[mr1303]

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Double here would be a transfer to blame partner.

3NT would be "to play", anything between a strong diamond suit and a spade stop to 18-19 with a spade stop.

What would you do here?

[Douglas43]

I would describe double as no clear cut preference, willing to defend. It looks like the best description.

[apollo1201]

Rather than transfer the blame, I think X is more DSIP, while informing p that we have extras HCP and usually shape like 5431 or 6D 3H. And more rarely a balanced 18-19, which was a good judgment with the given hand when choosing the opening . . . but allowed a cheap overcall !

So it is not too descriptive but is less concomital - after all the hand can stand several contracts, 4H, 5D, 3NT. . . Or 3SX!! Flexible bid for a flexible hand.

Let s hope partner will find an 5th H, revert to my D, pass or find a S stopper in your hand (the latter being unlikely here, though).

As I have an intelligent p, I will X😁😁 even if I wrong sides 4H with the lead going though the SK (but would we score it anyway if they lead sth else than S if I play the hand), and virtually eliminates 3NT (but would we cash 9 tricks immediately w/o surrendering the lead).

With majors reversed, 3NT looks better.

[jillybean]

Other
Playing 15-17, I would have opened 1nt and wouldn't have this problem, perhaps another problem but not this one.

[P_Marlowe]

IMP or MP?

I think if you though the hand too strong for 1NT, which is a reasonable view you can take,
you bid NT now.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[mycroft]

Hmm. 3NT is (among other things) "18-19 with a spade stop". I didn't open 1♦ because I thought it was more than 17. I have ♠Kx. What should I do? What should I do?

The problem with double is that if 3NT makes, that's where you need to be, and partner will not "guess right" with say ♠Qxx, or both red kings. (of course, if 3NT doesn't make, then -100 is probably as good a score as you're going to get. And if you bid 3NT, you've given up your -100. Or -300, I guess.) Yep, that sounds like "blame transfer" to me (even if we're nice and call it Do Something Intelligent).

Of course, if you choose not to upgrade that hand, the auction goes:

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and you're staring at the same dilemma, aren't you? Don't you think you are absolute max for your opener?

[DavidKok]

I like 3NT and I do not think the auction having opened 1NT is similar at all. On that one partner will know not to play us for an 11-count and can reopen with a much wider range of hands. In addition to the above partner had a list of other options last round, including 3♥ and 3♠.

[fuzzyquack]

I don't find options tricky. Hamman's rule.

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2024-January-26, 10:17, said:

Playing 15-17, I would have opened 1nt and wouldn't have this problem, perhaps another problem but not this one.

You might have the other problem of losing a partner who detests missing slams

Seriously, this is way too good for 15-17 (and yes I can count).

[Cyberyeti]

jillybean, on 2024-January-26, 10:17, said:

Other
Playing 15-17, I would have opened 1nt and wouldn't have this problem, perhaps another problem but not this one.

K&R gives 19.45, it's closer to 2N than 1N

[AL78]

I think it is close between 3NT and double but I went for double to show a decent opening hand but no clear bid. My problem with 3NT is that the opponents likely have a nine card fit, I only have one spade stop, is partner likely to provide a second spade stop given he/she likely holds only two spades, if partner doesn't have help in spades where are our nine tricks coming from, and if 3NT makes but partner leaves the double in, where are their tricks coming from? I may be slightly influenced by past experience flashing 3NT in similar situations with a good hand but only one stop and going down for a bad score, but the likelihood of 3NT being the right action depends somewhat on whether your opponents have a history of competing and raising on garbage suits, and even then, this time they might have their bids.

[AL78]

mycroft, on 2024-January-26, 12:05, said:

Of course, if you choose not to upgrade that hand, the auction goes:

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and you're staring at the same dilemma, aren't you? Don't you think you are absolute max for your opener?

Not really, the difference here is you have narrowly defined your hand as balanced with moderate strength unlike when you open 1♦.

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2024-January-27, 10:51, said:

You might have the other problem of losing a partner who detests missing slams

Seriously, this is way too good for 15-17 (and yes I can count).

I have a nice hand, 3 Tens. It's close but I'm happy opening 1nt and continuing in the auction to show a strong 17
This hand has too many holes to upgrade to a 2nt rebid/

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I'm the partner who wants to bid all the marginal slams

[pescetom]

jillybean, on 2024-January-27, 13:11, said:

I have a nice hand, 3 Tens. It's close but I'm happy opening 1nt and continuing in the auction to show a strong 17
This hand has too many holes to upgrade to a 2nt rebid

I'm the partner who wants to bid all the marginal slams

Hmmmm.
I'm pulling my punches after 7 hours in the city directing women's teams, but I really don't think it is close that this is not 1NT.
Yes it is not quite worth 2NT, which I did not suggest, but it goes about as close as a 5332 17 HCP hand could do.
1♦ is the obvious bid if you want to retain partners like yourself

[sfi]

jillybean, on 2024-January-27, 13:11, said:

I have a nice hand, 3 Tens. It's close but I'm happy opening 1nt and continuing in the auction to show a strong 17

Two of those tens are worth about half a trick each, and the heart ten is probably worth a quarter trick. And the fifth diamond will be a trick much of the time. All together those features have to be worth a point or two in your evaluation. Not upgrading this is misrepresenting the overall power of the hand, and you'll miss good contracts that way.

[Winstonm]

I would bid 4H. Partner could have 5 but I doubt it. My Kx in spades offers protection against the short trump hand tap which should allow me to establish diamonds with that tempo.

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2024-January-27, 16:21, said:

Hmmmm.
I'm pulling my punches after 7 hours in the city directing women's teams, but I really don't think it is close that this is not 1NT.
Yes it is not quite worth 2NT, which I did not suggest, but it goes about as close as a 5332 17 HCP hand could do.
1♦ is the obvious bid if you want to retain partners like yourself

Ok partner, what is your redbid after 1♦ (P) 1♠ (P) ?

Did you have any interesting calls?

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I think you can upgrade, but I dont think you have to.
I would most likely simply open 1NT, but I dont mind a
upgrade.
In my reg. partnership my p upgrades heavily, but we also
play a 11-14NT and a wide range NT rebid.

If you do upgrade, you now bid 3NT in the org. auction,
and you bid 2NT in the uncontested auction.
In case you ask why? Lack of alternatives. If you are not happy
now, you should have choosen a different opening bid.

If you upgrade, you should ask yourself how agressive you
upgrade as responder, how often you stretch to bid 3NT
instead of just inviting.

Also the auctions after a jump NT rebid are not the easiest
auction.
It is quite common to upgrade into a NT opening, less common
to upgrade out of a NT opening.


With kind regards
Marlowe

[mr1303]

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Partner's hand was something like the above (please ignore pips below 9s - I was making these up). If you double, partner converts to 4H, which is an easy make. 3NT is much harder - it can be done if you play to squish the stiff Jack of hearts, but that was beyond me. Partner passes 3NT, as you may have a hand with long strong diamonds, and he thinks his diamond king fills it in.

[mycroft]

in response to the "but it's easier" people - whose statements are 100% correct:

...but "a narrowly defined range" that you are *clearly* super-max for. And +50 (or even +300) is not going to be "happy bunny partner" opposite +600 or +620.

Okay, sure, "when I open 1NT, partner is captain". So therefore, "you thought it was 17 the first round, it's still 17" and pass. But you really won't want to, knowing that partner is likely to make the wrong decision as captain, no?