what to do here?

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

You hold:

A85
A9
AQJ863
A5

All vuln, cross-imp pairs.

LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

[Tom]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

Double. Too strong to just overcall 3D. 3N needs either H stop or DK to
succeed.

TomReid

[Lorne Anderson]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

If you play leaping michaels (so 4C=C+S and 4D=D+S) you can bid 3H and
know partner will bid 3N with a heart stop. If he bids anything else
then it is a guess what to do next. If you do not play leaping michaels
then it would depend on what you think 3H means, but double looks right
to me if you think 3H may be a 2-suiter.

[f***@googlemail.com]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

3NT. Can't really see an alternative.

[smn]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

double ,see what partner does ,why rush to bid 3n .

[Player]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

X. No real alternative. 3NT is a wild shot.

[p***@infi.net]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

I'm inclined to double, planning to bid 3D next, assuming this shows a strong hand. Slam is possible opposite, say, KQJx xxx Kx xxxx (probably hard to bid) but in any case we'd like to explore game in spades, notrump or diamonds. It will help if after, say, double, 2S, 3D, partner can bid 3H to ask for a stopper, but even if partner raises we may make game in diamonds, so +600 won't lose much to +630. 3NT needs little from partner; we may make on a hold up if LHO has only two hearts and we get a random trick from partner. I hate putting all my eggs in one basket but an immediate 3NT will pick up a lot of games we won't otherwise get. It may also go down several tricks.

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

At the table I doubled (thought 3NT was too much of a punt). The bidding continued 3H on my left, passed round to me. What to do now?

I had a think, considered either double again or 4D. Decided against the double, as I was not sure how partner would interpret it. I bid 4D which became the final contract. I went one off, but 3NT is cold because partner held Kxx in diamonds. I could have made 4D but misplayed it.One pair found 3NT and another found 4S.

The full deal:

K
KQJ863
T52
T87
J9643 A85
T42 A9
K94 AQJ863
92 A5
QT72
75
7
KQJ643

[p***@gmail.com]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

At the table I doubled (thought 3NT was too much of a punt). The bidding continued 3H on my left, passed round to me. What to do now?
I had a think, considered either double again or 4D. Decided against the double, as I was not sure how partner would interpret it. I bid 4D which became the final contract. I went one off, but 3NT is cold because partner held Kxx in diamonds. I could have made 4D but misplayed it.One pair found 3NT and another found 4S.
K
KQJ863
T52
T87
J9643 A85
T42 A9
K94 AQJ863
92 A5
QT72
75
7
KQJ643

I think you did the right thing. Partner probably doesn't have the cards. Going down six vulnerable doesn't do much for partnership trust.

You could punt, bid 3NT, and run if they double, but that's too much of a WAG for me.

[f***@googlemail.com]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

At the table I doubled (thought 3NT was too much of a punt). The bidding continued 3H on my left, passed round to me. What to do now?
I had a think, considered either double again or 4D. Decided against the double, as I was not sure how partner would interpret it. I bid 4D which became the final contract. I went one off, but 3NT is cold because partner held Kxx in diamonds. I could have made 4D but misplayed it.One pair found 3NT and another found 4S.
K
KQJ863
T52
T87
J9643 A85
T42 A9
K94 AQJ863
92 A5
QT72
75
7
KQJ643

On the first round, I admit I thought I had 7 diamonds when I bid 3NT (although I still think it is the right call). A jump to 3NT shows a strong hand with a long minor - strong balanced hands usually double then bid 3NT

Having doubled on the first round, your 4D bid on the second is just wrong. Playing cross-imps, I think you have to double again or bid 3NT. It's very difficult to construct hands that are making 4D, not making 3NT, and not taking at least 100 out of 3H - it's not matchpoints; +100 instead of +130 is a tiny loss. If partner is raising diamonds, then why are we not making 3NT?

