[pescetom]

MP

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Your agreements in first seat are 2/1 with 1NT 15-17 without 5 card major, 2 clubs generic strong hand.

Please answer the poll and comment here.

[jillybean]

1♣, what else.

Your idea of a pickle is different from mine.

[mw64ahw]

1♦ if you're playing my esoteric unbalanced ♦

mis-counted the ♣ so 1♣.

I did construct a strong club approach where 1♥ was nebulous, but could contain 4♠ or 6♣ as here.

[steve2005]

Nice 2♣ Precision opening.
Playing standard you open 1♣ and no doubt opps have an easy 1♥ bid

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2026-October-09, 18:50, said:

Your idea of a pickle is different from mine.

Your opponents bid a hearts contract making (or push you to a clubs contract not making) less often than mine, then.
Or you don't mind a score worse than Pass.

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2026-October-10, 02:12, said:

Your opponents bid a hearts contract making (or push you to a clubs contract not making) less often than mine, then.
Or you don't mind a score worse than Pass.

Yes, but I'm not in that pickle yet. Lets see the next 3 bids please.

[pescetom]

It depends upon how frisky West is feeling.
At worst:


MP

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Partner would have bypassed 4 card diamonds but not necessarily 5 card.

[jillybean]

let's go slow

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[apollo1201]

 jillybean, on 2026-October-10, 08:29, said:

let's go slow

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Your idea of slow is different from mine😝😅🤣

I d probably X (and start to worry if I had not better passed)

[mike777]

 pescetom, on 2026-October-10, 08:11, said:

It depends upon how frisky West is feeling.
At worst:


MP

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Partner would have bypassed 4 card diamonds but not necessarily 5 card.

Good problem
Partner being a passed hand and very probably no 4spades
Makes double a good choice

Short hearts
More than our usual dead minimum opening values
Probably longish clubs, diamonds tolerance

[WasWinM]

pescetom, on 2026-October-09, 17:20, said:

MP

---

Your agreements in first seat are 2/1 with 1NT 15-17 without 5 card major, 2 clubs generic strong hand.

Please answer the poll and comment here.

So far, I don't see a significant problem. Missing 12 hearts, the expectation for the remaining distribution is 444, and 543 secondarily. That no one preempted hearts says a lot. I do appreciate that this is match points, though, and this hand isn't strong defensively or offensively, either. Still, to assume that a complex competitive auction with no bidding is a little over the top, downright pessimistic, actually
with the remaining high cards favored to be 998 around the table. I see no strong reason to do anything other than bid normally at this point and see what happens.

[WasWinM]

jillybean, on 2026-October-10, 08:29, said:

let's go slow

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What the heck is 3H and why am I bidding it? Partner is still a passed hand and still rates to have only 8-9 hcps, right?

[WasWinM]

pescetom, on 2026-October-10, 08:11, said:

It depends upon how frisky West is feeling.
At worst:


MP

---

Partner would have bypassed 4 card diamonds but not necessarily 5 card.

Whether or not partner can hold a 4-card major is actually critical to the decision. With less than game forcing strength, obvious from the pass, the 1D for many of us would deny 4 hearts or 4 spades, even with 5 or 6 diamonds. If that is the case, we know we have some kind of good fit in a minor and double will find which one. If partner could have 4 hearts, our double gives him an insoluble problem, while his 3S bid does the same to us. When it's just guesswork, the best action is usually pass.

[pescetom]

WasWinM, on 2026-October-10, 11:12, said:

Whether or not partner can hold a 4-card major is actually critical to the decision. With less than game forcing strength, obvious from the pass, the 1D for many of us would deny 4 hearts or 4 spades, even with 5 or 6 diamonds.

In this partnership it would deny 4 hearts or 4 spades, except with 5+ well honoured diamonds.
But on the actual layout you could assume your agreement too.

I no longer see the poll (which was running 100% 1♣ yesterday): am I the only one with same problem?

[jillybean]

apollo1201, on 2026-October-10, 08:33, said:

Your idea of slow is different from mine😝😅🤣

I d probably X (and start to worry if I had not better passed)

Oops. I was bidding 2 hands, having breakfast, getting dressed, heading out the door and I overlooked the passed hand part.

But here we are. The auction has gone PASS PASS PASS to me and now RHO has popped up with 2♥,I'm not unduly worried.
3♥ was not a mechanical error.

[pescetom]

Jillybean "not a mechanical error" 3♥:
MP

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apollo1201 and mike777 X:
MP

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WasWinM Pass:
MP

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Isn't MP fun?

[mike777]

Pass over 3H, I also note partner did not open a weak 2D white vs white.

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2026-October-10, 12:41, said:

Isn't MP fun?

Yes!
I trust partner, although I may need to apologize and buy the beer. Pass.

[pescetom]

 jillybean, on 2026-October-10, 12:58, said:

Yes!
I trust partner, although I may need to apologize and buy the beer. Pass.

That one is documented by traveller and diagram, albeit without incurring double.
The bar is well furnished.
But first over to the others.