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One of the benefits of playing split strong bids is that the range of possible hands is limited enough that partner can give more relevant information over opponent interference. Particularly, since partner has either a balanced hand or a 5 card suit in one of two suits, information about the two possible long suits can be very valuable.
For instance, after 1♣ (meaning either 15+ unbalanced with 5+ hearts, 15+ unbalanced with 4+ clubs [4 only if 4441], or balanced [15-16, 19-20, 23-24, or 27+]), when the opponent overcalls 1♠, responder has some gadgets that are not available with a precision 1♣, such as:
Pass = 0-4 points
Double = 5-9 points, 4+ hearts, denies 4+ clubs
1N = 5-9 points, denies 4+ clubs, denies 5+ diamonds, denies 4+ hearts
2♣ = 5-9 points, 4+ clubs, denies 4+ hearts
2♦ = 5-9 points, 5+ diamonds
2♥ = 10+ points, GF
2♠ = 5-9 points, 4+ in both clubs and hearts
This should avoid wrong-siding a suit contract, and provide quick information about possible fits. You may end up playing 1N from the wrong side, but only when partner has 15-16 balanced. It also makes it hard to show real spades when you have 5-9 points, but since the opponent overcalled spades, that shouldn't be a frequent problem, and 1N is probably a prety good spot with your spades sitting over their spades. It might be a problem if they were making a psych bid and partner had something like a 4-5-2-2 shape, and you miss a spade fit, but that hardly seems worth worrying about...
Is this sort of structure (x = 4+ in the indicated major, a bid in partner's opened minor = 4+, cuebid = both) a reasonable scheme for competitive auctions, or are there better ways to do this?
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MOSS: dealing with interference
#2
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Posted 2011-April-09, 11:18
You should look at the frequency for your responses. I would bet your 2H is too frequent and your dbl is too infrequent.
2H leaves much too little room. 2C as an artificial GF would leave too little room.
Partner has shown a multi-bid with 1C (one of three hand types). It usually is more efficient to leave room for opener to show which of his multi meanings he has before trying to react to each meaning. If you find at the point of 1C (1S) that this is not best, it probably indicates that your 1C bid has been poorly designed.
Playing 1C as 16+ any shape I give more thought toward responder describing his own hand. 1C as any shape should be less well positioned than your own 1C, but we are not cross-purposed in our bidding. Bad enough that responder can't describe his own hand or leave room for opener to describe his hand...your structure forces responder to show support for suits that opener may not even have. To give an example, I think you are cross-purposed with 1C (1S) 2S showing hearts and clubs. I see how the bid wins for you often, but I think it is cross-purposed because....
1) opener may not be interested in either suit and showing 4/4 at the point of 2S is not much.
2) opener may be interested in one suit but could care less about the other suit so that information is wasted
3) it prevents opener from showing his basic hand type. It almost forces opener to place the contract before he has described his hand. How does he set trump? Perhaps he has primary clubs but has some interest in NT if responder has a stopper. Perhaps he has a balanced hand with three hearts that wants to know if partner has five hearts.
2H leaves much too little room. 2C as an artificial GF would leave too little room.
Partner has shown a multi-bid with 1C (one of three hand types). It usually is more efficient to leave room for opener to show which of his multi meanings he has before trying to react to each meaning. If you find at the point of 1C (1S) that this is not best, it probably indicates that your 1C bid has been poorly designed.
Playing 1C as 16+ any shape I give more thought toward responder describing his own hand. 1C as any shape should be less well positioned than your own 1C, but we are not cross-purposed in our bidding. Bad enough that responder can't describe his own hand or leave room for opener to describe his hand...your structure forces responder to show support for suits that opener may not even have. To give an example, I think you are cross-purposed with 1C (1S) 2S showing hearts and clubs. I see how the bid wins for you often, but I think it is cross-purposed because....
1) opener may not be interested in either suit and showing 4/4 at the point of 2S is not much.
2) opener may be interested in one suit but could care less about the other suit so that information is wasted
3) it prevents opener from showing his basic hand type. It almost forces opener to place the contract before he has described his hand. How does he set trump? Perhaps he has primary clubs but has some interest in NT if responder has a stopper. Perhaps he has a balanced hand with three hearts that wants to know if partner has five hearts.
#3
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Posted 2011-April-09, 17:36
straube, on 2011-April-09, 11:18, said:
You should look at the frequency for your responses. I would bet your 2H is too frequent and your dbl is too infrequent.
