on 2 suiters and bid again anyway). I should definitely want a club lead against spades — I could have bid 5NT otherwise.5 is my 2nd choice of bids, even if it were my style to preempt 2 suiters and bid again (I can always redouble or run when doubled). - WINNING ACTION
- Double. Or bid
5 . Or bid 4NT. Don't bid5 , alerting everyone to what will happen to5 . Partner was out there with4 is cold, +420, which is par on the hand, so he's done the right thing. Both club honors were in dummy, so you start at 800 vs.4 . If you can get a club lead. I don't think you will. Still, you'll get it 200 or 500 after a diamond lead. If declarer is really clever (or maybe double-dummy), after you ask for a club shift when giving partner his diamond ruff, he can duck it, let you ruff the second club, and then squeeze partner in clubs and hearts, getting out for -200. In real life, you'll get 500. The whole hand was Jx Q10x xxx AQxxx x KJxxxx x KJ109x 9xx 9xx AQJ10987 — AKQxxx A Kx xxxx - VOTES
-
Action Votes 5 8 4NT 3 5 3 6 1 - JEFF UPON REFLECTION
- I don't like
5 . With everyone bidding here, a slam seems really unlikely. Yes, partner could have5 x with a club lead. They are vulnerable. Next time, I think I'd prefer 4NT if I want to be technical. Tactically, I think5 is more likely to garner a5 bid, which is what I really want to hear. I think the double of5 after bidding5 is less clearly demanding a club lead than it is after 4NT. Since my goal is to get them into5 x with a club lead, it's a toss-up. If they don't bid5 , 4NT will get us to a better contract some of the time, so maybe it's better than5 .5 is much more likely to prevent them from bidding5 , so I reject it on tactical grounds.
Axx 109x KQJ107 xx
| You | LHO | CHO | RHO |
| Pass | Pass | Pass | |
| ? |
-
Two obvious camps:
- DAVIDW
- How can it be wrong to bid
1 ? True, I am not a favorite to buy the hand after a fourth-seat opener; but I'd really like a diamond lead against anything. Partner can't bury me, and I'm willing to risk1 x as a final contract. - ED
-
1 . It is hard to believe that something other than1 will lead to the best results for our side. - DAVIDC
-
1 . If this wasn't a bidding "contest" (hey Jeff, I am still waiting for the prize money from the last go around), [You didn't get it right! No one did. --Jeff] I would expect this to be the unanimous choice. [Chuckle. --Jeff] It has to be in here either because (i) it went for 500 or 800, (ii) it talked the opponents out of the normal 3N and into a making Moysian, (iii) take-out double worked better when partner had the majors but no way to show them, or (iv) someone holding this hand bid something other than1 , it worked out disastrously and you are looking to see whether anyone else found the "clever call". - MARK
-
1 ...With any other vulnerability at IMPs I would toss out the2 card (Jeff's probable action!) quickly to disrupt the opponents bidding.2 at unfavorable is a little scary, especially when partner might have a 5-card major he deemed inappropriate to bid in 3rd seat at these colors. I totally reject a double because I clearly want a diamond lead from partner against any contract LHO ends up playing. A1 bid also leaves me the opportunity to re-open with a double showing major suit support if the auction requires it. Additionally, a diamond bid instead of a double gives less information to the opponents when they are likely to buy the hand. - ADAM, MARSHALL, MICHAEL, FLOYD
-
1 . - ROBB
-
1 . The only reason I am bidding is for a lead, so double is out of the question. - BARRY
-
1 . My2 bids look like this with a sixth diamond — closer to intermediate than weak. Yes I'd like to preempt but no I won't do it — I have a partner I have to respect. [Partner is a passed hand. How much respect does he need? And he just bid4 on the last hand!!! --Jeff] - BOBBY
-
1 . Seems straightforward to bid the suit I want led. - BINKLEY
-
1 . I want partner to have room to bid a major if we should be competing there instead. Does2 work out better?
The
- JJ
-
2 . From a tactical viewpoint, I love this hand!!! There are 2 things to consider: 1) I need to get CHO off to aI have a grudging respect for anyone with enough daring to try
3 , but at these colors I’ll hold back, knowing that2 does some damage anyway. In my partnerships where2 isn’t natural at these colors (Roman or intermediate), I’d choose between1 and3 . - MIKE
-
2 . We don't have game, I have double-proof-spots and this bid puts tremendous pressure on the negative double by responder. I wouldn't be surprised to buy it in2 , since they might be 3-3... if so, we are probably +90 with their having +110 or +140 available in the correct strain. Of course, our teammates will be in 4M -2 and I'll lose 3 IMPs, but them's the breaks. [We'll never buy it in2 . RHO didn't open1 in 4th chair to sell to2 . He'll just sit there for two minutes and double2 for takeout offshape. --Jeff] - JOEL
-
2 —Automatic for me
If they double me, oh well.
- JEFF AT THE TABLE
-
2 . I luckily got out for only 500 when they didn't realize I had only five trumps. - WINNING ACTION
- Pass, I suppose. There really isn't one.
1 led to -500.2 led to -500 when the defense wasn't perfect (go teammates!) though they did have a harder time not knowing how many trumps I had. Pass would lead to -400 in 3NT making. RHO had 2056 and would pass a negative double at any level. - VOTES
-
Action Votes 1 12 2 4 - JEFF UPON REFLECTION
- I'm unrepentant. Gene Simpson says
it's right to bid
2 in their auctions whenever you reasonably can; their negative doubles and support doubles prevent your going for large numbers and make it very hard for them to find major suit fits sometimes. (1 )-(1 )-2 can easily blow away the heart suit. I've seen him bid2 there on nothing but whim. It worked out, too. Here, if they only have one major suit fit, it might be very tough for them to find it.1 doesn't do anything but direct a lead. We aren't buying this hand (RHO is likely to have 18 balanced) so let's try to do some damage. Our chances of playing2 whacked seemed tiny. Wrong!