mr1303_2

[hv=pc=n&s=s863h42dak74ckqt8&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=1dp1h2c2h]133|200[/hv] You have the above on the following auction. This was on "Just play bridge" mode, so don't worry about IMPs or MPs, but assume that you don't definitely have the best hand here. 1) What do you bid here? 3C would be competitive, 2NT would suggest more stoppers than you have, double would suggest more spades than you have. Could 3H be too much against live opponents? 2) If you bid 3H here, partner bids 3S. This is more encouraging than 4C, but could be anything between "I can't bid 3NT, but you may be able to?" to 4S and a decent hand, to an advanced cue bid in a slam try. What now? Have you had enough? Suffice to say I screwed this one up.

[hv=pc=n&s=sa72hakqj63d63c52&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1hp2n(GF%20raise)p3s(Shortage)p]133|200[/hv] Any suggestions here? Obviously you want to make a slam try, but how?

The problem is the slam is only a bad miss because of the lack of wastage in hearts. And unless South finds a way of showing the heart void, which is near impossible after 2NT, anything is guess work. Having said that, if transfer then 4S is a mild slam invite, then North is worth at least a sniff after 4S with all the controls.

[hv=pc=n&s=s7hakj763dak874ck&n=sa952h84dq5ca8642&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=2s]266|200[/hv] I suppose slam on these cards will often go down, but finding Qx of hearts in the slot and diamonds 3-3 produced an ugly +710, which felt pretty bad. Should we do more, and if so, whom? Our auction, by the way, continued as follows: X(no leaping Michaels), 3C (a good 3C, 2NT would be Lebensohl) 3H (F1), 3NT (suggestion) 4D (Still forcing) 4H (suggestion) P (looks like a misfit)

I am bidding 4H on the sequence 1H 1S 2H 3D 3H 3S 4H.

Red vs white I lead the king of hearts without any further thought and consider this automatic. White vs red I may consider a double for take out but still lead the king of hearts.

Thanks all for the responses. I was South here, and thought about trying again over 4H, but felt that partner could be very minimum for 3H here, and I've seen partner have waste paper in spades and clubs. Fwiw partner felt his hand was too Jacksy to co-operate.

[hv=pc=n&s=sqhakj652dat86caj&n=sj94ht973djckq852&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1h2s3h3s4cp4hppp]266|200[/hv] The excellent fit in clubs and the diamond shortage made this slam virtually a lay down, and the trump lead make all 13 tricks easy. But who should do something different?

Assuming 1D was normal (as opposed to precision style), my vote was for "both you pair of cravens", but I blame South more since he has an obvious accept, whereas North might've bid game anyway since all his points are working and he has the crucial 5th spade. Incidentally, these "naturalish game tries" seem to need a bit more definition. If 3D would show say 3 low, South's hand becomes a lot worse.

If you start with 1H, would you not bid 3D with a good looking 14/15 count with 5-5 in the reds? Something like x AKxxx KQxxx Kx In which case after 1H (2S) P P 3D P I think the North hand has an easy pass?

What mikeh said. I am strongly tempted by 5C without the hesitation but it's at best a 50:50 call, but after the hesitation, 5C is disallowed as the hesitation suggests that action is more likely to be successful, and especially given our spade holding, it suggests that partner was not thinking of making a penalty double.

[hv=pc=n&s=sa843hakqj8dak93c&n=s9h54dj542cqjt863&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=2c(I%20didn't%20like%20this%2C%20but%20surely%20the%20hand%20is%20too%20good%20for%201H%3F)p(West%20would%20overcall%202S%20if%20I'd%20started%20with%201H)2dp2hp2n(3C%20would%20be%20a%20second%20negative)p3dp5d(Any%20thoughts%20as%20to%203H%3F)p6d(A%20guess)ppp]266|200[/hv] Just played this hand vs GIB. Standard 2/1, so the alerts are my thoughts about each bid. 6D came in, but I wasn't happy with the bidding here. What else would you do differently? If you start with 1H, LHO would overcall 2S (don't know why it didn't over 2C) and it would come back to you.

If I double and partner bids 4H, you await the opening lead before putting down the dummy.

To anyone suggesting a 4H bid by West, I can only presume your partners never open light in 3rd seat... I bid 3S and consider that plenty.

2D, 3D and then 4D. Double has too much potential to get messy as partner, not unreasonably, will play me to have better hearts than 3 low.

Would double here be game try? But partner should have a stiff heart so I still bid 4S.

This is the kind of hand that needs no wastage. So 4C followed by 4H over 4D. This shows a mild slam try rather than a full blooded slam try.

I'm going on a different track and will start with a simple 1D. Could this be awful? Yes, but I think no more likely than double or 2NT. It seems likely that someone will find a 1S bid, either opps or partner.

I'm a strong believer in that easy cue bids (below 4 of the agreed major) should be given fairly liberally, but above it should imply a lack of wastage. Here 4H is easy to give, but if my only cue was 5C I would not make it. Here responder should just bid 4S after 4H. 1. You have nothing else to cue anyway and 2. You need the perfect hand for slam to be good. If partner has it he will continue.

Actually I think double is a terrible call. You are nowhere near too strong for an overcall - the double then bid sequence should be for hands that are worried about missing game - if it goes 1S 2C all pass you aren't missing anything. Especially with a singleton heart. Indeed I initially thought this was an assign the blame problem for after a 2C overcall and I wrote out a big long answer for that. North might make a responsive double rather than bid 3D, but 3D isn't unreasonable.