Just played a hand that looked like this. 6spades, 6diamonds, singleton in hearts, void in clubs. My Honor points were 6 (holding a king in each of the 6-ers). RHO opened the bidding at 1 club. I was bewildered on how to respond to show my partner the length in my suits. If I had used the Michaels cue bid I would show Hearts + Spades, not Spades + Diamonds. In the end I settled on a takeout double, but that just seemed inaccurate (since my point values were too low to open of my own accord). How could I have described that hand better?
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How to describe this hand?
#4
Posted 2015-June-26, 10:46
Hi Kylekatarn and welcome.
I would be most interested in the vulnerability. On these very distributional hands usually both sides can take a lot of tricks in their own best trump suit. So, unless I was at unfavorable vulnerability (we vulnerable, they not vulnerable), I would bid 4♠ and let the other three players sort out the mess.
At unfavorable vulnerability, I would jump to 2♠ and wait what happens. I might introduce my diamonds later.
Rik
I would be most interested in the vulnerability. On these very distributional hands usually both sides can take a lot of tricks in their own best trump suit. So, unless I was at unfavorable vulnerability (we vulnerable, they not vulnerable), I would bid 4♠ and let the other three players sort out the mess.
At unfavorable vulnerability, I would jump to 2♠ and wait what happens. I might introduce my diamonds later.
Rik
I want my opponents to leave my table with a smile on their face and without matchpoints on their score card - in that order.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!), but “That’s funny…” – Isaac Asimov
The only reason God did not put "Thou shalt mind thine own business" in the Ten Commandments was that He thought that it was too obvious to need stating. - Kenberg
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!), but “That’s funny…” – Isaac Asimov
The only reason God did not put "Thou shalt mind thine own business" in the Ten Commandments was that He thought that it was too obvious to need stating. - Kenberg
#5
Posted 2015-June-26, 12:05
This was the hand.
It was IMP, result +0.40
It was IMP, result +0.40
Psych (pron. saik): A gross and deliberate misstatement of honour strength and/or suit length. Expressly permitted under Law 73E but forbidden contrary to that law by Acol club tourneys.
Psyche (pron. sahy-kee): The human soul, spirit or mind (derived, personification thereof, beloved of Eros, Greek myth).
Masterminding (pron. mstr-mnding) tr. v. - Any bid made by bridge player with which partner disagrees.
"Gentlemen, when the barrage lifts." 9th battalion, King's own Yorkshire light infantry,
2000 years earlier: "morituri te salutant"
"I will be with you, whatever". Blair to Bush, precursor to invasion of Iraq
Psyche (pron. sahy-kee): The human soul, spirit or mind (derived, personification thereof, beloved of Eros, Greek myth).
Masterminding (pron. mstr-mnding) tr. v. - Any bid made by bridge player with which partner disagrees.
"Gentlemen, when the barrage lifts." 9th battalion, King's own Yorkshire light infantry,
2000 years earlier: "morituri te salutant"
"I will be with you, whatever". Blair to Bush, precursor to invasion of Iraq
#6
Posted 2015-June-26, 13:01
Wow. Where to begin.
A takeout double shows a hand with opening values and support for all of the unbid suits. An exception to this last requirement is when you hold a hand too strong to make a simple overcall. In that case, making a takeout double and then bidding your suit shows a hand too strong to overcall (typically 17+ HCP).
Making a takeout double on Kxxxxx x Kxxxxx --- is eccentric, to say the least.
LHO's bid of 4♣ is hard to explain. RHO showed a good hand with long clubs, but not enough to force the bidding. LHO has nothing to speak of except for a singleton diamond and three clubs. LHO should pass 3♣.
Meanwhile, CHO has a huge hand opposite a takeout double and never said anything! CHO has a full opening bid. He should expect to make a game opposite any takeout double. But he passes throughout. To say that this is strange would be an understatement.
Interestingly enough, NS can make game rather easily in both spades and diamonds (a diamond lead and return will defeat 4♠, but I digress). Yet they choose to defend 4♣ and emerge with +200 for a plus IMP result.
All I can say is I find no fault with East's bidding.
What would I do on the South hand over a 1♣ opening? 2♠ has been suggested, and that is not unreasonable. It hardly describes the extreme distributional nature of the hand, but it gets a couple of messages across - six spades, a reasonable suit (definitely at the low end of reasonable) and less than an opening bid. All of these things are true. South is not likely to get a chance to introduce his diamond suit unless he plays some gadget which would allow him to do so (top & bottom cue bids, for example).
A takeout double shows a hand with opening values and support for all of the unbid suits. An exception to this last requirement is when you hold a hand too strong to make a simple overcall. In that case, making a takeout double and then bidding your suit shows a hand too strong to overcall (typically 17+ HCP).
Making a takeout double on Kxxxxx x Kxxxxx --- is eccentric, to say the least.
LHO's bid of 4♣ is hard to explain. RHO showed a good hand with long clubs, but not enough to force the bidding. LHO has nothing to speak of except for a singleton diamond and three clubs. LHO should pass 3♣.
Meanwhile, CHO has a huge hand opposite a takeout double and never said anything! CHO has a full opening bid. He should expect to make a game opposite any takeout double. But he passes throughout. To say that this is strange would be an understatement.
Interestingly enough, NS can make game rather easily in both spades and diamonds (a diamond lead and return will defeat 4♠, but I digress). Yet they choose to defend 4♣ and emerge with +200 for a plus IMP result.
All I can say is I find no fault with East's bidding.
What would I do on the South hand over a 1♣ opening? 2♠ has been suggested, and that is not unreasonable. It hardly describes the extreme distributional nature of the hand, but it gets a couple of messages across - six spades, a reasonable suit (definitely at the low end of reasonable) and less than an opening bid. All of these things are true. South is not likely to get a chance to introduce his diamond suit unless he plays some gadget which would allow him to do so (top & bottom cue bids, for example).
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