OSH

another possibility, opps take the push and bid 3s, then u will dbl:) I don't know that the vulnerable opponents will be kind enough to keep bidding spades on minimum values and 8 trump. Who will take the push? Opener holds 5 spades (5 card majors right?), and I don't see any reason with my 5224 that the cards are really wild around the table. Put pard on a likely 0454. This leaves 5422 opposite 3343 or maybe 5332 / 3433, or less likely 5512 opposite 3253. In any event, they don't have a huge 2nd fit, nor a lot of shortness. I think the field will face a similar problem, and I think passing 2♠ hoping for +200 or +500 looks right to me. Opp do not necessary have min. Pd may have min for his takeout dbl, coz he has good shape. On the other hand, Red vs white may push the opp, 3cx-1 is 100, 2s= is 110. I would say 80% time opps will take the push. Nice comments, pard actually had 0454 and opps 5332 / 3433. Not 80% of the field took the push, but my problem was that not all the pairs play X for minors now, so if pard can't reopen I will loose also to the pairs that will play 2SPX. The other problem is (I remember some threads on this matter) that after: 1SP-X-2SP-P P-, pard has a void in spades, and I fear that she is going to bid 3D instead of double again. For Flame: no problems! :)

MP, white V red opponents: ♠QJT32 ♥95 ♦Ax ♣10754 1♠-X-2♠-? Apart from X, that would be for minors in this sequence, what is your choice?

Well, partner has SOMETHING, so with silent opponents you surely bid a game. Opening 1♥ you are going to play 4♥ in this case, with 1♦ maybe you would find 5♦, and with a club lead.... ;)

In effetti la licita dell'"avversario di fronte" e "'stardo del vostro compagno" :blink: appare criptica. Prima ha chiuso a manche rifiutandosi di indagare, per esempio con 3P, sulla vostra licita non forcing, e ora sulla manche avversaria volendo difendere a 5h potrebbe mostrare valori con un palo a livello 5 per farvi capire cosa fare su un eventuale 5p dell'avversario. Se fossi corto a picche mi verrebbe il dubbio che 4NT sia a giocare, ma lo interpreterei come richiesta d'assi e risponderei di conseguenza. Ciao

The problem is that the opponents won't stay silent... I don't like 2C for the two suited hands, especially for this "not so strong" hand.

Maybe it wasn't clear, I call it XYNT, too. :P

XYZ after 1♣/♦/♥-pass-1♦/♥/♠-pass-1♥/♠, where Z means 1 in a suit and XYNT in the case you posted. I play the same way (3CL is to play).

I agree with this, and by responder is GF. I'm from Italy, played only 1 time on BBO, so I think I'm a total beginner.

I'm sorry. Actually, it was my partner's hand, so it is her fault, not mine! :) I remember I had 4 trumps in dummy, 4 spades ruffed, so North hand is: ♠KQxx ♥KQJx ♦- ♣QJ98x

3♣ would have been natural, forcing one round (questionable :lol: , but we are only in the transition phase towards FS in competition). (hotShot)"I can ask my regular p with 4SP, if he is void or single and how many aces he has. " Nice. Does your partner consider ♥K as an Ace? If so, how can you procede when you know that he has void in ♦ and one Ace (of 5)? hrothgar suggests me another question: if 4♦ would have been FSJ, is this hand suitable for a 4♣ FSJ? I don't think so, without A and K (maybe I'm wrong!). So playing FSJ, what do you bid? Thanks!

You are North, Dealer South, E/W vulnerable. ♠KQxx ♥KQJx ♦- ♣QJ98xx Your partner opens 1♥ (5+, max 15HCP playing precision, but I think the question is applicable to SAYC or 2/1, too). 2♠ from West (5+, weak, can be two suited with a minor) #1: How is your evaluation of the hand? Is this hand suitable for a 4♦ splinter? #2: Suppose you bid 3♠ instead (gf, usually with support for partner), how a 4♦ rebid by pard change your evaluation? ------------------------------------ Now try another one: You are South, Dealer , E/W vulnerable ♠- ♥A1098xx ♦865432 ♣A #3 How is your evaluation of the hand? Do you open? #4 Suppose you open 1♥. The bidding procedes: 1♥-2♠*-4♦**-X *2♠ is 5+, weak, can be two suited with a minor. **4♦ is splinter, 4+ ♥, 11/12+ HCP How this bidding change your evaluation? What is your bid now? P.S.: Yes, I know that it seems the same hand, but try not to be influenced by this fact..... :blink:

I don't ask for the right answer, I'm just curious why he posted this hand, what they bid and what the result of the match was. I would like to know the story behind the theorethical question, bridge is also (fortunately :D ) a people game.

14 answers, is it time to know the full hand? :)

It's possible that declarer holds spades 8, I didn't pay attention to it, I'm sorry. Your line is very interesting, though due to the bidding I think that it is better to play for HQ on side and not for the blank J ot T in East. As you noted, it is necessary also that W doesn't return with a heart. It's not probable, but possible, :) thanks!

The opening was from Precision or similar? I think I will pass.

