kayin801

Oof, that heart void is scary, but with the AK of hearts I would think 3NT would be left in, so I'm gonna (overtake and) try a trump to stop a pointed suit ruff that they might go for. That seems like the only place our tricks are likely to go.

Voted for preemptive raise for both, but intended for 4♠, not 3, for the reasons of the last poster and for common sense.

I agree that a 4♥ bid will work out a lot of the time if opener will pass with the opening hand at their second turn because on the auction opener, with a balanced-ish hand, can't have many spades and so will always have at least 2 hearts and almost all the time 3, otherwise they might have found a bid in a minor or something (with a lot of 22(54)s). However, if partner would make takeout doubles with appropriate balanced mins, then after pass 4♥ won't work because either opener's hand will be worse than this one even with 3 hearts and the game will fail, or partner won't have a fit and 10 tricks could be very hard to come by. After 1NT I think 4♥ is the bid on the auction, no question, since our values might be too slow for 3NT to be successful, especially when partner sometimes only has 1 spade stopper. This is regardless of whether 1NT shows 16-18 or if it shows extras.

I like this question, I haven't really thought of a good way to look for a minor suit slam when it is likely like this, so I want to hear what others do for it.

I like X by opener and I think it's important to do so, this hand is nothing to be ashamed of. We're min but we have a good shape with a lot of controls in the right place and we have an easy rebid (pass, or NT after a cuebid) of whatever partner does. It sucks we only have 3 hearts, but oh well. Is partner really supposed to guess to bid 4♥ with a max 1♦ bid and only a 5 card suit after we pass and N still raises to 3♠? After X its a clear 4♥, we have poor defensive values and it's not like partner is gonna take us for more than we have :( Edit: In case it wasn't clear, P is a reasonable but less preferred alternative, and 1NT and 2D are horrrrrrrrrrrrible

Ideally: 1♣-2♣ (16+; GF, no 5cM unbal) 2♠-3♦ (nat; nat, no fit usually) 4♠-4NT (my hand got worse, lets play safe; actually...) 5♣-5♦ (0/3; Q?) 5NT-6♠ (Yes, plus non-king goodies; be reasonable) Though we might accidentally end up in 7 after 5NT or if opener doesn't rebid 4♠, which is definitely reasonable for us

4♥ and don't think it's close, 3NT is hogging the hand from partner, who might have tried something else with a more balanced hand and who has all the points. 3NT almost always shows a stiff here. I might play 3♠ as 2-way, either asking for a spade stopper for 3NT or as a cue-to-be for hearts over partner's 3NT

Bridge is too hard. Missed this one: Suppose no overruff, then covering the 2nd diamond allows heart, heart, heart ruff (W pitching club), cash diamond A, club K, last trump, and you're home.

So tell us how you plan to beat this contract, assuming AK32 in dummy. Rainer Herrmann On the 3rd spade declarer can't ruff in dummy, otherwise the Q of diamonds will always score. And the timing for a cross-ruff doesn't work out. If declarer ruffs in hand, then W can safely pitch 2 hearts and South can't set up the clubs AND draw trumps without promoting the diamond 7 in the W hand. If declarer ever tries to ruff a heart in dummy he promotes a trump trick for W as well.

How come 6♠ wasn't an option? Partner must have AQx, QJ10xxxx, xx, x, so the bid is obvious IMO. Anything but pass is silly and if your suit requirements are what you say I would pass if they try to penalize us too, our AK of clubs might be useful and partner's AK of hearts will not be.

Yeah, pass, if partner had any reason to suspect we would make game after we freely bid at the 4 level we would have heard something. It sucks but +50 is definitely better than -100 at MP, and when they make for -130 sometimes we are -200 (or doubled)

2♠, but I don't feel too strongly about it over X or 3NT. Partner forgot to X so while he could definitely still hold 4 hearts he is an underdog to do so, so NT, especially with our other opponent to make the lead from his sometimes 5+ heart holding might go down too often. And 2♠ doesn't preclude bidding NT or doubling them later. Also evidently your partners all balance on much better hands than mine do.

If declarer wins a high heart and plays K, A and ruffs a club he/she can always draw trumps ending in dummy via a first round diamond finesse and then gets the club Q and a long club. This will also be the only line if declarer opts to hook a diamond at trick 4. I guess a small heart seems right in retrospect, not sure if this is a better single dummy problem then double dummy. If I had only shown the W and N hands I'm not sure if it would be any different.

