[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

P - 1♠ - 4♥ - 4♠
5♥ - P - P - Dbl
P - P - Rdbl - All Pass

---

Result: +1200 EW.

At the other table, the auction was the same except our West passed 4♠ and the result was +620 EW.

Were we fixed or should someone have acted differently?

[pbleighton]

The double of 5H was bad at IMPs, IMO. I would do it at MPs, though.

Your West probably should have bid 5H, especially at IMPs, though this may be double-dummy bidding

Peter

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

As other have said, the double
of 5H is the culprit.

At the other table, I cant understand
Wests Pass of 4S holding 2 1/2 tricks
for partner, 5H is clear cut, unless
he knows that East is a lunatic and
cannot be trusted.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[whereagles]

I've been reading Mike Lawrence's "Fought the Law". Under SST/WP gospel we have

NS: South has a useful singleton, North's doubleton is probably in hearts, and he rates not to have more doubletons. Short suit total of 4. North can be counted for 11-13 working points, so expectation for NS is 9 tricks in spades.

EW: the 4♥ bid is likely to have been on an 8221 or 7321 shape. The SST is probably 3, but could be 2 since West bid 5♥. As for WP, at least 14 can be credited to EW, but more can be expected given the redouble. All in all, assuming sane bidding, that makes it 10 or 11 tricks EW expected.

If NS had a 10 tricks expectation, a taking -200 insurance might be a good idea. As it is, a possible -500 might not be a good idea if EW go down. So it's very close indeed. I might try "one more for the road", but that's just me, and probably after 2 glasses or so

[Fluffy]

I wouldn't but vulnerable maybe some north's could open 2♠

[pbleighton]

"I wouldn't but vulnerable maybe some north's could open 2♠"

I would in my current system, but with standard openers I think you have to bid 1S.

Peter

[Al_U_Card]

I guess the issue revolves around why did he bid 4H and not 2H? When his pard supports H, you know that he had the big hand that is not afraid of S or other side suit losers etc. As south my choices would be pass or 5S, not double, ever.

[han]

Ouch, this looks like 18 painful IMPs. I'm glad I wasn't south!

(and I hope that people believe that)

[inquiry]

Hannie, on Sep 21 2005, 12:38 PM, said:

Ouch, this looks like 18 painful IMPs. I'm glad I wasn't south!

(and I hope that people believe that)

Principle double... maybe we should throw those out... :-)

Couple of issues here. Which bid was worse, the double or the redouble? If 5♥ makes, maybe 5♠x is a cheap save. Why give them a chance to get off the hook.

On the other hand, your teammates contributed a fair amount to the -18.... They let 4♠ make, when in fact, it could lose 2♦, 1♥ 1♠, or 1♦, 1♥, 1♠ and 1♣ ruff. Since they were winning a double game swing even without your double (620 in one room and 600 in the other), you were losing 15 imps even if you passed... And 16 imps after the double even if they didn't redouble.

So as bad as the -1200 looks on the scorecard, you were losing 15 imps once your partners failed to bid 5♥ and followed that up with poor defense. So you cost your side at most 3 imps.....

Now your partnrs are saying, even if they had beaten 4♠ one (+100), your redobled contract means -1300 poinnt.. so you turned a -12 imps into -18 (costing 6 imps). But it is best if you get these double disasters out of the way on the same hand.... now that is TEAM WORK.

[han]

Yeah, great team work, our team didn't win this 8-board match as you can imagine.

But thanks for lifting my spirits

[mcphee]

When I read this post I could here the Village People singing Macho Man. I really think the redble was foolish regardless that it may have worked out. A person who wants to trade +850 for plus 200-500 is not my idea of a wise business man and would not survive the first round of the Apprentice.

I have some sympathy for the dble of 5H. None for the pass of the redble however. Some days life presents us with a second chance and this redble was the news flash for me. Those C are no longer the defensive feature I thought they might be. They may make 6 for all I know, and they are welcome to bid it over 5S.

My feeling here is the 4S bidder should press on over 5H rather than dble. The dble I expect was to announce to partner that the hand belonged to us and the 4S bid was not bid without values and with the intention of making. But the hand looks mostly offensive to me.