[H Potter]

Hi everyone

Matchpointed pairs, all red, you are the dealer.

You are playing a very basic Acol 4CM system. You hold

Q
93
T952
QJ7652

You pass (I assume you do), LHO passes and partner opens 2N (20-22 balanced, no singleton). Your go, FYI 3C would be stayman, 4C gerber.

Also would you bid differently if it is teams?

[mw64ahw]

What's 3♠?

[helene_t]

I will try 3NT. Even if clubs don't run, we could have an entry in spades or diamonds.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

you either pass or bid 3NT.
I am not going to look for / bid 5C.

Take your pick, but 3NT is most likely the way to go,
if 3NT goes down, most of the time 2NT will as well be
down.

If you know the room / the field you are playing, this helps,
otherwise throw a dice.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[DavidKok]

You either bid 3NT or probe for 5m. This hand is so lacking in entries that I think 5m is probably better, but at matchpoints you 'never' play 5m. I also don't see a sensible way to ask partner about the quality of the club or diamond support (3♠ showing both minors would work, if you play that, but it is equally likely to muddy the situation as it is to be helpful. Well, at least if partner bids 3NT we are protected in the postmortem). I'll just blast 3NT and cross my fingers.

[P_Marlowe]

DavidKok, on 2022-August-17, 09:51, said:

You either bid 3NT or probe for 5m. This hand is so lacking in entries that I think 5m is probably better, but at matchpoints you 'never' play 5m. I also don't see a sensible way to ask partner about the quality of the club or diamond support (3♠ showing both minors would work, if you play that, but it is equally likely to muddy the situation as it is to be helpful. Well, at least if partner bids 3NT we are protected in the postmortem). I'll just blast 3NT and cross my fingers.

I think the main argument for bidding 3NT is, that you will have lots of company,
it should be the field bid, I dont think, that passing will be pretty common,
it may be more tempting, if 2NT was more tighly defined, 20-21,
and I am not sure, how good / bad the odds are for making 3NT.

[Cyberyeti]

P_Marlowe, on 2022-August-17, 11:19, said:

I think the main argument for bidding 3NT is, that you will have lots of company,
it should be the field bid, I dont think, that passing will be pretty common,
it may be more tempting, if 2NT was more tighly defined, 20-21,
and I am not sure, how good / bad the odds are for making 3NT.

Can 3N look very silly, of course it can (xxx, Axx, AKQJ, AKx for example) but unless you're confident in your methods and your ability to stop in 4N if you go beyond 3N it may be best at MPs.

[AL78]

Cyberyeti, on 2022-August-17, 12:19, said:

Can 3N look very silly, of course it can (xxx, Axx, AKQJ, AKx for example) but unless you're confident in your methods and your ability to stop in 4N if you go beyond 3N it may be best at MPs.

I'm not worried about partner holding that hand. My partners never hold such pinpoint precision perfect hands that make slam cold opposite my rubbish.

[Cyberyeti]

AL78, on 2022-August-17, 14:51, said:

I'm not worried about partner holding that hand. My partners never hold such pinpoint precision perfect hands that make slam cold opposite my rubbish.

Well that one was picked because 3N goes screaming off while you're making 6 and want to be in 5/6m not 3N. There are plenty of hands where 3N doesn't (or may not) make and 5m does, AKxx, Ax, AKxx, Kxx for example.

We would either just bid 3N or would have to go 3♠-3N- and then either show 5+♣, 4♦ with 4♥ or just show the clubs with 4♣.