[ali quarg]

Playing 2/1 MPs I was wondering what the best strategy is?

---

Corrected

Spoiler

---

[helene_t]

This is close. If I pass, I will bid 4♠ after partner's reopening double. I am inclined to bid 4♠ straight away, though.

Edit: You show a hand with a diamond void, but the diagram in the spoiler has a heart void.

[LBengtsson]

The word "strategy" sort of gives the game away imo And then I looked at the spoiler.

I agree with helene_t that it is borderline between a pass and throwing caution overboard and bidding 4♠. No strategy involved. Either you bid and give partner the impression you have a stronger hand than shown, or you pass. I am for bidding 4♠ as a good partner will know that you might be a bit light and have been forced to bid here. It is unlikely that South will have the cards to X you, or feel his cards are badly placed under a 4♠ declarer, especially as his partner has little to help with his 4♥ pre-empt.

[mw64ahw]

7 losers, support ,A♣ and void in ops. suit makes me want to bid 4♠

[helene_t]

With a void in opp's suit I think 4♠ is fairly clear. Partner may be hoping for a better hand, especially better trumps, but my hand is not that bad.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

you cannot pass.

So your options are either 4S or X.
At MP you need to do the right thing, the right thing being, whatever gets you a
plus score.

I would go with 4S.
At IMPs I would go for 4S.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[ali quarg]

Next question and perhaps a harder decision?
8 playing tricks white vs red and you get a 5♥ bid

---

[DavidKok]

A forcing pass seems appropriate. If you do not have that available I would double - I hate bidding 5 over 5 on (semi-)balanced hands, and those two heart losers look terrifying. Plus, those side aces and kings look fine on defence.

[pescetom]

DavidKok, on 2022-November-17, 07:14, said:

A forcing pass seems appropriate. If you do not have that available I would double - I hate bidding 5 over 5 on (semi-)balanced hands, and those two heart losers look terrifying. Plus, those side aces and kings look fine on defence.

On what basis would forcing pass apply here?
A 1♠ opener does not promise much and I would expect partner to bid 4♠ over 4♥ on a wide range of hands.

[mikeh]

I understand why we can see both hands, but it makes giving an objective answer virtually impossible.

As for whether we have a FP available over 5H, that’s a matter of agreement. It’s not universal but it’s fairly common to play that when we’ve bid a vulnerable game, and the nv opps bid one more, we’re in a FP situation.

It’s important to accept that, regardless of your specific agreements, once in a while we end up doubling a cold contract…not here,obviously.

Of course, the 4S bid didn’t come with an assurance that we were making, but equally it’s rare that one would bid 4S as a red v white save, so I think it reasonable to agree that this is a FP situation, west has an easy pass in that case, and I think east should bid 5S. Can we reach slam? I don’t think so. East’s 5S shows a stiff or void heart but I think west has to be feeling very optimistic to bid again. Once more, seeing the hands makes it impossible to know (although that seems not to matter to some)

[Douglas43]

I'd settle for 5♠. Partner could be stretching, but a heart shortage is odds-on. So probably a heart loser and one other somewhere most of the time.