PhilKing

1♠-5♣-6♣.

Looks like a pass. Partner has long spades but not enough for 2♠. I have a pretty suitable hand, but 11 tricks will often be the limit. Personally I think there is no such bidding - partner should be able to bid 2♠ more freely in competition to avoid ludicrous situations such as this. However, that is by the by.

Looks like a pass. Partner has long spades but not enough for 2♠. Personally I think there is no such hand - partner should be able to bid 2♠ more freely in competition. That, however, is by the by.

1♥-3♦-6♦.

Yes, of course. Because you know what we see and probably what we think.

I would bid 3NT over 3♣.

No. He's been living off that reputation for 20 years, and it will be another 20 years before anyone alters their perception.

Yes, yes and yes. 3♠ promised shape though.

He's followed your stated line of leading a club up, ruffing the heart and cashing the top diamonds, getting the good news. Now the ♠Q ... That looks like ten tricks to me. It's not my line, but you have basically told us how the cards lie.

We can't have less that a game force. How bad can our hand be? We effectively have an aceless ten count. Name a hand where partner passes 5♣ yet slam is good. And OP never said partner showed 15+ - just some extras. But it's a red herring since we have nothing. Oh, lol just clicked the mouse on the diagram - rookie error. 15+ FTW. I still think a competent parter is capable of noticing that AAAK should bid a slam.

Did you attach any significance to 3♠? I know you have personally, but for the sim.

I'd keep the money.

Added a jack to my examples. Decent 4513 will push a bit, I would think. Anyway, it's almost inconceivable that we can miss a good slam after jumping to 5♣ unless partner has an aberration. Partner showing, presumably, good spades (although some will not agree with my interpretation) is bad news for slam.

The chances of partner removing 4♥ to 5♣ with an average hand is zero. We gave partner a chance to bid 4♥ on the previous round - he didn't take it. 4♥ now is more indicative of two honours eg ♠Qxx ♥KQ ♦Kxx ♣KTxxx. As far as partner knows, we could bid 4♥ one with ♠Qxx ♥KQ ♦JTxx ♣KQxx. Give partner a normal minimum without great hearts and 5♣ is as good as anything. AKJx AJxxx x Jxx, for instance or AKxx QTxxx x AJx. Add an extra key card and partner can raise to six - he knows we have decent clubs, one wasted card in diamonds (the combination of our 2NT bid and failure to bid 4♦ or 3NT) and a minimum hand, so he should know what to do. 4♣ may get us overboard. If partner has ♠AJTx ♥AJxxx ♦x ♣Axx there is no way he is stopping if we show any signs of life, and slam is very poor.

If a bridge author said it, it must be true. B-)

I would just jump to 5♣.

Just a small language point for anyone who needs to compartmentalise the technique: this is more commonly known as a striptease, although it is arguably a type of strip squeeze.

I suspect OP would rather play nothing at all rather than TWO forms of RKCB. Next we'll be sending him a copy of Ken's latest book. The man wants to play something simple - I suggest we let him.

Reasons for bidding 6♦: 1. It's probably cold. Partner can hardly have much less than ♠KJTxx ♥A ♦AKTxxx ♣x. Other possible hands: ♠AJTxx ♥- ♦AKxxxx ♣Kx or ♠KJTxx ♥- ♦AKxxxx ♣Kx, which is hardly a 3♠ bid. 2. Exploring can tip the lead. Partner could have ♠AKJTx ♥xx ♦AKJTxx ♣-. Hmm, on second thoughts, a 5260 shape will probably stretch to bid 2♠ over 1♥. But ♠AJTxx ♥x ♦AKJTxxx ♣- is possible (and somewhat light, I would say). If they lead a heart, slam is on a finesse but otherwise nearly cold. 3. If we bid 4♦, partner may not cooperate. Partner will not place us with a miracle hand. From his point of view, bidding 4♥ on ♠AKxxx ♥Ax ♦KJxxxx ♣- is a deep reach indeed. 4. If we bid 4♦, partner may pass. From his point of view, he has shown a big 65 and we have just gone back to his first suit in an auction where both players have made non-forcing bids. Why can't we have xx Kxxx Jxx KJxx or some such, where we view 3NT to be hopeless and 5♦ too far off? With ♠KJTxx ♥A ♦AKTxxx ♣x he may think it logical to pass, and I would be inclined to agree. 5. If we jump to slam, they may double for the lead. I just don't see us being off two hearts here almost ever. I'm going to redouble even if partner does not!

My line was not that good. :(

Er, 56 just short of a game force over 1♥, but fancies game once we don't pass a spade. In reality, partner usually has a mountain with which I would jump to 2♠ on the previous round. I am not stopping short of 6♦, and I should probably just bid it now. I'd like to bid 4♥ first, but that will lock us into spades.

Not quite best. Cash the third spade first. When West shows out, if diamonds were 4-2, you can and should reevaluate and go for the triple squeeze. You can still play the other squeeze line (catering for 5-2 clubs onside) if West follows to the third spade.

Define expert. :blink: There are quite a few similar hands in the Bridge With the Blue Team book, but they still usually get screwed up in practice. I would expect it to go off more often than not in the English Premier League, even when East forgets to play a diamond. I agree with South, particuarly if he made 5♥.

May as well respond 2♣ (or bid 3♣ if East overcalls). I plan to bid hearts at some stage as well. The big money on this hand was to get doubled in 7♠ - I intend to redouble. At least Ken will agree.

In 6NT our main chance is split club honours with a club/heart squeeze. When that does not materialise, but a heart honour drops, we have to guess a two-card ending. Whilst restricted choice tells us the finesse is a big favourite, the fall of the cards should tell us 90%+ who has the last diamond, and since we have a count of the black suits the layout should now be clear. It's not just that East has to remember to keep the idle diamond (and thus throw a heart from three small) - they had to switch and follow with non-readable cards at trick two. Falling back on restricted choice here is pretty lame. From what we know, the heart finesse is working, but that is by the by. To tell with a greater degree of accuracy, we need to know which cards they actually played at trick two. Just to clarifly the point, if a weak East switched to the ♦4 and later followed with the two playing fourth and second, we would play for the heart drop, "knowing" that East was 3352.