Halo

4D. Passing looks completely wrong to me opposite about 8+ points protective. Three spades isn't my style. How I would I feel about 3NT followed by double, running to 4D and a making 4H call from opponents? Not my idea of tactics. I agree that 3NT passed out -5 for -250 is more likely: don't know how I explain that one to partner and team mates either, when they post -400/-420.

3S Nothing stops people bidding these days. I say leave them the option of an average effort (4H) that needn't encourage slam, and doesn't allow a cue bid in our suit below game.

1NT I'm impressed by the argument that you go for least distortion when you haven't got a good bid. To me the points, no singleton, and double spade stop say 1NT. If I pass, I expect to defend one spade undoubled. Could be the right thing to do. I don't have a third choice.

I don't believe partner has void heart and rubbish clubs. He has K10xxxx clubs and a couple of hearts. I don't feel happy about my bidding so far and I will bid 3H now. If it's doubled for -200 on a part score so be it after my earlier efforts, I'd have got to three hearts sooner.

I think Foxx played too many clubs (two instead of one) as I indicated. Is there a problem with my line above?

I voted 4S. If the question was asked again I might well bid 1S. My usual feeling at IMPs is to not give an inch in competition. Here I am pre-competing.

Pass Pass Perfect low risk opportunity to score and pass a message to opponents about the kind of game they are playing in.

Most players don't like having a void for this opening. So I think we want West to be 6124 with no club honour or 6133 with no Queen of diamonds, or 6142 with no Queen of diamonds. The analysis of the club spots is brilliant, and I wish I had the ability to get even close to that over the table. But I think West is a favourite to have two or three clubs rather than 4 so its not working most of the time. Also West with xxxx clubs can always play small on the second round and strongly encourage us to switch back to diamonds. The immediate diamond finesse looks the winner as Free suggested.

Bear in mind opener hasn't got a weak NT. He has 4 hearts and 15 plus high card points, or 5 hearts and 11-n points.

West can have a 4432 strong NT range hand at this point, leaving me -800 in three spades. So I will pass. If the hand is passed back to me in 3H at least I know that the opponents have a 54 fit and surely max 22 points. I would bid 3S and not be too worried at losing the club suit. Worst case it comes back in a preemptive 4H and there is a double game swing. This is a real risk, so I wouldn't criticise anyone who judged to bid 3H/3S immediately.

1H - 2D (1) 2S (2) - 3D (3) 3S (4) - 4H (5) (1) Forcing to 2NT (2) Natural, sound opening (3) Natural good suit, now committed to game (4) 56 majors (5) Or whatever partner judges!

If we play three rounds of spades, West may ruff the Ace of clubs if he is 4450. It looks better to cash Ace of clubs first. If West discards a spade we take three rounds of spades (QKJ) and then play a club to the Queen when we are back on track. If West is 0454, after Queen of spades we can play a club to the queen, spade to the jack and spade towards the AK and I think we are on track again. Edit: if West discards a diamond on queen of spades, we play jack of spades etc.

Partner's pass says he can't see a 13th trick. You can see one. I don't see that the hesitation suggests anything in particular. Bid seven and make your case when they call Director.

1 Transfer and pass 2S 2 Pass 3 3NT 4 Pass

The red suit squeeze still works if East has Kx of hearts and any doubleton diamond. Also works if West has King to five hearts and 4 diamonds. I imagine that declarer went off on (what I think) is the better chance of QJ diamonds onside.

I think there is a good case for adapting carding methods to conserve high cards against slam - and of course to give count where you don't usually. In your example North also needs better club spots than West, to deal with being thrown in.

It is true that opponents can have exactly eight tricks and partner have three solid tricks. But partner usually also needs a lower missing honour to stop oppos establishing a trick by force in the suit you led, and even that only helps half the time when the queen is under the AK. Of course partner may have three fast tricks, but that has to be unlikely on about 7-9 points It feels much more probable that opponents don't have eight quick tricks and have to concede one trick to partner. I would therefore lead small.

Double. I like to make a try for our side to declare when I pick up a decent hand. As others say, it has to be now, next round will be too late. I prefer to keep up the standard of my overcall suits in this situation.

May be difficult to have a meta agreement where it is not yet known that partner has another suit, which suit it is, or how long the suit is. On balance passing does look right here. If you need, say, diamonds breaking 2-2 for twelve tricks, the auction is not very encouraging about good suit breaks. You will just have to say sorry when partner has a red 'picture' (♥KQ9x and ♦AJxxxx and things work.

There will usually be more bidding and Pass is a very good way of describing our values at this stage. If partner is 1651 with game on, then I will say 'sorry partner'.

J hearts, Spade up to the Ace (ducking queen), Ace hearts, Spade up to the King (ducking queen), Spade, Win a club switch, Cash spades (discard a club and a diamond) Queen of hearts hoping to throw in West - for 4 spades, 2 hearts, diamond and two clubs or three clubs and no diamond. Makes if West has King to four hearts, Qx(x) of spades or any 3 spades, doesn't matter where Ace of diamonds is. Makes with some adverse layouts, but Ace of diamonds in East.

Did Inquiry say exactly what I did without attributing it?

Looks like there are more layouts where we gain by discarding in dummy and ruffing in hand. We don't mind West (should have said East! - EDIT) having the 13th spade when clubs break, and we can handle a lot of 3-1 club layouts where an overruff of the 9 of spades would have beaten us. There will still potentially be some interesting decisions to take about finessing the 9 of spades for example, but this feels the right place to start.

Do you seriously think I looked at your blog, or that I would need to - what would be the point? I have a lot of trouble at trick one seeing criss cross squeezes, or more exotic types, but not simple squeezes. At the table it is always more difficult because noone tells you the hand is interesting.

I guess I would just naturally duck the jack of hearts and ten on the heart return and have squeeze possibilities for eleven tricks, as we head into the two card ending. Do you need a full look at what hand to win the first spade switch in, and unblocking in clubs?