AL78

Sorry, in that case even lower chance one of them has five.

I wouldn't have opened the South hand either but given I was forced to open, I'd cover the ten and plan to lead hearts towards the QJ when I get in. I hope to scrape seven tricks but the given hand layout means extremely accurate defence is required to avoid giving anything away. Looks liks spades are 4-3 given the lack of an overcall, and if they attack spades, they will set up a high spot card eventually.

If I miss a defence that can only realistically be found by either double dummy defence or somehow working out a very specific layout and extreme lead is the only way to get it down, I don't care. I'd rather focus my attention on my many more defensive cock-ups.

Whilst I agree with what you say in general, it is very unlikely the opponents will remain silent holding ten clubs with all the honors between them.

I decided to treat it as a hearts hand and overcalled 3♥. Without hand records I can only display approximate hands but this is what happened: [hv=pc=n&w=shkq9865da5ct8764&e=sak9764hjt73dj7c9&d=e&v=b&b=10&a=p1d3h4d4h5dpp5hppdppp]266|200[/hv] Partner didn't want to open 2♠ because of the four card heart suit, which in the event was a good decision. Diamond lead won in hand, then I played a heart to dummy's jack, all following and the jack held the trick!!! Cashed both spade honors discarding a diamond and club. Got off dummy with a club, RHO tried a diamond which I ruffed, then claimed with a cross-ruff inviting the defence to take the heart ace when they liked, but that was their last trick. +850 and a top instead of -200. This set off a mild married couple post mortem, RHO not happy with her partner's decision to duck. His excuse was she might hold a stiff Q or K. I think that is a very narrow target to play for given the very real danger of losers going on the spades if I get to dummy, and also I am unlikely to make a vulnerable double jump overcall with a six cards suit king or queen empty.

♠- ♥KQ9865 ♦A5 ♣T8764 MPs, game all. Partner passes RHO opens 1♦. Your call?

3NT is the bid that stands out to me, and if partner puts down ♠xxx and they cash five off the top, so be it. I'm confident it will be right more often than it's wrong.

Yes, I get better with the BridgeMaster deals the more often I go through them, because hand recognition sets in eventually. The skill is learning the techniques needed to solve BridgeMaster hands and applying them to completely different deals as and when they are required. I wish there was a version of BridgeMaster that could help train defence. No good learning how to be an expert declarer if you only declare three hands in 24 boards, or over a year or two you are defending 70+% of the time.

I can kind of see your point but it all depends on whether the decisions are a complete guess or whether there are subtle inferences to guide declarer towards the correct decision. If the latter, the most skilled at picking up and using the available information will win. In the former, those who are most lucky will win. Swings and roundabouts. There are advantages and disadvantages to both MPs and IMPs. I personally prefer IMPs because I find it irritating all this agonising about whether to play in 3NT or 4M because I have to guess the probability of 3NT making the same number of tricks, and the complete guess of what everyone else in my seat will bid. At IMPs I can more easily judge the most likely safest game and play in that, and take safety plays if necessary to bring it in. The disadvantage of IMPS, especially IMP pairs, is if you are on the wrong end of a huge hand bias and the opponents get most of the big contracts. If they get it right and the field get it wrong, that is 12 imps out which at IMP pairs is almost impossible to get back if on most hands all you can do is pass and follow suit, or frequently lose the part score auction battles. The hand bias is less problematic with teammates as they will have the hands in their favour so also have the opportunity to bring in the big contracts (and if they don't then your team played worse than the opponents and you lose). The advantage of MPs is that all boards are equal weight, so in theory if you get the slam bid against you that no-one else finds, you have more opportunity to get it back with a top on future boards, although in reality, there is more opportunity to get shafted by the opponents doing something different from the field that worked well for them, so I'm not sure the equal weighting benefit is as advantageous as it is made out.

I got suckered with that once. LHO overcalled 2♠ holding all of them and kept bidding them, and we ended up doubling them at the four or five level.

Yes, with six of them, a nearly flat shape and an outside ace. I prefer pre-empts in the first two seats to be fairly sound, and this didn't look like a 3 level pre-empt to me. I like the idea of bidding 3D next time round, which after passing should show a long suit, spade tolerance and some values.

Yes that is more likely to be found, but evidently wasn't this time.

Partner cannot bid 2♠ when the auction is at 3♥ when it comes back round to them.

