[AL78]

South
♠K87
♥4
♦4
♣AJT98732

MPs, NS vuln against a decent club pair (likely the strongest EW pair in a mixed field).

RHO dealer and opens a 12-14 1NT. Your defence to 1NT is 2♣=Landy, everything else natural. Your call?

[paulg]

At this vulnerability I can see nothing good happening if I bid.

[LBengtsson]

 paulg, on 2022-August-06, 05:35, said:

At this vulnerability I can see nothing good happening if I bid.

That might be true, but I still think you are worth 3♣ just to take away a level of bidding from the ops. and to tell partner the hand you have. 4♣ is one too many at this vulnerability, though we're playing MPs here. At IMPs definitely not, but it all depends how aggressive you are. 4♣ takes away two rounds of bidding And it will be difficult for the ops. to X.

The one scene I do not want to happen is to pass, and for them to bid 2♦ (Transfer to ♥) - 3♥ (super accept - I do not know if you play super accept with weak NT) and then for me to try to come into the auction now. I would rather bid that long ♣ suit on the first round than the second.

[AL78]

 LBengtsson, on 2022-August-06, 06:50, said:

Transfer to ♥ - 3♥ (super accept - I do not know if you play super accept with weak NT ...

Yes, I play super-accept with a weak NT and I know other players in the clubs I play in do as well.

[mw64ahw]

4♣ works for me with ~7 playing tricks against EW vulnerable or not

[AL78]

Three different responses. My partner held this hand and decided to overcall 3♣ to which I responded 3NT. The full deal:

---

I was playing for a semi-constructive hand, something like six clubs to the AK and one or two honors outside. I didn't expect something as freakish as the actual hand, but fine, after the defence play three rounds of hearts (switching to the ♦Q holds it to nine tricks) I cash all my tricks taking the certain finesse (they aren't opening 1NT on a stiff small club, and if they have, I will force a smile and congratulate them) I make +2. No-one else found it, two pairs were in 5♣, one making and one going one down.

[mw64ahw]

 AL78, on 2022-August-06, 09:45, said:

Three different responses. My partner held this hand and decided to overcall 3♣ to which I responded 3NT. The full deal:

---

I was playing for a semi-constructive hand, something like six clubs to the AK and one or two honors outside. I didn't expect something as freakish as the actual hand, but fine, after the defence play three rounds of hearts (switching to the ♦Q holds it to nine tricks) I cash all my tricks taking the certain finesse (they aren't opening 1NT on a stiff small club, and if they have, I will force a smile and congratulate them) I make +2. No-one else found it, two pairs were in 5♣, one making and one going one down.

As West I have to bid rather than pass expecting to make 4x

[AL78]

 mw64ahw, on 2022-August-06, 10:50, said:

As West I have to bid rather than pass expecting to make 4x

Yes, 4♥ is on thanks to the double finesse in diamonds working and the spades 3-3 which means no spade ruff.

[Gilithin]

When playing Landy against a Weak NT, it is usual to play 3♣ as constructive. The downside is that you have to give up on the WJO hand type. Whether this hand would instead qualify for a red 4♣ overcall is a matter of partnership style.

[mikeh]

Late to the thread but trying to be objective:

One cannot pass. It’s not just the idea that LHO may bid 2H that concerns me. LHO could do almost anything (including pass!) that would leave me thinking/knowing I should have bid before tgey get to exchange more information.

3C is clear…a conservative action mandated by the vulnerability.

The 3N call is well-judged. Sure, you might expect dummy to have a few more hcp, but he has a LOT more tricks than you expected, so you have no complaint.

As responder, I’d pass over3C. I don’t expect game to be bid, since maybe opener has the bulk of the remaining clubs and I have a smattering of hcp but not enough to take immediate action. Perhaps more importantly, I’m not sure what action to take.

The way I play negative doubles, they are passable by opener. They announce ‘ownership of the hand’, the occasional doubled partscore notwithstanding. This hand lacks the defence implied by a 3-level double.

I think playing 3D as hearts, invitational or better, 3H as spades, invitational or better, and 3S as diamonds, forcing, is a good method, but the hand isn’t strong enough to bid 3D then, over 3H, 3S.

But in balancing chair over 3N, I think 4C is very plausible. I’d be disappointed in myself were I not to make that call.

[AL78]

 mikeh, on 2022-August-07, 01:17, said:

Late to the thread but trying to be objective:

One cannot pass. It’s not just the idea that LHO may bid 2H that concerns me. LHO could do almost anything (including pass!) that would leave me thinking/knowing I should have bid before tgey get to exchange more information.

3C is clear…a conservative action mandated by the vulnerability.

The 3N call is well-judged. Sure, you might expect dummy to have a few more hcp, but he has a LOT more tricks than you expected, so you have no complaint.

As responder, I’d pass over3C. I don’t expect game to be bid, since maybe opener has the bulk of the remaining clubs and I have a smattering of hcp but not enough to take immediate action. Perhaps more importantly, I’m not sure what action to take.

The way I play negative doubles, they are passable by opener. They announce ‘ownership of the hand’, the occasional doubled partscore notwithstanding. This hand lacks the defence implied by a 3-level double.

I think playing 3D as hearts, invitational or better, 3H as spades, invitational or better, and 3S as diamonds, forcing, is a good method, but the hand isn’t strong enough to bid 3D then, over 3H, 3S.

But in balancing chair over 3N, I think 4C is very plausible. I’d be disappointed in myself were I not to make that call.

This shows the difference between a typical club player and a world class player, judging to finding a protective bid like 4♣ presumably showing a three suited hand. It also illustrates some of the luck element in duplicate. If you come across a pair capable of finding a bid like that in a mixed club field, you have lost the board when you have barely started it.