Julian Pottage
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The usual rule in competition is to push a level to support partner rather than be shut out. What this means is that East’s 3H in competition is consistent with a hand (albeit with 4-card support) that would have bid only 2H without the overcall.
With this particular East hand there is no way the hand would bid only 2H without the overcall – one would be considering whether to make a 4D splinter.
Possibly a 4D cue bid would be a slight overbid and east should just bid 4H over 3D. It is a close decision.
With the 6-card heart support improved by East’s raise and the likelihood of short diamonds opposite, West can then go slamming.
Given the vulnerability I can understand why most North players did not find the 3D overcall.
With your partner’s hand I would have responded 2H rather than 1NT. While it is true that you could have had a strong NT type hand with 4-4 in the majors, when 1NT probably would be the better contract, the odds favour raising. I would raise on any hand with three-card support for a major and a losing doubleton, all the more so when the losing doubleton is in the suit the opponents are most likely to lead.
After partner’s actual 1NT response, a 2S rebid would have worked better because then partner would have surprised you by jumping to 4H.
Bernard teaches that after a 1NT opening then doubles by your side are for penalties. Many people, however, play double as for takeout. This is something you need to discuss with your partner.
While it is common to play that a double by a passed hand takes on a different meaning (you cannot have a penalty double if you could not open), it is usual to retain the meaning of other bids.
If (and I suspect you are not), you play a Norweigan 2D opening showing a weak hand with both majors then there is a logical to saying that a 2C overcall by a passed hand shows clubs. In a natural system, however, I see no reason to make the change. You did not open 1C or 3C, so many hands that would wish to make a natural 2C overcall would be ruled out.
You are right that the usual rule is second hand low.
One situation in which it is better to play the king is when declarer has a low doubleton in the suit and dummy has lengtht headed by the ace-jack-ten. This way your side can shut out the long suit without allowing declarer two fast tricks (and if declarer thinks you are splitting honours, declarer might not make any tricks at all in the suit, allowing you to win the king on the first round and then finessing into partner’s queen on the second round).
Another situation is when declarer has low cards in the suit and dummy a suit headed by the queen-jack and you want to gain the lead before partner.
The 2NT advance to show 4-card support only applies after a 1H or 1S overcall. It does not apply after a 2-level overcall or after a 1D overcall. With your example, advancer can bid 2NT no problem.
Yes that does seems reasonable, which is why I do not think the 3D response is the best option – North would have to plan a 4D rebid to invite a slam.
1D-1H-2NT-3C-4C-4S-6C is a possible sequence. North’s 3C should be at least a mild slam try. South with excellent club support and no spade stopper has an easy decision to raise to 4C. When North then cue bids 4S South can bid 6C.
If South opens 1C in your methods, 1C-1H-2NT-3C-3D-4C-4D-4S-6C is a possible. Once South does not bid 3NT over 3C, North has a good idea that 3NT is not the right spot. Again South cannot bid the slam until North cue bids spades.
Yes a 3D response if played as a strong single suiter (which was what Bernard plays) would be fine. The advantage is that partner would look favourably on a diamond holding of Q-x or Q-x-x. The disadvantage is that there might be confusion over whether a subsequent 4NT bid is asking for key cards or invitational.
The North hand has 14 cards. I can infer from your question that the SA and the hearts are correct but did North have 3 diamonds and 5 clubs or 2 diamonds and 6 clubs?
The sequence 1NT-4NT-6NT is a simple way to reach a slam. Normally responder would need 19-20 points for the invitational raise to 4NT but the 6-card suit is worth at least 1 point, probably 2.
South, with a maximum, has an easy decision to accept the invitation.
Hi Martin, Your 2C only took the bidding as high as 2S, so partner’s 3S did not suggest weakness – pass would have been the bid from partner to suggest weakness. With a fourth spade and more values than you might have, you should have raised to 4S.
I prefer to play that 2C (their suit) is a 3-card raise and 2NT is a 4-card raise, though that should not make much difference to the auction here.
Discard a low heart on the second round of diamonds. After winning in dummy, lead the singleton club. If the ace is onside, you are in with a chance of an overtrick (if one defender has a doubleton heart and a doubleton spade). Assuming the ace captures the king, you will need to ruff the five of clubs in dummy – you can use a trump and a heart entry for doing that and drawing trumps.
Most people would say that when the singleton is the king it is OK to treat the hand as balanced. if you are playing the same NT ranges as Alan Martin then you would open 2C and rebid 2NT.
