rogerclee

3♠ shows good spades but not necessarily solid. One loser opposite small stiff is generally my criterion. 4♥ is a cuebid. 3♠ requests a cue but does not demand one. I would just bid 6♠. I don't see myself stopping below slam, and partner will bid 7♠ on hands like ♠xx ♥AKQxxx ♦Qx ♣Jxx if i go the 4NT->5NT route. Even ♠xx ♥AKQJx ♦Qxx ♣Jxx is not a fantastic grand. If I had a doubleton heart I think this would be a WTP 4NT->5NT.

I think 2NT 100, Pass 90, 2♥ 80, Dbl 10. Kleinman is the director.

If partner bids 3♣ we are unhappy (unless partner actually has a good club suit, in which case he may balance with it anyway). Partner will never pass or bid 2NT. If partner bids 2♥, we have gotten basically nowhere. Not to mention that if partner does bid 3♣, and it is a good contract in a vacuum, it may start with three rounds of spades by the defense. I think it is putting your neck with very few ways to win and a lot of ways to lose.

I thought about this problem when it came out for awhile and thought 2NT was best, but after reading all the comments in the last BW, I think pass is the best call. I liked Jeff Rubens' answer: it is much easier to make up layouts where everyone is already too high than those where both sides can make 2♦ or more. 2NT is tempting, but 2♥ is not to me. 2♥ is much safer than 2NT, but its upside is so much smaller that I think it is a worse call.

Fit-showing. Your partner's interpretation is played by nobody (why not just bid 1♥?). I hate it when people back up their psychotic interpretations of bids as "EXPERT STANDARD."

Pass wtppppppppppppppp.

Double has way more ways to win than pass.

I'll just pass. I like my singleton club.

Every action you have taken is clear, including the pass right now.

I really don't like 1NT. Anyway given the auction pass is obvious.

Another issue is that with my 10 HCP, partner averages to be pretty weak. Thus the passive lead may be more attractive (actually not sure about this at all). For the record I think a club lead is ridiculous, and I think it is awful that anybody in this thread has suggested it as even remotely reasonable at the table. The singleton lead will throw partner off way too often. I also don't want to deal with the psychological issues of leading a club and realizing 3NT is down 1 on a normal heart lead.

I don't think I have ever met an American player who prefers 3♦ forcing. Anyway I am forcing to game and don't think it is close. I am betting that 3NT plays better from partner's side, so I will bid 2♠ in an effort to get him to declare.

In standard bidding, that bid is forcing, although there are many who don't know it. We have been there many times. I said it was NF if you play 2♦ is a catchall forcing response. Do you mean that 2♥ is forcing anyway even if you play this? I don't see the merit.

4♦ looks obvious.

Standard here would be for 2♦ to be natural and forcing. If you are playing that 2♦ is artificial (fairly common) as a sort of NMF bid, then 2♥ by opener is natural and shows 4 hearts. The sequence 1♣ - 1♠ 2♣ - 2♥ is nonforcing (but generally shows constructive values). 1♣ - 1♠ 2♣ - 2♦ 2♥ - ? 2♠ - Game forcing with 6+ spades. 2NT - Natural, invitational (with 5 spades) 3♣ - Natural, game forcing 3♦ - Natural, game forcing 3♥ - Natural, invitational 3♠ - Slam interest, very good spade suit Sorry it is a little confusing that some of these are invitational and some are game forcing. The logic goes that "it is invitational, unless I have somehow excluded that hand type or it should obviously be forcing." The one that is kind of confusing is 3♣ being game forcing (I suppose you could argue 1-round force, but it is definitely forcing).

Neither. Your partner has a 2♣ bid. Just ask for aces after that if you can handle a response of "1" at 5♣ or below.

Stoppers are overrated. Guess i would x then 5♣ on the second though.

I play that 2♣ asks opener to bid a 4 card major to deal with problem hands like this.

Pass. If you never pull a single five-level penalty double in your entire life, you will do better than a lot of people.

I would pass. I don't like to open marginal hands vulnerable. I would not be surprised to find partner over-competing (even 2♥ may be over-competing) for down a lot, and I don't want to encourage partner to bid the usual pushy vulnerable game. How do you feel after 1♥ - 1NT ; 2♣ - P or 1♥ - 1NT ; 2♣ - 2♥?

I agree with mikeh's analysis; this hand is good enough to crowd them, but expects -800 too often to sacrifice, and in no way believes they are obviously making slam. I just wanted to mention that if you are the poster's LHO, it is always a good idea to pause a little bit before bidding, no matter how obvious your call is. Even though this is not a "stop card" situation, you should always take a little while in high-level competitive decisions, so that partner does not receive any unauthorized information about how easy of a call you have.

If my partner has an actual X-then 4♦ call, and I have 4 diamonds, I don't think they're going down. I don't understand this. Partner has such a good hand that you think they are making?

Double, take the money. But I was watching at the time.

What??! Not thrilled? You have 7-8 playing tricks! What more could partner expect for a 3NT bid... This bid has a huge number of ways to lose. 1) Partner doesn't have a heart stopper. 2) Partner has a good hand and drives to slam. 3) A combination of both of the above. 4) Diamonds don't run. So I think pass might be much better. I'm sort of going back and forth between the two, even though I had actually thought about it for awhile before making my first post. Unless you were being sarcastic. Then I lose.

I guess I will bid 3NT, but I'm not thrilled about it.