[jillybean]

At both MP and IMP

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IMP pass, but MP?
1♠ for me.

[Cyberyeti]

1♠, if partner wasn't a passed hand, might try 1N

[thepossum]

Sensible is very provocative

I feel like interfering but would like likely pass

[pescetom]

1NT at MP, but change ♠6 to T and I would prefer 1♠. Not going to pass at MP with all those hearts missing.

[mike777]

PASS

[mw64ahw]

I'm inclined to a Power X given the shortage isn't ♦
1♠ is possible as is 2♠ ♠+♣ with the HCP making up for a lack of 5♣

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2026-February-15, 07:24, said:

1NT at MP, but change ♠6 to T and I would prefer 1♠. Not going to pass at MP with all those hearts missing.

My thought opposite a passed hand was the only game we were going to make was in spades, and they have a known heart fit as PD opens most hands with 5 hearts, so getting the spades in was important.

The only reason to pass is that 1♦-P-1♥-P-2♥ I can double, and that shows this hand perfectly

Playing what I play, we play Ekren, so pass is much more attractive as pd can't have 4-4 in the majors 3-9 so the most likely fit is in clubs

[mikeh]

It’s pretty much standard to pass this hand, planning to double if the auction proceeds something like (1D) P (1H) P (1N)/(2H)

That shows typically 4=1=4=4 or 4=1=3=5.

I recently moderated a bidding panel for the Canadian Bridge Federation online magazine and one of the problems, cribbed from an old Bridge World, involved a similar auction and the expert panel had no difficulty interpreting the delayed double, although they weren’t 100% on the same page.

1N makes me ill. They double and where do I go? Worse, partner transfers to or otherwise competes in hearts.

1S is slightly better and I’ve made one level over calls in 4 card suits before, but not on a suit as weak as this one. Plus I do have a simple method that will usually let me show my hand pretty well in auctions in which we rate to want to compete. Since I’m an oddity…in that I like my partner to have some hope of knowing what I hold when I bid…I’m not going to show a spade suit I don’t have nor a balanced 15-18 that I don’t have.