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IMPs, ACBL robot individual
I'd recommend that someone relook the structure of responses to balancing take-out doubles. The current construct can leave South with no good options. The display hand is an example. North's 3♣ is forcing for one round only, and does not promise another bid. In response, South's options were: 3♥ (or 3♦ or 3♠), non-forcing and likely to be passed, based on my experience; 4♣, not a cue bid but showing ♣ of all things and non-forcing (I've been passed out in this bid); or a suit at the 4 level, showing a "strong rebiddable suit." Of these, I chose 4♥, which also promised 3♠ and 3♦, not thinking that North would pass me out in the only suit he didn't have. Silly me. Doesn't it make more sense for 4♣ to be a cue bid, asking North (who has said nothing about distribution at this point) to name its suit? After all, does South really want to play in a suit that West has bid and rebid? And shouldn't the "strong rebiddable" suit requirement for a jump in a suit be replaced with "better ♥ than ♠s" or some such? After all, South has a balancing jump overcall available to show a good long suit in a good hand. And perhaps the 3♣ cue bid should be forcing to game and North should just bid the suit he does have with a lesser hand instead of making a nebulous cue bid and then bailing out.
Of course, all of this could have had a happy ending, because, with careful play, 4♥ will make as long as the ♥ split 4-3 and the 4th ♥ is not with the long ♣s. No such luck, of course.
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No Exit
#2
Posted 2014-August-05, 09:37
I ran into a balancing situation the other day that I could not successfully negotiate.
I had a balanced 18 count in balancing seat.after the bidding (1♥) - P - (P) to me. A 1NT call was 11-14 HCP. A 2NT call was 20-22 HCP. So I tried double. My GIB partner bid 2♣. Now my 2NT rebid was 19-21 HCP. A cue bid showed support for clubs, which I did not have. There was no way to show my hand.
I chose 2NT anyway, got raised to 3NT, and managed to make the contract for a good score. But that is obviously not the point.
I had a balanced 18 count in balancing seat.after the bidding (1♥) - P - (P) to me. A 1NT call was 11-14 HCP. A 2NT call was 20-22 HCP. So I tried double. My GIB partner bid 2♣. Now my 2NT rebid was 19-21 HCP. A cue bid showed support for clubs, which I did not have. There was no way to show my hand.
I chose 2NT anyway, got raised to 3NT, and managed to make the contract for a good score. But that is obviously not the point.
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