broze

Do I? I don't think so. I did misremember the ♥ suit as KJxx opposite Qx when replying though which meant my reply didn't make sense - edited answer accordingly.

1S-4NT-5D-6D is to play? Sorry being dense. I guess 1S-4NT-5C-6D would be to play.

Well, I'm certainly not saying that I think double is best or even that I would do it at the table, just that I think it's a reasonable call. I would actually overcall 2♣ but only because of the destructive effect (1♦)-2♣ can have on the opponents' bidding - it often makes finding the best Major suit fit difficult.

West's second double is purely penalties. After the strength-showing redouble any double by either player should be for penalties. Personally I would not have made a rdbl on the West hand. You only have 9 points, a fit for partner and an easy 1♥ bid. On this auction it seems to you (West) that p is pulling your penalty double with extra shape. Given this fact and your big double fit, and your void together with what is very likely a 9 card ♥ fit, I think you can just bid game despite what I expect you thought were wasted ♠ values in your hand. I actually don't mind South's dbl :P (though I would obv never ever bid 2♠ with his hand lol).

But you can't be woken up to an agreement surely. So you can't go back to what your partnership defines (1NT) - 2♣ - (p) - 2♦ as. Don't you have to just keep treating the sequence as natural until it becomes impossible?

I'm confused on this. I would never have passed 2♦ without the "Alert" so why should I now? That would be taking use of the UI wouldn't it?

I would have opened 2♠ to begin with (not your style - ok). I would have bid 2♠ over 1♥. I don't understand dbl with 3 points ad it wouldn't occur to me. Having psyched a dbl I bid 4♠ now and hopefully the opponents will be as confused as my partner in the play. :) (In fact given the bidding up to this point pass probably has a lot going for it as if I bid 4♠ the opps know I have a distributional black 2-suiter.)

Matchpoints, R/W [hv=pc=n&s=s54hj7dj87643c965&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=1s1nppdp]133|200[/hv] How much does your decision depend on the form of scoring/vulnerability? If you choose to leave the dbl in, what do you lead?

I'm ignoring ruffs for the moment to explain this (although that is clearly the issue on this hand). I am talking about T9 on your left, Kx on your right. Running the J picks up stiff T/9 on your left as you said above. But only if when you run the Jack and you see the T/9 on your left you cross to dummy and finesse the other T/9, right? Ergo you will lose a trick to the stiff T9 on your left if you play that line. If you play a low x to the Q and see the T/9 on your left you can no longer pick up the T-K9x and 9-KTx holdings and so you should play for T9-Kx. Therefore low to the Q wins against T9-Kx and T9x-K (2 cases) but loses to T-K9x and 9-KTx (2 cases).

I was just thinking only of stiff King onside. Though I concede your line is better picking up stiff T/9 on your left. Though all the 2-2s are not break even as you will lose to T9-Kx. And 2 dummy entries seems to be plenty to me.

Why run the Jack when you can play low to the Q and pick up stiff K on your right?

What is the alternative to dbl!?

West needs the absolute perfecto for slam and a short-suit game try gives away a lot of information. I much prefer 4♠ to 3♦ with the West cards. Apart from that this seems like a real nothing hand.

Woops. I've mis-seen the North hand. I actually get to 4H I expect: 1S-1NT-2H-4H.

West owes a 2NT bid imo.

Well, I would 100% open the South hand and have a Jacoby auction to 4♠ forcing NT auction to 4H and (probably) go off. Perhaps it's not Jec's style but hands like these prove it's a mistake imo. I guess they were playing constructive raises in the other room but 2♠ is still a gross underbid! I would also lead a ♣ against all S games and partials (even with the 1♣ bid) and consider it clear. As a rule I am quite a fan of leading small doubletons even when not looking for a ruff but it looks much more likely to blow a trick here.

Is there anything specific you are looking for comment on on these boards or are you just posting all of them? I would have opened 3H with the West hand. Would like better spots but that's my style. Any reason your pard did not open 2? The rest of the auction seems normal, though West might raise ♣.

This is just plain wrong and has been discussed countless times on these fora. In fact in my partnership responder *never* responds 1S to 1H with a GF hand with exactly 4 spades - we always make a 2/1 - and I would go so far to say that this is now 'expert standard' whatever that means.

I wouldn't go so far to say that makes the problem "academic"... Give East a small spade and West a small heart and pass as West is pretty reasonable (imo). I don't know if you'd call a standard club session a 'sensible' field but I'm sure I could find you a bus-load of passers there.

I have to admit I was under the impression that if declarer leads from the wrong hand and it is drawn attention to then he must correct it. Indeed I have been informed countless times by players much more experienced than me that declarer "can show the defence whatever cards he wants during the play" and that a lead from his own hand instead of from dummy just constitutes a card 'shown' to the defence and not a card led....

[hv=pc=n&s=sj65hkd8654caqt87&w=skq872ha83daq32c2&n=s3hqj752dj9cj6543&e=sat94ht964dkt7ck9&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=1sp2n3c3d5cdp5sppp]399|300[/hv] Thanks for the analysis. I ruffed the ♣ continuation and played the ♥A immediately hoping to catch RHO not knowing enough about the hand and sleeping with Kx or a legitimate line where he had KQ, KJ or QJ and I could strip diamonds. You need to guess the single king on the actual hand but as Wank said best is to retain the K♣ in dummy - a play which did not occur to me for a second.

Just a bump to give a few more people a chance to have a look at the play problem before I post the full hand - imho this is a really interesting one.

Pass is mildly encouraging to bid game. 3S is the weakest bid. 4C is a cue bid in support of spades, but not necessarily a splinter for us - could be the ace. Not sure if this set of agreements are best. 3D as I said is natural - game forcing.

+1 Ben. Agree with all of this. However, at the time I felt that we weren't getting rich off 5♣x and that I hadn't advertised my singleton club, so I went against that common maxim and bid on. Dummy is pretty disappointing but probably to be expected; N leads the 4♣. [hv=pc=n&w=skq872ha83daq32c2&e=sat94ht964dkt7ck9]266|100[/hv] Plan the play in 5♠.