Try this one

[Klaymen]

IMPS, White vs red.
Partner opens 1, RHO bids 2 Michaels, and I pass with:
-
Txxxx
Txxx
KTxx

LHO bids 2 Partner bids 3, Now 4 by RHO and I bid 5.

That would have been nice but LHO pushes to 5 and partner doubles - back to you...

[MNBridge]

I pass.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by MNBridge

I pass.

Me too.

[Klaymen]

I upped the ante to 6 and it got whacked.

Partner's hand:
xxxx
-
AKx
AQJxxx

Partner was able to ruff out all the major cards, take two diamonds, and clear trump at the end, making 6 for +1090 and 7 IMPs.

RHO held AKJxx in the majors and LHO had the missing Q's and minor cards and was 4 spades 3 hearts.

5 will always go down two, losing three minor tricks and I think a heart. If I lead out a heart and partner tries me for the K entry it's down 3.

[E. Blackadder]

Originally Posted by Charlie Brown

IMPS, White vs red.
Partner opens 1, RHO bids 2 Michaels, and I pass with:
-
Txxxx
Txxx
KTxx

LHO bids 2 Partner bids 3, Now 4 by RHO and I bid 5.

That would have been nice but LHO pushes to 5 and partner doubles - back to you...

1: Bid 3C at your first turn; at worst you're on a 4-2 fit.

2: Right or wrong, trust your partner, unless your hand is vastly different from what he'd expect. In that case, ask yourself why your hand is so different from what he'd expect.

[Numbers Nerd]

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

1: Bid 3C at your first turn; at worst you're on a 4-2 fit.

2: Right or wrong, trust your partner, unless your hand is vastly different from what he'd expect. In that case, ask yourself why your hand is so different from what he'd expect.

I too would have bid 3C. I would have passed the double of 5S. But partner should not double 5S! Look at that hand for offense! He knows his partner is VERY short in spades, so 6C should be at worst 50%, while 5S is quite possibly laydown. Terrible double - he should be the one bidding 6C.

But, in hindsight, a club lead toilets 6C (unless clubs 1-1 and diamonds 3-3), and 5S goes down. Go figure. Still, that 6C bid is simply taking out insurance - the old fallback position of bidding one more, just in case.

[E. Blackadder]

Originally Posted by Numbers Nerd

But partner should not double 5S! Look at that hand for offense! He knows his partner is VERY short in spades, so 6C should be at worst 50%, while 5S is quite possibly laydown. Terrible double - he should be the one bidding 6C.

Correct as it may be in this case, with a partner like that, you either help him develop -- or walk. Don't add to partner's troubles by teaching him bad habits such as pulling penalty doubles.

[Klaymen]

I had to edit the hand - pard only had 6 clubs. I prefer to pass here, 3 could be interpreted as actually having anything useful.

Funny, Edmund. With or without the short club, I almost never raise without 5. One of my pet peeves is opening a minor and having people bid it up on 4 cards of their own. Sure, compete to 2 if you have some distribution, otherwise give it a rest. Do you really want to bid 3 and find pard with:

QJxx
Kxx
Qxx
Axx

[Klaymen]

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

Correct as it may be in this case, with a partner like that, you either help him develop -- or walk. Don't add to partner's troubles by teaching him bad habits such as pulling penalty doubles.

You can't be right; this man was an expert.

Actually my track record on pulling penalty doubles is pretty good. Don't know if that's something I should brag about but hey

[Klaymen]

Had two tourney first overalls on consecutive nights this week. On one IMP game against an expert and a world class (which is 50% of the time a truly good player or this 50% of the time even crazier than an expert):

Board 1, vul vs non pard 2 3 by RHO.

I bid to 4 with
xxx
xxx
AKQJx
KJ

LHO 5 which I double. I score both trumps as declarer finesse, some diamond and I think I got pard's major card and more, down 800; 4 doesn't even make.

Board 2, both vul. Pard doubles LHO's 1 and my hand sucks I bid 2 LHO bids 2 and pard doubles again, redouble, I pass, 2NT by pard. World class RHO doubles and I can't remember if we got an overtrick or not.

+24 was a nice start.