[twcho]

Suppose you and pd agreed to play Michaels with weak or strong hand. How will you bid after RHO open 1♥ with:
Hand 1

Scoring: IMP

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Hand 2

Scoring: IMP

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Hand 3

Scoring: IMP

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I guess most of you will bid 2♥ with hand 1 and 1♠ with hand 2. How about hand 3? Some may choose to bid 1♠ because of the great imparity between ♠ and ♦. Some may still bid 2♥ to show the shape.

OK, let's assume you start with 1♠ with hand 3. The bidding continued as follows:
1♥--1♠--2♣*--2NT
P----?
* Non forcing

What do you make of your pd's 2NT bid? As your NV overcall only promise 8+ (may be lower for many of you ), so I assume the 2NT bid shd show somewhat good 11-13 pts. Will you continue bidding with 3♦ with both hand 2 and hand 3?

Bear in mind that when you bid 3♦ with hand 2, you are thinking that you are showing a medium hand with 55 and so it must be a forward going bid looking for the best game contract. While when you bid 3♦ with hand 3, you maybe thinking that you are expressing a will to play in the denomination.

How should your pd, the one who bid 2NT, interpret your 3♦ bid? And how shd he bid with:

Scoring: IMP

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[OSH]

imho partner should pass or correct after 3d, you are showing a weak hand.
With hand N.2, I would bid 3NT after 2NT (if partner's holdings in clubs and hearts were reversed, it would be better).
By the way, I'm not sure I agree with 2NT....

[Chamaco]

Quote

How will you bid after RHO open 1♥ with
....

1) 2H
2) 1S
3) 2H
----------------------------------------

Quote

OK, let's assume you start with 1♠ with hand 3. The bidding continued as follows:
1♥--1♠--2♣*--2NT
P----?
* Non forcing
What do you make of your pd's 2NT bid? As your NV overcall only promise 8+ (may be lower for many of you ), so I assume the 2NT bid shd show somewhat good 11-13 pts.

If you bid Michaels with hand 3 despite concentrated values in spades, you have solved this problem. Michaels in this case puts emphasis on spades so you are likely to get an eventual spade lead anyway if opps play the hand.
The advantage in starting with michaels is to put pard in control, and with his hand he will simply look for a safe minor spot unless the cuebidder shows the strong hand.

Quote

Will you continue bidding with 3♦ with both hand 2 and hand 3?

Hand 2: I have a minimum opening hand, yet still an opener, I guess I'll try 3D to show my values and shape; pard will decide between 3Nt or another contract.

Hand 3: If I have decided not to show my diamonds (using Michaels) at the previous turn because they are bad, I won't show them now. I pass 2NT.
That's why starting with Michaels is better despite the honors concentration disparity. It puts your pard in control with one bid.

[EricK]

This may not be a common opinion, but I would have bid 2S (WJO) with the third hand. Then I don't have this problem (although I may have others).

Eric

[Chamaco]

EricK, on Aug 6 2004, 11:13 AM, said:

This may not be a common opinion, but I would have bid 2S (WJO) with the third hand. Then I don't have this problem (although I may have others).

Eric

I agree with Eric that with hand 3 the main alternative to Michaels is a 2S WJO; however, I have been burnt in the past enough for bidding 2 suiters as if they were a singlesuiter.

[whereagles]

Hand 3: if you're to bid here, better 2H or 2S than 1S. The simple overcall doesn't rob any bidding space, which is something you want to do here since the deal seems to be opponent's.

[Antoine Fourrière]

I think the most productive way to treat weak major-minor two-suiters is first to pretend you have a weak major one-suiter, and to correct if need be.
I would bid 2♠ with both hands 1 or 3, because that's the correct bid regarding both HCP and potential for a spade contract. However, if a double or a 3♣ bid comes back to me, I will certainly bid 3♦ with hand 1, and presumably not with hand 3.
Partner should raise if and only if he has three-card support.

[Trpltrbl]

2♥ all 3 hands, so I won't have this problem.

Mike

[pbleighton]

2S.

Peter

[jwchiu]

I would bid Michaels with the first hand and the third. The following hand illustrates why I have decided to avoid overcalling with hands like the third.

From the Second Final Sesson of the recent NABC+ Fast Pairs, Board 14,

Scoring: MP

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An especially strong reason why weak shapely two suiters should not be messing around after a 2NT advance showing 12-15 HCP is the preceding hand from the fast pairs. I sat south, and the auction proceeded

E S W N
1D 1S P 2N
P 3C P 3N
P 4C P 5C
P P X AP

Since I treated my hand as one with similar shape, but an ace more, my partner decided to carry to game. This was quickly doubled by West on his way out, and despite strong trumps and diamonds, heart taps meant that I ended up two down for -300, and only a single matchpoint of thirty-eight (note: for those who don't play matchpoint games with scoring across the field, achieving fewer than one-sixth or more than five-sixths of the matchpoints generally implies somebody did something unusual).

After the hand, my partner commented that I can bid three clubs as a general overbid, but must respect her decision about 3N. As it turned out, if I passed and hoped to wait for a 1H response at my left, I may get lucky and end up defending 1D for at least 150.

Jason

[inquiry]

jwchiu, on Aug 13 2004, 09:30 AM, said:

This was quickly doubled by West on his way out, and despite strong trumps and diamonds, heart taps meant that I ended up two down for -300, and only a single matchpoint of thirty-eight (note: for those who don't play matchpoint games with scoring across the field, achieving fewer than one-sixth or more than five-sixths of the matchpoints generally implies somebody did something unusual).

Perhaps the mistake on your auction is the 3♣ bid or the 4♣ bid. Instead of 3♣, you might try 3♠, instead of 4♣, you might try 4♠. I think there is an even chace that north will carry 3♠ to four and also a possiblility that north will let you play in 3♠, gettig you to the higher matchpoint spot. With teh norrht hand I would certainly pass a 4♠ rebid over my attempt to play 3NT.

Ben

Hi Jason...

I am not sure what this repeated Heart tap means. In 5♣ on a heart lead, you have 11 tricks... 2♦, 1♠, 3♠ ruffs and five red card ruffs in your hand (that is 11.. be sure to cash winners early). It takes a trump lead to beat you, Now you win 1♠, 2♦. 2♠ ruffs, and five clubs in your hand for down only one.

I suspect minus one doubled in five clubs will not be too much better than down two, as you can make 4♠ losing just 3♠s. Assume start the heart, your ruff.. Spade ACE, club to the ace, duck a spade. Ruff a heart (you are now down to two hearts with two hearts out.. .. simply play on clubs, let then make their spades separately. So in spades you could be +170 to +420.

Eric's solution of bidding 2♠ on this kind of hand would have worked well here, beating pass (where maybe you might get +150), and michaels, where at most you get +150 or with bad defense +400 or +550).