[cherdano]

It's matchpoints, noone vulnerable. RHO dealt and opens 1♠. What do you do with ♠T32 ♥AK3 ♦ AK8 ♣KT52?

Would you bid differently at other conditions?

[jillybean]

Clear double to me, I can't bid 1nt without ♠ stopper surely?

jillybean2

[Walddk]

The is no ideal bid available, so you must choose 1 of the following 3.

1. 1NT. Shows the range and a spade stopper. The latter is a lie. If NT is where we belong, the contract is wrong-sided.

2. PASS and hope partner can reopen if LHO passes too. Partner will do his utmost to keep the auction alive with as little as 8 hcp. If he passes, it is not entirely impossible that defending is right. If LHO bids, it is often a wise move to stay out of this completely.

3. DOUBLE. Not the ideal shape, but compensating values.

I would double and pass any suit partner bids at the 2-level. I will raise 1NT to 2NT. I believe that it's right to come in now, and double is the least of evils in my opinion.

Roland

[flytoox]

you have to dbl. cannot afford to pass.

[pbleighton]

Double, the least bad bid.

Peter

[inquiry]

I play Raptor 1NT overcalls, so 1NT here is not an option for me. Therefore I would double because I play Raptor. However, even if my 1NT was balanced 16-18 or 15-17, or 16-19, or similar ranges, I would still double.

Ben

[pclayton]

I double to, but its just 15+ - usually balanced. Great hand for it - we tell pard our values and it rightsides the NT.

[whereagles]

I bid 1NT. I don't give a damn about stoppers. Never have, never will. Who says we'll be playing NT anyway?

Besides, if pard is so worried about the stopper, he can ask if I have one or not with a 2H "transfer":

1S 1NT pass 2H
pass ..?

2S = 1/2 stopper (Qx, Jxx, Txx, xxxx)
2NT = full stopper, min
3x = no stopper (xxx, xx)
3S = 2 stoppers if you like
3NT = full stopper max

[mike777]

whereagles, on Mar 30 2005, 03:10 PM, said:

I bid 1NT. I don't give a damn about stoppers. Never have, never will. Who says we'll be playing NT anyway?

Besides, if pard is so worried about the stopper, he can ask if I have one or not with a 2H "transfer":

1S 1NT pass 2H
pass ..?

2S = 1/2 stopper (Qx, Jxx, Txx, xxxx)
2NT = full stopper, min
3x = no stopper (xxx, xx)
3S = 2 stoppers if you like
3NT = full stopper max

Realize almost all play transfers here but maybe we should not.
Having strong hand on lead can often make the difference on a hand.


So 1nt=2h could be to play and start all invite hands with 2clubs?
This puts nt bidder back as declarer with 4 hearts and invite but otherwise we can play hand with lead up to us with weak and h or D or clubs.

[luke warm]

i tend to agree with whereagles re: stoppers, but that really isn't the issue on this hand/bidding... if there is a stopper, supposing we play nt, partner has it... i want the lead coming to him rather than going thru him, so i'd double

[the hog]

X
Can't bid 1NT because its raptor. However even playing a 15-17 NT ovecall, this is a X rather than a 1N overcall. I would consider bidding 1NT with Jxx, but not with this holding.

[joker_gib]

Double !

Only 3♥ but good ones and the general strength compensates the poor shape.

Alain

[Fluffy]

Double also, pass would be also a good option, but not today.

[Gerben42]

Double. Even if you have 1NT available as balanced hand.

[P_Marlowe]

Double.

No second choice, the bad shape is compensated
by the points.
It seems, that People who will bid 1 NT, tend to
play against opponents, who will not lead spade,
because "they promised a stopper". And of course,
they wont alert the 1 NT bid, because it's natural ....

Marlowe

[Free]

Dbl seems the best, and pass gets away with the second price imo.

[Echognome]

P_Marlowe, on Apr 1 2005, 03:50 AM, said:

Double.

No second choice, the bad shape is compensated
by the points.
It seems, that People who will bid 1 NT, tend to
play against opponents, who will not lead spade,
because "they promised a stopper".  And of course,
they wont alert the 1 NT bid, because it's natural ....

Marlowe

Since when does one have to alert if their bid does not show a stopper? What if two suits are bid? Do I have to have a stopper in both or else my bid should be alerted? It might not be sound bridge, but I hardly believe it says anywhere in the laws that a NT bid must contain a stopper of a bid suit, lest it be alerted.

I choose double by the way.

[Fluffy]

I can remember a hand very similar to these being posted on an expert panel.

The hand was instead ♠10xx/AQ/KQJx/AJxx, wich is way different since there you will have a real unsolvable problem after partner answers 2♥.
Still the consensous was to double (my 1NT scored less points than those bidding 2♦, only above 2NT, grrrr).

[P_Marlowe]

Echognome, on Apr 1 2005, 07:00 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Apr 1 2005, 03:50 AM, said:

Double.

No second choice, the bad shape is compensated
by the points.
It seems, that People who will bid 1 NT, tend to
play against opponents, who will not lead spade,
because "they promised a stopper".  And of course,
they wont alert the 1 NT bid, because it's natural ....

Marlowe

Since when does one have to alert if their bid does not show a stopper? What if two suits are bid? Do I have to have a stopper in both or else my bid should be alerted? It might not be sound bridge, but I hardly believe it says anywhere in the laws that a NT bid must contain a stopper of a bid suit, lest it be alerted.

I choose double by the way.

Simply put: A natural NT promises a stopper, at least
this is the standard treatment and anything else would
probably be rated as "highly" ususual around the whole
world, and your opponents need to be informed, if you
play something, they cannot reasonable expect
You have to be careful with statements like "around the
whole world", but I think, in this case I am on fairly
safe ground.
I would always alert it, unless I am 100% sure, that the
alerting rules actualy forbid this. Are you 100% sure they
forbid these special alert? Would you doubt, that the natural
1 NT overcall did not promise a stopper?
If it does, but there is no one, then this is ok, because I
would regards this as a bluff / psych bid, I have no problems
with psych bid, but with fielding psych bids.

The overcall is natural in the sense, that it describes a
strong (?!) NT type hand, but natural and artificial has
nothing to do with alert or non alert.

And I am not talking about the follwing case, natural system,

1C - (1S) - 1 NT
...

were the 1 NT bid may or may not promise a stopper,
but then the 1 NT bid is not natural, it just is a bid saying,
I have ... HCP and no support.

and also not about the case were one overcalls 1 NT with
stopper and a balanced 12-14 count, a treatment, probably
no sane person would play.

This both cases are a gray areas reagrading alerting.

With kind regards
Marlowe