LBengtsson

50/50. your partner should have not bid 1NT with garbage. you should not have X opps. 2♦ (that is for partner to do as you have shown a better hand with the second X) partner knows you have ♥/♣ after the second X: he does not pick a suit but bids 1NT. that is warning, even though 1NT is a bad bid. you do not have enough to X a third time. you should be able to work partner is 3343/4333 shape here. all his points - should he have some - are under the opening bidder. your four controls gave you impression that you had a better hand than you think. the opps may have arrived in a nine card trump fit in 2♦. it is not surprising they made the contract.

I am not all familiar with GIB bidding, but why 4♦ instead of 3♠??? given the bidding I would pull 5♠ to 6♦. partner turns up with ♠Kxxx ♥xx ♦Kxxxx ♣xx and 6♦ is possible. I certainly would not leave contract in your short suit ♠s. I guess that GIB then bids 6♠ after 6♦ :o agree. more a hand that frustrates than any embarrassment.

agree. pass says good trumps not garbage trumps. 1♠ says no more than I am by force asked to bid. 0+ points and 4M. always remember that I have by force been asked to bid so I can have poor hand such as this.

yes, gerber, will save auction reaching 6NT, but as I said "who uses gerber?" not one player when you posted on BW has made suggestion to use gerber on this auction, so that says to me that gerber is a convention that has disappeared from modern bidding. maybe some English players still use Gerber: many, I guess here, use 4♣ as transfer with slam interest instead of.

The poll on bridgewinners says it all... who uses gerber? 33-34 in no trump contract for small slam. what it does not say on the ingredient tin is that with 33 or 34 points you will make 6NT also. north has ♥AK ♦K ♣AJ and east leads ♠QJ10 and his partner has ♠A. not just missing ♥AK 6NT will not make.

I looked at spoiler. difficult hand to bid. I do not like 3♦. prefer pass. all depend what partners 2♦ bid shows?

only 4 misunderstandings with a pick up partner? lol! I think you were lucky :)

[hv=pc=n&s=sakqjt98765hdcq32]133|100[/hv] 1♠. opening 2♣ will make partner think you have a hand with more defensive strength. it is very not likely that you will buy contract in 1♠. opening 6♠ will give opponents less room to maneuver but is a total guess :) bridge diagram has dropped the 10th ♠ ♠AKQJ1098765

I agree with pilowsky. partner is weak with a ♣ suit. you have forced him to bid and he knows that you have ♦ + ♠ here but he choose to bid ♣. I would prefer to overcall 1NT on first round with a good 14 count with tens than wait to X on second round even at red/white. it is easier now for opps to X you at 3 level here. I would pass 3♣ and trust partner.

Erfaren och olycksbenägen :) that is how one of my partners described himself long time in the past. Translated "Experienced but makes accidents"

yes you are right but I did say I looked at this quickly :) maybe best line is to draw trumps, then ♣K in case of stiff honor, and finesse ♣9. that only loses if east has ♣QJx(xx) and ♦A with west. double ♣ finesse looks best percentage. the clever play is draw second round of trumps ending in own hand assuming 3-2 so they can not signal and advance ♦K (lol!) hoping for a duck...

agree. length before strength. if this hand was not a opener but a overcallers hand I would look at it as 5/5 given weakness in ♣ suit and be confident to use Ghestem here. as a opening hand, bidding the 5M ♠ suit first as that is what you told just changes the shape from 6♣/5♠ to 5♠+/4♣+ depending on your rebid.

have only looked at this quickly. I am inclined to take first trick with ♠A and finesse ♥9. idea is to keep ♦K5 holding safe, and then cash ♥A later and take ruff finesse against outstanding ♥ honor. could go wrong on bad breaks but playing for split opponents ♥ honors looks sensible. even with ♥KQ in west hand, there is still possibility of squeeze at end if same hand has ♦A and ♣QJx the problem is entries and trying to draw trumps and hoping that the opps do not or can not ruff with 3rd trump assuming 3-2 split. it is a good problem, lamford.

That is a interesting theory, mikeh. If I were in 6♦ I will guess that the opponents are there also, so I would go for the best line imo and hope that the opponents do not find it. The problem with being in 5♦ only is that you may think your opponents are in 6♦ and lose concentration as you feel you should have been in slam. the main concern is making 5♦ when 6♦ is not making, so you plan for that situation with possible bad breaks trying your best to succeed in the game contract and hope that the opponents slam is down.

