655321

2NT. All other bids 0.

Unfavourable at IMPS: don't muck around, just bid game.

Prebalancing, for example a decent 2245 perhaps. Your hand can happily bid 3♣ now.

Obviously South. He had an easy pass, but instead chose to bid. Not only did he choose to bid, but he bid his 3 small. Why? How can partner judge how useful his ♥ cards are?

Pass

No, it's spelt "it", spelt is spelt "spelt", and spelled is spelt "spelled". :) Don't words look funny when you keep reading and re-reading them?

I must admit I have no agreements about these sequences. Is there a danger partner will take 4♦ last round to show a solid ♦ suit? The original auction seems reasonable to me. I like 4NT now. Then partner will have a pretty good idea about your hand, except for the spade void.

To me, this sequence shows quite a weak hand, with 4 or 5 clubs. So (to me), the actual hand is much too good to bid this way.

Dbl: Penalty 2♣: Natural, to play. First chance to bid ♣ 2♦: Natural without discussion, but could have bid 2♦ last turn and didn't.

I mentioned in my first post I would bid the same way on this hand. Although, I notice I spelt 2614 as 2613 :)

No strong feelings either way. I voted for 2♠, but would probably show it as a limit raise some days, depending on vulnerabilty, scoring and pips. Would also have no problem whichever option partner chose. I just reread the question and noticed your stated conditions of sound opening style. Perhaps the limit raise option is better now?

With no methods I rebid 3♥, second choice 3NT. This hand is clearly worth forcing to game.

I don't know what my next bid is because my previous bid was 4♣, not 3♣. Even though 3♣ is forcing (by agreement) it does not tell partner how happy I am with clubs.

South may open 1NT, treating his hand as a balanced 17. South may open 1♦, deciding that with 17 HCP and a 5 card suit, 2542, he is too strong for 1NT, planning to rebid 2NT to show a stronger balanced hand. South may open 1♦, planning to reverse into 2♥ showing a strong hand. All these options are reasonable. But opening 1♦ and rebidding 2♦ is not reasonable. Having said that, with the bad club break on the actual hand you may have got lucky.

Of course passing the West hand is ridiculous, but as you said that is not the point. East has an easy bid when 1NT is passed around to him. The actual bid depends on your methods, but 5/5 in the reds, you would much prefer to play in one of your suits than watch while partner leads your singleton (don't your partners always lead your singleton?) and declarer wraps up 7 or 8 tricks. On the actual hand you are likely cold for game, but that is not why you must bid. You bid because it is likely to save a partscore swing - +110 instead of -120, or similar.

(1) 1♥ (2) I'm sorry, my screen seems to show a 1525 hand, and the question "how would you rate a bid of 4♥?". (3) Probably not. It is marginal, partner is a passed hand which probably gets me to pass.

A pleasure to see a good auction.

♥8

Pretty good. Ignoring diamonds 5-0 (when 3NT might still make with clubs 3-3 but 5D almost certainly won't) You need any of - hearts 4-4 - The hand on lead having the 10 of hearts Why does it matter if the ♥10 is on lead?

No, why does a typical 4♣ bid look like that? A 4♣ bid could be lots of things - an eighth club, for instance. Preempting is just balancing a tightrope. On the one hand, giving the opponents a free run. On the other hand, writing large numbers in the out column. You may reasonably decide that 4♣ lies on the 'writing large numbers' side of the tightrope, and that's fine. I prefer to think they still have room to bid, but so little room they may go wrong. (A 5♣ overcall, on the other hand, means you can write 5♣X on your scoresheet as soon as you have bid, I don't see any other upside.)

(1) 5♥ (2) Pass If 6♣ is making then yes, you want to bid 6♥. But it is not correct that missing a good save is way bigger disaster than taking a phantom. The IMP scale flattens the difference. For example, assume the other table plays in 6♣: (a) 6♣ is cold, and you miss a -300 sacrifice: You have lost 14 IMPS (-500 is 13 IMPs) (b) 6♣ is one down, and you take the -300 phantom: You have lost 9 IMPS (-500 is 12 IMPS) So only if you are pretty confident 6♣ is cold do you want to save. Incidentally on this particular hand, if 6 ♣ is cold you would not be surprised to lose 1 club, 2 diamonds, and at least 2 spades in 6♥, for 800+.

Perhaps he means he has kept records for the past 2 years, and is down 200 IMPs over 50 boards, playing transfers on this auction. And, therefore, he has elected not to transfer on this occasion. :)

5♠ Ask for a ♥ control. I think it would be unlucky to go down in 5♠. If partner has upgraded his hand because of his 3 small ♥ (and ♣ void ?!) we should still be safe. What sort of hands does partner need to open 2♠ in second seat?

4♣ Still 7-4, but a bad hand, so we preempt. 3♣ is not enough with this shape. 5♣ is too much with no tricks. 4♣ is ... just right.

2♣ 7-4, but a decent hand. 5♣ is another possibility, but 11 tricks are still a way away.