A question from the other night. Pairs, adverse, 2nd in hand I held A109x AJ109x NOne xxxx. RHO kicks off with 1S, and pass is surely right but I bid 2H against moderate oppo (ironically with a 6th H the hand may be almost too strong for a WJO but maybe not at adverse). LHO passes and partner bids 3D which we theoretically play as forcing. That’ll teach me to make stupid bids, but what now?
Regards,
Iain
Patrick CheuMarch 15th, 2025 at 12:19 am
Hi Iain, First instinct is to pass. Rightly or wrongly…hold on to your seat belt…:) Regards Patrick
Iain ClimieMarch 16th, 2025 at 7:18 pm
Hi Patrick,
That’s what I did and we got lucky. Chris (who you know of course) had J x AQJ9xxx AJ9xx. He wanted to be in 5C but there is KQx offside and the ruffing finesse in D fails and the D10 doesn’t fall in 3 rounds either even if it worked. So we got an undeserved good score when people went overboard. He wasn’t best pleased I’d passed a forcing bid but I feel entitled to do that occasionally if I ‘ve grossly misbid the hand earlier. With 1 more H, thugh, do you reckon WJO or 2H? Same problem if you bid 2H tbf.
Regards,
Iain
Patrick CheuMarch 16th, 2025 at 9:56 pm
Hi Iain, I played WJO 10-15 vul, but this hand has too many spades 4 my liking 4 WJO Vul…especially headed by AT9x..what do you think? 5C needs a lot of things to b right..in the play. So what did Chris want you to bid over 3D? 3N? Then you prob get to 4C n 5c? Regards Patrick
Patrick CheuMarch 16th, 2025 at 10:01 pm
Hi Iain again,It just depends on what LHO and pard holds as to whether WJO is right or wrong on this hand with 6H and AT9x spades..what do u think?
Iain ClimieMarch 17th, 2025 at 9:15 am
HI Patrick,
We didn’t really get that far – he just felt I shouldn’t have passed 3D. Agree with you that WJO with an extra H could be right or wrong but on the actual hand pass rather than 2H is clear cut really. He did say he was considering 4N if it had started 1S P P to him but tht seems a bit too pushy. We play 2N in 4th as 19-21 balanced not UNT after 1x P P although it never comes up.
I don;y mind the S length here as it increases the chance of pard being short, at least that is the theory MIke Lawrence put round a few years ago in his book on overcalls. The older view was beware misfits; ML seemed happy to overcall 1D with 1S holding (say) 5-2-4-2 or even 5-1-5-2 shapes and appropriate strength. Times change…
Chris is in hospital this week. I’m at [email protected] so drop me an E-Mail later this week and I’ll be able to tell you how he’s doing.
Regards,
Iain
Iain ClimieMarch 17th, 2025 at 11:26 am
HI again Patrick,
Chris is fine – he won;t need surgery but change in medications and similar. He was worried he wasn’t going to need a stent or even a bypass but this is not the case.
Regards,
Iain
Iain ClimieMarch 17th, 2025 at 11:27 am
Sorry was….
Patrick CheuMarch 17th, 2025 at 3:52 pm
Hi Iain,Thanks for your email as regards Chris Stevens. Iam glad he is all right and please send him my best regards. Bridge players do not always agree on everything and that’s what makes the game so challenging and fascinating. Someone( a very good player no longer here) said..’That was a bad bid but the winning bid’…now how can you forget that? Cheers Patrick
Patrick CheuMarch 17th, 2025 at 3:59 pm
Hi Iain, The funny thing was I happen to pull out Mike Lawrence’s book’Overcalls’ las night again and what U said about overcalling on 55 even (45 in the book) on page 17 was interesting to say the least..never stop learning.
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Hi Folks,
A question from the other night. Pairs, adverse, 2nd in hand I held A109x AJ109x NOne xxxx. RHO kicks off with 1S, and pass is surely right but I bid 2H against moderate oppo (ironically with a 6th H the hand may be almost too strong for a WJO but maybe not at adverse). LHO passes and partner bids 3D which we theoretically play as forcing. That’ll teach me to make stupid bids, but what now?
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain, First instinct is to pass. Rightly or wrongly…hold on to your seat belt…:) Regards Patrick
Hi Patrick,
That’s what I did and we got lucky. Chris (who you know of course) had J x AQJ9xxx AJ9xx. He wanted to be in 5C but there is KQx offside and the ruffing finesse in D fails and the D10 doesn’t fall in 3 rounds either even if it worked. So we got an undeserved good score when people went overboard. He wasn’t best pleased I’d passed a forcing bid but I feel entitled to do that occasionally if I ‘ve grossly misbid the hand earlier. With 1 more H, thugh, do you reckon WJO or 2H? Same problem if you bid 2H tbf.
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain, I played WJO 10-15 vul, but this hand has too many spades 4 my liking 4 WJO Vul…especially headed by AT9x..what do you think? 5C needs a lot of things to b right..in the play. So what did Chris want you to bid over 3D? 3N? Then you prob get to 4C n 5c? Regards Patrick
Hi Iain again,It just depends on what LHO and pard holds as to whether WJO is right or wrong on this hand with 6H and AT9x spades..what do u think?
HI Patrick,
We didn’t really get that far – he just felt I shouldn’t have passed 3D. Agree with you that WJO with an extra H could be right or wrong but on the actual hand pass rather than 2H is clear cut really. He did say he was considering 4N if it had started 1S P P to him but tht seems a bit too pushy. We play 2N in 4th as 19-21 balanced not UNT after 1x P P although it never comes up.
I don;y mind the S length here as it increases the chance of pard being short, at least that is the theory MIke Lawrence put round a few years ago in his book on overcalls. The older view was beware misfits; ML seemed happy to overcall 1D with 1S holding (say) 5-2-4-2 or even 5-1-5-2 shapes and appropriate strength. Times change…
Chris is in hospital this week. I’m at [email protected] so drop me an E-Mail later this week and I’ll be able to tell you how he’s doing.
Regards,
Iain
HI again Patrick,
Chris is fine – he won;t need surgery but change in medications and similar. He was worried he wasn’t going to need a stent or even a bypass but this is not the case.
Regards,
Iain
Sorry was….
Hi Iain,Thanks for your email as regards Chris Stevens. Iam glad he is all right and please send him my best regards. Bridge players do not always agree on everything and that’s what makes the game so challenging and fascinating. Someone( a very good player no longer here) said..’That was a bad bid but the winning bid’…now how can you forget that? Cheers Patrick
Hi Iain, The funny thing was I happen to pull out Mike Lawrence’s book’Overcalls’ las night again and what U said about overcalling on 55 even (45 in the book) on page 17 was interesting to say the least..never stop learning.
Hi Patrick,
I’m hoping to see him this week so will do so.
Iain