655321

Wrong, the odds of a 4-1 trump break are completely unaffected by the shape of your own hand.

1) 2♥. This is called giving preference. 2) Double was a truly horrible call. (Edit, OK they did open 1NT in 3rd seat, if you think you need to double in case they are kidding it is not so bad, but it sounds like your opponents aren't the sort who would do that - I would just lead a club.) 3) Pass of course, what else do you suggest - vulnerable, a balanced 14 and partner passed 1♠.

According to http://www.wordcounttool.com/ his last three posts used 2230 words (excluding quotes!) to do just that.

For me double is takeout (not penalty, not cards, not 'convertible values') so 4NT is very clear. Of course it makes little sense to say 'This is a very close decision and my bid is the only right one!' but I don't see anybody saying that. You think the decision is close so naturally you disagree with those who think it is not close. Yes, if a decision truly is very close then in the long run it doesn't matter what you do, but in my opinion when someone says 'doesn't matter, anything could be right', very often one option is actually better than the others, and thinking of it as a coin toss is just a cop out. (Oh, and read JLogic's signature!)

Semi-forcing means opener can pass with a balanced minimum, it doesn't mean he can or should pass with 5413.

5♦ Your partners bid 3♦ here with AKxxx?

Probably eReaders will remember your place - I tried it with Bluefire on the iPad and it works.

2♠, you can bid more spades later on.

2♠, then 3NT over 3♥.

It is a mystery to me why you need a takeout double of spades here. It might have escaped your notice that we are in the passout seat against a 1♦ contract, this is a completely different auction from the one where our RHO opens 1♦ showing spades (when I like to play double as takeout of spades, and 1♠ as natural). Now hoggie, as regards manners and Lolling, it might have occurred to you at some time that bridge is a game where people compete against each other in bridge competitions. A person who never wins bridge competitions might even be considered not to be a successful player. Such a person might be better off using politeness each time he reads an opinion he disagrees with. Indeed, some might think that progressing from being an unsuccessful player to a successful one involves doing some (excuse my language) learning! Alas, just being rude to random people on the internet won't make anyone respect your bridge. Unfair, perhaps, but there it is.

I think I would too... but couldn't it equally mean "bid slam if not losing 2 (lead-directing) clubs"?

Yes, it does. No, the takeout double should be of diamonds.

Except that 3♥ shows four hearts, and you only have three. Normal would be a cuebid to show a strong hand without four hearts.

Put me down for 2NT. If partner has enough to raise to game, he might have the courtesy to put down some diamond stoppers, even a spade stopper wouldn't hurt! (Admittedly the hand is offshape, but I don't think it is understrength, a decent 14 should be plenty for a balancing 2NT)

Are we there yet?

Saw The English Patient once, never again, I have the same opinion of it as Elaine.

Pretty sure everyone agrees with that... Here is hog logic from earlier in the thread: Laughing even louder at JLackofLogic. Read my posts. South had no business bidding 3C. Next time sth will have a hand which only require a C stop and will be playing in 3D.

This hand is just a minimum, and you can't pass a forcing bid just because you have a minimum. The time you might decide to pass a forcing bid is when you have a hand way outside what partner expects. For example, if partner makes a (non-GF) opening bid at the 1 level, you respond with some 5431 yarborough and a singleton in partner's suit, and partner reverses into your 3 card suit ... now I would pass even though the reverse is forcing.

Where is the queen? OK, if the diamond queen is onside, then none of 'A', 'B' or 'H' can be the Queen, so I guess 'V'. But then you made it trickier by telling us that the club queen is offside, so the queen cannot be 'A', 'B' or 'V. Hmm. Then, maybe the 2♦ opener has shown up with 11HCP therefore the Queen is with East. But I am guessing that the known HCP are such that either side could have the Queen, then I would just play for the queen to be with the 4 card holding instead of the 2 card holding, and not try to second guess East's reasons for bidding only to the 3 level in Hearts, but the 4 level in Spades.

5♠. Perhaps 12 tricks are cold - 5 hearts and 7 black suit tricks with only one loser in the minors - even so bidding 5♥ seems like way too much so I just bid the obvious and boring 5♠.

Doesn't seems as though there are many scores between -90 and +50, i.e. there may not be a big difference in matchpoints even when the operation is successful. Anyway, at this vulnerability -90 is not so bad, you beat all the chooks who think they have to bid too much on your hands!

The title of the thread is 'Helping partner', not 'Helping declarer'.

Yes, and probably each of the four players involved can also think of many sequences to avoid 7♦. The thing about bridge though, bad auctions are more likely to occur when two people, each seeing just their own hand, are bidding. When one person looking at both hands creates a bidding sequence, it is amazing how rarely he has a stuffup!

The full hand is here (Board 4). Steve Weinstein is one of the Bridgewinners people, I expect that if you post a comment there to let him know the correct rebid he will appreciate it.

I am definitely leading a heart, the only question is which heart. I dislike a club lead (partner bid clubs in response to our takeout double, no doubt he hoped we had more than 2 clubs, also he is unlikely to have the entries to set up and run the clubs. I also dislike a spade lead (Ace empty 4th is not my idea of an attractive lead). A passive diamond is plausible but I would prefer to try to set up some tricks. I like the Ace lead. It scores a big win against declarer's singleton King, but (with 4 hearts on our left, and probably - no support double - only one or two with declarer) often it doesn't give away more tricks than a low heart. Anyway, leading the Ace instead of a low one is easier to do on the forums than at the table, so I might as well take my chance to lead it here.