KurtGodel

[hv=pc=n&s=skj85haj93d72cq82&n=s2hqt42dqt63caj95&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1n(12-14)ppp]266|200[/hv] After a typically wild and exuberant matchpoint auction you end up in one of your favourite spots: 1NT. The defense kicks off with the ♠3, which goes to the ace. The ♠4 comes back, you ask, and the opponents play 2nd/4th leads, with the ten treated as an honour. You first decision is what to play now, and after some consideration you elect to play the 8, there are two good things that could happen if you do this: 1) it forces the queen 2) if the win with the T or 9, they have to play the right suit back, which isn't exactly clear. Your second decision is what to throw from dummy, which must clearly be a heart. The 8 fetches the 10, and your LHO goes into a huddle before producing the ♣7. From the lead it is clear that spades are 4-4, you decide that LHO's most likely shape is 4342, as they might have led a heart if they were 4432, and they probably would lead a diamond if the were 4252. The club runs round to your 8, and you run the ♣Q to the King. Back comes a heart, which LHO wins with the King, and another heart is returned. You win in dummy and are somewhat surprised when RHO pitches a club. You now know everyones shape: LHO had ?Txx Kxxx ??? 7x, you cash a club and LHO throws a spade, so you now know that the spade queen is with RHO, and if they have a top diamond honour they will be squeezed. You just run your club and then your hearts (pitching a diamond from hand), this is the ending with one heart to cash. [hv=pc=n&s=skjhad7c&w=shdc&n=shdqt63c&e=sqxhdKxc]399|300[/hv] What can East throw on the last heart? A spade is immediately fatal, after a small diamond you can play a diamond to the Ten (maybe east didn't unblock from Jxxx) and they will be endplayed. After a top diamond you can cash the ♠K and lead towards the ♦Q and winkle an eighth trick. Interesting that the should always pitch a top diamond to give you a guess about whether to play them for AK or just one honour, although restricted choice means that if they rate you they will play for single honour. There are also a few other diamond suit combinations that you can gain a trick from (you didn't miss the 7 and 6 of diamonds - did you?), but I'll leave that as an exercise to the reader.

[hv=pc=n&s=sa2hk9dq854cakj74&n=sk95hqt8643dj63c3&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1c(1%2B)p2d(0-7%20points%2C%20a%206cM)p2n(asking)p3c(non-min)p3d(asking)p3s(hearts)p4hppp]266|200[/hv] The Q♠ is led. It's IMPs, your thoughts?

Now, if you open 1♦, what are you rebidding over 1♠? If you are bidding clubs, then if partner is xx23, you will play in your 4-2 fit rather than your 5-3 fit. I think having two extra trumps makes up for the fact that you have 100 honours in diamonds and 5 little clubs. Even if you rebid 1NT, I think it will be very difficult to play a club contract when it's right, whereas if you open 1♣ and you belong in diamonds, then if partner is strong they will probably bid diamonds before their major.

Over double, partner will bid 4♥.

I will try double. Pass is not allowed.

Depends what you play 4NT over 4♥ as.

South didn't raise diamonds - North is not going to bid again. What competition do you anticipate? Do you think you are going to be on lead to 6♠ any time soon? Do you think you have a difficult decision as to whether or not you should bid 5 over 5?

3NT here typically shows a long minor and a spade stop. I think normally with big balanced hands you double and then bid 3NT.

I will raise 1♥ to 2♥ with all these hands, over 1♠ I rebid 2♣ with the first, and 1NT with the others.

With one ace? You must be on drugs. Just pass, collect your 800. Why does everyone think we are making slam? We have all this wastage in their suit, partner only made a takeout double...

tl; dr Cash one diamond, take a club finesse. Play winners, guess the ending.

First let's assume diamonds are not 5-0: Club to the Q i) It holds: so unless West has ♣KTxx(x), we have made it, just playing a club to the 9 will do. If West does turn up with two club tricks we can try and play them for singleton heart honour, or QJ doubleton, the former probably being more likely, but I'm sure we can play some diamonds and get a count. But wait, we can always make it if West has ♣KTxx, through some sort of weird strip squeeze/guard squeeze hybrid (provided we have a count). Suppose West has something like QJTxxx Hx x KTxx, now after playing a club to the queen we can cash 5 diamonds (pitching two hearts from hand), West cannot through a heart or a club, is this would be immediately fatal, so they give up four spades. Now we cash the ♠K, pitching a club, West is forced to also pitch a club. We play ♥A, and a heart to the T. West is now endplayed. So we score: 2 spades, 2 hearts, 5 diamonds, 3 clubs. This line will also work if QJxxx Hxx x KTxx, and provided you read the cards correctly you will still make if West has fewer than 4 clubs. This is all very nice, but it would be a bit ridiculous to go down when clubs are 3-3 (and you misread the cards), just because you were trying to be flash. This amazing ending doesn't work if you concede a club earlier. So a crucial question is: what card did East play at trick 1? If they gave a clearly readable count card, you might actually consider taking this line. ii) It loses. Presumably they will play a spade back. Now you have a choice between cashing a top club and finessing the 9, or playing for the drop, but again - why commit? Cash the ♣A and cash some diamonds. If East is 3334 then they will need to discard well (two hearts - otherwise the double squeeze is coming). If East is 3424, they are getting squeezed in the round suits. If East is 2xx4, there will be a non-simultaneous double squeeze, with hearts as the pivot suit. In short, play winners, guess the ending. But what if West turns up with 4 clubs (Why is life so hard sometimes?) now we should try for one of singleton heart honour or QJ doubleton with West. Diamonds are 5-0 with Wast having them: Again we start with club to the Q i) it holds. A♣ will drop the king unless it really isn't your day. ii) It loses. Win the return, cash ♣A, finesse the 9♣, today West has a singleton heart honour. Diamonds are 5-0 with East having them: Club to the Q i) It holds. A♣ and a club, the layout is kind and you can make 3 club tricks. Your twelfth is coming from a red suit squeeze against East, or a double squeeze with hearts as the pivot suit. ii) It loses. Try a line similar to the above one. So your play changes slightly if diamonds are 5-0 (you need to be a bit more optimistic), so just cash one diamond first.

As has been said previously as game is good opposite xxx JTxxxx xx xx you should probably be bidding it, rather than consulting partner. How can you expect East to show a max with no ace or king, no honour in trumps, no singleton. An unsupported J and QJ doubleton is not worth showing to me, how would you feel if after having shown a max your partner puts you in 4♥ with only two card support? Pretty sick I suspect.

I don't see why you must play in hearts in now. Would you really risk bidding 5♠ at the table? I tried to answer the OPs question using really simple agreements without having a contrived auction, it seems like most people's solutions are: 'play my system'.

You aren't interested in grand unless you have the ♣A, so there is no need to consider tries that don't include it. How can you sign off with ♠K and ♣A? We basically have the second best possible hand (move the ♣Q into hearts).