Rather than place my thoughts on the hands in the previous post in the comments section, I thought they were interesting enough for a new post.
On hand 1, the juniors were playing Precision so a 1♣ opener was not an option. I also tend to open 1♠ on these 5-5 hands but a natural club opener would have given you an even tougher decision - do you bid 4♠ after 1♠ (1NT) Pass (4♥) - ?
Both pairs were playing methods to allow them to distinguish between good and bad spade raises. I prefer transfers after 1M (Dbl) but some use a redouble to show a good raise.
Like Iain, my initial thought was that 4♠ was clear on this hand but it's not difficult to think of nightmare hands where you will go for a large penalty. In the end I think you just have to ignore these and put 4♠ on the table - it will probably make and some of the time they will save in 5♥. So put the pressure back on them.
On this hand, you can make 10 tricks in spades and they make 9 tricks in hearts.
On hand 2, I think anything could be right. The 6♦ chosen at the table gives partner a chance to raise when it's right (and when it's wrong) and I think that slower routes will only make it more difficult (it was also LotG's choice). The real winner was the 3♥ pre-empt.
As it happens, partner holds the ♦A, a doubleton spade, the ♥K and the ♣K so making all the tricks is simple. Playing in the small slam was still worth 5 IMPs on BBO (as many did not open 1♣).
Hand 3 is also tricky. I agreed with the 4♥ bid chosen - firstly the opposition may not bid over this, as hearts outrank diamonds, whereas bidding diamonds over 5♣ seems more natural; secondly your decision over 5♦ is no easier over whichever you bid, but it might be easier for partner to bid hearts than commit to a club slam.
At the time, most of the kibitzers were for doubling 5♦, but I was pretty confident that 5♥ would eventually be bid. The danger of a double game swing is just too much. Naturally 5♥ was doubled.
You can make 11 tricks in hearts. They will make 9 or 10 tricks in diamonds, depending on whether partner tries to cash the top two clubs. Making 5♥ doubled won 9 IMPs.
The problems on hands 1 and 3 would have been less severe if the action on the previous round had been different. Hand 1 would have been easy if a natural 1C opening had been available (You open 1C then bid 4S now). Having been compelled to open 1S you cannot show your hand without going to the 5 level. Although this may be right it is too risky - even 4S may be too high but I dont see how you can avoid bidding it.
ReplyDeleteHand 3 seems to involve an off centre action on the first round
There is a 10 or 11 card club fit and there is an 8 card heart fit. They have a 10 or 11 card diamond and an 8 card spade fit and they probably have as many hcp as we
have. So it is not at all unlikely that they will compete and be able to make 10+ tricks. I do not agree that bidding 4H is more likely to prevent them bidding 5D than bidding 5C.
While is true we could be making
4H and have 3 losers playing in clubs it is also true that we could have 11+ tricks in clubs and not be able to make 4H.
Be that as it may the main
purpose in responding 5C is so that you can describe your hand by bidding 5H over their anticipated
5D. John M