"Cock-up"? that is a new English word for my dictionary lol! yes you made a real jumble of the defense. 2♠ is imo a bad bid in 3rd seat. either open 1♠ or if you are going to preempt (which is not a good bid) make life difficult with 3♠. 2♠ is passive.

I have done same. I pulled out 2♣ card with a weak 2♦ opener. I was with a intermediate partner. she had a big hand so bid 4nt. I was in a panic so passed. 10 tricks in no trumps played by partner was the best score. lucky also :)

Am I not the only one to find it strange that players are suggesting a 1NT bid by South here? stiff ♥Q, poor stop in ♠ suit. Partner raises to 3NT and down we go! lol! (although the player with the 5 card ♠ suit is under us so we might get through.) I do not like giving support with three small, but if partner had opened 1♥/1♠ in a 4 card major system like Acol then bidding 2M would be accepted. I do not see that with 5431 shape and good ♦ support here that bidding 2♦ instead of 1NT to be not reasonable, especially if partner's 1♦ opener promised 4m+. maybe I am the lone one to see it like this but it is only my opinion...

hand 1. too good a fit with 10 trumps. difficult for north to make a move over south's expected 4♠ bid. here you need some bid as south bidding 2NT as artificial and forcing. even though north has 2 extra trumps and ♥AK and stiff ♣. there are plenty of hands where a slam will not be on. there might be a bid by agreement such as 4♦ here showing good trumps and solid ♦ suit. it could be the only way that north feels confident to go beyond 4♠ knowing all his values are working... hand 2. think you have transferred hands and should be [hv=pc=n&s=st6hak842dkjt3c94&n=sa9532h75daq952ca&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1hp1sp2dp]266|200[/hv] I have looked at this a few times and think north now takes charge in auction knowing 9(+) trump fit...4♣(stiff/splinter) - 4♥(cue) - 4NT (rkcb) - 5♥(♦K + ♥A) - 6♦ though you would may be missing 7♦ if partner has ♠Kx ♥AKxxx ♦Kjxx ♣xx though bidding 28 point grand slams is a art :)

Gerber is only used after partner opens 1NT/2NT. if you have transferred or bid a suit after partner opens 1NT/2NT it is no longer the control bid, rkcb is as far as I know. if you were 5♠4xx shape you could bid the four card suit at the three level as forcing; if you were 5332 with 17 points I would bid 5NT pick a small slam here. 32-33 points are usually enough for 6♠/6NT.

I would have played it the same as you. no entries to dummy after first trick. trump suit poor missing intermediate cards. you had lucky lead and made best of situation.

East/West bidding is sane and unlucky as winstomn says. North/south bidding is crazy and very lucky as cards lie.

XX instead of 1♥ as south would have told partner that you have the majority of the points. partner X's west 1♠ bid. best defense keeps it to 4 tricks only imo.

25 point slam do not usually get bid. I do not like 3♥ bid. West would not come into auction red with a passed partner with 2♥ without a good suit. So South bidding 3♥ here is not a good bid imo. you know you have 8 card ♠ fit, good honour card in ♦ and enough for game. I would prefer to bid 3♣ here. if partner has a ♥ stop they can bid 3NT, if not either 3♦ or 3♠. It is easier for South to determine final contract already knowing about 8 card ♠ fit.

Scandinavia is not a country and the EU is not also. It helps players to know what country you are from as you can converse with them in their language. I speak/write Swedish, English, some French, German, Italian, Spanish but I do not write or speak EU. Though I like the idea of EU collectiveness [is that the right word?] as a Swede.

[hv=d=w&v=b&b=4&a=p1cp2s4d]133|100[/hv] I do not understand??? Either opener has made trap pass or has a 2♦ or 3♦ opening bid here? I still think Soloway 2♠ is best as opener has so many controls, good suit and fit for partner, but the bidding looks fantasy. Soloway does not say that hand is heading to slam, especially if opener is minimum and there is misfit, so where has opponents 4♦ - and opp. can bid 3♦ here also - bid come from? Can you show full hand possum. Thank you.