andy_h

For anyone who plays a balancing 1NT of 1m = 11-14 and a balancing 1NT of 1M = 12-16, what kind of structure(s) do you play over it? For example, if the 1NT balance of 1M shows a wide range of 12-16 and doesn't promise a stopper, can you ask about the range/stopper/4oM(with 4-4oM fit making sure the opener is on lead)?

I can understand the merit but I think a 5431 is pushing it a bit far. Of course if we do do it our singleton will be in the form of an honour but partner may never know where that singleton is to judge if it meshes well with his AJx or not with Qxx. If we are also the type where we would puppet stayman with 4333 or 4432 shape then a 5431 is too much of a stretch.

All the best.

A friend gave me this hand and told me that a few people chose different lines so he would be happy to hear other people's thoughts/guess. [hv=n=skhq82dkqj1062ca109&s=saj10hakj96d4cq643]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv] You're in 6♥ as South and received the lead of the ♦8 (Sorry, don't know the full auction). You play the King and RHO wins with the Ace. RHO then returns a small diamond. You ruff high and West pitches (I don't remember but if it affects your answer then say so). You have 12 tricks but now it comes down to how you handle the trump suit with two possibilities: 1) Play hearts from the top 2) Hook LHO for the heart ten on the first round

Very clear non-pass.

Double, spade, pass.

1C-1S 4C-4H 4C=4card (bal-ish) GF raise, and South should love his hand with AKK and a 5th trump and North has the missing diamond control along with all of the other keycards so the final contract would be 6S after finding out the trump queen is missing. I don't see how South not making a move after a standard 1C-1S-4S.

1S

Not sure but I don't think it's quantitative. What's the rush when we can bid fourth suit forcing first? If partner bids NT I can invite and if partner doesn't then I can always invite with 4NT later. So jdonn gives a plausible explanation.

Pass. I have defensive values everywhere and I'm not certain the opponents actually do have an eight card fit.

Pass

2D and I find this obvious. With so many AK's and a potential 5-3 major fit surely this is worth more than '23 hcp'.

Congratulations! Marvelous finish!

3♦. Sometimes I can have pure hands, sometimes less pure. We are in 3rd at w/r I like to spice things up a little. I don't exactly want to be only pre-empting text book hands.

I'm negative.

How is that auction so bad though? I wouldn't be concerned at all considering that I might have just stole the pot. If the auction ended that way the deck might be evenly split and we could still well be making say if partner has the SA and they lead a spade or partner has the CK and the CA is onside etc. If I go 1 or 2 or 3 off (it seems fathomable to go 3 or 4 off if it goes 4H-all pass as that requires everything to be wrong - we even have the ♦J98) I don't think it would be such a big deal. Aiming at a 9 trick target of 3H= vs. 4H-1 seems to be a small target compared to the gains that I would have if the auction had proceeded in another fashion. One (big) gain that 3H will have over 4H is if LHO overcalls 3NT and that gets murdered. What 4H gains is if LHO judges that it's too dangerous to come in at the 4lvl (but is able to find a X over 3H) and if they do interfere they may be able to find their sac or maybe partner has a good hand and we will have a larger size penalty. 3H also allows LHO to make a 2-suited bid (4m playing NLM, or 4H if not) whereas over a 4H preempt it becomes dangerous to bid or not to bid with a 2 suited hand

"fml"

Except that it is not one with which we take tricks. And bidding that high at these colours I am very concerned about takeing enough tricks. Isn't that the definition of a preempt though? I am hoping for the fact that my good suit + good shape (7420 much much better than 7411 and we even have honours in both of our main suits) that the 4♥ bid will give maximum pressure on my LHO who has to now (try) find their fit from 4♠+ if it is their hand. It's also possible that 4♥ has now prevented the opponents from finding their profitable 4♠ sacrifice. I will feel that I've done my job if the auction proceeds as P-4H-4S-X.

4♥. The spade void is a good feature to have.

Agree that double of 4♠ by East is wishful thinking.

I would pass too. Partner passing over 1♣ is part of my decision.

I'm in for 4♦ as well. Partner knows to allow some leeway for me after a preemption right?

2H

4♠, now 5♠. 5 trumps, an AK, and a void, slam might even be making but that's besides the point. I will take the push in fear that someone might have a void in spades and we can only take 4 tricks vs 5♦X. I really don't think this is a FP situation...we were under pressure to bid. Do we really want to concede a big penalty or defend 5♦X making if partner is forced to X with a weak NT and ♦Qx(x)? I don't think that I need to have this strong of a hand to bid 4♠.

Edit: Location - EBU/Germany Sorry if this has been talked about before but I don't know much about the laws. This is the situation. You're declaring in some contract and towards the end-game you have an A/Q guess as dummy has KJ. But before you lead the x to dummy you have already worked out that your LHO 100% has the queen. You play small and, expecting LHO to play x you call for the J a second before LHO plays a card but after that 1 sec LHO has placed the Q on table and your call of the Jack has been slurred to Jackkk-kIng (without a pause like Jack...no, King). What is the correct ruling in terms of what declarer is allowed to do? Would it make any difference if there was a 1-2sec pause when declarer called for the Jack and then LHO decides to play the Q (from Qx) declarer then announced for the King?