[Coelacanth]

ACBL, Regional Swiss Teams (IMP scoring)

This is a UI problem but first, a bidding poll.

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In balancing chair after LHO's 12-14 1NT, you overcall 2♥, natural by agreement. Partner's 2♠ advance is undiscussed.

What do you expect in partner's hand for this 2♠ call? Is 2♠ forcing?

What call do you make, and what other calls do you consider?

[hrothgar]

 Coelacanth, on 2015-May-04, 06:45, said:

ACBL, Regional Swiss Teams (IMP scoring)

This is a UI problem but first, a bidding poll.

---

In balancing chair after LHO's 12-14 1NT, you overcall 2♥, natural by agreement. Partner's 2♠ advance is undiscussed.

What do you expect in partner's hand for this 2♠ call? Is 2♠ forcing?

What call do you make, and what other calls do you consider?

I expect that partner has a game invite in hearts with spade values.

♠ AQJ72
♥ QJ2
♦ 3
♣ 6542

or some such seems about right

Two Spades is not forcing

I would bid 3♦

I would consider 3♥ and 4♥

[gnasher]

Some invitational or better hand with five spades.

Yes, it's forcing.

I bid 3♦ (also forcing, I hope). I wouldn't seriously consider any other action.

And thanks for adding to my list of situations where one should play transfers.

[Cyberyeti]

Not sure what partner has (this may depend on what his overcalls would have meant), but I think he has some values and with a hand like mine I must bid again, 3♦ would be my choice without any other LA (not necessarily forcing given my failure to double if that would have been for pens). Btw did I have a 2m bid available to show hearts and another or not ?

[Coelacanth]

 hrothgar, on 2015-May-04, 07:56, said:

I expect that partner has a game invite in hearts with spade values.

 gnasher, on 2015-May-04, 09:05, said:

Some invitational or better hand with five spades.

I don't play much against weak NTs, and I also realize I didn't list the vulnerability. Let's say you are NV vs vul.

I'm wondering about what kind of invitational hand with spades would fail to overcall 2♠ directly over 1NT. I would think that the given south hand is a maximum for the 2♥ call; any bigger hand would start with a double. Thus, for north to be inviting, he probably needs near-opening values. But again, this is probably just my unfamiliarity with tactics vs. a weak NT.

[billw55]

 hrothgar, on 2015-May-04, 07:56, said:

I expect that partner has a game invite in hearts with spade values.

 gnasher, on 2015-May-04, 09:05, said:

Some invitational or better hand with five spades.

Interesting. I am curious. In this case, how will partner bid a weak hand with six spades and zero or one heart? Say, ♠QJTxxx ♥x ♦xxx ♣xxx, or similar hands? Has he no way to simply seek a better partscore?

[gnasher]

 Coelacanth, on 2015-May-04, 10:04, said:

I don't play much against weak NTs, and I also realize I didn't list the vulnerability. Let's say you are NV vs vul.

I'm wondering about what kind of invitational hand with spades would fail to overcall 2♠ directly over 1NT. I would think that the given south hand is a maximum for the 2♥ call; any bigger hand would start with a double. Thus, for north to be inviting, he probably needs near-opening values. But again, this is probably just my unfamiliarity with tactics vs. a weak NT.

You seem to have answered your own question. Yes, I'd expect North to have about opening values. He'll probably have only five spades, because he didn't overcall. For the same reason some other hands may be excluded, depending on what your methods are in the direct seat.

[Coelacanth]

 billw55, on 2015-May-04, 10:10, said:

Interesting. I am curious. In this case, how will partner bid a weak hand with six spades and zero or one heart? Say, ♠QJTxxx ♥x ♦xxx ♣xxx, or similar hands? Has he no way to simply seek a better partscore?

This is the hand I pictured when first presented the problem. One of the reasons I posted it was to see what other constructions people could come up with.

[hrothgar]

 billw55, on 2015-May-04, 10:10, said:

Interesting. I am curious. In this case, how will partner bid a weak hand with six spades and zero or one heart? Say, ♠QJTxxx ♥x ♦xxx ♣xxx, or similar hands? Has he no way to simply seek a better partscore?

He doesn't

[Coelacanth]

You've probably already worked out what the issue is.

The 2♥ call was alerted and explained as DONT, showing hearts and spades. (This pair plays DONT vs strong NTs but has agreed to play natural vs weak; North forgot.)

So South has UI at his second turn. Based on the comments thus far, the LAs seem to be 3♦, 3♥, possibly 4♥. Does anyone think Pass is an LA (would North not bid this way with 6=0=3=4 and < say 8 HCP)?

Are any of those calls demonstrably suggested by the UI?

[nige1]

 Coelacanth, on 2015-May-04, 06:45, said:

ACBL, Regional Swiss Teams (IMP scoring)This is a UI problem but first, a bidding poll.In balancing chair after LHO's 12-14 1NT, you overcall 2♥, natural by agreement. Partner's 2♠ advance is undiscussed.What do you expect in partner's hand for this 2♠ call? Is 2♠ forcing?What call do you make, and what other calls do you consider?

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IMO Pass is an LA because, without agreement, 2♠ isn't forcing. For me, by agreement, 2N or 3♠ would be forcing.

[PhantomSac]

It cannot be forcing as partner is a limited hand. Is anyone really not going to pass 2S with a hand like Kx KQJxx xx Qxxx? We cannot have a game and 2S looks like a fine spot.

That being said, I am not passing with a stiff spade, partner does not have 6 spades or he would have overcalled. I do not think playing a known 5-1 fit is a logical alternative.

[Coelacanth]

 PhantomSac, on 2015-May-04, 17:36, said:

It cannot be forcing as partner is a limited hand. Is anyone really not going to pass 2S with a hand like Kx KQJxx xx Qxxx? We cannot have a game and 2S looks like a fine spot.

That being said, I am not passing with a stiff spade, partner does not have 6 spades or he would have overcalled. I do not think playing a known 5-1 fit is a logical alternative.

In the event, the South player bid 3♥. The TDs decided not to adjust, but there was some discussion of imposing a pass over 2♠. The consensus was that if the small club had been a spade, this would be a much more difficult ruling, but with a singleton spade a pass was not a LA.

On the lie of the cards, both 3♥ and 2♠ are doomed to failure (North has ♠JTxx and a singleton heart; West has ♥AQTx.)

[helene_t]

 Coelacanth, on 2015-May-05, 08:47, said:

The consensus was that if the small club had been a spade, this would be a much more difficult ruling, but with a singleton spade a pass was not a LA.

Agree with that, except that I would be inclined to think pass would be an LA if South had had two spades.

[barmar]

 PhantomSac, on 2015-May-04, 17:36, said:

That being said, I am not passing with a stiff spade, partner does not have 6 spades or he would have overcalled. I do not think playing a known 5-1 fit is a logical alternative.

Would he? I generally play that we only overcall over weak NT with at least constructive hands.