INTERNET POST
By Arlene Port
You are South, Matchpoints, BOTH Vulnerable. Here is your hand:
* - For the Unbid Suits What do you bid? | ||||||||||||||||
| Ernie Retetagos: 2 Hearts. How frisky is my vulnerable partner? In any case, I'll raise their 2 spade bid to 4.. Bill Holt : 2D - 1NT ... because it's as high as I care to play and will bar partner from bidding again! No, seriously, I don't want to let them play 2c so I will trot out 2d ... I can tolerate higher opp contracts and am less likely to be doubled with 2 honors in Diamonds. Partner is unlikely to hold 5 spades or I might have heard about them. Gail Carns: 2C then 2S. I would have doubled 1C then the result would be up to partner. Jim Bachelder : 2D Is partner's bid a Sandwich NT promising 5/5? If not, I'm not too interested in playing at the three level in my 4-3 fit. I'll bid 2D for now since partner may be on lead against a heart contract. If partner is showing a distributional hand, I'll bid 3S since game may be cold opposite: AJTXX, XX, AXXXX, X Jim Bossert : 2 Spades. Asim Ulke: 2D. Presumably 1NT by partner shows a bad hand with 5-5 in unbid suits. I bid 2D. I expect the auction will come back to me in 2H. Then I shall bid 2S. The rest is up to partner.. Bruce Keidan 2D, then 2S over 2H. I do NOT pass 1NT or contemplate bidding 2NT until I have shown tolerance for both pointed suits. Trudy Cohn: 2 H showing a good hand and equal support for both of partners suits. Roni Gitchel Atkins: Double - I am not in love with that call or any other.. Herb Sachs: 3D I don’t believe partner has 5 spades. I am certain they have at least 5 diamonds. I feel my bid puts more pressure on the opponents. We really don’t know whose hand this is. Mary Carns: 2D. Sounds like an underbid, but: I would have doubled at my first chance, so I wouldn't be in this situation. Now that I'm here, I like my hand but most of my stuff is in their suits. If, over 2D, it goes 2H on my left, pass-pass I'll bid 2S; thereafter I'll double anything that they bid. Curtis Cheek: 3S I don't suscribe to the theory that partner's 1NT shows a weaker hand than double, but rather that he shows more distribution, at least 5-5. I'll risk getting too high opposite some hands to put us in position to bid game opposite hands such as KQ10xx x Kxxxx x, Qxxxx x AKxxx xx, or better. (Admittedly both of these examples are on the cusp of his decision matrix). from Curtis Cheek (visiting with Reanette) Ken Bergman 2S...I'm assuming my partner has at least 5-5 distribution in the unbids, if not I might think about trading her in for a new partner. I'd be willing to rebid 3D, if pushed by a 3C bid. Barb Bergman 2S...First of all, I would have doubled the 1C bid. Not perfect distribution, but the monkey would be off my back. Diamonds might be better assuming I'll be pumped with clubs in the long hand, but this is matchpoints. Richard Katz: I bid two spades to compete. which I probably can make. Good thing I’m on lead vs.;clubs in competitive defensive mode later. I will double 4 clubs, lead a spade and hope to go plus. This means I will compete at the three level. After all, why should I defend 3 clubs and maybe go plus when I can voluntarily bid and go set. perhaps I can escape losing 3 trumps and only one diamond, perhaps they make 3 clubs and another 4 clubs X minus 510 unlikely
Brian Ellis: 2D. Having failed to bid 1S, partner may only have 4 spades. I am more confident of 5 diamonds. I am not ready to defend clubs yet. Partner should be relatively weak for not having doubled, so a low level defense will probably not be successful. NT is fanciful if partner is weak |
Internet Post Results:
| This is an incomplete list of national bidders, but will give you some idea of who thought what!! 2S: Phillip Alder 2H: Ron Gerard, Chip Martel, Steve Weinstein 3C: Richard Freeman, Eric 4S Eddie Kanter, Karen Allison, Carl Hudecek, Jeff Rubens 3S Kit Woolsey 2D Bobby Wolff, Al Roth, John Lowenthal, Sue Picus,
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SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK POST
You are North, Dealer, Matchpoints, Non-Vulnerable vs. Vulnerable
Here is your hand:
S - A K x x x
H - x x
D - Q J 9 x x x
C - ------
- The Bidding is:
North | East | South | West |
1D | 1H | PASS | PASS |
1S | 2C | X | PASS |
??? |
At our table, my partner (N) pulled my double to 2S. I corrected to 3D, down 2.
My hand (S)
S - x
H - x x x x
D - T x
C - A Q x x x x
This, needless to say, precipitated a major discussion. Partner contended he was right to pull what should be a cooperative double because his hand was light and very distributional. I maintained that the double was not cooperative because I had never bid in the auction. We are not interested in assessing blame, just how others would interpret this auction!
What do you bid?
Florine Walters: This is an automatic pass, it also indicates that you are willing to double hearts. Partner should not be so embarrassed, it appears he has two quick tricks, and should be willing to defend. If partner's hand were better, i.e., AKxxx, xx, AKJ10xx, I would probably be more inclinded to pull it looking for a game.
Bill Holt: I would not have opened that hand in 1st seat so don't feel like defending the pull of the double - which sounds like a penalty double to me.
Jim Bachelder: I sympathize with partner's pull of the double and I would have pulled also,,,,,,,,to 2D. If the opponent bids once more and partner doubles again, I will respect it and pass
Barb Bergman: Our first question is...why would you double 2 clubs? We agree this is not cooperative, but would have a hard time visualizing a hand that could take no action over 1H making a double that not only would be able to set 2 clubs, but is willing to defend 2 hearts. Since the spots are not given in this problem, and they could play a big part in the play of the hand, it is possible to make 2Cs doubled. Also, one doesn't know what your RHO would do if your partner passed the double. I guess that is more than they wanted to know. Anyway, it is not cooperative. As an amendment to our answer.....even if your partner's double is penalty, you always have the option to pull it if you have information that they do not.
Ernie Retetagos: 2 Diamonds. I wouldn't even consider sitting for a doubled 2 bid with 6-5 shape. 2 clubs doubled could easily make, even with this layout. Also, West didn't correct to 2 hearts, which they would have with 2-2 in East's suits. If East has a very strong 6 card heart suit, 2 hearts makes easily. In fact 3 NT also makes. P.S.( bidding problems should include whether it is matchpoints, imps, BAM , or rubber.)
PJ Prabhu: 2D. This seems to be a misfit; but I'm not confident that we'll beat 2C, especially if partner leads a D. Since partner didn't double 1H, he must have been expecting to pass my reopening double. He has length and some strength in both rounded suits. 2S is a close second choice.
Mary Carns: The meaning of the double is in part dependent on partnership agreement. But, I would play it as showing not only a penalty double of clubs, but also the ability to double 2H should they pull to that. In other words, the reason that they didn't bid in the first place is that they had a penalty double of hearts. They don't! The doubler doesn't have that hand. SOOO, in my opinion one mistake (but not the first mistake--see below) was made by the doubler. Is that an opening hand? If it might be, then I would pull any cooperative double, because I don't have defense (note that based on my comments above, I don't necessarily think the double is cooperative). But if it is, I certainly pull.
