[Jinksy]

---

S dealer, at MPs. The final contract was 2♦ by north on what, I think, was at least a sane auction, if not necessarily the ideal one.

Can you guess how we got there?

[kuhchung]

1N 2C 2D?

edit: oh S dealt. well, I guess what I provided is still possible

[Jinksy]

I guess it was too easy

I had an interesting question as N, though. With S a passed hand, and us playing an aggressive Garbage Stayman that lets us try for our best major fit on any 44(nn), and a feeling of the impending doom, I seriously thought about passing Stayman. My feeling in the end was that my hand was slightly too good (on the off chance P was inviting), and my Cs slightly too bad. Wondering whether I should have anyway, or was insane even to contemplate it...

[kuhchung]

Jinksy, on 2015-October-30, 17:07, said:

I guess it was too easy

I'm really good at bridge

[gwnn]

definitely not a sane auction, sorry. passing stayman would also not have been sane (sorry again).

[kenrexford]

Passing 2C is not sane. Bidding 2S is at least plausible.

[Jinksy]

gwnn, on 2015-October-30, 18:23, said:

definitely not a sane auction, sorry.

I don't agree with it here, but I don't think it's crazy. If we were in a room full of strong NTers and/or reasonably strong players, then we're virtually guaranteed a bottom if he passes out - at best we'll drift a couple off undoubled, and there's still plenty of time left for them to reopen with a double, have that passed around to P, and then for them to crunch us in whatever suit we end up in (or possibly bid game over it). Stayman would at least spin the wheel, giving us a shot at finding a decent score if I show up with a five card non-club suit or just a suitable Moyesian, or perhaps encouraging the opps to compete to their part score, etc.

The actual room seemed like a fairly typical club UK session in the UK, where 90% of the pairs were playing a weak NT and probably wouldn't have found a reopening X, so I don't think Stayman has nearly as much to gain.

[ETA it doesn't show the vul here, but we are, so 2 off is MP-doom)

[Fluffy]

I read an article not long ago, if you had 4 hearts instead of 4 spades 2♣ would be really good MP-wise on a homogeneus field. The fact partner bids 2♥ with 4-4 majors is very important.

[aguahombre]

Do we have one clown or two? IOW, what is your opening 1nt range?

[Jinksy]

The NT was an honest 12-14.

[Tramticket]

West is a passed hand. You are very unlikely to be faced with a penalty double of 1NT. So your bid does not even have the merit of persuading the opps not to double.

With a completely balanced hand, no ruffing values, you have chosen to play a level higher. Even in the unlikely event that you find a fit, 1NT may play better.

I see no merit in the 2C bid.

[WellSpyder]

Jinksy, on 2015-October-31, 05:08, said:

[ETA it doesn't show the vul here, but we are, so 2 off is MP-doom)

I'm guessing you weren't 2 off in 2D.....

[Jinksy]

Tramticket, on 2015-November-01, 14:32, said:

West is a passed hand. You are very unlikely to be faced with a penalty double of 1NT. So your bid does not even have the merit of persuading the opps not to double.

It is not that hard for a passed hand to X showing some specified hand type in this situation and advancer to pass it out with a smattering of points.

Quote

With a completely balanced hand, no ruffing values, you have chosen to play a level higher. Even in the unlikely event that you find a fit, 1NT may play better.

In a room of strong NTers at MPs, this is basically irrelevant: minus N-hundred will barely score better than minus (N+1)-hundred if N is >= 2 (which it probably is here).