robert2734

Why?

After 1N-2C-2D the 2S bid is free in the sense there is no hand that south will pull to 3H even 2-3 in the majors. North also knows he can't play no trump when the opponents have 9 or 10 hearts between them. So back it up. What if after 1N-2C, south bids 2H. North bids 2S. Is North showing a 4 card spade suit and willing to play 4-3 fit? Is north showing a 5 card spade suit and trying to sow more confusion than a transfer to spades? When north psyches garbage staymen with 5 spades and few hearts, it seems like there is no risk involved which violates some other law.

Whats the vulnerability? Bid 4S. After 5C, I bid 5S. I can't risk a double game swing. If partner has S AKxxx H X D KQxxx C xx and the diamonds split 4-1, we can make 6 spades and they make 5 clubs. Partner's pass suggests he doesn't have any wasted honors in clubs.

So declarer did actually have the dreaded S A9XX. That's funny. South should hold on to the king even at risk of being endplayed double dummy. At the table they won't find it. If partner has 9X of spades, a spade return (any) blows the contract. I suggest returning partners lead of a diamond paying off if declarer has S KX H AKxxxx D J C AKXX. Most of the time, the lead of the diamond ten suggests declarer has D QJ and doesn't even have a pitch.

alerting a non-alertable bid is unauthorized information to your partner. It isn't misinformation to the opponents. The explanation east doesn't know what partner's bid means is unauthorized to west. If you feel east did not give a full and complete explanation of the partnership method, that's the time to call the director.

Why does declarer play me for the king of clubs and blocked spades? Why doesn't he take the club finesse? If declarer is that smart I have to pay him off. If declarer has S A9xx and I unblock the king, he knocks out the jack of spades and pitches his club, no thinking necessary. It's worth asking how high level is this game.

In a team game I'll keep my king because I'm not interested in extra undertricks. Say declarer takes the club finesse putting me in. I'll happily cash the king of spades and no worries.

Presuming she doesn't know what it shows, didn't you get a correct explanation of the partnership understanding?

If you lead a spade a partner doesn't produce the ace, the dummy's diamonds will go away on declarers KQx of clubs. If you lead a diamond and partner doesn't have the ace, dummy's spades require three pitches, C KQX D AQX(X) to make them go away. If partner has the queen of diamonds, he'll get his ace of spades later anywayz (assuming he is not leading the 2 of clubs from a doubleton). If partner has S QJTXX H X D AXXX C XXX and you lead a spade, won't partner take the third round of spades eventually? And the answer is not necessarily because declarer can pitch a spade and a diamond on the clubs and squeeze partner in spades-diamonds.

The ACBL will allow you to notice somebody discarded and take the marked finesse when you have made a faulty claim. Whether you actually would is harder to determine.

I thought skyscrapers budget for a handful of deaths in the course of building the thing. They make it sound like this was a bizaar accident.

What is Lovera original question? Is she asking about taking too much time and having the robot bid for her? I wasn't sure she asked for bidding advice even tho she gotton plenty of it. 6C would have made if you were in it but I do not criticize Lovera for not risking her contract for an overtrick. Whatever the merits of this auction you seemed to have landed on your feet.

I play for 3-2 diamonds. One round of trump and then the king of hearts. If they don't win and play ace of diamond diamod ruff I'm home ruffing the low heart.

Don't ask. Until the auction is over.

The strength of west's hand is known to east BECAUSE he is looking at 11 points. They don't have a secret agreement the lead of the 3 of spades shows a hand with 2 high card points. One time, after 1N-P-3N, partner leads the queen the hearts. Because I have 12 hcps I know partner has the queen-jack of hearts and no other face card in his hand and that guides my play. It not a secret agreement. It's looking at your hand and applying some logic.

East is allowed to make a play based on the cards he is looking at in his own hand. This information is not available to declarer.

My partners make me play conventions I don't know.

Partner can make 4S with a yarborough void in hearts. S xxxxxx H - D xxxx C xxx. More likely, we play partner for a singleton heart and a trick somewhere.

Yes. Been the victim. Not paying attention to whatever you scribble on your card any more.

The problem with relying on opponents convention card is that it is not canonical. They can check any darn thing they want on their card at no penalty. There is a duty to accurately and fully explain the partnership agreement. At least in theory, you can get redress.

When I'm a defender, I don't care whether you think your 14 count is really worth 15. I want to know if my partner can or cannot hold another jack. I have partners who open 14+ to 17 (on advise from Larry Cohen) so I've been around this tree.

With four you soar, with five you dive. I teach my beginning bridge students to bid their four card suits up the line so a player with 3-2-4-4 shape would bid two clubs not two diamonds. Just as 1S-2H shows a five card heart suit so 1H-2D shows a five card diamond suit. If partner had a spade stopper she would bid 3NT herself so 3S is asking for a spade stopper not showing one.

Partner's hand didn't change. The second double shows what the first double shows and a king better than minimum.

Declarer is in six hearts and has already lost the king of diamonds. If his contract is cold it is cold. If he has a black loser he has a black loser. A diamond lead only hurts if it gives up a ruff sluff, the infamous 2-6-2-3 my spade opponent points out. A diamond lead helps if partner has the queen of trump. Even if he has more diamonds, declarer could still ruff high. Declarer play make sense to me if he has long diamonds he thinks he has to ruff out. He doesn't know the jack of diamonds will drop and the suit sets up. Otherwise he would draw trump first.

Good to think about these issues before they occur on the job again. At trick twelve, declarer with queen of trump and side ace, thinking the ace of trump is out will play the ace. Whether it is ruffed or not, he has one trick. With same holding thinking the jack of trump is out will play the queen first taking both tricks. Getting it wrong will cost declarer a trick. If declarer has nothing but trumps left and there is one or two trumps outstanding, it never hurts to play trumps from the top. If he has KT9 and the AQJ are missing, he plays the nine hoping to drop the singleton ace. But we can still apply the ACBL guidance to play trumps from the top even if it hurts declarer. If declarer has stoppers in all the suits the defender with the outstanding trump holds, he can draw the last trump whether it wins or not. Does a declarer who made a faulty claim know what side cards the defender holds? If declarer has more than one trump and he knows he doesn't need to ruff anything (all his side cards are good and he knows that), can draw the last trump. It is common to leave the master trump out even if you can afford to draw it. All things considered, I'll have a declarer who thinks the master trump is out try to cash all his side winners. If they all survive, he may now draw trumps from the top.