xcurt

Well they only have 8 possible tricks in the minors between their hands, so how did they make 10 tricks? Maybe passing wasn't so unreasonable, since we're unlikely to have a game here, and they are vulnerable.

No, at matchpoints it's not irrelevant. Also, I assume we alerted 1♣ so even if they didn't ask, I'm going to assume they know it's not strong artificial and forcing, so what else is left but some kind of prepared minor opening. We're ahead of the field right now if a heart lead is at all possible, because we would be screwed on a high honor out, and if LHO led a heart spot we would probably duck. Now if RHO exits passively with a club dummy is going to get squeezed on the last club. This makes the low spade play at T2 or T3 really awful at matchpoints. I expect that if anyone has 4 diamonds it's going to be LHO (if he has ♦xx, ♣xx(x) he's a favorite to have a natural heart lead on this auction), so I'll play a diamond to the king (not the ace) at T3. Maybe he'll think his partner has the diamond ace instead of whichever major suit ace he really holds and unguard diamonds when I run clubs. Most likely diamonds will also break, but I'd want to know something about the table action and my opponents before deciding what to do at T10. Most likely I'll play LHO to have started with Qxxx, Axx, Jxx, xxx and now they really are squeezed on the last diamond (each opponent needs to keep two spades) so now a heart exit will garner another trick.

ok the first was just a reality check. i had the 2254 hand. lose 18 when they wrapped it +1. AKJx, ATxx, xxxx, x -- xx Kx xx QJTx AKxxx KQTxxxx Ax QTxxxxx, QJxxx, --, x Is partner supposed to do something else?

3H, since I'm going to have to bid it anyway over 2S at these colors.

All hands at XIMPs 1. Both, 4th, xx, xx, AK98x, A8xx 2S-3C-4S-? If you bid 5C it goes 2S-3C-4S-5C 5S-6C-P-P (I assume you pass now) 6S-Dble-P-? 2. None, 1rst, xx, QJTx, xx, AQxxx P-3S-4H-4S ? 3. Favorable (for once), 2nd, x, x, AQT9, AK98xxx P-1C-1H-6S P-? These three hands were back to back to back.

They should have said "punishing partner for his poor 3♣ bid." Once you know partner has 6 or more clubs, you only benefit by leading a club when the clubs are specifically AQxxxx with partner and doubleton king in dummy (plus a few layouts where their clubs are 2-2, they have a 2nd round loser, and the heart lead blows a critical tempo).

On the first, I'll lead the conventional heart lower honor. You really have too many small diamonds to lead a diamond and you're a favorite be getting in first when declarer attacks clubs, in which case avoiding the heart to avoid blowing a trick means your side will probably never attack hearts. On the second, I'll bid 2D, and pass 2NT. Of course, if partner bids something else, we're gin. I'll be shocked if we are making 4C, and I like my chances of taking 8 tricks with this. Both of these seem like fairly standard matchpoint positions.

Two XIMPs hands both unfavorable. 1. In 4th, you acquire QJ32, 74, KT96542, -- P - 1NT - P - 2C Dbl - Rdbl - P - ? 1NT was 15-17. 2. In 3rd, you acquire 5, A9, QJT982, KJ74 1S-P-? You are playing 2/1. If you bid 1NT, you now hear 1S-P-1NT-2H P-3H-? That didn't work so well. What now?

Also 5-1 spades with the long trumps and long spades together as long as the ♠J is stiff. This seems to add up to about 70% assuming trumps are 3-2. Also, both this line and the club finesse line make when the clubs are 4-1 onside as long as spades run.

I had this one recently 1NT* - p - p - x p - p - xx - p p - 2D * weak Is this D + a higher, since partner could have bid 2D over 1NTx with just a bunch of diamonds? Of course he doesn't know the redouble is coming.

1. Is there something other than 2♠? 2. I'd have bid 3C. I'll pass now. I have zero defense but I'm not volunteering for a minus, not the least against unknown unit game opponents who might have no semblence of their bid. Hope partner judges well here. 3. Well I wouldn't -- preferring to stick with the field when in doubt -- but ok. 4. Take and play a club. Ducking is very dangerous at matchpoints.

Partner could easily have the weak NT with all but one of the ♠KJ, ♥KQ, ♦K, ♣QJ (15 HCP total) and you are down at the 5 level. Pass is a no doubt LA. Edit -- I guess I should add that "not pass" is suggested by the hesitation, since that's a requirement for adjusting the score when south continues here.

Well you know the overcaller doesn't have a anything in diamonds so where are their tricks coming from. Also, we know partner has moderate heart length so we should have an easy plan on defense -- kill the dummy, then repeatedly tap in hearts. Also, it's not like if we bid we have any assurance of making anything. Our best suit is probably hearts, and the blockage might work against us in 2NT (or 3NT if partner raises).

