Apollo81

Unless RHO plays the ace, won't LHO always be able to overtake safely? Yes, the question is not what will work best in theory, but what will work best against the average opponent.

I think the best line is to ruff at trick 1 and lead ♣J from dummy. This maximizes the chance that RHO will win (cover or Ace) the club trick, preparing you for the double squeeze. Since the ♦K was led, RHO may well hold ♥K here. Best if you can do this quickly too. Now, if small ♦ was led, the heart finesse should nearly always win, and therefore should be taken to guard against 3-0 trumps.

♠KQJ ♥AQxxx ♦--- ♣Jxxxx ♠A987654 ♥x ♦AJxx ♣x Both vul, imps The auction starts 1♥ (3♦) 3♠, and from there you and partner bid up to 6♠ somehow, with no more opponent bidding. LHO leads ♦K. Plan the play.

What Justin said: with only 3-card support, you're not ready to set trumps yet.

best-of

One of us misread the vulnerablity.... West dealt, we are 4. to speak and N/S are vul... So....you did? I didn't.

What does 4♣ even mean coming from you? Wouldn't you have just bid 3NT or something?

Pass. You'll go down in 5 more often than you will find partner with the perfecta 0-6-5-2 or 0-6-4-3. I'd say if partner doesn't have one of these shapes, he'd have bid more aggressively with any hand that would produce a good slam. I don't think this was obvious.

I would double and hope partner doesn't bid hearts at the 5-level or higher after I correct to clubs. Second choice = blast 5♣.

I would have bid 4♥ on the first one and passed/led a heart on the second one. I find passing pretty scary on the first one, as I think 0(445) is pretty likely.

Can we repost this to the non-natural systems forum?

I'll win the ♣A and lead a diamond out of hand. This allows me to switch from the ruffing line to the establishing spades line (retaining ♣K as entry) depending on what the defense does.

agree

Partner will need 3 strong trumps (I'd say min Axx) or better for this to work. If he lacks that, you will be playing a ridiculous contract.

Apparently the director in charge did not poll anyone, so I guess there would have been merit to an appeal here.

Pass, Michaels, Spades (if necessary) seems like a reasonable way to describe this.

3♥. Since they're at favorable and LHO is a PH, this is unlikely to be doubled, and we have lots of playing strength. Going for a number isn't the only way to lose imps on a board. If partner was a PH and LHO was not, then this is a pass.

2♥. Sometimes, we're allowed to have a maximum.

I'd lead a heart to the ♥Q. This is virtually guaranteed to work if LHO has the Ace, as he won't want to win the trick. Club to ♣K first gives both opponents the chance to figure out what's going on before either has to make the critical play.

Pass. At some point, you are just too light to Stayman and rebid 2NT.

I also use penalty doubles after 1♣ p 1M (anything)

I don't love my rebid options after 1♠. Additionally, I think there is a grey area of strength where hands can be opened either 1x or 2♣, and this hand falls within this area. 2♣ for me.

It's silly to do this with xx in the other major. Less silly with a strong 3-card holding.

I also see no better way to treat this than 22-24 balanced. If I were to open 1-minor, it would be clubs since the auction is less likely to die.

Strongly disagree. If you play a freewheeling style of preempts and you've opened something like x Jxxx x JT9xxxx, your odds in a suit game are better than your odds in 3NT, and you might as well probe for a heart fit on the way to 5♣. I have never opened 3♣ or 3♦ with a 5-card major on the side in my life.