Apollo81

1. 3♥, invitational 2. 5♦, assuming partner has a singleton spade and believing the Law of Total Tricks 3. 1♠, planning on following up with 3♥ invitational over most continuations

3♥, very ugly, but at least my guess on the next round will not be as bad (I think) as if I had chosen another action now.

4♥, not really close to anything else. Looks like spades are 4-6. I don't know whether I'm rooting for them to sacrifice or not.

Agree with 3♦, and also with pretty much everything Josh said. I'll pass now.

Partner clearly has a pass over 3♣.

I think I would have to pass with the BIT on the actual hand.

Just a guess - it's probably called that because at the time it was invented, 5NT was not considered a forcing bid. The author probably meant "the grand-slam oriented one-round force".

strongly agree

As someone who has played IJOs for a few years, I've observed that one good thing that happens is that responder makes a negative double, and then subsequently goes for a number (usually -2 x'd) when the partnership has a weak 8-card fit and about half the HCP (suits are tending to split badly here, and it is easy for advancer to make a penalty double). I am also convinced that it is best for 2♠ by responder to be a negative free bid over an intermediate 2♥ jump overcall, and that peoples' failure to play this causes some good results for the IJOers. Without going into details or giving an example, I've also noticed that it is a little harder to reach some good 4M contracts for the side that is playing IJOs.

The BIT is really obnoxious. I would always double with this hand and I don't think it's close at all, but I think a sizable number of other players would choose to pass or bid 4♣, which might make it a LA in others' view.

Yeah. If LHO has 1 spade 2 hearts on this line, we have to guess the ♦K to make, I'd probably finesse against LHO if RHO doesn't cover the Q.

Agree. Lose 6 or 7 from not acting is much more likely than going for a number.

♣A, ♠A, spade to ♠J. If both opponents have followed in spades, ♦A and run the ♦J, pitching a club. The contract is cold as one red suit must split well. If LHO shows out on the second spade, three rounds of hearts pitching clubs. If LHO has followed to all hearts, run the ♦Q. If it holds, ruff a heart, cash ♦A, ruff a diamond, and attempt to cash the last heart. RHO must either pitch the ♦K or ruff. If he ruffs, overruff, ruff a diamond, and ruff a club (we've taken 2 high trumps, 4 ruffs, 3 hearts, 2 diamonds, and 1 club). If he pitches the ♦K, just return to hand in trumps and cash diamond winners. My line of play loses if LHO has the ♠Q and at least one other spade, or if spades are 4-1 with LHO having a small singleton, three or more hearts, and the ♦K. I haven't considered what to do if LHO plays the ♠T, ♠Q, or discards under the ♠A. I also haven't yet considered what to do if LHO has fewer than three hearts.

I might have led a club if my minor suits were reversed, but there's no way I'm leading anything but a high heart here. Diamonds is opener's suit. The Standard American lead from KQT9 is the Queen and the Standard American lead from KQTx is the King. If you lead the Queen and partner has the Jack, he will play you for either shortness or KQT9. If he thinks you have the latter, he is supposed to unblock at trick 1.

I would cuebid first and then bid 5NT pick a slam over the expected 5♠ response. If partner happens to bid something other than 5♠ over 5♥, I'm raising it to grand.

4♣ to show partner the nature of your hand. If he bids 4NT over this, I'm done. If he cuebids 4♦, we're getting to at least 6♣.

2♥ will get us more useful information than 3♣ will, even if it gives partner less. If partner bids 2♠ or 2NT we have an easy 3♣ rebid, and if partner does something else then that will be much more descriptive then it would have been over 3♣.

I think 4♥ is pretty ridiculous. I think the hand is barely a 3♥ bid given the conditions.

I don't mind either 3♣ or 3♦ at my first call. I think I would tend to bid 3♣. I don't particularly like any other call.

I'd just pass. If partner bids 4♠ then I'm happy to play there, and if he bids 3♠ then I am happy to bid 4♦, confident that I've shown a worse hand than if I had cuebid directly. If partner doubles I will remove to 3♠.

If I was going for confusion, I would bid 5♦. This will look much less like a psych than any other call. However I would just bid 6♥. 7 is also a possible call, but I will let the psychology of the situation affect me and try for a better score.

I don't really.

Suppose our minors were reversed and partner had opened 1♦. Now it is impossible for partner to have a singleton heart unless he did not bid with 3-1-5-4 shape or the opponents have only seven spades. In the above case I would bid 3♥, and I don't think it's particularly close. I agree with pass on the posted hand and auction.

Missing both aces in the other suits I guarantee he will sign off.

anyone for a 5♦ cuebid? =)