bonxie

Easy 5♥ bid (what do they say about 8 card suits....)

Sure 4♠ can work out badly when partner is off shape with a strong minor and I am not a fan of the extreme heart length but 4♠ just has to be the percentage action.

Any of four games could be right, so just make a forcing but ambiguous as to strength 2♠ bid to show the fifth spade. Partners rebid will clarify the position. If he has a minimum reverse with nothing in the black suits he will rebid 3♦ and you can raise [hv=pc=n&n=s2hak64dak642ck42]133|100[/hv] If he has a double club stopper he will rebid in NT and after a diamond raise will rebid NT [hv=pc=n&n=s2hak64dkqj42caq9&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1dp1sp2hp2sp2np3dp3nppp]133|200[/hv] More rarely he will rebid hearts and you play in that game. [hv=pc=n&n=s2hakj54dkqj542c9]133|100[/hv] And probably most unlikely given your club shortage you can get to spades. [hv=pc=n&n=saj2hkjt4dakj42c9&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1dp1sp2hp2sp4sppp]133|200[/hv] Anytime opener has a better than minimum reverse with plenty of aces you might make slam, but he will know when he has a good hand, concentrate on getting to the right game. Note in all these examples what a great card that Q♥ is, don't stop short of game.

Sweet, but how do you get to 6♣ when dummy has? [hv=pc=n&e=sj64hdqj5ckqt9743]133|100[/hv] or [hv=pc=n&e=sj6h2dqj5ckqt9743]133|100[/hv] Is East meant to bid 6 with any hand including a singleton heart?

It seems completely clear to me that W took 2NT as scrambling / lebensohl rather than natural. If that is the partnership agreement then 100% East. West seems to have bid 3♣ to show his minimum for the bidding so far, after which 4♣ and in particular the pull of 4♥ are just off the planet. Even without the agreement that 2NT is artificial it seems a crazy bid on that empty spade suit. West is, however,not without blame for overbidding his admittedly shapely but aceless hand. Lesson, as always, make firm agreements and don't try anything fancy with a pickup partner.

I would not worry too much about missing game under the stated conditions. (MP Non-vulnerable) On another day partner will have the same hand with the minors reversed , when 9 tricks is the very likely limit. Game is only sound because of the diamond double fit. Credit north for taking away your game tries, if he passes 2♠ its easy. (1♥) - 1♠ - PASS - 2♠ PASS - 3♦ and now partner knows of the double fit and has an easy raise to game.

It seems clear that an immediate splinter makes things easy but as many others have noted that is resulting of the first order, North cannot rule out hearts, so bidding will always start 1♣ - 1♦ 1♥ - Also why is everyone assuming North has the ♣K? Would the bidding not be identical if North's hand was [hv=pc=n&n=shakq6dq874cajt98]133|100[/hv] If you ace ask via Minorwood / 4♥ then there is room for a king ask after 5♦ but there is no such room over Blackwood. So I like TWO4BRIDGES's auction with the addition of a specific king ask before committing to 7♦

Other than eliminate diamonds and play for Ax of spades somewhere there is also this:-

This is interesting. Looking at the two hands together I think game is well below the odds (that heart finesse is significantly less than 50-50 after the opening) Looking at the West hand alone 1) Hands short of one of p's suits and long in the other make a lot of tricks in these auctions but... 2) That diamond suit will only be worth a significant offensive trick on perhaps half the deals or less So I think its really close between an invite and a blast to game. I'd probably bid 4♥ at teams even none vulnerable and invite at pairs. but its also true that 4♥ might technically be a good save against their 3NT [6 clubs , A A K♥] Whether declarer will take the deep club finesse is another matter. As to the play in 4♥, if south turns up with any of the three none heart aces I think I am playing for the drop in hearts

Why? pitch the spade King on the Heart Ace , draw trumps and hook diamonds three times, whats the problem?

Hate the 4♣ bid. Assuming 2NT is natural then this is surely a 3NT bid Speculating on a perfect cards (p weak in hearts) club slam over a pre-empt just seems too much. If 2NT is something else then you need to tell us. As it went; 5♣ now. For me 4♥ is a cue for clubs, which means we have (at least) two losing diamonds. I expect p to be something like AQ AKQx xx Jxxxx at worst he has AQ AQxx Qxx Jxxxx but I think this hand just bids 5!c Most hands that want to bid hearts naturally now should surely have bid 3 or 4 ♥ on the previous round

South 100% and be thankful for your methods. If playing minors as pass and correct then the South hand is an obvious 3♦ bid. Even opposite a weak 55 in clubs and spades the south hand is huge, while it's pretty hopeless opposite spades and diamonds, exactly what a 3♦ bid says North then knows of the genuine club support and relatively short spades (no spade raise) and is off to the races. I think 7♣ will be hard to reach since N will be concerned about the third diamond but 6 should be trivial

The problem here is that you have not consulted partner, everything hinges on how much wasteage he has in clubs. A flat 10 count will give a reasonable slam if no such wasteage is present ♠xx ♥Kxxx ♦AKx ♣xxxx Wheras it might be hopeless is there are a lot of club values ♠xx ♥KQxxx ♦xxx ♣AKx So you need to get partner involved with a 4♣ or 4♦ bid, with the 4♥ bid as specified I think you can only pass. (and if you do bid 4♦ and partner only bids 4♥ then pass is even clearer).

Unless I'm missing something that's wrong Ken. Club K to ace, diamond hook losing to Q Club Q, small club to ten - what now , you must ruff , so say ruff high, cash diamond ace, cross to heart 9 and lead established diamond, North ruffs.... or draw trumps spade to dummy, south cashed spade Ace and long club so I do think declarer need to lead a spade to the 9 at some point ( and probably should given your opening and heart void