vuroth

So we're trusting the more solid player to overcall vulnerable with 9- HCP? I don't think so. Trying clubs first means I can't handle a 4-0 diamond split (I'm ok with RHO overcalling vunerable with 11 HCP and a diamond void), but I can still handle 3-1 with the king on my left. Frankly, I don't expect either to work, but I don't see harm in combining my chances. ... That said, I have a real problem with the bidding. I realize the field is weakish, but it's hard to fathom the 2♠ bid. Are spades 6-3? 5-4? If clubs go 3-3 and RHO drops a spade and a heart, do I REALLY know that my best line is to throw him in? The closest to a sensible E/W holding I can come up with after WAY too much thought is: [hv=w=s8xxxhxxxxdkxxxcx&e=saj9xxhkqxdcjxxxx]266|100|[/hv] ...and I'm still not sure why West isnt' bidding 3♠.... It's been an instructive hand, and I can certainly see where a squeeze might work. But for me, I really don't think I'd know what to do with RHO's discards, so I'm going to immediately finesse diamonds, and leave clubs untouched in case I need them to return to hand to run a third round through west. V

Very good point, Han. I doubt I would have been able to visualize declarer's perfect hand at the table, though obviously dummy's long clubs are a concern. Again, maybe this problem was too easy for this forum. At the table, my partner (I was North) ducked the first round, with little thought. I wonder what he was thinking when declarer played: - Ace/King of hearts - low heart, ruffed in dummy - king of diamonds - low diamond to the ace in declarer's hand - low diamond, ruffed in dummy Defense collected a diamond, club and 2 spades for down 1. Down 3 was there for the taking, though. V

Only if the 'fewer than three hearts' is exactly two. Otherwise the person with the ace of diamonds holds up once, takes his ace, and then fires a trump back, with one left to ruff those diamonds. I think all this line requires is that trumps are 3-2 (67%?), and that the diamond ace is in the same hand as the longer trump. Any diamond split works. Ergo, this line is 33%? The spade finesse looks like it awfully close to a straight 50% shoot. Naturally, I chose the inferior line at the table, so I'm glad I posted this. The interesting point of the hand, which I guess was too easy for the vocal posters here, was that transportation was an issue. The beginner strategy of just drawing trump MIGHT work against poor defense, but it should NOT work. Sorry, I guess the hand was a little too easy. Back to work for me!

3 passes to west, who opened 1♠ in 4th position.

[hv=d=w&v=e&e=sjxxhxxdkxcqtxxxx&s=sak65hxxxdxxxxcax]266|200|Scoring: IMP In an auction best forgotten, 3 passes to west who opened 1♠. Partner doubled, and opponents ended up in 4♠, which you doubled. Partner surprises you by leading the 9♠, which dummy ducks. What now?[/hv] As always, I apologize if the problem isn't as interesting/useful as I thought it was.

[hv=d=n&v=e&n=s2hkj2dkjt43cqt64&s=saq3haqt95dq52c82]133|200|Scoring: Total Points Bidding is: P P 1♥ P 3♥ P 4♥ all pass[/hv] West leads the 9♦ - 3, 7, Q. Plan the play. As always, I apologize if the problem isn't as interesting/useful as I thought it was.

Play 3 rounds of ♠, ending in hand. If west threw a red card, low diamond, wait for club return. If west threw black cards, case A♣ and exit with a ♣. Maybe an honour will fall, and east will be left with KT♣ in hand facing J7♣ on the board. West only has 4 black cards, and can't protect BOTH a club honor and the red suit holdings. Of course, if east started with more than 5 spades, he'll be able to cash spades if he gets in. V

Good luck to all involved.

I am willing to wager than not only do a vast majority of beginners and intermediates not play LTTC, a majority of them have no idea what LTTC even stands for. Good point. Missed the location of the post. "LTTC" means "Let's try to count?" Even a Monkee can count?

