Firstly, here's a bid I made with very little to recommend it. I'm sitting South, at unfavourable vulnerability:
| Jake | Anna | Ted | Danny |
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | 1♠ | - |
| 2♣ | - | - | ? |
The opponents have opened then passed out a 2/1 bid from a passed hand, so must have around 22 points between them, with no fit. Would you let the auction end, or would you weigh in, vulnerable, with your rubbish five card suit?
♠ KT97 ♥ K9543 ♦ Q6 ♣ KJ
I bid a foolish 2♥. Jake doubled, and so I played 2♥x. Here's the full deal and auction:
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West led the ♠J. I ended up making 1 Spade, 1 Club, and 4 Hearts for two off. I didn't realise that actually East had the long hearts which cost a trick, but then I made a trick back by endplaying Ted. A moral victory, but 2♥x-2 was -500, slightly worse than East-West making 3NT (which they did on some tables).
Two hands later, I did it again. With no one vulnerable LHO opened 3♥ (on a solid six card suit), and I weighed in with 3♠ with this miserable lot.
♠ AT984 ♥ A9 ♦ Q2 ♣ Q743
RHO had a big hand including
Next hand was another big one. In my eyes this is a 4♥ opener, at unfavourably vulnerability.
♠ - ♥ KQJ6432 ♦ J ♣ Q7432
I was doubled again. But this time I hit a very tasty dummy. The full deal and auction:
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West lead the ♣A, and I made 11 tricks. 4♥x+1 scored 990. What should West have done?
Despite that one good hand me and Anna were still slightly behind on IMPs. We should probably have been further behind, but were lucky to have been dealt most of the cards, which on Bridge Base is good news as if you make a normal game you seem to gain IMPs. It was close enough that it all came down to the last hand:
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With 6-5 shape I opened 1♦, my longer suit. West made a weak jump overcall of 2♠, and Anna had a choice. She could have bid 2NT, or waited for me to make a reopening double then passed that for penlaties. She chose to pass, but instead of a reopening double I rebid 3♥. Given that I'm bidding a new suit at the three level, opposite a partner who could have nothing, I've shown a very distributional hand. Anna realised this and put me in 5♦.
Probably we should be in 6♦, but with