On the actual hand, make partner's king in any suit and 3NT was still making.
Doubling again would have led to a slightly fortunate making 4S contract

[a***@yahoo.co.uk]

Post by f***@googlemail.com

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

At the table I doubled (thought 3NT was too much of a punt). The bidding continued 3H on my left, passed round to me. What to do now?
I had a think, considered either double again or 4D. Decided against the double, as I was not sure how partner would interpret it. I bid 4D which became the final contract. I went one off, but 3NT is cold because partner held Kxx in diamonds. I could have made 4D but misplayed it.One pair found 3NT and another found 4S.
K
KQJ863
T52
T87
J9643 A85
T42 A9
K94 AQJ863
92 A5
QT72
75
7
KQJ643

On the first round, I admit I thought I had 7 diamonds when I bid 3NT (although I still think it is the right call). A jump to 3NT shows a strong hand with a long minor - strong balanced hands usually double then bid 3NT
Having doubled on the first round, your 4D bid on the second is just wrong. Playing cross-imps, I think you have to double again or bid 3NT. It's very difficult to construct hands that are making 4D, not making 3NT, and not taking at least 100 out of 3H - it's not matchpoints; +100 instead of +130 is a tiny loss. If partner is raising diamonds, then why are we not making 3NT?
On the actual hand, make partner's king in any suit and 3NT was still making.
Doubling again would have led to a slightly fortunate making 4S contract

I see your points (I didn't want to confuse partner with a second double), I guess sometimes I get sick of defending, particularly when it is one of those evenings where I continuously pick up flat 7 counts, then when I finally get a decent hand I'd rather not defend AGAIN. I don't agree with your final statement that 3NT makes with a king in any other suit. If the king is in a black suit, and my LHO has three hearts (likely with the raise) I can't hold up hearts enough to cut the defenders communication, so need to find diamond Kx onside. If it isn't, I don't have nine tricks before the opponents get in to run a load of hearts against me, unless partner holds SK, in which case I need to bring the spades in for no losers and the diamond finesse right for the ninth trick. That is the way it looks to me, it is possible I have missed something.

[Bruce Evans]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

At the table I doubled (thought 3NT was too much of a punt). The

bidding continued 3H on my left, passed round to me. What to do now?

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
I had a think, considered either double again or 4D. Decided against

the double, as I was not sure how partner would interpret it. I bid 4D
which became the final contract. I went one off, but 3NT is cold because
partner held Kxx in diamonds. I could have made 4D but misplayed it.One
pair found 3NT and another found 4S.

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
K
KQJ863
T52
T87
J9643 A85
T42 A9
K94 AQJ863
92 A5
QT72
75
7
KQJ643

On the first round, I admit I thought I had 7 diamonds when I bid 3NT
(although I still think it is the right call). A jump to 3NT shows a
strong hand with a long minor - strong balanced hands usually double
then bid 3NT
Having doubled on the first round, your 4D bid on the second is just
wrong. Playing cross-imps, I think you have to double again or bid 3NT.
It's very difficult to construct hands that are making 4D, not making
3NT, and not taking at least 100 out of 3H - it's not matchpoints; +100
instead of +130 is a tiny loss. If partner is raising diamonds, then
why are we not making 3NT?
On the actual hand, make partner's king in any suit and 3NT was still making.
Doubling again would have led to a slightly fortunate making 4S contract

I double and double again.

Wouldn't 4D lead to 4S even more easily? 4D must many playing tricks (more
than the hand has), and partner has a good hand in context, and might bid
4S on the way to 5D. The suit quality for 4S is limited by failure to bid
3S on the previous round.

After the second double, it is not so clear to force to game in spades.
Maybe just ... X (P) 3S (P) 3NT showing that the spades are not so good.
This will find game, but not in spades.

Bruce

[Sandy Barnes]

Post by a***@yahoo.co.uk
A85
A9
AQJ863
A5
All vuln, cross-imp pairs.
LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2H. Your bid?

Double seems to be right on values, but may have too many issues in the later auction. You don't have a good follow up after the opponent raises to 3H, since you must give up on 3NT or not show your diamond suit. 3D is an underbid, but you have good follow up after 3H by the opponents, and good choices if partner bids anything. 3NT is a wild shot, down many if partner has no entry and lacks the diamond king. it may be a big winner if partner has the diamond king, or an entry and 10-X in diamonds (with the king on-side). how I am doing at this point of the contest would suggest my best action. if early, or I am average at best, I bid 3NT and hope for the best. If I have a good set going, I likely bid 3D, to leave me some room for later if I get a chance. I see too many ways to go wrong with double, so I am reluctant to trot out this call, however normal it is.