We play negative doubles here after our 2♣, and penalty double of a natural 2NT overcall. I've hardly ever run into trouble with this, or at least any more trouble than I would using natural methods. I mostly treat it like 1♣-(2♠)-?. We are also allowed to compete in clubs, and can do so more easily knowing that partner has a 6 bagger, so you should be more willing to do that with a lot of 7-9 point hands with 2-3 clubs and something nice in them. I know that's unsatisfactory at MP sometimes, but I am sooooooooooooooooo much happier knowing partner has real clubs for me. I haven't played a 2♦ opener this way too much, but I would assume that it would operate the same way? Edit: just saw that you mostly deny 4cM with your openings. Whoops. I think what I said holds less weight then :/ I would guess that for negative doubles, you want to ostensibly show 5 hearts or 4 spades, depending on their overcall, and I'd be content with that, and then make 2♣-(2♥)-2♠ constructive 5+ suit NF

[hv=d=e&n=sxxhxxdakxxcaqxxx&w=s9hq10xxdq7xxcj10xx&e=sak8xxxxxhj9xdcxx&s=sqjhakxxdj10986ckx]399|300|(4♠)-P-(P)-4NT (P)-5♦-AP[/hv] Pick-up-and-play game, so no vul or scoring format is decided upon, and bidding is wanky. Trick 1: ♠ 9-x-KING-jack Ttrick 2: ♠ ACE-queen-? How do we get partner to lead a third spade through? Assume that the spots are such that you can signal that you like or dislike any suit. I thought about ♥Q, but you might make the same discard from solid hearts to the Q or something similar, so I'm not sure if there's anything better.

1♦ (limited to 15)-1♥ 1♠-3NT P No. If I were being pushy and really felt my hand was getting a lot better after 1♠, and if I wanted to result after seeing both hands, we have a gadget that might help: 1♦-1♥ 1♠-2♣ (2-way NMF) 2♦ (forced)-2NT (Asking about minor suit length) 3♣ (1 5+ card minor)-3♦ (asks) 3♠ (diamonds)-4♦(slam try in diamonds) 4♥ (RKC, I have a good hand)-5♣ (2, no Q) 6♦ (you asked) - 6NT (the hand should be played from my side and I look NT-ish)

1♦, nothing else fits hanp. worst. practical joke. ever.

1♥ cause it's not like the bidding will stop here and partner will never play us for this kind of hand after X and DEFINITELY not after 2♣. We'll have a chance to show our other suits later most of the time.

This is something I'd switch up based on my opponents between 1♠ (in a good game) and 2♠ (in a club game), never ever ever ever ever ever pass please.

1♦-1♥ 2♣-2♠ 3♥-4♥ P I don't get why 1♣ is a WTP opener, it's a WTP 1♦ opener to me. That having been said, if you're gonna open 1♣, I don't see anything other than a straightforward: 1♣-1♥ 2♣-2♦ 2♥-4♥ P Or 1♣-1♥ 2♥-3♦ 4♦-4♥ P

For extra info for those asking: We do not raise on 3 cards here when we have a 2♣ rebid, which promises at least 4 cards in each minor (and almost always 5-4 either way). The only time we would raise on 3 is if opener held something like a min 3451 or some such where 2♦, 2♥ and 1NT all seem wrong. As a result, the 2♠ bid by opener was mandatory to show 3 card support and 3♠ would only promise a 5 card suit, but would definitely show slam interest since there was no jump to 4♠.

[hv=d=s&v=b&s=s98hkq653dk102ca102]133|100|Scoring: IMP 1♥-(3♦)-P-(3NT)-AP[/hv] Lead?

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=sxxxhxdak9xca98xx&s=sakqjxxha10xdxxcxx]133|200|Scoring: IMP 1♦-1♠ 2♣-2♥* 2♠-3♠ 4♣-4♥ 4♠-P[/hv] 1♦ was a 2+ suit and limited to 15, 2♥ was 4SF, and 3♠ should show slam interest.

I did read his post, maybe I'm just too optimistic with my views on the hands on different auctions, and I was suggesting that.

I don't understand this... opening 1S definitely helps you find spades but how does it help you stop lower? You might even miss game after 1H-1S-2H-p if both people go low, and I don't think you're ever getting to slam. I thought that after S opened 1♠, unless they managed to really turn off North, North might drive to slam. Maybe North being slam interested makes no sense here, though I thought it should at least cross your mind.