[FrancesHinden]

I haven't been playing much MP recently, but here are a couple from a local club night. 'Poor' opposition means your average provincial bridge club.

1. Love all, poor opposition
AKx
10xx
KJ10
Qxxx

partner deals. You play a pretty aggressive style of weak two 1st NV.

P 1D P 1H
P 2H P P
2S P P 3H
P P ?

2. Favourable, poor opposition
109x
J7x
xx
J109xx

partner deals
1H x P 2C
x P P 2D
P P 2H P
P 3D ?

how many of your actions so far do you agree with?
Now what?

[Codo]

Hand 1: I would pass, maybe we won the board already maybe both contracts fail.
I would never double. I have seen too many weak pairs rolling home with ten tricks after this bidding and with 25 HCPS between them. (okay my pd won´t bid 2 Spade with 2 HCps, but still...)

Hand 2: I am happy with my bidding so far and pass now. Yes I have a third heart, but I have shown anything else already.

[whereagles]

1. Pass and tell pard he should have bid 1♠ before.

2. Pard should have the strong NT hand with 4 hearts. Pass now.

[FrancesHinden]

whereagles, on Mar 12 2008, 02:51 PM, said:

2. Pard should have the strong NT hand with 4 hearts. Pass now.

Should have said, you play strong NT 5-card majors.

[whereagles]

Well.. a lot tougher now. Maybe I'll bite with 3♥.

[Apollo81]

(1) I'd pass. I think they will make a good pct of the time, I don't think we will make very often, and I think -300 vs whatever or -50 vs +50 is likely enough to make pass better than bidding 3♠.

(2) I wouldn't have had the guts to pass 2♣x. I pass 3♦. Pard should know my hand, approximately, and is better placed to make the final call than I.

[cherdano]

1. Is a clear pass to me, 3S could be a 4-3 fit.
2. I don't think xx trumps is enough to double (which is the only "surprise" for partner I have).

[TimG]

I'm happy with my actions on the first, and am happy to pass now.

I would not have sat for 2Cx, I would have bid 2H instead. Having been able to bid 2H last round, I don't feel any need to any call over 3D.

[mikeh]

1. On paper (or computer screen) I think double stands out. Partner is not a lunatic, one assumes, and thus probably has a club card and only 5 spades (at most). Really, this comes down, in all likelihood, to where the diamond Q is, and I'm willing to bet it is on my right: 2 spades, a diamond or two and a club or two and maybe a trick in the wash as well. I wouldn't dream of doubling at imps, but I think that this type of double, which I rarely make, is how matchpoint mavens win.

2. The vulnerability screams double, but I just don't quite seem to have enough. It is very tempting, because partner is probably 4=5=3=1 with a good hand and may be able to lead trump effectively.. but I just don't have anything to offer other than holding a trump x that he might be fearing the opps hold... if he felt he had a good shot at beating 3♦ given I have said we can beat 2♣, then he could often double.

[jdonn]

1. PASS!!!!!!!! You don't have to take random chances when you are already in a good position on the board, which partner has probably already gotten you a good score on. This is a textbook pass unless you want your partner to never balance again. In fact I'll go as far as to say there is no such think as a 3(334) hand here that should ever act in any way which wouldn't have acted earlier.

2. I would have bid 2♥ a round earlier instead of passing the double. At this point what could there be to think about?

[FrancesHinden]

matchpionts are out of 88 (this is scored across three local clubs, 45 tables).

Number 1:

The opponents are poor players, and one feature of poor players is that they won't double you without good trumps. 3S will be going off in 50s.

I have a sneaking suspicion that mikeh is right and that double is correct, not least because I know they bid 3H on hands that they shouldn't (we got 500 from a similar protection earlier when our contract was going off).

Anyway, I passed - I was also worried it was a 4-3 spade fit - and my partner thought I should have bid 3S because my defence to 3H isn't great.

You are getting a rotten result whatever you do, because (this being England) much of field is playing in 1NT going off. 3H makes exactly. 3S is one or two off depending on the defence. Partner has

Qxxxx
Qx
Qx
J10xx

Pass = 7 matchpoints
Double = 0 matchpoints
3S = 27 or 49 matchpoints

No. 2

I was very surprised that my partner bid 3H over 3D, glad to see this being confirmed as a silly idea! 3D is one off assuming you make the obvious trump lead. 3H is two off but went one off (you usually gain a trick in the play at this club).

If you bid 2H directly over the double, or over partner's double of 2C, you play there and make 110 for about 55 matchpoints.
3H-1 was 31 matchpoints
3D-1 is 49 matchpoints
3Dx-1 is 75 matchpoints, but I'm not convinced I would have doubled with opener's hand.

[Cascade]

I pass both times:

1. I am not sure what partner would pass twice on before introducing spades. This might be a four-card suit.

2. I would not have passed 2♣ doubled.

[andy_h]

Agree with pass in both cases, and that I would have bid 2H on the 2nd hand rather than pass partner's X.