vuroth

I bid 3♦ at the table. It was only worth 33% of the matchpoints, as none of the E/W pairs made game. Partner was 4432, but only 12HCP. I find I often fail to compete when I should at matchpoints, but the result had me genuinely wondering if I'd overcompensated. Thanks. W

Thanks. I bid 3♦, and was fairly confident about it at the time. Later, it occurred to me that partner is a very good bet to have at least 3 hearts, and will have 4 not an insignificant percentage of the time, and I wondered if game was making often enough to try it. W

As I was reading this, I couldn't help but think that I would apologize to opps if a mechanical error or antipercentage bid came home for me, even though I would understand that such an apology would be unnecessary. After 20 pages of debate, I'd kind of decided that I was alone in this point of view, and being a n00b. Glad to see someone else saying what I was thinking. Thanks, Phil.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sa863hk7432dckj87]133|100|Scoring: MP (1NT*) 2♦ X** 2♠ (P) ? * 1NT is 12-14 ** X is alerted as lead directing. We play Capp over weak 1NT, so 2♦ showed the majors.[/hv] Are we worth a game try? Or is pass 100% clear?

[hv=d=s&v=e&s=s98h7dq865cjt9863]133|100|Scoring: MP P (P) 1♦ X ?[/hv] We were playing inverted minors, which I assumed would still be on over the double. Still, is this a clear 100% pass?

[hv=d=w&v=n&s=s82hk85432d985c82]133|100|Scoring: MP (P) 2NT (P) ?[/hv] Where are we going, if anywhere?

What he said.

Agree. If south is trying to throw a club on a heart, I can't see how we can stop him. If he's trying to throw a spade on a heart, we can stop him.

Is partner really rescuing on a 4333 zero count? If he is, how is 2♠ not making?

I think I'm always bidding ♦ here. Partner should often have 5 ♦s, and even if he's broke ♦s should be a good save. White vs Red I might get frisky.

Declarer gets 3 ♣ tricks either way, so I don't see a reason not to take. I can't envision us getting 5 tricks without a diamond trick, so I'll return the Q♦.

Why were you playing with 14 spades? I wish I knew.

LOL there was a bigger clue than that, though....

Last night I played a hand where I thought exactly along these lines. With a 5-4 spade fit in 6 spades, I tried to think if there was any way I could handle the 5-0 spade split. Somehow, I got 0% of the matchpoints. :)

Is the question how to avoid 2 losers in ♥s? If so, low to the Jack.

Not bad. Partner was [hv=s=st8hakj8dk84cq832]133|100|[/hv] Thanks

[hv=d=n&s=saj632h32datcakj4]133|100|Scoring: MP Opps silent 1♣ 1♠ 1NT 2♦ 2♥ ?[/hv] How should the bidding have gone from here? More generally, how do you make a forcing minor suit bid in this case, or show interest in slam in a minor?

Yeah, that's what I would have said. A bid in their natural bid suit = artificial. A bid in their artifical bid suit = natural.

Three?

6♣ for me. Yes, I rate to lose a black king and a diamond more often than not, but if LHO bids 6♦ I'd like partner to know where I live so he can make an informed decision. Also, 5♦ might very well be making.

Agree with the 4sf idea. If you play 4sf, then the jump in ♦ shows something different than a GF.

..too sexy, but only in your head? (First thing I thought of that rhymed....)

Ahh good point. Makes sense. Thanks for pointing it out.

Does 5431 with 2 aces and an outside queen open 1♦? I kind of doubt it, so I kind of thought the Q♥ had to be with east. If I play the K♥ and RHO exits with a second club, my only thought is that LHO needs to keep his 4th club and RHO needs to keep his 4th diamond, and they both need to guard hearts. Maybe there's a squeeze, but I'm not sure.

[hv=d=e&v=n&s=sq87ht64dacjt7654]133|100|Scoring: MP P P 3♦ X 4♦ ?[/hv] Is double here a diamond stack? A max passed hand willing to play or defend? Or is it takeout in shape, asking partner to pick? At IMPs I'd have no problem with 5♣, but here I can't help but think 4M might score better, especially as partner might be a bit off shape for the double, no?