[Quartic]

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We were playing acol (4 card majors, weak NT) in a Teams competition. This was one of the few games we missed, where could we have done better?

[nigel_k]

100% South.

North's double is questionable but that didn't cause the problem. South has to recognise that his cards are working extremely well. Though it is a minimum 2♣ response, it is still 1-2 tricks better than something like Axx xx Jxx KQxxx.

[bluecalm]

100% S. N probably overbid anyway and S still didn't bid game.
Even if it went:
1H pass 2C 2D
3H pass ?

Responder should bid game with his perfect 10hcp and bidding in OP is stronger.

[Cyberyeti]

90% south, 60% north (yes they deserve 150%).

S has a nice hand but N has shown something 6-4 where 4♥ may well suck on a trump lead (or a diamond lead if trumps are 4-1), but it's difficult to believe it won't have play. N's double is beyond words, cause you so want to play in spades opposite xxxx, KQ, Qx, KQ10xx or in 2♦x opposite xx, KQ, KQJx, Q10xxx.

[phil_20686]

South has massive cards opposite this sequence, which shows 46 and moderate values. with K K in partners suits and a side suit ace you have zero wastage. South should also consider that when north is weak and has a typical t/o double he would pass 3c, so to pull it he almost certainly has a singleton club. Thus he is almost certainly envisaging club wastage, and south should upgrade on account of not having club wastage.



Norths dble will not be to everyones taste, but I could not really classify it as a mistake, it has lots of ways to win, and 2d could be a bid too far.

I am not sure how I feel about the 3C bid. It seems to me that there should be a better option, but it depends what else you had available. I would prefer to bid 2H, and would at 5cM, but this could be a disaster if partner has some 4423 strong nt. I have not thought through all the stuff I might need to know whether I should be bidding 3c here or not. Nothing seems very right.

[EricK]

I'm not stopping short of game on North's hand after partner makes a 2/1 - even an Acol 2/1. That said, I'm not stopping short of game after North has shown enough for 3♥, with Kx and two working honours (I assume the Spade K is working because of the double).

I don't know how to allocate blame in such a scenario.

[ggwhiz]

In the context of 4-card Majors North really put it to South with the double but survived(ish) after the unappetizing 3♣ bid by bidding 3♥.

Bidding over that double may have caused South to put a big downgrade on the hand and he forgot to upgrade it again (bigtime) after 3♥.

So I've got to give North 50% for making South nervous and then not just blasting 4♥ to take the pressure off.

[Quartic]

I was North, and posted this hand mostly as a sanity check. My thoughts after the hand were that partner should have realised that he has no wastage in his hand. I didn't blast 4♥ myself precisely because I was worried about partner having wastage in clubs and diamonds. Perhaps 3♥ would have been a better bid than double, but I wanted to show my 4 spades, and discourage partner if the hand is a bad misfit.

I agree with Phil's comments (and the other similar comments), and also can't think of a better rebid for partner than the rather unpleasant 3♣.

[neilkaz]

I'm no expert on ACOL, but why not rebid 2♥ rather than X? But either way since you'd pass with junk and certainly not free bid 3♥, PD's prime cards are worth a game bid. Blame to South.

EDIT: I see that you wanted to show ♠ but you do have 7♥.

[Quartic]

neilkaz, on 2012-February-13, 20:17, said:

I'm no expert on ACOL, but why not rebid 2♥ rather than X? But either way since you'd pass with junk and certainly not free bid 3♥, PD's prime cards are worth a game bid. Blame to South.

EDIT: I see that you wanted to show ♠ but you do have 7♥.

I don't think 2♥ shows quite as good a hand as I have - I'd like a 2.5♥ bid, but unfortunately my bidding box doesn't have one!

[ggwhiz]

Just something to consider for a partnership style discussion.

My partnership pretty much denies 4 card spades when we respond 2♣ instead of 1♠. Many issues to think about and we do have methods to land in ♣ later that are by no means perfect but we choose to bid 1♠ first with decent quality.

That makes this an easy 3♥ bid (ok, 2 1/2) for me instead of double but it's only one hand that works out this time.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I think 2S is better than X, but I am not sure, if you really should go looking
for a 4-4 spade fit, anyway.
So 2H or 3H may be best ..., I would go with 2H.

After 2S, p will raise 3H to 4H, I am not sure, he should do this after 2H / 3H.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

Quartic, on 2012-February-13, 21:25, said:

I don't think 2♥ shows quite as good a hand as I have - I'd like a 2.5♥ bid, but unfortunately my bidding box doesn't have one!

Than bid 4H, ... , 3H would show slam interest, even in Acol.
Hence if you say, the hand is worth 2.5H, than you consider this
hand worth a game force, but not worth showing slam interest,
than bid what you think you can make.
You claim to play Acol, than bid the Acol way.

In the end it will be hard to sell this hand.
Partners 2C did not improve your hand, in fact it was bad news,
but their overcall of 2D was good news, + - makes 0.
So chances are, that p will have something useful either in spades
or in hearts, so just bidding game accepts the fact, that you wont
be able to sell this hand.

With kind regards
Marlowe