[stelst]

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IMP's. What is 2NT? Which is your call?

[shyams]

IMO 2NT would show minors with longer club suit (maybe 4♦+6♣?).

With this hand, I would dbl for takeout.

[WesleyC]

Clear pass for me. Partner has a doubleton (or singleton) spade and couldn't act over 1S at favourable so this isn't our hand.

2NT would be minor oriented takeout (Approximately 5.5♣ & 4.5♦).

[Fluffy]

If partner cannot act with 2353 7-8 count in your system I think we rather double. If partner can double showing take out rather than hearts pass is fine.

[Free]

If you didn't open 2NT, why bid 2NT natural now? So it must be artificial imo.

Dbl doesn't seem very useful either, so I'd just pass.

[Fluffy]

There is a similar position where 2NT is actually 19 balanced:

1x-2y-p-p
2NT

[helene_t]

 WesleyC, on 2015-October-19, 10:47, said:

Clear pass for me. Partner has a doubleton (or singleton) spade and couldn't act over 1S at favourable so this isn't our hand.

2NT would be minor oriented takeout (Approximately 5.5♣ & 4.5♦).

He could have a 2353 8-count if it is against our style to double with three hearts, and we don't play NFB. But maybe he is allowed to come back with 2nt (or something else? 3♣?) in the next round , then.

[nekthen]

As partner did not double one spade, we pass. Now p can re open with a double with the 2353 8 count and we can bid 3D. Trouble is he may be 2344 how do we know? I know he is 2344 because my p would bid 2D with the 2353 hand. So much easier playing a system where I am known to have 4 clubs

[shyams]

 Fluffy, on 2015-October-19, 14:33, said:

If partner cannot act with 2353 7-8 count in your system I think we rather double. If partner can double showing take out rather than hearts pass is fine.

This is why I chose dbl. In my partnerships, a negative dbl would typically show a 4-card heart (sometimes 5-card with few HCP).

[WesleyC]

Although this hand might have 19 HCP, with 3334 shape and Kxx of spades under the 1S overcaller, it feels like it's going to play a lot worse than that. Even if our side does have 25 HCP, 3NT might not make. And even if 3NT is a good contract, are we really going to be able to get there if we double 2S?

At the end of the day it does come down to a style preference. If you think it's important to double with all 18-19 Balanced hands in this sequence, then double is a fine choice. But especially at these colours, I would rather that double promised a shapely hand. If I double and the auction continues (4S) ??? I want partner to be able to sacrifice aggressively if they have a weak, shapely hand.

[Caitlynne]

I pass! Partner MIGHT have 2 or 3 HCP on a very good day. There is no game and the prospects for going plus on defense look decent while the potential of suffering a large penalty seem substantial.

[zillahandp]

If p cannot bid over 1s even x then silly,

[PhilKing]

Pass.

[gszes]

dbl

Hard to imagine leaving opps in 2s here when it looks good for them and since opps have around half the deck at most we do not
have much to fear from letting p bid at the 3 level and the opps might easily bite and bid 3s (a place much happier for us if we
have to defend).

Bidding is about risk vs reward--there is not much reward available (game being VERY unlikely) but we might still manage 1-6 imps
depending on how the auction proceeds.

echo that 2n would show the minors and some extra values since it is a REALLY TINY target where we want to play 2nt when the opps
have bid and raised a suit.

[dave_beer]

I think that 2NT should show a tricks-based hand such as Kx-Ax-Jxx-AKQxxx or maybe a bit better, but not good enough to bid 3NT. Partner show either raise to 3NT or retreat to 3♣.

[aguahombre]

 Fluffy, on 2015-October-20, 01:40, said:

There is a similar position where 2NT is actually 19 balanced:

1x-2y-p-p
2NT

The problem for many players is that they think the positions are similar. When the opponents have bid and raised a suit, there are varied artificial uses for 2NT and which one applies depends on whether we are the opening bidder, whether partner has been silent, whether partner is the overcaller and this is our first opportunity, etc. Fluffy's example is not an OBAR auction.

[KurtGodel]

 WesleyC, on 2015-October-19, 10:47, said:

Clear pass for me. Partner has a doubleton (or singleton) spade and couldn't act over 1S at favourable so this isn't our hand.

2NT would be minor oriented takeout (Approximately 5.5♣ & 4.5♦).

It doesn't really make sense for the number of diamonds you have to be only one less than the number of clubs, since you will always have at least one more club than diamonds.

We can't really pass out just because partner couldn't make a negative double, partner could have quite a lot of minor suit values and be unable to bid. xx xxx QJxxx KJx is hardly a monster, but I'd like to be in 3NT opposite that. Even if it's not our hand we should still be competing.