phntmshark

This is the easiest hand in the world to play. If you get a 4-1 or 5-0 trump split, you go down. Otherwise, yo win the Ad, draw trump,cash the AKs, cross to dummy with the Ah, and cash the Qs pitching your last D, and your hand is good. No reason at all to be worrying about unblocking aces.

Red vs white you need to take 10 tricks in 5c to make it worth it, and that's assuming they can make 4H. Pass and hope partner leads a S.

This hand belongs in 3NT. Best way to get there is just (2H)-2NT-p-3NT. If you really hate distributional NT hands (though they are hard to avoid after opponent pre-empts), even on your bidding the proper bid over partners 3H is 3NT, he can't have a heart stopper so you must show yours.

My regular partners and I play that a double of a weak NT in direct seat is treated as a 1NT opener of our own, with all systems on (we can of course pass with 7+ points and flattish hand).

Want to look back to page 1 where I gave almost this exact same reasoning before all 4 hands were known? Sheesh.

I like my fair share of offshape 1NT openers, but laughing at the people who suggest opening 1NT with a 6 card major and 2 doubletons, 1 of which is worthless and the other of which is the other major. Can almost guarantee you are getting transferred into the doubleton spade.

Original pass is atrocious and now you are paying the price. You cannot have the strong hand you actually have, and therefore partner cannot leave your double in at the 4 level

I'm doubling here, and I'll bid 4S over 4D, but with Jx of H and a club suit that doesn't need too much help from partner to run, there's too much chance we belong in 3NT for me to unilaterally go to the 4 level

I can't believe anything but pass could be good here.

Shocked at the people who did NOT choose to lead a spade, I'd have thought this was clearcut. Think about the holdings you'd need partner to hold for each lead to be correct, and assume he has no more than 1 top honor in any suit (safe assumption). What are you hoping to find in hearts for that lead to be correct? If he has the K you've located it for defender, and you have no honors to promote with the capture of the K. A spade honor, however, promotes your own spade holding into something dangerous.

I lead a spade. Heart lead looks bad as it may locate partners strength for declarer. And a diamond lead looks horrible as declarers strength is presumably in the minors, and my Q might be worth something if I don't give it away.

We play it as long diamonds with 4 spades and on the weakish side.

Ok, didn't see that. Still see no reason to bid anything except 4H. I have 2 queens and lousy spots.

Seems like a slam dunk 4H bid, not sure of the question here. I didn't bid a negative (in my system would be 2H over 2C), so we are forced to game, but I have nothing further to say as I'm at the bottom of my range with no surprise singletons or voids.