AL78

That was my thinking, my hand is weak and has got worse after the overcall and partner could not dredge up a response. I was not rewarded for this judgement: [hv=pc=n&s=s96hqj986dqt7cq94&w=sk4h7543daj842c82&n=sqt73ha2d63cak753&e=saj852hktdk95cjt6&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1c1sppp]399|300[/hv] Another joint bottom as two pairs found 2♣ which they made, another pair found 2♥ going off which are all better than 1♠E+1. I feel better about the session having some validation that a handful of the dire results weren't down to me personally.

Well done for bidding. I toook the view that the hand was flat and weak, the suit mediocre and a 1♥ overcall if anything gives them more bidding space so I passed. That was a one way trip to a joint bottom. [hv=pc=n&s=s972haj87dq4cqjt6&w=skjt43hk52dkj5c84&n=sq8h6dat9863ca972&e=sa65hqt943d72ck53&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=pp1dp1hp2dppp]399|300[/hv] Making nine tricks, although we can hold it to eight tricks, if partner leads a club he eventually gets a ruff, which tied with one other pair who defended 3♣=. If you find a heart overcall you will probably be playing in hearts making eight tricks. Two tables passed it out and one NS pair of heroes were in 3NT-4. That was it, no EW pair played in a heart contract. Unfortunately this was part of a disasterous round and getting 18% and two zeros against one of the weakest pairs in the room contributed to our lousy 43.6% overall.

The analysis of MikeH is excellent and I confess I didn't get anywhere that level of thought at the table. I asked about the strength of the 2♠ and was told it was strong which made me think there are an awful lot of HCP in this pack. In this situation I trusted partner to have his bid and I bid 3♦ in an attempt to show some values and length in the suit although I can see the case for bidding 4♦. LHO bid 3♥ raised to 4♥ and they played there. This is the full deal: [hv=pc=n&s=skj97653hk9d3cj95&w=s4ht53dqj8654ckt8&n=sahaj87642dkcq762&e=sqt82hqdat972ca43&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=p1hd2s3d3hp4hppp]399|300[/hv] Partner for some reason underled his ♦A and 4♥ made for a complete bottom for us. 5♦ is theoretically an excellent sac but if they leave us there we get the same bottom when the field is in 5♥ and 4/5♠ going off, so maybe I should have been a bit more enthusiastic. We can salvage one matchpoint by getting it one down. I was the director and I did question the agreement of the 2♠ bid when it clearly wasn't strong. The response from South was she thought it was strong, evidently thinking strength covers hands with a high offense to defence ratio in addition to hands with HCP power, so I classed it as one of those things and didn't bother taking it any further.

[hv=pc=n&w=s4ht53dqj8654ckt8&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=p1hd2s(described%20as%20strong)]133|200[/hv] MPs love all. In case it is relevant, this is an inexperienced pair who didn't seem to know what they were doing some of the time. Do you bid?

♠A65 ♥QT943 ♦72 ♣K53 MPs, game all. After two passes RHO opens 1♦. Do you overcall here?

MPs, 5CM strong NT, no-one vuln: [hv=pc=n&n=sqt73ha2d63cak753&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1c1spp]133|200[/hv] 1♣ is at least three cards. What do you do when it comes back to you?

The five.

The jack.

[hv=pc=n&s=sat7hkjdaqjc96432&e=sq986hqd7653cakj8&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=1c1n2hppp]266|200[/hv] For the purpose of seeing the hand from my perspective at the table, this is better.

MPs [hv=pc=n&w=sq986hqd7653cakj8&n=sat7hkjdaqjc96532&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1c1n2hppp]266|200[/hv] I know my 1NT overcall is ugly but as it was looking like we were going to be on the wrong end of a set of biased hands (and we were), I wasn't disciplined enough to pass. Partner leads the ♣7, dummy wins with the jack, then ♥Q, covered, declarer winning, followed by another heart to my jack. How do you continue? I'll try and edit the hand as the bidding and play have to go in reverse with the way it has come out which is confusing.

Thread title comes from an amusing comment on a thread last month where we went two off in 6NT after partner blasted Blackwood. I'll post the full deal here as I took a view as opener and possibly overbid but would like some opinions as to whether I contributed to this bottom as a result by over-encouraging partner with my light reverse. Scratch (or very inexperienced) partnership, MPs playing 5CM 15-17NT. We weren't playing 2/1 so 2♣ is around 10+HCP: [hv=pc=n&s=st63hak6d7cakj654&w=saq72hjt8732d64c2&n=skj85h9dakqj52c73&e=s94hq54dt983cqt98&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=1dp2cp2sp3cp3dp6nppp]399|300[/hv] This went two down for a bottom. One pair found 6♦=, one other was in 6NT-1 and the other two were in 3NT making 12 or 13 tricks.

If it is something like Astro use the major as the anchor suit and play Lebensohl as if they overcalled in the major.

I decided the ♠K was on my left given the low spade lead and planned to take a ruffing finesse through LHO and play diamonds to dummy. Unfortunately I forgot to check the entry position and realise I am very short of hand entries so started off drawing three rounds of trumps ending in hand. That was a cock-up with the timing, if I take a ruffing finesse now I am in dummy and can't get back to hand without eliminating all my trumps. I should have drawn two rounds of trumps, then when the jack comes down doubleton I have two entries to hand to do both. I decided instead of the ruffing finesse to play low to the ♦J won with the ace from RHO who (surprisingly) returned a spade, finessing his partner for me. After ruffing the king I played ♦K and ruffed in hand and they turned out to be 3-3. I cashed the winning spades and enjoyed the diamonds in dummy via the club ace. 12 tricks and a top. Not my best declarer effort and if this was a BridgeMaster hand I'm sure I'd have ended up with "Contract Failed" but I got away with it here. [hv=pc=n&s=sqjt7hqt95d85cj84&w=sk432h632dq92cqt3&n=sahak74dkjt64ca65&e=s9865hj8da73ck972&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1dp1hp4hppp&p=s2sas6s7hah8h5h2hkhjh9h3h4c9hqh6d8d2dtdas9stskh7dkd7d5d9d4d3htdqsqs3c5s5sjs4c6s8c4c3ca]399|300[/hv]

MPs: [hv=pc=n&s=sqjt7hqt95d85cj84&n=sahak74dkjt64ca65&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1dp1hp4hppp]266|200[/hv] ♠2 led. What would be your plan? This isn't going to turn into another tale of woe, it is a hand I where I did well but I felt at the time I mis-planned and somewhat blundered into a winning line, so am curious how people here would play this.

