PhantomSac

At the time we bid 4H we did not even know if they had a spade fit (or if they would find it, if spades are 3-5 it might not be that clear). That alone is enough to make 4H then 5H a reasonable and logical strategy (saving over 5D even if they bid it seems silly and without a spade fit they may judge to just defend 4H X. Saving over 4S if they have a spade fit is much more attractive.) I would definitely bid 4H and pass fwiw.

Haha the reverse actually happened to me kind of in the reisinger, I was playing in a cuebid and I realized I needed to construct a layout where 620 makes, but on that layout I would go for 700 so I needed to steal a trick (which is pretty easy to do in these situations usually). Anyways I thought for a really long time and later my opponent LOLed at me for grinding this one hard haha. It did not matter as they were only on for 140.

3D, don't understand why this would be a problem. Oh, there are still people who think that a negative X says anything about diamonds so 3D is not a reverse. lol @ them.

I would not be so upset to defend 3H X with the EW hands if I knew them. Don't get me wrong easts X is way too aggressive but w/e, it was an unlucky layout of the opponents cards to have only 4 winners with the AK AK of blacks and the AQ of diamonds.

I play 4D natural in all partnerships that I have agreed "no splinters in off suits" (most) and "no fit jumps except by passed hands or after we open 1major and they overcall 2 major" (most).

I agree with your partner fwiw. Heart is a normal lead on this auction and as such partner should not double with the AK of hearts. A spade is not a normal lead and as such partner should take his chances and double with the spade void (he knows spades don't split and a run to 6N is incredibly unlikely, there is not that much reason to fear the run compared to fear a non spade lead vs 6C). Doubling when you want a heart lead and passing with a spade void does not make a lot of sense because a lot of hands you want a heart lead don't contain the AK of hearts. For instance the AJ of hearts or the HA or the HK etc etc might all be good enough but you can't know that they are and can't always be doubling then. A heart is a normal lead for obvious reasons on this auction, the 1S then 6D bidder is ready for clubs and is frequently void, he probably has good spades and diamonds, so herp derp heart lead. Doubling needs to ask for something unusual, that means a spade ruff. This logically follows since if you pass partner will do what is "normal" most of the time, in this case that means leading a heart.

Way out of order, you need a TIME OUT!

Thanks Diana, I think Csaba did a great job with the questions and we were both a little more ready this time (aka I was not smoking and lying in my bed drunk :P). I think we will make this a semi-regular thing, and I will also try to talk to other people and try and get them to do some interviews with Csaba. Would be cool if he could get a lot of different people imo.

Gut reaction was 3S but I think it's right to show diamonds so put me down for 3D.

This was one of the best moderation decisions in the history of the forums imo. Well done. I think you guys let the lurpoa situation go on for way too long and it almost ruined the forums, now the novice/beginner section was being ruined which is criminal and you guys acted swiftly (enough) and decisively in a fair manner. Single trolls can ruin entire forums, ensuring that does not happen is what the moderators are here for above all else imo.

Haha, it comes with the territory if you do something like put a video up on the interwebz. Maybe in the part 2 I will do a line every 15 minutes :P

It's a formality unless you are in bad standing with your federation (cheating or disciplinary actions etc).

3H all day

pull trumps, AK of diamonds, if RHO has the stiff diamond then ruff a heart, strip clubs, HK pitch a diamond. If LHO has the stiff diamond, HK A ruff, strip clubs play a heart pitch a diamond

You guys would really be disappointed to see the smoking area of major bridge tournaments if you hate smokers. Someone once said to me "I guess I have to smoke cigarettes to be a good bridge player!" I asked why and they said look around, there is Levin, Weinstein, Meckstroth, Helness, Grue, Balicki, etc etc etc right now lol. Anyways yeah its a bad habit and I don't recommend it but surprised anyone cares (I have gotten multiple messages about it on BBO, yes I know it causes cancer and kills people).

It is definitely interesting to play against.

Winning a double elmination event without ever losing seems extra baller. WD.

Given partners actual hand it is clear that my analysis was wrong, the CQ would be a much more valuable card than stiff K of diamonds so if partner can bid this way with their actual hand they can presumably do so with the CQ and DK switched. I think partners bidding was nutso myself but in rare auctions sometimes different people have different expectations on what each person has shown/should do which is probably why no one actually voted for the low diamond lead.