I led the ♣A. I don't like leading unsupported aces as a rule but hoped partner might have some club length and the right honor card layout existed that her suit could be established, and she had an entry. I was probably up with the fairies with that but couldn't think of anything else to play for. As it happens, a spade lead gives a chance of getting it off if declarer flies up with the ace immediately, but that is almost certainly not going to happen. It almost works but the presence of the ten in dummy kills the defence. The contract as it happens is cold, the full deal: [hv=pc=n&s=sj965hj86532dca73&w=sat84h9dak972ckj9&n=skq3h7dq8643ct652&e=s72hakqt4djt5cq84&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1dp1hp1sp3nppp]399|300[/hv] East claimed at the time I could have got it down with a spade lead, but looking at it now we cannot establish three spade tricks without help from declarer. I posted it here because at the time I wondered what on earth to play partner for to give us a chance of beating it, and wondered what the much better players on here would have done.

Looks like I got this one completely wrong. [hv=pc=n&s=s96hj843d3cat8764&w=skqj743hadq65cj32&n=s852hkq976da72ckq&e=satht52dkjt984c95&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=pp1s2hp3hppp]399|300[/hv] A double partscore swing out. They made nine tricks, and at the other table, East opened 3♦ and passed West's 3♠ response, also making nine tricks (no-one is finding ♦A lead and another). I need to start studying competitive bidding with the aid of a book or two. I get pushed around a lot in the auction and end up leaking MPs and imps as a result.

IMP pairs (again), opps are playing Benj Acol: [hv=pc=n&s=sj965hj86532dca73&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1dp1hp1sp3nppp]133|200[/hv] This is an example of a hand where I had a real problem trying to visualise a hand opposite consistent with the bidding which would give us a chance to get it down. What would your defensive plan be and what do you lead?

Same session as before, IMP pairs, playing Benj Acol weak NT, NS vuln: East ♠AT ♥T52 ♦KJT984 ♣95 As dealer I passed (do you agree?), LHO passes, partner opens 1♠ (could be a four card suit), RHO overcalls 2♥. What do you do?

Undiscussed.

I have decided to quit this monthly competition. IMP pairs with two and a half tables with the cards running the other way is a hideous slog and is not enjoyable. This is around the standard turnout for this event.

I passed thinking this was not quite worth a two level overcall (would have liked a sixth spade with so few HCP). This is what happened: [hv=pc=n&s=sj42hakqjt7d963c7&w=sak983h2dj542c862&n=s765h983daktca543&e=sqth654dq87ckqjt9&d=n&v=n&b=5&a=pp2hp2n(Ogust)p3nppp]399|300[/hv] 6 imps out when partner understandibly failed to find the ♠Q lead which is the only lead to get it down. Other table were in 4♥-1. Again, I wonder if it is me being too passive or have I just been shafted here.

I was South, playing Benj Acol weak NT, IMP pairs: [hv=pc=n&s=s93hakq6d3cqj9653&w=skqt84h987dak72c2&n=s52ht54dq654cakt7&e=saj76hj32djt98c84&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1c1s2c3s4c4sppp]399|300[/hv] We got this two down for -5.5 imps. Two and a half tables so there was only one other score which was 5♣= when West tried cashing the ♦AK. What should I take home from this, if anything?

IMP pairs, 2 1/2 tables, NS vuln: West ♠AK983 ♥2 ♦J542 ♣862 LHO and partner pass, RHO opens a weak 2♥. Your call?

I wouldn't myself but I'm sure one or two of my partners would.

For me personally (I play Acol and 5CM but not 2/1), I won't jump-bid on a new suit unless I have a good 18+ count where game has a fair shot opposite a minimal response. One of my partners, however, has bid 1suit followed by 3new suit on as little as a mediocre 17 HCP earlier this week, and we ended up in 3NT on a combined 23 count. I think some people are scared to open 1D/H/S followed by a new lower ranking suit at the two level with 16-17 HCP in case partner passes with an 8-9 count and they miss a good 3NT. If I am responding with that strength, I will strain to find another bid just in case partner has bid at the two level with not quite a GF hand, ideally I will give them a courtesy raise. The problem is, jump bidding in a new suit at the three level takes up so much space, it can easily shaft a minimal partner in the auction if you don't have the power to tolerate being put into 3NT opposite a 6-7 count.

I thought 3NT would show 1.5 or 2 stops, not a single stop.