Brian Davies
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Thanks Julian, this reply is helpful. Also, your earlier reply to Kelvin in essence says that 2 of a Major promises five and 10+, double promises four cards in the major and this is in line with what I have always understood.
This particular auction 1D-(2C) is awkward, because both majors are unbid. What would you respond with only one four-card major? e.g.:
QJ8
A876
84
A832
Ian, South has 10 top tricks in NT. Where does south look for the 11th? If spades then East can gain the lead with the queen of spades as long as they don’t cover the Jack when it is led from dummy. If south tries hearts, then west can switch to a spade after winning a heart. Either way the defence can keep South to ten tricks on a diamond lead.
Julian, there is a reason why odd/even signals are unlikely when following suit. When you use odd/even discards there is typically a second meaning associated with the discard – e.g. odd encourages and even discourages with Mackenny inferences. This second meaning is specifically forbidden in England (Blue Book: 7F3) when signalling, following suit.
Thank you Bernard. It isn’t easy creating hands to demonstrate a point, you do it well!! 🙂
I needed to give North an extra spade and maybe one fewer heart.
Hi Keith, the 3D bid is more flexible as it accurately describes your hand. You can still find any heart fit – partner can bid 3H with a five-card suit; you can find any potential spade fit – partner can bid 3S with a three-card suit (or you can bid 3S over 3H with fewer than three hearts and five spades) and of course you can find 3NT if there is no fit in either major. The 3D bid also gets partner to look at his/her club suit – the club suit might be wide open if partner has three small clubs. Because you have accurately described your hand, it might be better to play in four of a major on a 5-2 fit or even five diamonds on a 4-4 fit.
Interesting hand! Bernard covered the the topic of raising the Fourth Suit in two recent Friday live videos (mainly 17th August). If it can be natural then it natural and a four-card suit. So I expect that partner’s shape should be: 4441 or 4540.
This assumes that you would open one heart with a 4441 shape and a singleton club, which I think is Bernard’s preference. This would mean that you have seven-card fits in each major, but playing in a Moysian fit would be awkward as you might be forced to ruff clubs with the four-card trumps. No trumps seems to be the best strain and I think 3NT is enough, given the misfit.
Personally I prefer to open one diamond with 4441, so for us the 3S would show a 4540 shape and we would have a heart fit!
I am also very interested to hear Julia’s thoughts on this hand.
Hi Julian, you mention that the 1NT opener will rarely reopen and I agree. In what circumstances might the 1NT opener reopen if playing takeout doubles after interference over 1NT?
This looks like a takeout double to me – particularly at pairs – do you agree? How much would you need to flex this for a double to be wrong?
Thank you David, I guess that the message is that I do need to ask my opponents this question.
Charles, I found the Paul Mandelson book on my shelves. I can’t have looked at for years! I’m not sure that it has stood the test of time, advocating Strong Twos, Weak Take-out responses to 1NT instead of Transfers and 2-over-1 responses on an 8-count. How times bave changed!
Hi Ann, yes you should bid the spades first. If I had hearts MUCH better than spades, I might on very rare occasions bid the hearts first, but this would be exceptional.
Hi Michael, obviously you haven’t watched the Live Team hands from last night, where these hands were discussed in detail and agonised over by Bernard? I recommend watching.
A psych is a deliberate and significant deviation from partnership agreements. This is only allowed if it is as much a surprise to your partner as it is to your opponents. In the diagram above, the 3NT bid is undoubtedly a psych as Bernard (South) does not have the (playing) strength for the bid and does not have stops in their suits. From Bernard’s point of view, East / West should be making game if not slam and t6his was a diversion to try to deflect them.
Normal Stayman would be the default if you haven’t discussed anything else.
The Puppet Stayman option needs to be discussed in detail before agreeing to play it, as there are multiple variations. Julian Pottage gives the derails if one variation in response to a post with the same title as yours! There are other variations!
