[Winstonm]

Scoring: IMP

W N E S
1♦Dbl P 1♠
2♣2♦Dbl P
P 3♠ P - ???

---

What's your decison - Go or No Go?

[jillybean]

abort!

[inquiry]

Go and not be surprised if I make an overtrick. I have soooo much more than I promsied.. .why I might not even have 4♠ on this auction, much less four GOOD ones...

[Gerben42]

Happy to raise. Partner has a pact with the dealer and we can provide the 10th trick.

[mikeh]

If you can trust your partner, bid game. I do not expect an overtrick, and I would not be surprised to go down, but the contract ought to be at least 50%. A rebid of 2♠ would have been highly encouraging, the actual 3♠ shows a very big hand.

[reisig]

Hard to avoid bidding 4S here ..but may easily fail since Spades rate to split poorly.

[mike777]

Winstonm, on Dec 8 2005, 11:11 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

W N E S
1♦Dbl P 1♠
2♣2♦Dbl P
P 3♠ P - ???

---

What's your decison - Go or No Go?

partner has shown around 24.99pts....so I have easy 4s bid....

[Winstonm]

mikeh, on Dec 8 2005, 11:41 AM, said:

If you can trust your partner, bid game. I do not expect an overtrick, and I would not be surprised to go down, but the contract ought to be at least 50%. A rebid of 2♠ would have been highly encouraging, the actual 3♠ shows a very big hand.

Obviously hand-wise this is worth a go on the principle of how much worse it could be - but LHO has shown what appears to be 9 or 10 cards in the minors and his partner has told him which to lead.

If you are in a 4-4 fit, can you tolerate it with expected bad breaks? Which way do you bend when the potential for bad trump splits are in the air? Do you look for safety or do you ignore the bidding a plow ahead?

Winston

[Blofeld]

Easy 4♠.

[mikeh]

Jlall, on Dec 8 2005, 11:46 AM, said:

I would interpret this as forcing. Partner could have Xed and raised, Xed and jump raised, Xed, cuebid and raised, but he Xed, cuebid, and jump raise. If this is not forcing then he cannot force.

Yes he can: he could redouble or he could recue: I would take the redouble as an enormous hand with 3 ♠ and the recue as an equally enormous hand with 4+♠. As it is, he has a monster but not a freakish monster and he is allowing me out if 1♠ was xxxx xxx xxx xxx.

The opps have given him extra space in which to convey nuances of his hand and he should be allowed (and obliged) to make use of this. I always like it when an opponent, with no real interest in the auction, gives me an extra tempo. Of course, here, the opp may have had a legitimate reason for the double . Nevertheless, good double or silly double, why not use it in our scheme.

[mike777]

Winstonm, on Dec 8 2005, 11:49 AM, said:

mikeh, on Dec 8 2005, 11:41 AM, said:

If you can trust your partner, bid game. I do not expect an overtrick, and I would not be surprised to go down, but the contract ought to be at least 50%. A rebid of 2♠ would have been highly encouraging, the actual 3♠ shows a very big hand.

Obviously hand-wise this is worth a go on the principle of how much worse it could be - but LHO has shown what appears to be 9 or 10 cards in the minors and his partner has told him which to lead.

If you are in a 4-4 fit, can you tolerate it with expected bad breaks? Which way do you bend when the potential for bad trump splits are in the air? Do you look for safety or do you ignore the bidding a plow ahead?

Winston

It seems to really make bridge even more complicated if we pass forcing or almost 100 % forcing 3s bids that partner makes when we both know there are potentially bad breaks. Yes, partner has heard the bidding also.
I can understand playing game level and not bidding a slam but when the choice is between part score and game at Imps I would just try and bid game and take advantage of the bidding in the play of the hand the best I could.

[han]

Agree with Mike777, this is not a hand for masterminding.

[Fluffy]

Do not feel under forcing, sure we have a nice 4th ♠, but that's all. Going against everyone here, but I would pass.

[mike777]

Fluffy, on Dec 8 2005, 01:14 PM, said:

Do not feel under forcing, sure we have a nice 4th ♠, but that's all. Going against everyone here, but I would pass.

Fluffy:
What hand does x and then 2 spades show?
What hand does x and then cuebid show?
What hand does x and then cuebid and then 2s show?
What hand does x and then cuebid and then 3s show?

[inquiry]

Fluffy, on Dec 8 2005, 01:14 PM, said:

Do not feel under forcing, sure we have a nice 4th ♠, but that's all. Going against everyone here, but I would pass.

What do you respond to 1♦ X when holding...

♠xxx ♥xx ♦xxxxx ♣xxx

Just curios. Don't you bid 1♠? A nice 4th spade isn't just a normal holding, it is considerably better than you could have.

But this raises an interesting question. I use the 2♦ cue-bid as a general force, that doesn't promise support. But if you paly 2♦ as 100% sure spade fit, which bid over 2♦ double do you play as weaker, pass (as occurred here) or 2♠ bid? If 2♦ forced to 2♠, then pass should (at least imho) show the better hand. Within such a context, this hand is not "better" than promised.

[Al_U_Card]

Jlall, on Dec 8 2005, 11:46 AM, said:

I would interpret this as forcing. Partner could have Xed and raised, Xed and jump raised, Xed, cuebid and raised, but he Xed, cuebid, and jump raise. If this is not forcing then he cannot force.

So he has what amounts to a 2C opener (or equivalent) and is just asking if you have 4 spade pieces to ensure game. Seems like the moon is in sight and the landing site is ready.....

[mikeh]

In the last round of the round robin part of the Canadian Team trials a few years ago, when we were clearly blitzing our opps, who were good guys, we had an auction on the last board of (1♥) x (2♥)  P  (P)  3♥  (P)  3♠ (P) 4♥ (P)  4♠ (P) 5♥ (P)  to me

I told my screen mate that I was actually bidding 6♠ and, with his agreement, placed a pass card on the tray. Partner's reaction, when the tray appeared, was both audible and unprintable

It pays to have agreements on repeat cues after doubling

[Robert]

Hi everyone

My answers to the four part question are

1) X and raise=16-18, 4 trumps

2) X and cue bid 20+/21+ and 3+ trumps

3) X and jump raise 19-21 and 4 trumps

4) X and cue bid and jump raise 4/5 trumps and begging you to bid with 4 card support and a stray Queen or Jxxx of trumps.

I try to allow for xxx xxx xxxx xxx hands passing after my X, cuebid and jump to 3S bids. With xxxx xx xxxx xxx I think you should be at least 50% to make 4Ss if partner's bidding is to be trusted.

I would expect 5 card spade support to 'not be unusual' on this auction. Partner should have about 9 winners and your Qxxx of spades should be fine for game.

If partner has ten winners, he could have bid 4Ss himself. If he needed a four card suit from you, your Qxxx looks real good for 4Ss and an overtrick would not be unexpected here.

Regards,
Robert