PhilG007

I wouldn't pre-empt on any of these hands.In each case,the heart suit is too moth eaten... It should be remembered that when you bid a suit,you are not only proposing it as trumps; you are also suggesting it as a lead if your side become defenders. On each of these hands,do you REALLY want a heart lead (?)

Well,now that I've seen both players hands,I'm now thinking what the hell did East have for his diamond pre-empt(?!) Obviously there are players out there who love to "ride the tiger" (!) :rolleyes:

From the hand illustrated,it would seem that partner holds all the top hearts for his opening bid so I would bid 6NT direct.....and pray :)

Holding the West hand,I would respond 3♣ OK I only have 4HCP but I also have a good 6 card club suit. When searching for a minor suit slam,its vital to set the trump suit as early as possible.3♣ is also game forcing. On the hands given a possible auction might go :- 2♣ 3♣ 4NT(RKCB) 5♦(1 key card which HAS to be the A♣) 6♣ The slam will only fail if the diamond finesse loses and North holds ♣J9xx

If your side has agreed to play the "gambling" 3NT opener promising a 7 card minimum solid minor suit,then this option is not open to you.

3♣ is quite sufficent. Bear in mind West's takeout double. The club KQ is somewhat devalued.

One of the first things you are taught as a beginner is that to bid a suit,you must have reasonable cards in it. I don't regard any suit headed by a 10 as reasonable....no matter HOW long it is.

The redouble was for business. Partner really should have passed and the doubler would have been in a real fix. Taking evasive action like this does nothing to boost partnership confidence(!) <_<

Horrid hand....even with the 9 carder. I pass quickly

Looking at the West hand,it seems 7Hearts is a very good contract for the opponents,so a save of 7 Spades is well justified.(even if you are missing the ace of trumps(!) ;)

I would bid on and on with the North hand,even bidding 7♠ over the opponents grand slam in another suit. It might seem suicidal but look at it this way. Partner has opened a weak two and you have only 2 points so there MUST be a grand slam the other way. BUT your side has one standing advantage,you own the spade suit. Spades are the emperor of all the suits,always keeping you one step ahead of the opposition. You can afford to go down minus 6 and still come out with a good result.

Missed slams can often be very costly :unsure:

None are ideal,but if you have opening points then you MUST open the bidding.

After partners's 2♣ opener,I would double any opposition bid for penalties if I had the necessary requisites. However there is the danger of being gazumped out of a slam. Suppose the bidding has gone 2♣ and next hand bids 4♠ and you hold this hand:- [hv=pc=n&s=shkj86dqt97ckjt92]133|100[/hv] With a probable 32-33 points there is almost a certain slam on but the rude pre-empt has robbed you of valuable bidding space. The only chance is to bid 5♠ A high level cue bid and slam force. It sends the message "I have first round control of their suit. I invite you to pick a slam in the other 3 suits" Of course it could also be that a grand slam is lay down but that is the nature of the game. The opponents are there to obstruct you.

Surprised to see that hoary old antique.Texas,is still kicking around. I thought it would have been consigned to the bridge convention museum long ago ;)

Did you remember to count 1 point for the 5th spade and diamond.(?) This raises the West hand to 15 points so an opening bid must be made

I would definitely open the West hand. 4♠ can make thanks to the fortunate position of the red suit aces. Declarer can make 5 spades,2 hearts 2 diamonds and the A♣

Why not do a "Google" search under the heading "Bridge Cruises" and see what comes up (?)

I would just treat the 14-16 range as 15-17 as per standard SAYC. Its only 1 point of a difference (!)

I would certainly overrule 3NT Hands that don't fit in a suit,very often don't fit in No Trumps either(!)

There is a strong temptation to pull the double but in this case it should be resisted. Partner has doubled after a competitive auction sending the message"They can't make it",and partner,however suspect, must be trusted. You are going to look pretty foolish if 5[♠is failing(probably doubled) when 5♥ is also failing. The effect of removing the double is equivilant to you saying "I saw your double partner but you're a liar and I don't trust you!" Pass with gritted teeth and pray that partners double was justified

Sorry,can't meet the schedule because of work commitments :(

On the auction given,I would pass and hope we had pushed the opposition overboard. As for the lead,unhesitatingly it has to be the ♥9 Safe and giving nothing away.