[sfi]

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IMPs converted to VPs. You are about halfway through a 14 board match.

You open one Polish club (11-14 balanced, 15+ with 5+ clubs, 11-17 4-4-1-4, or 18+ any shape).

LHO overcalls 1H - the opponents discussed a defence to your opening bid, but it was basically "bid what you have".

Partner bids 3C, which is weak but partner won't be totally bust. 2C would have been constructive but non-forcing, so it is less than that.

From the body language, you feel like 3S was intended as forcing. But you also know LHO could well pass this with nothing to say.

Double from you is takeout, while bids are natural and show the 18+ hand - probably not forcing but certainly forward-going.

Now what?

[MrAce]

There are many red flags in this auction. Opponents being red vs white tells me that they are very unlikely to be joking. By opening 1♣ and not 1♥ we may actually be already 1 step ahead of others.
I am not bidding diamonds at 4 level with only 5 of them. What I am left with is;

a-Pass
b-DBL

DBL means T/O according to OP. When 3 suits are bid T/O double should show the unbid suit and inability to bid them naturally and/or strength. Assuming pd does not have 4-5 card spades due to his initial 3♣, opponents seem to have at least an 8 card fit if not better but I will not remain silent with 19 hcp. DBL it is for me.

[gszes]

5d

If p opted to show clubs vs make a neg x with 4 spades then it's back to the drawing board. IMHO there is too much risk in letting the opps play almost any number of spades since everything points to the hand playing very well for them I think it is time to take charge and take advantage of favorable and bid 5d. I do not see any strong way to win this board unless 5d makes and, while I do not expect 5d to make, I have a strong hope there will be no x with my really good diamonds and the opps having zero clue as to the nature of my hand. 5d is a insurance bid (ie I don't want to lose the match on this board) and I don't mind going -50 an undertrick.

[Jinksy]

Hoping for 5♦ to go unchallenged when both opps have made vulnerable free bids seems deeply optimistic.

[nige1]

sfi, on 2017-May-08, 08:56, said:

IMPs converted to VPs. You are about halfway through a 14 board match.
1♣ Polish (11-14 balanced, 15+ with 5+ clubs, 11-17 4-4-1-4, or 18+ any shape)
Double from you is takeout,
while bids are natural and show the 18+ hand -
probably not forcing but certainly forward-going.
Now what?

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I rank

• Pass = NAT. Northing sensible to say.
• Double = T/O. IMO a better meanng would be a strong version with no sensible bid
• 4♦ = NAT. But dangerous,
• 4♥ = NAT Foolhardy and likely to be misinterpreted.

[mr1303]

As much as I hate it, pass seems the best of a bad job. If the 1H overcall was an unfavourable psyche, congratulate the opps.

[sfi]

The full deal was:

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It turns out today pass is the winning call. We beat 3S when everyone passed, and the limit our way was 2C. Out of 74 tables, N/S went plus 4 times (once in 2C by North, which I presume was South taking a view which gained them 13 imps, once defending 3Sx, and once defending 5Sx, which we weren't up to finding).

But I never imagined not taking another bid when I picked up the North hand.


BTW, Nigel's description of double is probably better than just "takeout". Partner would have been aware of the possibility of something offshape and not done anything silly. I'm not sure what he would have done with the South cards - probably 3NT or 4C, but maybe he finds the hero pass. Both continuations make interesting quandaries for North as well.

[MrAce]

sfi, on 2017-May-10, 05:04, said:

The full deal was:

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It turns out today pass is the winning call. We beat 3S when everyone passed, and the limit our way was 2C. Out of 74 tables, N/S went plus 4 times (once in 2C by North, which I presume was South taking a view which gained them 13 imps, once defending 3Sx, and once defending 5Sx, which we weren't up to finding).

But I never imagined not taking another bid when I picked up the North hand.


BTW, Nigel's description of double is probably better than just "takeout". Partner would have been aware of the possibility of something offshape and not done anything silly. I'm not sure what he would have done with the South cards - probably 3NT or 4C, but maybe he finds the hero pass. Both continuations make interesting quandaries for North as well.

What can S do anything other than pass over DBL when he already showed long clubs and weak hand? And you call this a 'hero pass' ? Wow...I am speechless over this comment!
Isn't it obvious for S to figure pd has red suits in this auction? Isn't it obvious that pd would never double without extras in this auction?

[nige1]

sfi, on 2017-May-10, 05:04, said:

It turns out today pass is the winning call. We beat 3S when everyone passed, and the limit our way was 2C. Out of 74 tables, N/S went plus 4 times (once in 2C by North, which I presume was South taking a view which gained them 13 imps, once defending 3Sx, and once defending 5Sx, which we weren't up to finding).
But I never imagined not taking another bid when I picked up the North hand.
BTW, Nigel's description of double is probably better than just "takeout". Partner would have been aware of the possibility of something offshape and not done anything silly. I'm not sure what he would have done with the South cards - probably 3NT or 4C, but maybe he finds the hero pass. Both continuations make interesting quandaries for North as well.

On the given bidding, you might not place partner with a ♠ suit. For example, if the deal is similar to that on the left (exchanging a ♦ with a ♠ pip, then EW can probably make a ♠ contract but pass by North might still be a winning action.

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