Mosene

Partner did not double - so spade is out. Leading club K is taking a big position. You might want to cut down on a cross-ruff, making a diamond lead right, but I am leading my partners suit - the lowest one .

I don't see the choices. Heart to the ace and return low heart (or run 9 if RHO showed out)

I agree completely with Fred. I grew up playing Spades and Hearts etc... So the idea of taking tricks with high cards, and trump were all well established and were the things that attracted me to bridge. The bidding was secondary - and for me - still is. The play of the cards is what is most fun for me. (maybe my bidding shows it). Bidding is really something of a different skill set (although to bid well you must understand how to play hands). It is about conveying and listening to different information. It is a language. That is not what will attract most people to bridge (I suspect). Although some people on this forum clearly love bridge bidding theory :unsure: .

Double (shows other 2 suits) :lol:

4♥ - again.

I don't hate 2nt, just not too keen on it. Double would be take-out here, right? I think either 3 diamonds or 3 spades is what I would bid. Depends on the time of day.

4h (making 6 - partner turning up with 2 of 3 between K spades, heart A and diamond A)

Passing a reverse like bid of a new suit by a non-passed hand. Maybe that is non-forcing, but it sure doesn't feel non-forcing. Would a double show a 5-4 10 points or so hand?

Other options: J wins, then lead Q, smothering 10 in LHO's hand I am not sure what the odds favor for any of the choices. I kinda like the smothering play - but that is more for the fun of it than an odds decision.

3NT

What is the most likely thing, based on the play so far, that declarer is going to do if we dont split? BTW, I don't know the answer as I can't quite figure out why declarer is sort of abandingi his hand (with maybe only spade ace left). Also - re the endplay, can't we exit in hearts again after getting our 2 winners?

Split.

Pass. (flames begin)

I bid 1♠.

3♣ - must be 100% forcing given the 13 points partner has right?

3♦

3♠

"What would make you think RHO has KJx in hearts and what wouldn't? I mean, what does it depend on?, Would you always play RHO for KJx, no matter the bidding? " I would not always play for KJx. But my thinking on this hand goes something like - we know LHO has 7 clubs and 2 spades. We know RHO has 3 clubs and 3 spades and also the heart K. The odds calculator (a neat little web site) says that the odds of RHO having 3 hearts is about 38% and the odds of 2-2 are about 42%. Pretty close. I think, however, that the odds of RHO having the J are greater than 50% given all the possible 3-1 and 2-2 combinations (ignoring the 4-0's). I think playing it the way I suggest works if they are 2-2 so long as RHO has the heart jack and assumed K. Further, if we assume 3-1 and that RHO definitely has the K (based on the point count so far), then RHO is twice as likely to have the J rather than both of the 2 smaller cards. (or put a different way, LHO will have the J 1/3 of the time and one of the 2 small cards 2/3 of the time). Even if right ( :P ), this is probably not a great or clear explantion - but it is an attempt to explain my thinking.

If the 10 of hearts gets covered by the J - I think I can then: ♣ ruff ♠ruff in hand (remember - I am assuming 3-1 hearts and I think Fred recommeneded that you should generally not change your assumptions mid hand based on the specific cards played by the opponents - sorry Fred if I am off-base on that) ♦A ♦K ♠ either pithing last diamond - in which case I can then finesse the heart king and claim or over-ruff RHO's heart ruff - in which case I ruff the last diamond (i pitched one on the spade K) and can ruff back to my hand. Given that RHO did not show the queen when I played the K of spades, I rate RHO to be 3=3=4=3.

Play ♠ King (no way RHO has AQXX of spades after 3 club bid) ♥10 winning finesse ♥x winning finesse then - assuming 3-1 hearts ♣X - ruff in dummy ♠J ruffing finesse When back in hand pull last heart and play diamond to king. If hearts 4-0 I thing some more after the first finesse

I assumed game force. Partner had: ♠AJ10XX ♥QXX ♦XX ♣AXX so it is not clear if it was intended as game force or not (probably but not clear). Anyway - I had on my optimistic glasses and bid 6 spades. :) I assumed GF with no discussion. It actually has reasonable play if the spade hook wins - alas, it did not. I was mostly interested in what I could expect from that hand (assuming GF) and given that what to bid next.

Based on these responses I really overbid the hand. It is a pick-up partner from BBO - what type of hand is expected here? How long and strong is the spade suit expected to be.

The bidding has gone: 1♦ - Pass - 1♠ - Pass 2♣ - Pass - 3♠ - Pass ??? Your hand is: ♠Q9X ♥-- ♦AKJXX ♣K98XX What do you bid next? And yes, some or many may not like the 2 club bid - but please assume that is the bid you made (I bid it saying to myself - "If I can only get by this round of bidding.")

I admit I had thoughts of 6 clubs. But for sure 5 clubs. I have no interest in 3nt. Partner is bidding to the 3 level with not a peep from me yet - and I have 2 aces, 4 clubs and long hearts indicating partner has really at most 1. I guess 3 hearts is the right next bid - but blasting to 5 clubs works for me too. If I knew partner had 5 clubs I might just blast to 6 - not sure how I can know that though.

Thanks all for the responses. I like the pure squeeze shown by Nige1. I, of course, did play off 2 hearts at trick 2 and 3 and therefore the squeeze, as the cards actually were, was the only chance.