...out of turn... :P I seem to recall from a recent discussion that SAYC doesn't really have a good way to explore minor suit slam after 1NT. Whether or not you're playing SAYC, things would be tough with a sane partner that you understood. If I trusted partner and was buying the beer after the hand, I might try 4♠. I think I'd bid 5 of whatever minor I was having luck with that day. 0.02, and none of this is expert opinion for sure. V

I'm not sure I "get" 6NT. That said, I can't divine a sane explanation for south's bidding. (But what do I know?)

1♣ for me. I'm fairly confident of my answer, though I suspect you're really trying to solicit the opinions of those who know what they're doing. :)

1. If partner had 3 or more hearts, we'd be in 4 hearts. 2a. A lot of my opponents would miss the trump lead, though it IS clearly best. 2b. Because 5530 plays better in trump than notrump. Because partner having 3 clubs isn't unlikely at all, and 4 isn't impossible. Even with a trump lead, I should have a shot at trumping a red loser in dummy. If we'd had a detailed auction end in 3NT, I'd trust partner. Partner's made a guess, and there's a lot about my hand that is better suited to a suited contract that partner does not know about. If I'm wrong, I'd be happy to be enlightened. I'm speaking as a student of the game, not an authority. V

Why? What kind of hand do you think partner has for the 3NT bid? I expect partner is relying on me for 12+ HCP in NT. I also expect that my hand plays 2 tricks better in a suit contract. What do I expect from partner? That they're not broke, they're short in hearts, and have spades well stopped. That still leaves room for a minor suit holding. I expect that 3NT, 4C and 5C could all be the right contracts.

1. You got stuck in dummy with uncashed winners in hand, after the A♦ got knocked out. As an aside, I really don't think I would have sat for 3NT as north.

Which is what makes it so frustrating for 2NT forcing to be in SAYC....

Easy? Playing "SAYC", I bid 4NT, since they've promised 13-15. Playing SAYC with a partner I know, I bid 3NT, since everyone seems to take 2NT as invitational, not GF. V

The SAYC document says 2 things, specifically, about a 2-over-1 response. 1. It is forcing. 2. It promises another bid. So no, the concepts are not synonymous.

Taking 10 tricks can be worth: 150-180 points 400-530 points negative 100-500 points depending on your bidding Taking 12 tricks can be worth: 170-240 points 460-590 points 620-940 points negative 50-200 points again, depending on your bidding. So yeah, the bidding can be fairly important. The reason there's so much literature out there is that it's not just your personal skill in bidding that's key, it's also that you and your partner understand each other. For my money, the biggest difference by far between hearts and bridge is that you have a partner in bridge. Communication, both during bidding and during the play of the cards, is very important. 0.02, and welcome to the game! Edit: watch someone correct my numbers.....

The way I was taught, partner is allowed to give 500 on a 3 level preempt, but no more. Ergo, since we're NV, partner probably needs 4 tricks from me to make 4♥. I don't have it, so I pass. It push comes to shove, I'll take my chances defending, I think. V

I think that's how the paragon of virtue and stability we call Saudi Arabia was created. You know, the birthplace of Wahhabi Islam.

The US contributes less than 50% of the ISAF headcount. Ergo, what exactly would a "step up" contain?

I NEVER get these right, but sac the first round of spades, win second with the ace. This should give me count on the suit. I can handle any 3-2. I can handle south having Kxxx. Anything else, I think I'm up the creek without a poodle.

I have 11 HCP, dummy 10. Partner has turned up with 9HCP (AKQ♣), so declarer must have 10. So declarer has QJ♠ and AQJ♦. Declarer is likely 5440 or 5350. I return the last trump. I don't want declarer to ruff a diamond. Hopefully partner has teh T♦, and we can hold declarer to 2♦ tricks. As for ♥, I can only hope declarer doesn't lead low to the ten....

Ok, so must North bid again, above game to make a slam try? Woudln't 3♦ 3♥ 4♥ show that you were going game regardless of what partner had, and thus that your 3♦ bid was slammish?