I don't see the point in playing two kinds of raises less than limit strength and then also making aggressive limit raises. So I'll CR and it's OK to have a max from time to time. This also lets partner make game tries showing something. Facing diamond shortness, for example, is bad. Heart shortness might not be so bad though. This will also keep us out of thin slams. Also, at IMPs the vulnerability really does matter, please provide it.

I play dummy for the ♥J (is the diagram wrong?)

XIMPs, all, 3rd --. Q98xx, KT976x, xx 1NT-(2S)-? 1NT was 15-17 2S was S + a minor If you bid 2NT lebensohl it will continue 1NT-(2S)-2NT-(3C) P-(3D)-? Curt

God created the natural calls. All the rest is the work of man. Including all these suit quality worries.

You're both culpable. Percent of blame exceeds 100%. S was pretty conservative in the auction too.

I would 5C then dble. LHO a favorite to have red king or kings. Partner probably bidding 5D over 4N and now what. We arent worth a slam force so some chance in wrong strain now. I would bid 4N after 3S-P-4S. All this assumes IMP scoring and opps not playing a big club.

i am not a big upgrader but i would open 2nt on that. agree partners valuation is an issue.

6♥. Switch the the majors and make it favorable and I still wouldn't try 5NT specific kings since we have a heart loser 12/27 of the time (complement of {the 9 cases where partner has the K, plus 3 cases where partner has QJ, Q with J with LHO, J with Q with LHO where RHO has the K, plus the same 3 cases with LHO and RHO switched}). Of course RHO is going to ruff the opening spade lead and LHO will have the missing trumps.

[hv=d=n&v=e&n=sxxxhaxdaqj987ctx&s=saqhkxxxxdxcqjxxx]133|200|Scoring: XIMP 1♦-P-1♥-Dbl 2♦-2♠-Dbl-P 3♦-P-3NT-Dbl AP[/hv] I don't agree with doubling 2♠ but thats what my partner did. Anyway now you would reach 3NT anyway, now you have to make it. T1-♠5-♠3-♠K-♠A T2-♦3-♦2-? As usual, adv/exp please reply hidden.

3 rounds of clubs, declarer has to ruff up and now west unblocks the ♥Q under the other high trump, -1.

1. If I open 4NT and get to 6 or 7 diamonds they will save period. That's going to beat our small slam almost all the time since partner would need to produce 7 tricks on defense (6 if I get to ruff the opening lead in 6♠). Not likely. Also, it will beat our grand slam all the time. Also, they'll know which offsuit not to lead after something like 4NT-5H; 6D-P. Club game equals matchpoint scoring, right? I'll just open 6D, giving up on 7 the one time in three it's there in order to maximize my chances of playing the hand. 2. I would pass after 6D-P-P-something. Doubling or redoubling here shows something like --, Axx, AKxxxxxx, AK. 3. Of course there's going to be a hesitation since at least one of the opponents is void in diamonds and if the other one isn't he's going to hate his diamond holding for defense. So it's not informative to know this will happen. By the way, there might be a tactical reason to bid 4NT, if you think LHO is going to tank-pass it and you're playing in an honest game. RHO might then think he is barred. I'm not sure about the legality of making the second best call deliberately because you think it maximizes the chance of the opponent BIT'ing themselves out of the auction, which is where you want them, and I'd definitely not do that at the table if these thoughts occurred to me at the time. I think it's different from offering up the opportunity for a lead-directing huddle for a lead you actually want -- where you trap the black hats and not the white hats with your action. And this is a rediculously awesome Chinese Poker hand -- straight flush, straight flush, JJQ.

i think this oversimplifies lets assume imp scoring. lets also assume no opponent interference since they already passes a big club auction at the one level. lets examine the conditions where we benefit more by locating a major suit fit relative to locating a minor suit fit. a. our suit is more likely to outrank theirs in a competitive auction. there is big difference here in finding a fit between diamonds and hearts when we could have found a fit in a higher ranking suit. not an issue with them passing. b. majors have a huge edge at mps at the partscore level. assumed imps plus we are in a gf. c. 4M is a much more likely game than 5m. but we have more room in the major suit auction since our safety level, which is a dynamic function of the auction as it progresses, is 4M in a major suit fit auction but 3N in a non fit or minor suit fit auction. if we ask what is the optimal allocation of space over various auctions non fit, major fit, minor fit, given we already fg and no interference, i imagine it would be relatively even over all of those at imps since our primary goal is to capture the game bonus and our secondary goal to safely investigate slams in any strain below the safety level.