NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN …
As I made mention in a recent comment on a site today, my blogging rarely contains bridge hands, especially one in which I am personally involved. I leave the teaching to others much more qualified. However, I felt compelled to make an exception.
Playing duplicate with my favorite partner (you only get one guess), I had a decision to make. Let me preface the showing of the hand by telling you we play a sort-of-normal style (if there is such a thing). Basically: Five card majors, 1NT intended forcing, Weak NT (NV only), Flannery, Jacoby, etc. — nothing fancy.
Dealer: East Vulnerability: Both
The auction had proceeded:
N E S W
P 1H 2D
X P ?
This was my hand: Q98 AK852 KJ2 92
This is how the bidding started out. There is nothing tricky about the hand, I promise. Just make your normal call after partner’s negative double and I’ll take it from there?
The answer tomorrow!
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2NT – very much a minimum opener (INT opening would be strong at this vulnerability so you can’t be showing 15-17), but if you don’t show your decent diamond stop p may have an even bigger problem. I’ll pass a 3H bid, convert 3C to 3H, and raise an unlikely 3S bid to 4.
2S – partner does not promise the world with a double and will either have 4+ spades in a minimum hand or be strong enough to bid again and allow us to consider 3NT.
In the former case it is likely that 2S will play a lot better than 2NT on a diamond lead. I think that other minimum hands, including most 12-14 balanced, should rebid 2H.
13 points, a 5 card heart suit with no intermediates has not much more to offer than a minimum response. Partner might well have 4 cards in both spades and clubs, leaving 5 left in H/Ds. He should by rights hold at least 2 hearts ( possibly 3 ).
Anyway, I think 2NT is far less attractive than 2S which partner will pass with a minimum. Your hand might well provide 2 diamond winners, club ruff, 2 heart winners, leaving a relatively easy task of making 3 elsewhere in the black suits.
A responsive double here ought show a 5 card heart suit, but no 4 card club or spade suit. Partner should either bid 2H with 2/3 card support ( weak ) or 2S if he has five of them ( since you’re almost certain to have 2/3 in that suit.
No easy bid here since partner’s hand still remains an unknown quantity.
Since you play Flannery, you should bid 2 spades on three cards as partner would now know that you have a minimum and only three spades ( Qxx is a huge spade holding ).
2NT is an overbid at macthpoints. At rubber bridge is would be a train wreck of a bid.
I think 2NT is the least encouraging. If you bid 2S, partner might think you have the big Flannery. I would bid 2NT and if pard bids 3H, I would pass.
I forgot to mention that I also agree with Mark
Unfortunately, the entire blogging site was down late Friday afternoon and early evening (at least Pacific Time) and I apologize to those who tried to reply but got shut out because of technical difficulties. One of those I learned about was veteran Harry Ross, from FL, who chose 2S as a Flannery user.