PhilKing

If one were to lead a heart honour, it would not be the queen.

He's not a famous player, but is regularly published in the Bridge World over a 40-year period and seems solid on theory.

After we overtake, if the second heart cashes, partner gets to make a pitch. If he throws a discouraging club, you can go for the trump promotion. Maybe declarer has T9xxxx xx Kxx Ax - it would help explain the non-raise. Assuming pairs, of course. It's a bit of a non-hand at imps.

Spade ace. West will often be 2065 or similar - he might double with a max with less shape to give an option. I'm cashing. Hopefully partner has the ♠K and a diamond trick, and there's still time for a heart, and if it sets up four discards for dummy's club losers, it's an outlier.

Any chance of posting the hand?

Weasling was in response to several glib comments (citations available) and I am sure he can defend himself with more of the same. But back to the point: http://www.larryco.com/BridgeArticles/ArticleDetails.aspx?articleID=554 Or: http://www.marvinfrench.com/p1/biddinghandbook/08-05.pdf

Seems like your agreements here are fine. I wouldn't introduce any obscure new bits of kit for a one-off situation where the gain will be, at best, minimal.

You mean you now do it with a good nine, I assume.

Liggins/Fawcett used to do this (and I think still do, but often changing) - step 1 basically any non-shapely min. I don't care for it myself. Seemed OP was doing same (would hardly do it over 2C and not 2D, though it's possible). There may be a fly in the ointment. We are told that the opponets are silent, but we do not know that when we respond - they may be about to get together in spades. I would feel pretty sick if I responded 2♣ and the bidding was at 4♠ by the time it got back to me.

2♦ then 4♥. Once partner shows a minimum, slam tries are pie in the sky. For every one time you find partner with AKQxx and the club ace, you will go down twice in five when partner makes a second try with a great but non-perfect minimum. Even both black aces and KQxxx is no sure thing, particularly if pard has three small diamonds. And if partner has Axx Axxxx xx AQx or similar, he is never stopping, he never has the T9 of hearts, and I have the scars to prove it.

Vampyr does not come from where I ...

There's a squeeze exactly never. Slam requires overcaller to have two trumps and the spade king. That's it. And you will presumably play him for the trump king. If West has ♦Kxx or Jxx and a stiff heart he can beat it on a trump.

It's only recommended for intermediate level and above. Perhaps 6-6 is more your thing.

I answer this way: 2. Pass quicker - I don't want to tank here. 1. Phew. On subsequent analysis, I'm expecting Jx x xxx KJTxxxx or Qxx - xx QJxxxxxx. Sorry, that's two. And I would overcall 3♥ FWIW. Strong at these colours, to stop partner hitting the nut low flop.

Ken, you just made me spit coffee all over my laptop. :unsure: :lol:

Pass-1x-P-P-1NT shows 10-11 bal where I come from.

Most unusual - dummy has 19 points, 14 cards and a big spade fit, yet passed throughout. And we have 14 cards too!

Two? Oh ... :(

♠765432 ♥J32 ♦AQ ♣KQ?

Bidding 4♣ tells pard that any length and strength in clubs is good for offence. Doing it on QJxxx and not KQxxx is crackers. If our hand were AJxxxx xx xx AJx, we make 11 tricks in spades if North has a stiff club, and we probably don't get there without the 4♣ bid. Our actual hand is junk and just should not get involved.

Give partner the club queen in adition to the cards he held and it's difficult to criticise his bidding too strongly (for anyone who hasn't looked up his hand it was ♠K653 ♥- ♦9763 ♣K8732). But the club queen makes no difference if South has the wit to lead a club (and it's an easier lead from xxxx than Qxxx). It's all very well that double shows a marginal club fit, but we need to be able to draw trumps to stop ruffs when partner bids. Since North is likely to have the ♠A for his slam try, doubling 5♣ just asks for trouble, and there would be no one left to blame. :(

5♠ is brutalised when North has a void club, which he will a fair amount of the time. And it's 800 when partner does not have a heart void, assuming a club lead (South's actual choice of lead was weak. ♦A was clear if he doesn't fancy a club. Maybe he was watching X Factor or something). And it's not as if -500 the holy grail, and by showing a double fit when the opponents are looking for slam, we invite a later sacrifice. With kx in their suit and fairly dull distribution, this is not a hand I want to go to war with.

I'm guessing partner is from the "school of bonkers sacrifices". And I can't stop him without a crazy double. We really shouldn't have doubled 5♣.

Having two bids to show hearts is overkill. Putting both types through 2♣ is more than adequate with the extra two steps.

3 and 4 card raises come up a lot. I agree you could put them all through one bid and sort it all out, but that's not why I like them. Over the 4-card raise, you can just punt game with any non-min, giving away zero information. Exploration is mostly reserved for slam purposes. Over the 3-card raise you can and will often want to explore for 3NT, and can play different methods that allow that.