[ArcLight]

Imps, neither vuln, pard opens 1♣, RHO overcalls 1♥
you hold:
♠A x x
♥A Q x x
♦T 9 x x
♣x x

What do you bid?
X (negative DBL)
1NT
2NT
Other?


The bidding continues:

1♣ (1♥) 1NT 2♠
p   p   ?
Now what do you bid?

[the hog]

Bid 1NT first and pass now.

[pclayton]

1N is perfect. Now a double seems obvious.

[han]

Agree with Ron, I'd bid 1NT and pass.

[jdonn]

I'm with clayton, what else could a double say but maximum with good defense?

[the hog]

jdonn, on May 25 2008, 06:51 AM, said:

I'm with clayton, what else could a double say but maximum with good defense?

Maybe a bit less in H and a bit more in S?

[han]

Yeah I would like 2 spade tricks for the double. I do expect 2S to be set most of the time but I think the risk is too large. I've thought about running a simulation but it is too hard to specify what the 2S and 1H calls look like.

[Winstonm]

1N looks obvious - over 2S my first inclination was to double, but I think pass is the better call. There is no reason to believe we have a gross distortion of HCP and partner seems to have minimum values with no long, good suit. Partner might hold, Qx, xxx, KJx, AQxxx and 2S makes with an overtrick.

It also might go down 3. But there is no way to know so best action IMO is to dummy up and try to go plus.

[andy_h]

1NT and pass. Haven't we bid our hand? If partner has some shaky spade holding like Qxx isn't he likely to remove our X? We may not even have a fit.

[jdonn]

So just to combine the prior posts into why we should pass, is it because partner will make the disaster pass of our double with Qx of spades, or the the disaster pull of our double with Qxx of spades?

[Winstonm]

jdonn, on May 24 2008, 10:50 PM, said:

So just to combine the prior posts into why we should pass, is it because partner will make the disaster pass of our double with Qx of spades, or the the disaster pull of our double with Qxx of spades?

IMO, Josh, the double may simply turn a plus into a minus. Even if partner has Qx, what contract are we playing for a plus score?

[whereagles]

1NT + dbl.

Dbl is a must at MPs. At imps also, unless I feel like chickening out and/or is pard has a flair for opening unsuitable 10-counts.

[gnasher]

I play a double of 2♠ as takeout, with something like xx AQx Kxxx xxxx. A two-level "penalty" double when you can't have four trumps is actually a "your trumps are breaking" double.

[skjaeran]

1NT first, then double.

[kenrexford]

The is clearly a contextual 11-count, because the heart Queen is surely as good as the King.

This is surely a contextual 10-count, because the 4-3-3-3 shape means that the clear 11-count must be reduced by 1 HCP.

This is plainly a contextual 11-count because Aces, and Kings under Aces, are undervalued.

This is obviously a contextual 10-count, because all of the other finesses go toward probable strength.

Good thing 1NT here covers up to 10+/11-.

So, 1NT first time.

I'm not sure the second time. I seem to have a fairly good hand for partner, if he wants to defend or declare. So, I'll go aggressive and double.

Hold that -- just saw IMP. Pass.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 1 NT, very heavy, the alternative being 2NT.
#2 Pass.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[catatonic]

1NT and double ; as I play I havent got 4spades ...would prefer x to 1NT if I had , got 4 diamonds if pt has that , doubleton clubs if pt has long clubs.....and am max suitability to defend if that is what deems correct