[Echognome]

Scoring: MP

(P) - P - (1NT) - ?

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After 2 passes, RHO opens a 15-17 NT. What do you do?

[GriffenMac]

Double for peanlties?

[PMetsch]

pass, partner will pull the double.

[Walddk]

They don't psyche at these colours. I pass without much hesistation and take my sure plus. Partner will pull if I double for penalty (if possible), and I must pass. We will get more against 1NT.

That reminds me of a hand in the Danish Premier League in 1977/78 (yes, I am that old). Red on white RHO opened 1♥ 1st in hand, and there you were in 2nd with

AK
AQJ964
KQ95
A

Yes, right, a 23 count. At all 12 tables did it go 1♥ all pass for 300. No game made in the other direction.

Roland

[Fluffy]

I remember a similar hand as well, my team mate bid 2♥ from J109xx and 21 balanced making 8 trciks, my opponent pased, and raised his partner's 2♠ reopening to 4 making 11 tricks. Pass is the key, partner will reopne whenever he has a singleton.

[pmacfar]

Pass. Being on lead and leading the Q♠, you have him down 1 automatically and might be able to run the spades and/or clubs to take him down even more. Take the sure plus score vs the risk of opponents bailing out to something better or your pair getting into trouble.

[Echognome]

Scoring: MP

P - P - 1NT - X
P* - 2♣ - All Pass

* Forces XX

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I was South and decided to risk flattening the hand (since most people here would open a weak NT). West doubled for penalty and partner passed as part of our rescue maneuver and East blinked first. Surprisingly West passed this, but understandable since all but 0-2 points were "accounted for".

Those that passed collect a nice number of 100s. Well done!

[Blofeld]

I don't understand East's 2♣ bid. Why not wait until the bidding gets round to you again. Then you can see what North's intention was ; if to play 1NTxx, you can now run ; if to run away, you can assume that you and your p have at least half the deck and perhaps penalise 2♦.

[mike777]

Blofeld, on Jun 8 2005, 08:51 AM, said:

I don't understand East's 2♣ bid. Why not wait until the bidding gets round to you again. Then you can see what North's intention was ; if to play 1NTxx, you can now run ; if to run away, you can assume that you and your p have at least half the deck and perhaps penalise 2♦.

agree, in any event why not shoot out 5clubs now?

[FrancesHinden]

The problem wasn't the penalty double but partner pulling it.
I would double 1NT for penalties and expect partner to pass.

[Echognome]

I can't explain why opponents do what they do. The minute I opened this hand 1NT, the opponents should be getting at least the value of a game if not more.

As per the penalty/pulling debate, there is always a tradeoff. The sounder (stronger) your doubles are, the less partner needs to pull. However, the less frequent you will double. I don't really have a position either way on this. I know if I were East, I'd certainly wait for the redouble and see what North is going to do with it.

[FrancesHinden]

I had a hand in a Hubert Phillips (aggregate scoring) match a while ago, when the auction went

1NT (15-17) from me
Dbl from Su King on my left
Pass from partner holding a balanced 9-count.
Pass from Phil King on my right holding a 0-count.
Pass from me (what else?).

This went one off when Su cashed her 6 diamond tricks and an ace.
We were making 4H, so were 820 below par.

I asked Phil King at the break why he had passed the double, and he said "when Su doubles a strong NT, I know it is going off".

[Free]

This is a clear pass, unless you have a penalty Dbl.

[pmacfar]

For those that pass the 1NT, what is west's opening lead? A Q♠ lead looks automatic, and results in down 2. How can west figure out to go after the minors first?

I see that if they start on the minors, EW can set 1NT by 4 tricks, sqeezing south in both minors. If south keeps all hearts, then the K is trapped and the hand could be set 6 or 7.

Clubs by north makes 4.

What was your result Echognome?????

[HeartA]

pmacfar, on Jun 8 2005, 01:02 PM, said:

For those that pass the 1NT, what is west's opening lead?  A Q♠ lead looks automatic, and results in down 2.  How can west figure out to go after the minors first?

I see that if they start on the minors, EW can set 1NT by 4 tricks, sqeezing south in both minors.  If south keeps all hearts, then the K is trapped and the hand could be set 6 or 7.

Clubs by north makes 4.

What was your result Echognome?????

♠Q lead looks automatic? not to me. I think ♣A(K) lead is automatic. Whether or not EW could take 11 tricks on defense is another matter. But to lead ♠Q was obviously a bad move when you and declarer hold almost all the hcp.

[PMetsch]

pmacfar, on Jun 8 2005, 01:02 PM, said:

For those that pass the 1NT, what is west's opening lead?

I would lead a high club (the one that asks count, so K?). After club count is confirmed I switch to a spade. The problem is that after declarer wins the spade king, he will run 4 hearts. I have to discard 2 times so I like to know if it should be a club and a spade or two spades.

[Fluffy]

The correct lead from AKQx is the Q that ask partner to signal with the J.

seems south can be restrickted to 2 tricks in 1NT, but finding the ♦ cash before ♣s is not so easy.

[Echognome]

Our result was 2♣ + 2, so -130. We weren't complaining.