I play feature so that would make this hand pretty easy lol. Without that I guess I'd just start with 3D and see what happens (maybe we get a 3H bid from Kxx on a good day or something, or a 4H splinter, barring that I will bid 4D next and hope to get a 4H cuebid or w/e).

Yes that's true, I was thinking if declarer had Kxxx of diamonds it would cost but it actually would not as we would still get 2 diamonds, 1 ruff, and the SA.

You don't count the spade void as a key? If not, then I think requiring 3 keys on top of a void opposite a partner who has opened and bid 4N as way too much. I mean usually opener for bidding 1C then 4N will have more than 1 key himself lol, I think a void plus 3 aces plus a double fit (which you will presumably have if you have a spade void) is basically a grand slam force. Certainly with the DQ. I would guess frances or whoever bid 5S was planning to drive to 7 already and was just trying to get to the right strain. I only say that to emphasize how wtfbbqamazing our hand is imo (since partner didn't know we were driving to 7) given that partner drove to 7 himself when he even had the option of giving us a vote.

Yeah I am trying to cater to Kxxx. I guess how likely that is depends on how often the 3S bidder would bid 3S with 6-4 instead of 1S (or 2S) w/r. Other less likely possibilities are partner having something like x KQJTx --- KQJxxxx, I am not sure if he would bid this way but it would make some sense, especially the 7H bid (since if partner doesn't hold both the C and H A, obv we are going down but there is some potential disaster of them making esp if they ruff the opening lead). Ofc he might try 7C with this? And it's hard to be dealt 7-5 obviously :P The 4N bid would also be debatable but from his point of view (at the time of the 4N bid) he is off 3 aces so he can't really bid 6H. He might try to bid more tactical with that though. Ofc now we are gaining when declarer has Kxx. You gave an example hand of partner having Ax of spades, if that's the case then giving him 2 ruffs might be bad if the 2nd one is with the SA. I will admit that at the table I doubt I would have the balls to lead a low diamond, in fact I'm sure I wouldn't, it gains so infrequently and is so LOL when it doesn't work, but I do really think it's the right lead. You asked a good question, when does it gain (with the implicit answer of rarely), but I ask when does it lose? Do you really think partner should be able to have a stiff D when we have all the aces and bid this way? (honest question). I am definitely aware that sometimes we think partner should not have something and they do irl though, so like I said I'm sure I would not try this low diamond lead in real life.

It's not even like he might just be playing poker r/w to induce a save, his partner has already announced a spade void and the other 2 suits are bid, a diamond lead will be coming, and someone with the ace of diamonds is not going to save. Not to mention we might be off like, another ace (I would think I would be well within my rights to bid 5S on --- xxxxx KQxx Axxx, that is a fantastic hand opposite a partner who is freely bidding to show either the minors or a *good* 5H bid. I mean a bad 5H bid is usually a pretty good hand, he is still voluntarily bidding at the 5 level opposite a partner who may not even have 4 hearts). That hand is off 2 aces. So it's not hard to imagine being off 1 lol.

I don't understand what you mean. We know he has shown a good 5H bid and that was his intention when he started with 4N. What kind of good 5H bid is x KQJxx x KQJxxx? That looks like a 5H bid to me, it has zero first round controls. But even if you have somehow bid 4N on this (maybe partner has 3 aces and out so it gets us to a slam!), why would you not at least just pass 6S when partner has made a grand slam try? If you need partner to have FOUR first round controls to make 7 I bet if you invite them to bid 7 they will do so even if they don't know whether you have hearts or diamonds. Let's look at it another way, we had a hand that was presumably going to force to 7 after the 4N bid even if it was just the minors. We would bid 5S with a full ACE less than we had probably. So even with an ace more than we might have had, partner who had the options of X (pls don't bid), pass (bid if you'd like) and just bidding a grand, bid a grand himself. It is absolutely inconceivable to me that he has no first round controls (or no relevant ones, the SA is not that useful opposite our already known first round spade control) and chose to just bid 7H himself.