I don’t love double, just because I’ve seen many 2x contracts even if we have the majority of the HCP. And our spade suit may only be worth 1 trick. I like 3C better. 3NT seems like it could be playable. I’d vote for 3NT.
I’m between double and 2n.
I agree: 2N and double are the top choices. 3C with a live bid on my right sounds too much like it’s just competing. I’d probably double.
Submitted:
Ouch. Double was chosen by 0 panelists and was only worth 80. Every action chosen by at least one solver got 80. Double did get the most solver votes among choices worth 80.
3C got 100. 2N and 4C got 90.
Shows my initial thought at a response. Since typed, I went ahead and submitted it, but I may change after hearing others’ thoughts. Might even change after I think more on my own.
I agree with double. There is a considerable danger of a 1H call being passed out when you have game. You also aren’t going to be happy to call 1H and have 3C passed back to you. This hand is strong enough to bid hearts if partner bids diamonds.
On the second part, I agree that 3S and 2C are the only alternatives worth considering. I’m less worried that partner may misread my number of spades (I can always correct back) and more worried that if I bid 2C and raise 2S to 3S, he will think he is forced.
Cue bidding helps mostly when partner is 3=3=3=4, as he will rebid a rebid suit over 2C, and then I can bid hearts.
I like double and 4D.
I also like double and 4D.
Yes, then 4D was the top scorer. (Moderator didn’t comment on the scoring, but 4S had one more panelist vote than 4D, 5-4. So he presumably gave 4D the top award since it had 10 solver votes while 4S had only 3. He has said explicitly in the past that solver votes affected the scoring.)
Nothing seems conceivable except pass, double or 3 spades. At imps, I think pass would be clearcut. Only a small loss if exactly one contract makes, vs a much bigger loss if you double 3C and it makes.
But this is matchpoints. Passing 3C is unlikely to be our best possible score. If 3C is going down, we would do better to double. If 3C is making, there’s a pretty good chance 3S doubled is only going down at most 100 (must be down 3, or down 2 doubled to be more).
I’m leaning toward pass. Better than 3S if 3C is going down, and some slight chance that 3S would be doubled and go down 300.
You guys may well be able to talk me out of pass. I may even talk myself out of pass..
Pass seems pretty clear to me. Double helps them find diamonds…3S may be tempting, but it feels like both contracts will be down..
My first instinct was to bid again, as an additional preempt. If partner has a preempt hand, and we don’t have a strong hand, then I’m nervous opponents will find a makeable game. I lean toward 3S.
Pass was the top scorer, with a slight majority of panelists (8 of 15) and 15 of 41 solvers (3S had 19).
The Jan 2022 problem:
Tentatively I like 4C at both Certainly at imps, when West could have passed instead of bidding 3H. Matchpoints too, since a one-trick set is less than we could have scored.
Indeed, nothing but 4C looks reasonable. Pass gives up too easily, and they could well be making 3H, so I can’t double. Missing the AK of clubs, with only a single stop in each major, 3N doesn’t make much sense.
4C at matchpoints. At IMPs I’m tempted by 3NT. Partner has opening strength. Could have no help in clubs, but in that case would have more help stopping spades/hearts. I do feel like we don’t make 3NT a lot.
Problem 1A
Steve White: Four clubs. A reasonable shot to make, and no certainty they’re going down, especially going down 2. I’m not going to trot out 3NT with only one stop in each major.
Problem 1B
Steve White: Four clubs. Same as at matchpoints. Double would be even crazier at imps, and they’ll be very reluctant to double 4C at imps. 3NT is too much of a wild gamble, even vul at imps
4C was the top scoring at both imps and watchpoints, with 7 of 12 panelists at matchpoints; 6 of 12 at imps. It had a majority of the solvers at matchpoints, a plurality but not majority at imps.
No chance, IMO, that anything except 3S or 4C will win. 4S is demented. Strongly tempted to say that even 3S is demented, unless panelists are resultant to splinter with a void. (But regardless, on any dementia scale, 3S is not close to as demented as 4S, which ranks right up there with pass for bad choices.)