[DozyDom]

rmnka447, on 2018-May-03, 10:20, said:

Well, how many times do you expect passing 2 ♥ will get a good result?

Any time you can make 2 ♠, you'd have to beat 2 ♥ 3 tricks to get a better result. Usually assume partner can provide at least 1 useful card in auctions like this. Holding a 6 loser hand, so 2 ♠ looks like a pretty good bet most of the time.

So that's what I'll bid.

I don't think anyone is worrying about 2S making. Anyone saying pass is worrying about 4S making, or 3S with a poor split, because that's where we'll probably end up.

[PhilG007]

nullve, on 2018-May-02, 00:05, said:

Matchpoints.

---

2♥ is explained as "6-10 hcp, exactly five hearts".

The old nemesis,the misfit seems to be raising its ugly head. Partner has bid your singleton,the K♣ might just as well be an x
The balance of the spade suit could be bunched in an opponent's hand. Murphy's Law The omens are not good Pass and await developments.

[Phil]

PhilG007, on 2018-May-04, 01:54, said:

The omens are not good Pass and await developments.

As in the opening lead?

[Tramticket]

PhilG007, on 2018-May-04, 01:54, said:

Partner has bid your singleton

Let me give you a clue - West usually partners East.

[mikeh]

anything but 2S is either overthinking or bad thinking.

It is entirely possible that this is a complete misfit and that RHO can lower the boom on anything we do, but basing our bidding on that sort of thinking would have none of us getting out of bed in the morning, on the basis that bed is the safest place to be.

Oftentimes partner has a good hand but not good enough to bid 2N and too short in spades to double. Other times we need to nudge them to the 3 level. And of course game is not impossible. Our 7th spade makes up for several of our missing hcp for a 2-level balance.

[Winstonm]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-May-03, 16:23, said:

That hand doesn't necessarily make 4♠, give the 2♥ opener a doubleton diamond and ♠H8 or 8x (so 5224 which is not an unlikely shape), pard needs AJ.

I did not make my point clear enough - that a lucky result should not alter sound bidding. No diamond ruff, etc.

[PhilG007]

Tramticket, on 2018-May-04, 07:47, said:

Let me give you a clue - West usually partners East.

U don't say?!

[rhm]

sfi, on 2018-May-02, 00:07, said:

I presume 2S didn't work on the actual hand?

I agree 2♠ is rather obvious.
I am more worried we miss game than that we run into a terrible misfit.

Rainer Herrmann

[gszes]

If your partner is a bot then pass may be your best option since bots have little/no sense of humor when it comes to balancing bids. Humans have learned that their partners sometimes stretch in balancing seat and dont automatically jump to game.

2s

is a perfectly reasonable balancing bid and while it will surely backfire sometimes it is far more likely to produce a better result than letting the opps to peacefully play 2h. I do have SEVEN spades right??????

[nullve]

The full deal:

---

North's double was "max" and East's double was takeout with respect to clubs. And yes, North actually raised 3♣ to 4.

ATB.

[Cyberyeti]

2♠ might have worked if E had raised to 3 in a couple of ways.

[P_Marlowe]

ATB?

Sry, I dont understand X by North, and I also dont understand the 4C bid.
The only thing in favor of those bids: the result was ok.

I can understand passing the X by East, ..., although it would not be my
choice, 2S was a reopening bid, but 4S is still in the picture, and since
East cant expect 2SX being the final result, he should make a inv. move
toward 4S. But ok, he decided not to do it.
I cant understand the X of 4C, even assuming Take Out.
East was willing to let 2H be the final contract, why does he get involved
at this stage?
Contrary to North: The result was not ok, East got what he deserved.

So in short: A ... auction by one player killed a ... opposing player.
Happens all the time. One can only hopen North and East end up in a regular
partnership.

With kind regards
Marlowe