[iandayre]

This problem did not affect me. I made the correct bid as S - a balancing jump to 3C - and reached 3NT.

http://tinyurl.com/pr7rcaq

This player underbid with 2C. But still, the only sensible action by GIB would be 2NT. A major suit bid here does not, in any sane methods, show "4+". So tell me Uday, why does the description say 4+, forcing GIB into a silly action instead of the obvious correct one?

[Bbradley62]

30 of the 41 human Souths in this tournament bid 2♣, which is described as showing 11+ with rebiddable clubs. If this is not "the correct bid", its description should be changed, maybe to include an upper limit. (Only 2, including you, chose 3♣.) The "silly action" in the auction you posted is South passing 2♠ with 16 opposite an announced 12-16; only 3 of 30 Souths faced with this decision passed.

If a 5card suit is needed for North to bid 2M over 2♣, what are you suggesting that the full requirements should be for that bid, since North was unable to overcall 1M over 1♦?

[johnu]

WTP? A 4 card suit which is one more than the required 3

[iandayre]

Bbradley62, on 2014-November-24, 22:16, said:

30 of the 41 human Souths in this tournament bid 2♣, which is described as showing 11+ with rebiddable clubs. If this is not "the correct bid", its description should be changed, maybe to include an upper limit. (Only 2, including you, chose 3♣.) The "silly action" in the auction you posted is South passing 2♠ with 16 opposite an announced 12-16; only 3 of 30 Souths faced with this decision passed.

If a 5card suit is needed for North to bid 2M over 2♣, what are you suggesting that the full requirements should be for that bid, since North was unable to overcall 1M over 1♦?

I don't disagree that passing 2S was a poor action by that player. And I'll agree with you that a simple balancing overcall should have an upper limit (it does have one - GIB's description just doesn't show it). But I am not impressed by the statistics showing the preponderance of 2C bidders. I had full values for my 3C bid and it fit perfectly within GIB's definition for the action - not to mention standard bidding practice. There is another "correct" bid that is seldom made by players in the robot tournaments - that being the strong jump overcall over a Weak 2 bid. Yet it is very effective. GIB will continue to game with modest values, passing only with nearly trickless hands - just about what you would want. Every time I use that bid and reach game I get a great result, the field having been left in a simple overcall.

Regarding your other point, it's true that there aren't a lot of hands worth a 2M bid after the balance, having not overcalled. Still, the bid is not forcing and I do not believe that it should be made on a four card suit. And I suspect that you would agree that 2NT better describes the actual hand in any case. Opposite a simple balancing overcall and with only 4 card major suit(s), around 10 points and lacking sound stoppers in the opponent's suit, pass is the correct call IMO.