[rhm]

IMP Pairs

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BBO tournament
What now?
Are you done?

Rainer Herrmann

[TWO4BRIDGE]

I'm done.
You have 5 losers.
You'll be lucky if partner can cover one.
Partner's silence on the first round was deafening.

[whereagles]

I'll try 2NT. Pard is obviously broke, but he'll probably pull with 5 hearts and pass with 4.

I think I might make 2NT, but 2H is much more uncertain, thus I'll try the NT bid.

[rduran1216]

you're playing in a BBO tourney, the field is in 3NT or 4H, so take your pick. In any reasonable field I'm bidding 2NT

[xcurt]

2NT. This bidding sounds like partner has some length in the blacks to go with his hearts. So these hands fit well. Eg QTx, Jxxxx, x, Txxx looks like a good shot to lose the red kings andthe CAJ if we can keep the spades frozen. 2NT gives us a chance for partner to move forward, with the vigorish that we haven't yet made 2H anyway.

[rogerclee]

2NT, we might get to game, and 2N could easily outplay 2H.

[jmcw]

I'd bid 2NT hope he has ♣J or Q♠.

[Siegmund]

I'll compete to 3H if somebody comes back in with 3C, but not volunteering for game or for notrump.

[S2000magic]

I'll give it one more try with 3♥. I don't like 2NT because the diamonds are behind me and there is no flexibility in my club stopper; if I lose the diamond finesse (likely) I could be down a million. In hearts I have a likely second stopper in clubs: the ♥8.

[Yu18772]

Sorry but partners pass on the first round makes it a clear pass for me.

[MrAce]

I aint pasing this at imps and red. Probably 2NT or 3♥. I dont think pd has only 4♥ either.

[Fluffy]

I don´t see why we would bid any more,partner is totally broke, opponents are both balanced so should have their values, the only argument for bidding on is LHO is probably 3343 since he didn´t run away from 1NT doubled. But you won´t make game out of good breaks with 22 versus zero.

[whereagles]

The point is that probably 2NT > 2H, unless pard happens to have 5 cards.

[S2000magic]

Fluffy, on 2012-January-11, 04:30, said:

. . . partner is totally broke . . . .

I wouldn't expect partner to to have made a free bid on the previous round without something useful to say: ♥ K J 10 7 4 and the ♠ K or the ♣ A, for example. He knows he'll get another chance to bid, so why jump into a possible misfit (for both sides) opposite a possibly minimum double unless he has something useful. Partner may be broke, but I don't see it as a certainty.

[Phil]

I don't think 2♥ promises 5. What's he supposed to do with a 3424 yarb? Yet passing is pretty chicken, and says 'steal me blind' on ordinary hands. 2N for me.

I had an almost identical hand in Palm Springs last month except I had hearts and LHO bid 1N instead of 1♦. Partner pulled my 2nd x to 2♦ and we had a pickup since 2♥ was the last making spot. He had squadoosh.

[straube]

Partner is likely to have some clubs and to be short some diamonds on this auction. If I rebid 2N and they lead a club, it's possible that partner has club defense, but it's also possible that he doesn't and the opponents establish clubs before I establish diamonds. OTOH, in hearts, we're likely to get a diamond lead which gives us the tempo. 2N cancels the message that I have 3-4 hearts and partner may devalue his hand if he has 5. 3H promises 4 hearts and we may find ourselves in a 4-3 fit. OTOH, when partner has 5 hearts and a useful card, we have a good shot at a more likely game. Interesting problem.

[MrAce]

Phil, on 2012-January-11, 09:54, said:

I don't think 2♥ promises 5. What's he supposed to do with a 3424 yarb?

Pass, our DBL now did not promise any major length, we had other bids for pure takeout after 1NT. 2♥ with the hand types u suggested is awful imo.

Fluffy, on 2012-January-11, 04:30, said:

I don´t see why we would bid any more,partner is totally broke, opponents are both balanced so should have their values, the only argument for bidding on is LHO is probably 3343 since he didn´t run away from 1NT doubled. But you won´t make game out of good breaks with 22 versus zero.

I disagree, its not MP. Although like everyone else i too love to go plus in imp pairs, there is still a game bonus and we are red. I agree that pd is broke but we are not. All we need is a little shape, as little as 6 card ♥ or even some 5-4 hands. I have zero sympathy to pass at imps too early tbh. Its not like we re bidding with less values than we promise after all.

It is indeed a good problem to post, agree with Straube.

[Lurpoa]

rhm, on 2012-January-10, 03:00, said:

IMP Pairs

---

BBO tournament
What now?
Are you done?

Rainer Herrmann

♥♥♥
Watertest-convention.
Always works
♥♥♥

[rhm]

For those, who are interested in the actual layout, I was North and the bidding went as described:

IMP Pairs BBO

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On the ♦King lead partner made 11 tricks, but 10 tricks can always be made by good declarer play.
Part of the reason is of course that partner has a doubleton spade and opponents managed to hide their ♠ fit, probably more by accident than by skill.
I can not see how to reach 4♥ unless North bids it.
I do not think much about bidding notrumps because on the likely black suit lead you will often be in trouble.
The only realistic game chances must be in hearts.
The trouble with 3♥ is that partner is unlikely to cooperate. I can not imagine raising 3♥ to game with the South hand.
Surprisingly +200 was worth 3 IMPs. Many went down in 2NT and 3NT.

Rainer Herrmann

[gnasher]

Even opposite the unexpected spade shortage and well-fitting ♣J, game still isn't great. It needs ♦K onside and hearts coming in for one loser. And, as you say, declarer has to play it carefully to make after a spade lead (spade duck, ♠A, ♣K looks best).