Quartic

I think I lead a ♣. (Would be nice to know what discards you play.) A ♦ is clearly futile, and a ♠ only gains us one more trick. I'm playing partner for the ♣Q and ♠A.

Edit: Whoops - nevermind!

I really don't see a problem with bidding 1NT here - this must promise 4 clubs I play 4 card majors, so my partner's 1♦ is always 4+. As I'm happy to raise (to 2♦) with only 3 card support, 1NT would show 5 clubs for me here, but that's more a matter of style.

I don't think 2♥ shows quite as good a hand as I have - I'd like a 2.5♥ bid, but unfortunately my bidding box doesn't have one! :P

It looks to me like North gave the correct explanation of the partnership's understanding, and that South's 5♦ was a misbid. Therefore the result should stand. Edit: Got the meaning of 5♦ the wrong way round in my mind. I think since there was MI, there should be an adjusted score.

I was North, and posted this hand mostly as a sanity check. My thoughts after the hand were that partner should have realised that he has no wastage in his hand. I didn't blast 4♥ myself precisely because I was worried about partner having wastage in clubs and diamonds. Perhaps 3♥ would have been a better bid than double, but I wanted to show my 4 spades, and discourage partner if the hand is a bad misfit. I agree with Phil's comments (and the other similar comments), and also can't think of a better rebid for partner than the rather unpleasant 3♣.

This is a 4♦ splinter WTP for me too.

[hv=pc=n&s=sk87hk9dt43cat974&w=s32hq5dakq72cq532&n=saj94haj87632d8cj&e=sqt65ht4dj965ck86&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1hp2c2ddp3cp3hppp]399|300[/hv] We were playing acol (4 card majors, weak NT) in a Teams competition. This was one of the few games we missed, where could we have done better?

I play a 4 card major system with a weak NT (acol), and when competing I always assume partner has 5 of an opening suit (particularly a major). The only time he will only have 4 is if he has a strong balanced hand (or maybe 4441). If I have 4 card support in a contested auction, I will often make a pre-emptive jump to the 3 level. (Cueing their suit to show a sound raise.) Therefore my 2 level competitive raise will often have only 3 card support.

I was East - I think my biggest problem on this hand was I allowed myself to be too discouraged by partner's 1♠ response, so I didn't realise I was worth a GF at this point. I also thought I wanted to keep the bidding low, so chose 2♣, but then I had a lot of trouble catching up again after 3NT.

Playing in an IMP Pairs game, with a partner I hadn't played with for over a year, we had this auction to 4♥, missing a solid slam, with play for 7: [hv=pc=n&w=sjt96hk9daq76ck84&e=shaqjt632dk8caj96&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=1hp1sp2cp3np4hppp]266|200[/hv] Making 7 when the ♣Q appeared onside. Where could we have done better?

Dropping a doubleton QJ♣ should be enough. Btw, it appears you misremembered the hand in your first post - you gave West the K♣. I don't remember our auction, but we only got to 5♠. It was something like: [hv=d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1d1h2d2s3dpp4np5cp5sppp]133|100[/hv] But I could easily have missed a bid or added one that wasn't there.

I've never had a problem playing it - we already have information about both hands, and we use a 2♣ bid to ask for more information about opener's shape and strength. The only thing we lose is the ability to play 2♣, which isn't often that useful anyway.

Actually we play a wide ranging 1NT rebid (15-18), so for us 2NT is always game forcing (could be semi-balanced). It would usually deny 4 spades though, so I wouldn't choose it at the table. We don't have a way to show a 4 card major if we open a 4 card minor and rebid 1NT or 2NT, so we always open the major, though I can see the attraction of opening the minor on hands like these.

I think I would take 3♠ as a NT probe over 3♥, but its not a situation we've discussed at all. I'd be happy to give kickback a go, but my partner isn't as into system as I am, so I'm trying to avoid potential for misunderstanding.

The problem here is when there are two normal, but significantly different results on the board, say +620 and +170.

Playing in a teams match, I pick up a nice weak no trump, and partner bids stayman. Rho now overcalls 2♠, what should my calls mean now? Stayman didn't promise a 4 card major, since we play 2NT as a transfer to ♦. [hv=pc=n&s=sa842ha754dj5ckqt&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1n(12-14)p2c(Stayman)2s]133|200[/hv] (Spots approximate) At the table I chose 3♥, and we stopped in 5♥ making 12 tricks (partner should have bid 6, but he chickened out): [hv=pc=n&n=shkq82dak842ca962&s=sa842ha754dj5ckqt&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1n(12-14)p2c(Stayman)2s3hp4n(RKCB)p5hppp]266|200[/hv] We don't play exclusion blackwood, though I think I would have recognised 4♠ as such at the table.

Fair point - missed that he must have AKQ♠! (Was re-constructing the hand from memory.) Not sure why you think he has the ♥K though...

We play it as pre-emptive, though checking my card just now I've noticed we don't have a way to show a game forcing raise (except splinters). I'll have to discuss that again with my partner.

At teams this one is very easy - play to make. At matchpoints I'm not so sure - Rho might have the ♣Q and be offering a chance to make in order to take us 2 down. I was wondering if we should always play to make, or whether there's any situation where its better to settle for 1 down.

[hv=pc=n&s=s95hajt732dt2cj42&w=sj763hkqdak95caq5&n=st2h54dq643ckt963&e=sakq84h986dj87c87&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1sp4sp4n(RKCB)p5s(2 Keycards and Q!s)p6sppp]399|300[/hv] We were playing Acol (4 card majors, weak NT) in a teams match. Could we have avoided 6♠, and should we want to?

In an inter-club teams match you pick up an extremely distributional hand vulnerable in first seat: [hv=pc=n&e=skqj953h9dcqj8762&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=1sd2hp2sp4s5d?]133|200[/hv] The auction proceeds as shown, how do you continue? Would you have bid any differently earlier?

You're playing in a matchpoints event and you pick up a nice hand in second seat (spots approximate): [hv=pc=n&s=s965hjdakqt982ck4&n=s83hq76dj654caj62&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=3s4d4h5dppp]266|200[/hv] West leads a ♠, and East wins the Ace. East continues with the K, West discarding an encouraging heart. East now continues with a third spade, which you ruff in dummy. How do you continue?

I wouldn't lead a heart on this auction, Ace or otherwise. I'd lead a small diamond. Underleading an Ace against a suit contract works best when partner has the Q and declarer misguesses with the K in dummy.

Those who chose to keycard (by whatever method) will be rewarded on this hand when they find partner with 2 keycards and the ♣Q. The full hand was: [hv=pc=n&s=sa74hak98643dkca3&w=skj95hj52dt865cj4&n=sthtdaj92ckqt9762&e=sq8632hq7dq743c85&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=4cp6cppp]399|300[/hv] At the table I only bid 6♣, the possibility of partner having the ♦A not crossing my mind. My partner made an overtrick for an almost top, one pair finding 6NT. 7♣ would have been a complete top. I don't personally mind partner's 4♣ bid, despite being a bit top-heavy. It looks very likely indeed that the opponents have a major-suit fit, so it feels right to put maximum pressure on.