Interesting Hand 20

At a recent friendly game with friends, Chicago scoring, the dealer opened 1, and I overcalled with 1. My LHO then bid 2. They were playing 4 card heart suit openings, we were playing 5 card majors. Partner passed, and the deal came round to me. I doubled

What would you bid as my partner with J1085 6 A9643 642 ?

Hand 2

At a teams event the dealer on your right opened 1NT (12-14pts), both sides vulnerable. You hold AQ9653 10 AKJ104 J and you are not going to pass!

What would you bid.? If you use any convention over 1NT please name or explain it.

Int hand 20 replies

Never too sure about doubles after this bidding. With some of my partners I would take it for penalties and so leave it. With my more knowledgeable partners the double would be for take-out , so I would bid 2 spades.

On hand 2, bidding spades is obvious, but how many. I might try 4 spades hoping partner had at least 2

In the first hand if I were playing with you I would not have passed on the first round, I would have bid to 3S - the level of the fit.
In this instance, having already passed and realising that your overcall was strong in so far as you could tolerate any response of mine I would simply bid 4S. That would shut out the opponents and if it didn't make they could almost certainly make 4H.

The second hand poses another problem and how I bid would depend on who I was playing with. I have a very strong hand with just 4 losers, two in black suits which would probably finesse well through the NT opener but which I would not choose to lead myself, and two singletons. I would not double for that reason. While trying to put partner on lead they could take 9 or more tricks in the red suits. Thus, I would use Astro saying 2 D to show spades and another. If a simple response came (not 2NT showing some points and interest in the other suit I would then have several options. However, you just asked what I would do in the first place and that it is to bid Astro.

Hand 1 : Bid 3S (level of the fit).

Hand 2 : Bid 4S ,you don’t need much from partner to make this. You are sitting over the 1NT opener and making it difficult for opposition to come in with hearts.

Why wouldn’t partner bid 2 spades holding a four card suit , a singleton and an ace? When partner doubles 2 hearts I would consider 4 spades but bid 3 spades.

On hand 2 , spades looks like the contract , but is it 2 or 3 or 4? Bidding 2 spades looks weakish on such a good hand, so I would either bid three spades or 4 spades. Three would be my choice expecting partner to raise if she was better than 6 points and holding a couple of spades.

What happened

Hand 1. Partner passed and the contract went 1 down. Looking at the hands later, why did partner not bid 2 spades over 2 hearts with a 4 card spade suit and a singleton heart? After all it is a nine loser hand with a 9 card fit (5 for the overcall+ your 4 cards), but worth no more. Once partner re-opens with a double, you would bid 2 spades on a 3 card suit and nothing else, so jump in spades. So the bid from partner should have been 3 spades, leading to game being bid. An easy 11 tricks

If you play doubles of opening bids to 3 Spades are for take-out, plus any double of an agree suit below game level is also for take-out, then partner should not get this hand wrong. Of course any take-out double can be passed if partner has a long trump suit and nothing else, but at your peril!

Hand 2. One of the few times when conventions give a spectacular result. Bid 2 diamonds (ASTRO) showing 5 spades and a 4 card lower suit.

Partner held : void A873 9783 KQ1093 so he bid 2NT asking for my second suit intending to pass. I bid 4 showing my powerful second suit, and partner raised to 5. This contracts easily makes 11 tricks, but no other pair were in it.

4 cannot make because you have 3 losers in the suit having to lead away from AQ9 in the suit!