The director was sat North, he didn't appreciate why the 3♦ bid might have to be alerted. They are a regular partnership and have always played it this way, so they consider it natural and normal.

I was partnering an inexperienced player and Landy is the simplest of the defences to 1NT and allows you to show both majors. At her level helping her improve her bidding and card play takes priority over upgrading the system and the conventions.

I decided to lead the heart ace to get a look at dummy. Unfortunately that eliminated the possibility of declarer getting the hearts wrong as partner held ♥J52. [hv=pc=n&s=saqt9hkt74dtcakj3&w=sj763hj52d7543c72&n=s5hq9863dkqj2cq95&e=sk842hada986ct864]399|300[/hv] After that start I only took the two red aces which was yet another joint bottom. Three others held it to 10 tricks after leading a black suit and one pair was in 3NT+1. I had a potentially awkward defence problem during the play. Declarer had drawn trumps and cashed three rounds of clubs then lead the ♦2. Do I take my ace or duck? I flew up with my ace, but on similar layouts I wonder if ducking is the better play hoping partner has the jack or queen. At the time I had to make the decision I knew declarer was 1543 and I couldn't come up with a diamond holding where ducking would work better, yet could think of layouts where it would blow a trick, but on another hand I can imagine hitting air with the ace will lose.

No, we were playing Landy. The problem with two suited defences to 1NT is that whichever one you pick, you will soon pick up hands where you wish you were playing another. I did make a polite comment to South that maybe she could have alerted the 3♦ on the basis that it is an unusual agreement. Her response was that they had always played it as weak and it has never occurred to them it could be played any other way (i.e. kind of the way I was thinking).

I kept quiet with this hand and ended up with another joint bottom. New year, same old slog to get above average :D. [hv=pc=n&s=sht975d63cak85432&w=sa842hj2djt985cqt&n=skt953haq843dqc97&e=sqj76hk6dak742cj6&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=p1sp2cp2hp4hppp]399|300[/hv] I could only take a diamond and a heart trick in the defence. The full traveller: 4♦-1 E 3♦-1 E 2♠-1 E 5♦X-1 E 4♥+1 N 4♥+1 N Well done if you found an overcall although where 1NT leads is unclear. Other players clearly finding a diamond overcall on my hand although I shy away from overcalling at the two level on hands that don't look very good on trick taking potential.

mw64ahw had the right answer, ask the opponents how they play 3♦ here and is something I didn't consider doing as I have never encountered it meaning anything other than game forcing, maybe some slam interest. I passed and proceeded to get a joint bottom as it got passed out, we took it one down but we have 4M on. The full deal: [hv=pc=n&s=sj95h74dkqj85ckq5&w=sa764hkj2d3cat742&n=s32hqt8dat9762c63&e=skqt8ha9653d4cj98&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1np3dppp]399|300[/hv] Well done to those who would have opened on my hand. Three out of the other five East's must have opened as they found a major suit game, and one NS pair overbid to 5♦X-3.

I decided to pass because I didn't like the idea of rebidding an anaemic heart suit after a likely 2m response although I think it is very close. I passed and the auction proceeded as follows: [hv=pc=n&e=skqt8ha9653d4cj98&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1n(12-14)p3d]133|200[/hv] What do you do now?

I got this wrong in the bidding and the defence, although I was thrown by partner's low card at trick one, maybe I could have worked it out, I don't know. [hv=pc=n&[hv=pc=n&s=sakj42h9865d53cq2&w=s6hadkj876ckt9643&n=s98hkqt743dat2cj7&e=sqt753hj2dq94ca85&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1hp1s2n(minors)p3d4hppp]399|300[/hv] Having completely misjudged the situation in the auction I contributed to messing up the defence. I led the club ace, partner playing the 3 and declarer the jack. I was confused by the apparent discouragement signal from partner but decided to trust her and switched to a diamond. That let the game through when declarer won, took the spade finesse and played another two rounds ditching the club loser (partner didn't ruff in on the second round). 4♥= NS was a bottom when we can make 5minor our way, taking 4♥ down would have got us 30%. Whilst I knew we had a double fit I was concerned about the flatness of my hand with useless major suit honors combined with the unfavourable vulnerability hence didn't bid 5♣. As a testament to the randomness at this club one EW pair was allowed to play in 2♣. I am still bad at judgement in these competitive auctions and am frequently throwing boards.

Opponents playing Acol weak NT: [hv=pc=n&e=sk842hada986ct864&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1cp1hp3hp4hppp]133|200[/hv] Your lead?

MPs, Acol, weak NT: In case it is relevant, the opponents with their mannerisms sound like they don't really know what they are doing, other than that I am not familiar with them. NS vuln East ♠QJ76 ♥K6 ♦AK742 ♣J6 Partner passes, RHO opens 1♠. Do you overcall?

MPs, playing Acol, weak NT, 1st seat: Part 1 NS vuln East ♠KQT8 ♥A9653 ♦4 ♣J98 Do you open?