maggieb

Solution: Ignore my posts. Why? Everyone here agrees that this thread is useless. Useless threads clutter up the forum. This is bad for everyone.

1) 4♦, but 3N is fine to me. I don't like double. If partner passes, we are unhappy. Partner will also often just bid 4♣ with a spade stopper, and bidding 4♦ over this is a much worse description of the hand. 2) 4♠ of course.

If we agreed SAYC, and partner really does know how to play SAYC, then I will play all the agreements listed in SAYC. Unfortunately, I think the number of people online claiming to play SAYC who actually follow all the SAYC guidelines is basically zero. I would feel relatively confident that we play: Stayman and Transfers Michaels Cuebid/Unusual 2NT Negative Doubles (in SAYC this is through 2♠, but most will play it higher) Fourth Suit Forcing (to Game) New Minor Forcing Splinters I would assume but not with 100% certainty that: Our jump shifts are strong, but in competition weak 3014 Keycard (unless specifically 1430) Jacoby 2NT Support Doubles (through 2♥) If I sat down with a (real) expert, I would assume a couple additional things.

In my short time on these forums, I have seen a lot of useless posts, but this one is really amazing to me. The fact that it is in the advanced/expert forum is even more amazing to me. I don't know what you are aiming at, but Roger is right, there is nothing remotely curious, advanced, expert, interesting, or anything about this hand. North had an easy 2♣ opener and west had an easy pass of 1♦, but that is about the extent of the interest regarding this hand. If the curiosity was to create the most unanimous thread of all time, then this may do it. First you are trying to construct a hand that passes 2♦ multi and then balances with 3N, then you think there is something cool about this hand. OleBerg, your curiosities have nothing to do with bridge.

I'd go for the simple line and just finesse RHO for the ♥K. Even if hearts are 5-2, I will have a double squeeze.

ArcLight, 3♦ is bad because this hand is worth far more than your typical 16-18. The double-fit in hearts, the extra diamond, and the ♦AKQ make this hand have the playing strength of something like a 21-count at this point.

1) spade 2) 4♥, slam rates to be on a losing finesse if partner can't bid again. 3) 1NT of course. 4) 2♣ of course.

Well done vuroth!

2♥, I think this is clear. If LHO raises I will double back in and be very satisfied with this description of my hand, which seems very likely to occur. I will pay off to a heart stack, which I think people generally overestimate the chance of.

I hate it when my partners think this hard.

Double.

Yes, it seems like south can always take 8 tricks. Either red suit lead will obviously give up at least 8 tricks, and it is also easy to generate an 8th trick on a spade lead. The most interesting variation is a high club lead. South does best to cash his hearts and continually exit in clubs. LHO can exit once with the ♥Q, again with the ♦J or low (doesn't matter), but then east will come under pressure in spades and diamonds. The same will occur if west cashes his club tricks out; since he has only 3 diamonds, and RHO must pitch down to 3 diamonds (must preserve ♠Ax), east must always keep two spades and 3 diamonds. Exiting with a diamond at trick 11 will result in a guaranteed spade trick. Note that if west does not force south to ruff, south can force the same ending by cashing his extra club.

I would bid 2N with the north hand.

and what if West has say 5134 distribution? Ok, then I just run 4 hearts and 3 spades and 2 diamonds and squeeze lefty in the minors. This problem is a fantasy, so I play for the fantastic position. At the table I would obviously play RHO for the ♠K and do this.

♠Jx ♥A ♦A opp ♠Ax ♦Tx Play the heart from dummy, pitch your spade, and west can't keep guards in both suits.

What does this have to do with anything?

OK so let say that K of clubs is doubleton, you will end up on the table in this 3-card ending: on the table Jx spades and high heart (or high club depending what do you cash first) and in your hand Ax of spades and 10 of diamonds, whatever you pitch from your hand on trick 11, West pitches the same behind you, that does not seem to work. hint - winning line does not depend on K of clubs being doubleton I didn't cash the ♦A, only the hearts and clubs.

Being nonvulnerable at matchpoints doesn't even come close to justifying bidding here.

I'm willing to overbid at R/W. Double and then the cheapest number of clubs.

I would bid 2N. Maybe I should've bid that at my first turn.

Play LHO for ♣Kx, so play low to the J and A, dropping his K. Back to hand with the ♣T, and take the diamond finesse. Then run off the winners, and west will be criss-cross squeezed.

1♠ basically promises 5+♠. Just because partner will occasionally bid 1♠ with 4 here does not mean that it should be assumed, it is definitely not the norm.

Why did I bid 3♦? That is awful, what does "4SF" even mean in this context? Is that your default bid for all hands good enough to force to game opposite a game forcing bid? Why is 4♦ kickback for clubs? That is another bad agreement, the set of hands that would bid 4♦ keycard now without having bid 3♣ before is very small. This sort of auction is already hard enough without taking very useful bids and making them completely useless! Anyway I would just bid keycard on the actual hand, but I think these methods are really poor.

Agree with double, 4♥ is just a suggestion to play now, I would do that.

I would win in dummy, play a spade to the Q, and if it holds, I would cash the hearts pitching a club and play the ♣K.