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=saxhakj9daxxct9xx&w=skjxxxxhxxxxdxcxx&e=sthqxxxdqjt9xxcxx&s=sq9xxhtdkxxcakqjx]399|300|Scoring: MP[/hv] The bidding, playing precision: S - W - N - E 2♣ 2♠(!) X P 3NT P 6NT end My question is not on the bidding (yes, 6♣ is better). As usually in my threads, I wrote 1 down at the end after a club lead. :) It was a 22 pairs mitchell, 5th round. Now the problem is that, while I was writing, I saw: 3NT+3 690 3NT+2 660 3NT+3 690 3NT+2 660 Checking the scoresheet, I saw also that N and S hands was exchanged. Well, looking at the whole hand from this reversed angle (HQ and KS well placed), I thought that 3NT+3 was a congruent result, and I called the director while the opponents insisted that the sheet was wrong. After a rapid check, some other pairs confirmed (with some difficulties...) that they play with the same N and S hands' position, so the result stood. It was not my Club and I was a guest, so I accepted the decision without any further move. :( Now my question: playing 6NT from North hand, after the leading ♦Q lead from East (common lead of the other 4 tables), is there a possible line of play (maybe including some help from opponents) to arrive to 12 tricks?

I'm not an expert, but I'm sure that the answer 3d is wrong! :angry: Are you playing SAYC? Not being an expert, I will not say that I would bid 3s. :ph34r:

imho partner should pass or correct after 3d, you are showing a weak hand. With hand N.2, I would bid 3NT after 2NT (if partner's holdings in clubs and hearts were reversed, it would be better). By the way, I'm not sure I agree with 2NT....

I think OSH referred to the diamond layout as one of the reasons why it would be better fort N to be declarer: he would not be forced to decide immediately how to play diamonds and would have an extra tempo to try the spade finesse without having to ruff in S hand with entry problems for cashing spades once established. Avoiding the diamond lead has the advantage that you don't need to waste your ♣K and preserve it as an entry. Of course, if you play the correct line you don't need this extra entry... :angry: For example, playing ♠Q before ♠A, or taking the spade finesse, needs this extra entry. The line suggested by Cherdano fails also if the opponent, after taking ♠K, plays ♥J, again wasting an entry to hand. I think that the key concept is "if they don't take you can crossruff to victory (Free)". I didn't realize this at the table, despite I have only to count my winners...

In your line of play, you consider your ♦Q as a 2, so if you play from north you can try to win the first trick with it, preserving an entry in south..... Anyway, your line would have assured the contract. But I have a question: running 2 rounds of trumps before playing spades loses if spades are 4-2 and the short opponent has ♥Jxx, why not to play on spades immediately?

...like me NORTH'S HAND ♠: AQ ♥: KQxx ♦: A109x ♣: AQx SOUTH'S HAND ♠: J8532 ♥: A10xx ♦: Qx ♣: Kx The bidding is not important, or better: the bidding is important because you are playing 6♥ from the wrong side...... The opening lead is diamond 8.

Beh, diciamo che all'inizio anche il partner era stupito come gli avversari... ;) Comunque dopo le prime esperienze siamo arrivati per esempio all'eccesso (?!) di allertare 1 picche terzo di mano (quando andava allertato giocando la 5°) e spiegare che: "Giochiamo la 5°, ma terzo di mano può essere anche 4° ben onorato e in mano debole". A proposito, dato che è il primo post sul forum Italiano, un saluto a tutti!

I limited my hand with the 1NT bid (by the way, I wouldn't have by-passed the S), after a reverse, if I'm not interested in the actual strenght of partner and bid 3D directly, it is forcing manche. So: 1H 1NT 2S 3D 3NT 4S is to play 1H 1NT 2S 3D 3NT 4D shows a solid or semi-solid diamond suit. I found that to have a clear distinction between a forcing bid and a weak bid is very useful in this situation.

When I played SAYC, after 1H 1NT 2S ?? with my regular pd I played a Lebehnsol style 2NT, and pd bid 3C if he is minimum. In this way the direct 3D bid now is forcing . PS: hrothgar, you have 14 cards!

It was a 8-table Mitchell, 2 boards during the first round, only one in the second (this is why I wrote that we were on top after two rounds of three). I bid 7NT, my partner a "bit" worried, in the meantime, my LHO, a nice player, told me that 6NT was enough (he's looking at a K and two Qs...) considering the field. ♠Txx ♥KJx ♦AT9xx ♣xx ♠AKQJx ♥Axx ♦KQ ♣Axx You see the partner hand. Not the right Jack.... Lead: ♣K I unblock ♦KQ, LHO has a single diamond, I play five round of spades, LHO has four, RHO discards three hearts and a club. A heart to J, that holds, but RHO shows out and LHO knows that he could shortened his hQ without damage, keeping a club. So I prefer to let the last trick to the lady on my right. Believe it or not, 6NT would be a top. The opponents won the tournament, we finished 3rd. By the way, as the cards are, 7S is makeable with the heart finesse, provided you don't cash the two diamonds: ♣A, 4 rounds of spades, and the ♥J is the needed 2nd entrance to dummy.