[helene_t]

Club evening, LHO is known for her reckless preempts, partner is a decent and disciplined player

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[P_Marlowe]

X

My rule of thump, act similar, as if the opening happened on the 1 level.
What would I do? X. Sure I preferred a 3rd heart, but I have add. HCP, some
compensation, we will find out, if enough.

[mikeh]

Glad it’s mps rather than imps. We guess wrong, it’s just one board while at imps it’s possibly a double digit loss.

For me: 3N. I think it clear even though it’s truly ugly. But it’s a bid one needs to make in tempo.

Doubling leads to hearts far too often plus even when we belong in hearts, we won’t know whether we’re at the right level.

[pescetom]

mikeh, on 2023-June-17, 09:17, said:

For me: 3N. I think it clear even though it’s truly ugly. But it’s a bid one needs to make in tempo.

If your partner has seen this stunt before, does it become alertable in your RA ?

[mikeh]

pescetom, on 2023-June-17, 09:38, said:

If your partner has seen this stunt before, does it become alertable in your RA ?

Why?

3N may or may not be a bad choice but it’s hardly alertable. It’s an offer to play 3N, thus 100% natural

Partner definitely expects a diamond stopper. Even if I were to do this routinely, the frequency with which this arises would be vanishingly low compared to the number of hands on which I’d have a stopper

I’d have to have 16+ (I think I’d pass this hand with only 15 and this shape), and have no 5 card major and have at least only two cards in one of them. Make this 4=3=3=3 and I’d double

Make this 4=4=3=2 and I’d double

I’ve played a fair amount of bridge and been aware of this type of problem hand for decades and think I’ve balanced with 3N maybe (on average) with no stopper maybe three or four times while I suspect (who can remember routine bids?) I’ve had a stopper many dozens of times.

And in expert circles this tactic is widely known, even if not universally performed. It’s just bridge.

Similarly if you were or are a regular reader of The Bridge World, you’d know that the sequence 1X (1M) x (p) 1N is often chosen by MSC panelists on balanced hands with no stopper in ‘M’.

[LBengtsson]

Great hand to post, helene_t. Sure got me thinking. It is too good to pass, but there is a bridge maxim that if you do not have a bid available then you should pass.

I like mikeh's suggestion because partner should turn up (on probability) with about 8-9 points here, and as you have the other suits covered, there is a good chance he can cover the ♦ suit. And at red/white you sure do not want miss a vulnerable game. But there is the other probability that partner is more like to have <7 points than 8-11 so game cannot be made.

Is anyone a member of bridgewinners, because a poll there and comments might be a stronger base to get opinion? Given that Kit Woolsey, Zia, Larry Cohen and others comment there, I would like to know what they think is best here.

[apollo1201]

I’ve done it once with no stopper (but a bit better than here, Jxx, making a blockage, or partner turning up with sth useful to make a stopper, more possible), and once with a sg K. Both worked, not that it means it will always work. But it was an adrenaline boost when I had put the 3NT card on the table, and half surprised to see pass pass pass and no X.

Here, if opener can have sth like Q to 6th, it is even more tempting. And you have more emotions with 3NT than passing 3 (or 4) H if partner bids that over the X.

[helene_t]

Thanks all. Partner had a 3424 4-count and unless you pass you are going to get 0 matchpoints.

For those who bid 3nt I have a question. Why not double first? I realise that direct 3nt is more likely to prevent a diamond lead and to prevent partner from bidding 4h. But if partner has five hearts 4♥ may be better than 3nt, and dbl could find a spade fit. Is dbl then 3nt stronger than direct 3nt? Theoretically I think it shouldn't be.