[bid_em_up]

Neither vul. RHO Dealer. Playing with an aspiring intermeditate player, the following auction occurs:

(1♥)-3♣-p-p
(X)-p-p-xx-
p-?

You hold:

xxx x Qx AJ107xxx

Is the redouble SOS or not?

[jtfanclub]

bid_em_up, on May 16 2007, 11:11 AM, said:

Neither vul. RHO Dealer. Playing with an aspiring intermeditate player, the following auction occurs:

(1♥)-3♣-p-p
(X)-p-p-xx-
p-?

You hold:

xxx x Qx AJ107xxx

Is the redouble SOS or not?

My rule is if X is game, XX is SOS (don't get greedy).

So I would take this as SOS, 5-5 in the pointy suits.

[SoTired]

XX should be SOS because penalty XX in this auction does not make sense. Penalty XX is almost always a bad money bid.

That is: If 3CX makes, you get lots of points. The XX adds only a little more for making, but has 2 serious drawbacks: 1) It gives opps a chance to run, and 2) If XX'er is wrong, because suits break crazy and contract goes down, the XX costs more than it gains.

So for those 2 reasons, the penalty XX is usually not a smart bid, so using it for SOS makes sense.

In this case, a sane advancer should only SOS if holding a 5-5 or better in the 2 unbid suits along with a void in clubs. Therefore, bid 3S.

If advancer actually had a good hand with clubs, then it was a very poor bid, because the opps messed up and the XX gave opps a chance to reconsider and save themselves.

[Apollo81]

I would expect a significant majority of expert level players to treat this as SOS.

[pclayton]

I play as SOS xx after many bids, including opening one bids and overcalls. I've never heard of it after a jump overcall but I suppose responder could be 6-6 in the unbid suits.

[neilkaz]

This sure looks like an SOS XX to me and I expect PD to by 55 or more in the pointed suits so I believe him and bid 3♠.

3Cx would be a very fine score anyhow, noting that PD didn't advance your 3♣ WJO and there seems little reason to allow the opps to get another chance to bid 3♥ if the XX chases you to ♦.

A business XX on a sequence like this where 3♣x making is a wonderful score makes very little bridge sence to me.

Holding only 1♥ I expect PD to be 5350 distribution and the opps couldn't find a 3♥ bid with perhaps opener having a weak 6 carder.

.. neilkaz ..

[Apollo81]

pclayton, on May 16 2007, 12:47 PM, said:

I play as SOS xx after many bids, including opening one bids and overcalls. I've never heard of it after a jump overcall but I suppose responder could be 6-6 in the unbid suits.

♠ xxx
♥ AKJ10x
♦ KQ98x
♣ ---

♠ xx
♥ xx
♦ xx
♣ K10xxxxx

This hand occurred recently. None vulnerable, South made a (terrible) jump overcall to 3♣ over my 1♠ opening, and North failed to run to 3♥ or redouble for rescue. (which in this case would have saved them)

[P_Marlowe]

No.

Partnership agreement, ... I hate SOS,
but if you make a 3C jump overcall on
this garbage at eq. vul., I presume you
will need SOS XX, good luck.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: If the partner of the 3C bidder, believes,
that there is a fair chance of making, and 3C is
at most -1, XX is an valid option, you dont loose
much, but you see what they are made off.