[Quantumcat]

You have:
♠J73
♥4
♦AKT32
♣AK43

RHO opens 1♦. You can overcall 2♦ natural, if you wish. We usually have a very good six card diamond suit (or club suit for 2♣ over 1♣) for this, since partner almost never has support. Other bids: a double would show 16+ any shape (except takeout shape) and a 1NT overcall would be takeout.

Auction continues 1♥ from LHO, 1NT from RHO (they are playing a 14-16 1NT opening). Do you bid now?

If you still pass, the auction continues 2♥ from LHO, pass from RHO. Do you bid now?

I considered a double, but partner might have four good hearts or even five, and not a lot of strength (and won't be expecting so much from me), and won't be able to pass out the double when they go off. He might even bid a bad four card spade suit or heaven help us a three card suit, all when 2♥ was going off. On the plus side when he has equal minors or 1-card longer clubs he will bid 2NT, expecting me to bid clubs with equal length.

All in all I decided to pass, being content if 2♥ went off one or two.

What would you do differently, and please give some good reasons :-)

Spoiler

We missed a game. Pard had ♠KQT986 ♥653 ♦Q3 ♣J2. When he saw the hand record he was very annoyed at me passing so many times. This was the board that knocked us out - we were up 16 from the previous set, and all our other boards for this set were brilliant (we were still about +5 imps on the datums overall including this board, despite me being the 2nd worst player in the room), and while waiting for teammates to come out I fully expected us to win this set too even if they had a mildly bad set - but when the opponents in the other room replicated all of our brilliancies, and got this game swing against us as well, it was somewhat depressing and I didn't play my best in the third set :-(

[Codo]

Yours partners first bid was simply wrong (or you need methods to show his handtype...) and you cannot recover from that failure.

Anyway, within your methods- which I do not like-you needed to pass first, any other bid looks horrible. I must admit that I would feal unhappy in a standard system too, having to choose between pass and 1 NT.

So in the second round, you should have doubled- surely a take out of hearts. The obvious downside are the three weak spades.. But you cannot wait for perfect hands. At least the three card suit will ruff the hearts.

In the third round, failing to bid the first two rounds, I would take X as a weak take out with good shape. Hardly your hand anymore.

So, despite the failure to double 1 NT- the major crime was partners first bid.

[nigel_k]

Your partner should definitely have bid 2♠ the second time, if not the first time. I would also have doubled 1NT with your hand. This should be takeout of hearts, but if not it's a penalty double which also fits.

[Cyberyeti]

nigel_k, on 2012-October-09, 00:48, said:

Your partner should definitely have bid 2♠ the second time, if not the first time. I would also have doubled 1NT with your hand. This should be takeout of hearts, but if not it's a penalty double which also fits.

Your methods are horrible, but Nigel sums up my feelings pretty accurately. Who was vulnerable ? I'd certainly have bid 2♠ first time NV with partner's hand. X should be T/O of hearts, because 95% of the time, any hand that wants to make a penalty double of 1N is 16+ or has a suit to overcall, so didn't pass first time.

[PhilKing]

I play a delayed overcall of 2♣ showing five diamonds and four (or five) clubs and a good hand (what else can it sensibly show?). This hand fits the bill!

I don't like doubling 1NT (take-out of hearts) with only Jxx of spades - after all partner never has five decent spades, let alone six. If I double he will bid 2♠ with a 4441 shape, for instance, which is unlikely to be a success.

I understand your reluctance to double 2♥. It seems obvious to double and "everyone" does it, but my impression is that it turns out badly as often as not. After all, what is partner to do on a 3433 hand with modest hearts? He bids 2♠ - marv!

What on earth was partner's rationale for not overcalling? I assume he was the worst player in the room - after all he had no clue what you had untill he saw the hand record.

[Codo]

I would take my chance in 2 ♠ opposite a 4441 or 4414 hand. Chances are good, that this plays as good as 3 ♣.

[billw55]

Sounds like a typical blunder-and-blame-partner coup by CHO.

