From: bs@fatima.mitre.org (Robert D. Silverman)
Subject: Re: Problems from Portland
Keywords: Just two fewer mistakes...
Organization: Research Computer Facility, MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 18:18:42 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.230024.2100@rayssd.ssd.ray.com> sgm@sgfb.ssd.ray.com (Steve Myerson) writes:
:These hands are from the Flight B Open Pairs in Portland, Maine (Nov 14).
 
Flight B. Matchpoints. Anything can be right.

:1. None vul. East dealer. You are West: AJ9542, T, Q7, AT32
:
:West   North   East   South
:               pass   pass
:1S-1   1N-2    pass   2D       1. 11-15 HCP, at least 4 spades
:pass   2H      (all pass)      2. 15-17
:
:After West passed, South announced that there had been
:a failure to alert, and that 2D was a transfer to 2H.
:The director then permitted West to take back his final
:pass if he wished.  What do you do?
 
Do they have any preacceptance bids over transfers? I'll assume not.
With hearts not breaking, spades sitting over me, and a partner who
could not bid 2S (showing a garbage raise over 1NT) what am I supposed
to do with this 7-loser hand but pass? If partner could cover 2 losers
he would have bid. PASS! Bidding is asking for -300.

:2. Both vul. South dealer. You are East: T74, KJ52, K7, Q975
:
:West   North   East   South
:                      1D-1     1. Shows at least 4
:dbl    1S      dbl-2  1N       2. Responsive, 6-9 HCP
:pass   5D      ?
:
:Your call.
 
Pass. Secondary honors in side suits are dubious values when
one of the opponents is highly distributional. I am sitting
under the diamond bidder, partners spades are under the 1S bidder
and I have a lot of length in the unbid suits. I pass.
Hope I beat it. If North is at all decent, he will have something
like 11 cards in the pointed suits.


Of course, If I had bid intelligently earlier (3H over the 1S call)
I might not have to guess now. I think a responsive double here
does not make sense.

:3. NS vul. West dealer. You are West: Q863, J63, 632, AQ6
:
:West   North   East   South
:pass   1C      2N-1   3H       1. 6-12 HCP, at least 4 spades and 4 diamonds
:3S     4H      pass   pass        with at least 9 cards total in the 2 suits
:?
Double, showing some defensive values and let partner decide.

:4. Both vul. South dealer. You are North: QJ95, T97, AKT762, void
:
:West   North   East   South
:                      1S-1     1. 11-15 HCP, at least 4 spades
:pass   2C-2    2H     pass-*   2. artificial, forcing to game

				In your VOID???? Do you mean 2D?
 
If you really mean that 2C is just an artificial GF, then how do
you bid clubs? What are your methods? How do you show suits?

:3H     ?                          opener may not pass short of game
:                                  2C bidder may pass short of game on misfit
 
Is 3S weaker or stronger than 4S here?

Damn it! Noone can know what to do here. We don't know your methods.
Assuming partner's pass shows what you detailed (omitted), I just
signoff in game, assuming that 4S does not show extras.

The problem with your methods, is that if the opponents sack,
you still haven't told partner you have diamonds! How can he make
an intelligent decision? Would 4D over 3H show extras? Does it
just show a suit? There is no way to show both diamonds and spades
over 3H, so you've been screwed by your own system.

:5. NS vul. East dealer. You are South: 9, J4, AK7654, JT94
:
:West   North   East   South
:               pass   ?
:
:Do you preempt or not?
 
Of course I do. I'm in second seat and have a perfect weak 2D call.
Why is this a problem?
--
Bob Silverman
These are my opinions and not MITRE's.
Mitre Corporation, Bedford, MA 01730
"You can lead a horse's ass to knowledge, but you can't make him think"