rogerclee

This is not even close, you play for the drop or Jxxx onside.

This is a very well known hand, the theme is very popular in double dummy problems. It is sort of an elegant solution, just to think about how to unblock the diamonds.

Play back a diamond at trick 2, win any return and cash three hearts. Assuming the hearts don't break, finesse the spade and play for a double squeeze around clubs. By the way, the bidding was bad. South's hand is not good enough to invite, and 4NT is not blackwood, and I'm not sure why you would bid 5NT with the south hand even if 4N was blackwood.

I would just bid 2♦. Bidding more can work, but it is unlikely to get us to a game better than one on a finesse, and it can work out very poorly as well.

Fred, I never meant that reaching 6NT was one of the primary reasons I like 2♣, though it works out well on this hand. I just thought that it was more likely to gain information at a lower level so that I could hear more about partner's hand. Justin, I would agree with you that if I were sure I could tell partner all these things about my hand, I would. However, I'm not sure why the auction should time out this way. Over a 4♠ signoff after partner shows slam interest or a 4♥ cuebid, we can continue to describe our hand at the 5-level, but I think you will agree that partner will not get all the information we wanted him to get. In my opinion it is better to just listen to what partner has to say and try to make an informed guess with this kind of hand. It was actually quite difficult for me to construct a wide variety of hands where my fourth trump is very important to partner, given that I am actually 4333. I found that in fact it is more likely that I want to know what partner's hand looks like, since the play will probably involve ruffing twice in partner's hand when he has a 4-card side suit. I would actually like to see some hands where responding to 2NT will work out better than 2♣ in a style where we usually open 1NT with 15-17 balanced and 5♠. I am not denying that they exist, I would just like to more carefully consider the problems with bidding 2♣ here.

I think you will never get there with anything resembling a normal Jacoby 2N structure, East has to respond 2♣. I initially thought that this was sort of a weird bid, but it seems clearly right to me now to start with 2♣, you will only have small losses when opener bids 2♠ in exchange for generally better auctions if opener can rebid 2 of a red suit. Opener will pattern out as 5413 and still have room to show good hearts, and after that, East can put it in 6NT.

IMPs, All White, Third Seat ♠Q753 ♥T53 ♦QJT5 ♣74 3♣ - (P) - P - (4♦) P - (4♥) - P - (6♥) AP 4♦ was ♦+M (forcing), 4♥ was pass or correct.

3 spades

Pass now, agree with the previous double.

Don't like either double at all.

blackwood

OK... Partner bids 4♦, now what? LOL

I would double.

Kaplan'd I'm probably bidding 3♠ once you add a card.

Good problem, I would pass.

Not sure who you are asking. I just skimmed the thread and your post is the first mention of 5♣ I see. It seems to me that the only incentive to compete is if we think we can bid and make game somehow. If we are never bidding game, I'm not sure why I wouldn't just defend 2♥, it seems like we could very easily beat this.

Make sure you send that memo to clee. nonvulnerable? obviously

Why are we fighting to declare 3m when we can defend 2h? Is 3c really getting us to a good 5c contract enough of the time?

Agree with 2♦, now I pass.

I use a corollary to the law of total tricks: we are generally happy to defend when we have as many trumps as we need tricks to defeat the contract. This means that we need seven hearts to sit for a double on 1♥. Assuming opener's double promises four (I think that's correct), partner needs three hearts to sit for the double. Disagree, opener can and should pass with Hx routinely, we can reduce the hand to NT very quickly by leading trumps.

at imps i would open 7 spades against adam kaplan but 7n against everyone else.

Agree with 4♣, a lot of players get this kind of hand wrong and bid 3NT. 3NT can work, but it seems clear to me that we will make 3N and go down in 5♣ much less often than the other way around (mostly because of spades), and 4♣ will also get us to some slams. I would bid 3NT at matchpoints of course.

LOL

Awesome hand for a 2N invite.

uhhh lol