[mr1303]

Just lost the Hubert Phillips Bowl tonight, and there were three boards that lost it for us. I've posted two of them so far already in another thread. This is the 3rd

Scoring: Total Points

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Bidding goes Pass Pass 2NT Pass

At this point partner has a think and decides to alert the 2NT opening, as a bad pre-empt in either minor. This is your agreement in 1st and 2nd seat, but in 3rd or 4th seat it shows 19-20 balanced.

Anyway, dear partner bids 3♣. This you would play as Stayman.

At the end of it all, after I'd written +130 down on the score card my RHO and opposition captain asked me why I didn't bid 3NT instead.

Sigh!

[kfgauss]

Another reason to play puppet stayman!

Andy

[1eyedjack]

RHO/captain is right so to enquire. Your partner's alert/explanation is UI upon which you acted when you passed. Had 3C been the best spot you would have been destined to lose the ruling, so you have to hope that 3N makes and bid it (or whatever other response to the SYSTEMIC 3C bid is required in your system)

[kfgauss]

1eyedjack, on Jun 23 2006, 05:37 AM, said:

RHO/captain is right so to enquire. Your partner's alert/explanation is UI upon which you acted when you passed. Had 3C been the best spot you would have been destined to lose the ruling, so you have to hope that 3N makes and bid it (or whatever other response to the SYSTEMIC 3C bid is required in your system)

Presumably mr1303 responded 3D (the correct response to stayman with this hand) and played there, partner still believing a diamond preempt opposite, instead of bidding & making 3NT. The point appears to be that the captain of the other team didn't "get" UI and was surprised that this hand wouldn't bid 3NT once it found out about a misunderstanding.

Andy

[1eyedjack]

You are right, of course, Andy, my apologies to mr1303

[helene_t]

The correct thing to say is, of course, that you had to bid 3♦ since otherwise you would be taking advantage of the UI.

But some opps would find such a remark insulting, so maybe it's better to say
"Oh, didn't think about that, thanks for the hint".

[FrancesHinden]

Sometimes virtue has to be its own reward, sadly.

If it's any consolation, you were playing an illegal convention in 1st and 2nd: you can't play 2NT as a pre-empt in an unspecified minor in the HP, which is level 3.

[blackshoe]

why the heck would somebody think that an opponent saying the he was trying to be ethical is insulting to the somebody? What the player attempting to be ethical was doing has nothing to do with his oppenent. It's like saying "I'm insulted that you chose to play East-West instead of North-South".

[barmar]

blackshoe, on Jun 24 2006, 11:16 PM, said:

why the heck would somebody think that an opponent saying the he was trying to be ethical is insulting to the somebody? What the player attempting to be ethical was doing has nothing to do with his oppenent. It's like saying "I'm insulted that you chose to play East-West instead of North-South".

I don't think he meant that the attempt at ethics is insulting, it's the fact that you have to explain what's ethical to the opponent. Some people don't appreciate lessons like this.

On the other hand, the opponent opened the door when he asked the question in the first place.