MFA

I would rule 5♦X-2. 5♥ is illegal, suggested over 5♦ because of the lack of alert of 3♦. 5♦ is a LA. East would very likely have passed 5♦, still thinking that partner just has diamonds. 5♦ goes down 2 after being forced, even on a spade lead.

How dull! You get a once-in-a-lifetime hand with 13 top tricks and you open 7 instead of something cunning to provoke a double. Of course, this being BBO, opening 7 is the bid that happened to get you doubled afterall. :)

I bid 3♦ for sure. This hand has adequate playing strength for diamonds, so I refuse to be a bean counter. I would not be happy in 2♦. I would be very anxious that partner will take 11 or 12 tricks with hands where he would have expected 2♦ to be in danger before seing dummy. -, Kxx, Axxxx, Axxxx is a decent perfecto slam.

I'm a big believer in the effect of good physical fitness. When Iceland won the Bermuda Bowl the team was on an extensive mountain trek during the weeks before the tournament. Maybe that helped them by improving their stamina. I think I can feel the effect myself too.

I like the format. It's cool that the pairs in contention battle it out face to face eventually. Of course one can't expect all pairs to finish in exact order of bridge skills, but that's the case in any short tournament. In swiss pairs it is not all just a competition in slaughtering the bad pairs the most. Icelandair Open is a nice, annual tournament with this format.

Pass. Partner's double is for takeout, but he should have overcalled 1Red if he had a five card suit.

Hmm too slow. Anyway, I bid 5♦ which is last train with a spade cuebid. I need specifically ♥AQ + ♦A for slam, so if partner signs off in 5♥ I would be pleased.

Claim rejected (♦ lead).

I pass. If partner doubles 3m, it's fine for me. If he passes, I can bid 3♥ then. This is a potential disaster hand for the opposition, if the pass to 2NT is for instance 2-2 in the minors.

I would try 2♥.

Being vul vs not tips it for me - partner needs something to venture 4♠. I try 5♥.

Just choice of small slams.

Most obvious finesse since the fall of the Berlin wall. Having said that it will be no surprise to me when west turns up with ♥Jx, because why should bridge on the forums be any different than that in real life?

I would bid as west but just barely. As east I would sell to 1NT.

1♥. Three or very bad with four. Since partner is 44+ in the majors, 2♣ could be terrible.

West has spades and clubs so he should bid spades and clubs. 1♠ then 3♣ is not forcing in a sensible system. But it shows something, and east could raise to 5.

Then how would you bid 4333 with three small hearts and adequate strength?

The ♠8 lead hints AJT behind dummy. But I don't have a decision yet. I'm forced to use a big one at trick 1, and later I play ♦A+♦. It probably comes down to if I can read the position later and perhaps play for an end play against east.

Wow, I think 3♥ is absolutely clearcut, I'm surprised by the style here.

Yes, also because imo the strong club bidder will often pass the double very aggressively and without trump length on balanced hands. Still, surely doubling 5H with xx hearts and 6-4 primed out is awful once they've bid 5H. South had an easy 6C bid. Does he really expect partner to have much heart length/values? Even something like KJxx x Kxxx Qxxx is a very good slam, and add a little more and its cold. If you pass 5H partner will double with hands like that. South should just acknowledge the fact that the opps will always have 10 hearts here and sometimes 11, and they'll almost always have the high ones, and bid accordingly. I disagree that bidding 6♣ over 5♥ is easy. But it's possible. I'm always wary of trusting opponents' bidding too much when they are favourable. But it depends on who they are.

Right. So what's all the fuzz in this thread? I don't think this is a particular unusual situation.

Huh, where does that come from? Certainly there are hands with a singleton heart that would bid 4♠ over 2♥.

I like 4♥. 3♥ denies spades, at least in the sense that a later 4♠ would show only three. So there is no trump suit set and 4♥ must be flexible. I can bid 3♠ forcing and 4♠ picture bid if I have only spades. I'm nervous that partner might try 4♠ over 4♣, which would end play me since I don't want to play a 4-3. So I bid 4♥ and then 5♣ over 4♠.

We play 4♥ as a perfect 3-suiter over 1♣-3♥. Either 5440 type or 4441 with some extras. These situations shows why. It's very uncomfortable for the strong club opener to introduce a suit at a high level when the double could be any bal or semibal hand. So at the very least we would get to 6♣ for sure. Without that agreement, south should pass 5♥ and north pull to probably 5NT. 5♠ still sounds like a five card suit in spite of the initial double. The second sequence is tough. 5♣ seems normal enough, although it's almost good enough for 4♥. Perhaps south should try 6♣. Would have been better to upgrade to 1♣ in the first place.

Pass of course. Must pass with UI. Very strange to see this a forcing pass situation. It was a 2♥ opening, not a 2♣ opening, right? With normal NF passes, I don't think double from opener here is anything fancy like lightner. Just some good defense to go with our hoped-for values for a vul 5♥ bid.