[neilkaz]

Q-cat wrote: "it was somewhat depressing and I didn't play my best in the third set :-("

I cannot stress enough the benefits trying to develop the mental toughness to overcome thoughts about mistakes that you may have made and not let them affect the rest of the day's play. This problem used to affect both my backgammon and my bridge, but about 20 years ago, when I first got onto the trading floor I quickly learned to conquer this weakness. I'd made a big trade and in five seconds the stock I needed to hedge was 50 cents higher and the end result was that I'd pissed away $3,500 in five seconds. Well, I toughened up since what was done was done, and just concentrated and worked harder and ended up ahead for the day. This also helped me learn to put similar thoughts out of mind when playing BG where sometimes you quickly know that you've blundered (OMG how did I not see that play?) or more often you think that you may have erred as the dice quickly ruin your chosen play and path, but wouldn't rewarded the alternative. I've also become more alert when playing bridge to not do what your partner did to you and depress you by making you think you erred.

OK back to the OP hand. While I'd certainly not pass out 2♥ in P.O. seat and a good case can be made for some action earlier, your partner was dealt a routine weak 2♠ opener and should at some point, either initially with 2 or even 1♠ or on his 2nd turn, entered the action by bidding ♠. At least 2/3 of the blame for the missed game goes to PD, IMHO and rather than berating you for passing, he should admit that he could've mentioned his great ♠ suit.

.. neilkaz ..

[ggwhiz]

billw55, on 2012-October-09, 07:02, said:

Sounds like a typical blunder-and-blame-partner coup by CHO.

Absolutely! Although I would have doubled 2♥ in the end that will only get us to a partscore since partner has at least 2 of his spades sorted into the club suit.

[quiddity]

A lot of replies are focusing on your partner's bidding but you can't control that. All you can do is bid your own hand as best you can, and it really is indefensible to pass throughout with a good 15-count and a stiff heart.

[mike777]

quiddity, on 2012-October-09, 14:54, said:

A lot of replies are focusing on your partner's bidding but you can't control that. All you can do is bid your own hand as best you can, and it really is indefensible to pass throughout with a good 15-count and a stiff heart.

ditto

[Cyberyeti]

quiddity, on 2012-October-09, 14:54, said:

A lot of replies are focusing on your partner's bidding but you can't control that. All you can do is bid your own hand as best you can, and it really is indefensible to pass throughout with a good 15-count and a stiff heart.

Yes if you're playing a system that makes it very difficult to bid.

I'd double 1N if I had to, but not sure it would be understood.

[Codo]

quiddity, on 2012-October-09, 14:54, said:

A lot of replies are focusing on your partner's bidding but you can't control that. All you can do is bid your own hand as best you can, and it really is indefensible to pass throughout with a good 15-count and a stiff heart.

Sorry but this is not true. If partner cannot hold certain hand types, it will influence your bidding. In the given hand, a take out double should be made, even with a passed partner. But it had surely been a little bit easier, if partner had not denied a good spade suit already.

And he surely made the first and by far biggest mistake.

[Quantumcat]

I've spoken to my partner and he pointed out that he actually held ♠KQT97 ♥xxx ♦Qx ♣xxx, not ♠KQT986 ♥xxx ♦Qx ♣Jx. Obviously he would have bid with six spades, I just remembered his hand wrongly.

Also, he said I should have mentioned that 1♦ was artificial, showing 1+ diamonds.

[Codo]

This makes quite a difference.
Now he could still have bid 2 ♠ or 1 ♠ and I guess that many here would bid it- but to pass with this hand would be the choice of the majority of bridge players.

Over your double of 1 NT, you had a chance to reach 4 ♠ if partner shows any sign of live- with a free bid or a jump.

[Fluffy]

1♠ with KQ10xx is obvious at any vulnerability, you need a spade lead.

Bidding 2♦ first round doesn't get you any close to game

Doubling 1NT is the right thing to do, better to double now because 2♥ is coming back 80% or more.