2H leaves much too little room. 2C as an artificial GF would leave too little room.
Partner has shown a multi-bid with 1C (one of three hand types). It usually is more efficient to leave room for opener to show which of his multi meanings he has before trying to react to each meaning. If you find at the point of 1C (1S) that this is not best, it probably indicates that your 1C bid has been poorly designed.
Playing 1C as 16+ any shape I give more thought toward responder describing his own hand. 1C as any shape should be less well positioned than your own 1C, but we are not cross-purposed in our bidding. Bad enough that responder can't describe his own hand or leave room for opener to describe his hand...your structure forces responder to show support for suits that opener may not even have. To give an example, I think you are cross-purposed with 1C (1S) 2S showing hearts and clubs. I see how the bid wins for you often, but I think it is cross-purposed because....
1) opener may not be interested in either suit and showing 4/4 at the point of 2S is not much.
2) opener may be interested in one suit but could care less about the other suit so that information is wasted
3) it prevents opener from showing his basic hand type. It almost forces opener to place the contract before he has described his hand. How does he set trump? Perhaps he has primary clubs but has some interest in NT if responder has a stopper. Perhaps he has a balanced hand with three hearts that wants to know if partner has five hearts.
2H leaves much too little room. 2C as an artificial GF would leave too little room.
Partner has shown a multi-bid with 1C (one of three hand types). It usually is more efficient to leave room for opener to show which of his multi meanings he has before trying to react to each meaning. If you find at the point of 1C (1S) that this is not best, it probably indicates that your 1C bid has been poorly designed.
Playing 1C as 16+ any shape I give more thought toward responder describing his own hand. 1C as any shape should be less well positioned than your own 1C, but we are not cross-purposed in our bidding. Bad enough that responder can't describe his own hand or leave room for opener to describe his hand...your structure forces responder to show support for suits that opener may not even have. To give an example, I think you are cross-purposed with 1C (1S) 2S showing hearts and clubs. I see how the bid wins for you often, but I think it is cross-purposed because....
1) opener may not be interested in either suit and showing 4/4 at the point of 2S is not much.
2) opener may be interested in one suit but could care less about the other suit so that information is wasted
3) it prevents opener from showing his basic hand type. It almost forces opener to place the contract before he has described his hand. How does he set trump? Perhaps he has primary clubs but has some interest in NT if responder has a stopper. Perhaps he has a balanced hand with three hearts that wants to know if partner has five hearts.
OK. Then would it be better to have a simple structure like this?
Pass = 0-4
Double = 5-9 any shape
overcalls = 10+, GF, natural
This would ditch the idea of showing opener's two indicated suits, but would be very easy to remember, and fits better with a constructive point of view frequency wise.
Or would you recomend something like this?
Pass = 0-4, or 5-9 without 4+ clubs or hearts
Double = 10+ GF
1N = 5-9, 4+ in both clubs and hearts
2♣ = 5-9, 4+ clubs, denies 4+ hearts
2♦ = 5-9, 4+ hearts, denies 4+ clubs
Then i would have to figure out what to do with 2♥ and the cuebid of 2♠. Perhaps I could use 2♥, 2♠, and 2N to show different shapes in slam-interested hands?
Anyways, I currently lean toward the second option, conserving spade with the strong hands and getting information accross quickly with the competitive range hands, but I would appreciate any input/suggestions.
Thanks for your advice. It is helpful to bounce ideas around. Hope it is not too frustrating for you.
#4
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Posted 2011-April-09, 18:01
I've been looking for advice on my own thread about 1C (1S) interference and I don't know what's best. awm has suggested something like (and the hcps are just approximate)....
pass-0-5 any or 6+ with spade length or awkward
dbl-6+ balanced/takeoutish
1N-GF with stopper and fairly balanced
2C-diamonds, 6+
2D-hearts, 6+
2H-spades, 6+
2S-clubs, 6+
which looks pretty good to me. He pointed out that if they overcall 1S it's convenient for a double to show some values in case opener has spades and needs to pass.
Of your two options, I think I like the first.
pass-0-5 any or 6+ with spade length or awkward
dbl-6+ balanced/takeoutish
1N-GF with stopper and fairly balanced
2C-diamonds, 6+
2D-hearts, 6+
2H-spades, 6+
2S-clubs, 6+
which looks pretty good to me. He pointed out that if they overcall 1S it's convenient for a double to show some values in case opener has spades and needs to pass.
Of your two options, I think I like the first.
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