PhilKing

It is more likely that West "cheated" than East. The trouble is, can we punish him for taking advantage of a crafty club signal that may have nothing of the kind except in that East had good clubs?

I used to play one way Drury. We played 2♦ as 9-11, but the suit had to be good - not KQxxx. Then opener could pass with a 4513 min or whatever. The "good suit" rule meant we could pot 3NT with a decent 14, and bid 2NT with a good 13 or bad 14 asking for a max. The bid was well enough defined not to need 2NT as a force, or 3 ♦ - 6♦ is just not in the picture after forgetting to open. 2♥ was forcing with 6 though! That you certainly need, imo.

Sometimes partners 2-card heart holding includes the king or ace, so you don't need the diamond ace, or any minor-suit ace for that matter, for the diamond switch to work. Anyway, I cash another spade in case partner has a singleton! Then, if partner follows, I switch to a diamond. I'd like to know something about South, though. It feels like he probably has a 3 Heart rebid. Maybe he's worried that 3 Hearts is just inv in competition ...

Yep, just double and remove spade jumps to NT or diamonds, depending on level. I hesitate to use the word "flexible" ... I'll go with "willowy".

My basic plan is to bid 3♠ and then 6♣, but it is somewhat dependent on what partner does next. On a really good day, we make this missing the AK of spades, and with good cards partner can plausibly sniff out a raise. Plus I give partner the option to pull with good spades and 0 or 1 club. The thought of committing to spades makes me ill.

Double promising both majors went out of fashion in the early 70s. The weaker responder is, the more shape suitable it is advisable to be, but it's a sliding scale - not a straight-jacket. I would open 1♦ even without the ♥K.

If partner's mind is closed to the arguments for 1♦, and quotes bogus sources as gospel, it doesn't really sound as if he is a discussion sort of guy.

Good point, which I am sure my partner will spot. :) That's a big hand though, but Axx Axxxx Kx Axx is quite likely from partner's perspective. Basically whenever declarer has Axxxx he will play on spades.

I would not respond 1♠, and would probably end in 3NT from the wrong side. But diamonds aren't always 53 and sometimes they lead a spade.

1D-1H-1S-1NT-2C natural and 1C-1H-1S-1nt-2d natural are undoubtedly infrequent, but I would not agree they are insignificant. The gain from this treatment when it does occur is big.

We probably belong in 2NT opposite the hand you give, but even that could be too high. 3♣ should produce a nice safe little plus score! Seriously though, I'm getting a bit worried that partner is 45+ in the majors since it fits in pretty well with the (lack of) auction to date, so jumping to 4♣ and doubling next round to involve partner looks pretty rational. 4♣ definitely isn't forcing, but if it goes all pass, although we could have missed game, it's not a given. I would pass a correction to 4♦, since partner's expected number of minor suit cards goes down even further when West does not bid 4♥/4♠ - I'm now expecting a hand a bit like the one you give (4621), only somewhat weaker. Just assuming 5m will be on and trying to get doubled may well backfire pretty badly. After all, isn't this the section basically devoted to misfit hands?

It's pretty hard to construct a hand consistent with the bidding so far. LHO makes a simple overcall. RHO makes a minimum raise. What the heck is going on? I vote to go slowly with 3♣. I am happy to let them find their double fit because I think that will lure them to destruction. I don't want to jump to 5♣ and it to go all pass. If partner continues to show no sign of life I plan to bid 5♣ in due course and then start doubling. If I catch a raise, I will still just bid 5♣ in an attempt to catch a bite. Yum, yum.

If we play a spade through, West wins and switches to the diamond king. If declarer clears diamonds, partner then plays his trump (or any red card). Declarer has to lose a black trick of some sort in the wash.

Scrub post. Answering a different diagram.

I would rebid 2c non-descriptive, just like everyone else, since I play 1S as no major rather than diamonds as in MickyB TriBal deluxe. 1NT would show a weak NT for me. But 45mm weak is almost impossible given the opponents failure to overcall unless partner has enough to bid again. 4M5c is much more likely. After 1c-1d, 1NT would show 45 in the minors and 11-14 though. :)

My initial reaction was to open 4♣, which shows a pretty good hand at these colours - partner will usually raise when we can make game. The way I see it, I am never going to be happy if I pass until I have done quite a lot of susequent bidding, so I will do it now and hope to give someone else (hopefully the opposition) the problem. I ran a simulation on playbridge.com, and 5♣ is reasonable at other colours, but produced far too many bad results. Over 4♣, when we ran in to a nighmare scenario, they were sometimes dealt a 4M overcall on hands that would double if we opened five. And overcalling 4M sometimes got them in to trouble. Having said that, pass came out as the best option (as long as you don't play Drury and fit jumps), although that may be tainted by me crediting them with consistently rational decisions over the preemptive openings. The problem with 4♣ wasn't that it could be right to play in diamonds (it virtually never was), it's just that the deals were very freaky, and by going slow we could judge thing pretty well.

Only if we are the weakest pair in the field. So call that a "maybe". :(

Playing strict raises (4 trumps or unbalanced). After 1♦-1♥-2♥-2♠: 2nt = spades - ie 4351 3c = nat - ie 1354 3d = nat 36 3h = nat min 4 trumps 3s/4c = splinter, v min opening 3NT = max weak nt 4 trumps (obviously NA if 1d denies a weakie) 4d = 2452 decent 4h = I have forgotten the resonses. Why did you make me play this system? Bids mean what they say other than 2NT which shows a bid in the relay suit (a common theme). Similarly, bidding 2NT raither than 2 Spades shows 44M non forcing. Oh, and play the relay as game forcing. It's much better for subsequent bidding. All other bids including 3h (GT with 5) are just invitational.

I can think of no rationale for partner winning with the ♥K from KQ, since by winning with the queen he makes the defence easier.

I believe one person spotted this wrinkle. It prevents us from going down the wrong path when East throws a club on (say) the fourth spade simulating a 1525, whe he is 1624.

If West is 2272 East is just squeezed without the count. If West is 1372 or 2371 then on the run of the spades East has to unguard the hearts in order to maintain the link between the hands and stop me just setting up clubs. Then West is squeezed in the reds. If East has two hearts honours there is a further guard squeeze element, but I don't think that is necesssary here. The main fly in the ointment is that we may have to guess the ending if East discards cannily. I will cash one round of clubs before running spades to reduce his opportunities for deception.

In my partnership, 3♠ promises a suit playable for one loser opposite a void and extras. Over that: 4♠ = go away 4♣/♥ = cue in decent hand 4♦ = natural - not a cue bid 3NT = Rodwell (min but not unsuitable) So here I would bid Four Spades and reach for my scorecard.

The heart finesse only really caters for Kx with East. It's the way to make the contract with ease when West has a mouldy 5341 hand, but rejecting the finesse is not irrational. In fact, declarer should consider a low heart at trick two, which would give West a real problem. If partner has KQx of hearts, declarer does not have much of a 4♥ bid. Also, if partner does win the ♥Q we are playing a spade for sure. It's a shame we are not playing reverse suit preference though - then partner can switch to the ♦Q to request a ruff. But the thing that really worries me about this hand is that partner is defending like a man who wants a ruff. After all how did he know we don't have the heart queen?

The sixth spade makes it a slam dunk.

The spade switch beats it as long as partner has at least KJ, and similarly AJ. Will partner cash the ace with specifically Axxxx? It's tough. After all, we have told him not to play a spade by following 9T in hearts. But who knows? Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.