dkham

[hv=pc=n&e=s9832hakt864dckt5&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1c1h2dp3d]133|200[/hv] You are playing a Teams Match (in the first round of the Scottish Cup) against expert opponents playing 5 card Majors. You've overcalled 1♥ and now the opponents have reached 3♦. The 2♦ bid from South was natural and forcing for one round and 3♦ was also natural. Do you bid again?

I pass. It's very unlikely your hand has enough for 6♦ to make and you may be beating 5♠ with your ♣Ace and maybe a Diamond trick and a ruff somewhere.

Here's the full deal: [hv=pc=n&s=sjt98hk7dq82cq863&w=s52ht52dkj95cjt95&n=skq6haj643d4cak74&e=sa743hq98dat763c2&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=p1hp1sp2cp3cp3dp3hp3sp3np4sppp]399|300[/hv] West lead the ♠2. As you can see, trumps are 4-2, Clubs are 4-1, and the Heart finesse is offisde (but they are 3-3).

[hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1hp1sp2cp3cp3dp3hp3sp3np4sppp]133|100[/hv] In response to PhilKing, here's the full auction. 3♦ was Fourth Suit Forcing. I think by the end we've both shown our full shape - North has shown exactly 3514 (or maybe has a 5th Club) and South exactly 4234 with a poor Diamond stop. If you play the ♠K on the first trick it does hold.

[hv=pc=n&s=sjt98hk7dq82cq863&n=skq6haj643d4cak74]133|200[/hv] It's IMP scoring and no one is vulnerable. You've made it to 4♠, after no opposition bidding. West leads a trump, the ♠2. What's your plan for ten tricks?

This is a request for help. I'm about to write an article for a Scottish Bridge Magazine, in which South ends up in 3♠. I've not got any double dummy solver, but it looks like 3♠ is unbeatable. Am I right, or is there some sort of sneaky defence that beats it? [hv=pc=n&s=saqt862hd6ct76432&w=s75hkj6dkt752cakj&n=s4ha87532daq83c85&e=skj93hqt94dj94cq9]399|300[/hv]

I'm based in Scotland. At the end of an auction I was on defence, about to make the opening lead. I asked an opponent what his partner's bid meant. Then I asked the bidder himself. I assumed that the bidder would be able to tell me, as they were about to be dummy/declarer so wouldn't be giving any information away. Is this right? Can the declaring side describe their own bids (if asked) before the opening lead? To clarify, here's an example: [hv=d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1cp2nppp]133|100[/hv] Suppose you are West, about to make an opening lead. Can you ask South directly what his bid meant, or can you only ask North about South's bid?

Thanks for the replies. At the table, I did bid 2♠, reasoning that "it's what I would always do". But I see now that's not good enough, and I should have passed. I'm glad to see that there was at least some support for my bid though! Here's the full auction and deal: [hv=pc=n&s=s8hq7653daq972c72&w=sk7652h84dk63cq83&n=saq4hkt9djt854ca6&e=sjt93haj2dckjt954&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=pp1np2dp2hpp2sppp]399|300[/hv] Unsurprisingly to most people here, I found good support with partner, and 2♠ made. On every other table North-South were playing and making part scores in Hearts or Diamonds.

OK here's what happened at the table. I did pass 4♥, and the contract made. I wasn't sure whether to be glad or not, as if I do double and we get to 5♣ or 5♦ it's a good sacrifice. Here's the full auction and deal: [hv=pc=n&s=sjt6542haq985d74c&w=sa3h74dakqt8cat84&n=skhkjt32dj63ckj92&e=sq987h6d952cq7653&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1sd2hp4hppp]399|300[/hv] Notice South's wild 1♠ opening! ggwhiz was right that 'the joker on my right is at LEAST 5-5 in the majors'. He really hit the jackpot with partner's 2♥ reply.

OK so no one likes the initial double - I should have known! But suppose you do double, what do you do next? In answer to Cybereti's question, the 2♥ response was a forcing bid.

This was a bidding problem I faced last night. It was aggregate scoring at a club night in Scotland. You are West with the auction so far: [hv=pc=n&w=sa3h74dakqt8cat84&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1sd2hp4h]133|200[/hv] 1♠ is a five card major. For better or worse, you chose to double on the first round. North's 2♥ is natural, as is the 4♥ bid. What do you bid now, if anything?

This is a dilemma I faced last night. It was aggregate scoring, during a club night in Scotland. You are West with the auction below: [hv=pc=n&w=sk7652h84dk63cq83&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=pp1np2dp2hpp]133|200[/hv] 1NT was 12-14. 2♦ was a transfer, and 2♥ accepted the transfer. Partner had a big pause before passing over 1NT, and a fairly big pause before passing over 2♥. The bidding is now back round to you. You'd like to bid, but can you?

OK got it, thanks for the excellent analysis

Can you talk me through that double-squeeze a bit more? On the penultimate trump East discards a club, declarer a club, and East must discard a club too (else we can setup two Spade tricks). What do we do now? [hv=pc=n&s=skqthdcaq8&w=sj54hdckt9&n=s2hdk7c654&e=sa98hdcj32]399|300[/hv]

Full disclosure - I'm preparing this for a Bridge article elsewhere and want to expose it to some experts first! It's an interesting problem though and I think makes for a good challenge. [hv=pc=n&s=skqtha9dat954caq8&w=sj543hj8765dckt97&n=s2hkt2dkqj876c654&e=sa9876hq43d32cj32]399|300[/hv] The question is, what should West lead (knowing all four hands) against South's contract of 6♦? (If you want to play around with the hand, you can use this utility http://dh2119.webatu.com/bridge/testPlayer.html and click Deal Number 5)

Playing Matchpoints. You are sitting West: [hv=pc=n&w=skq9h875djt5cj862&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1d3c3h5c5hp6hppp]133|200[/hv] The opponents open 1♦, partner pre-empts with 3♣ (showing 6+), you raise this to 5♣ and end up defending 6♥. It's your lead. What do you go for?

So, having read all the posts so far, am I right in thinking: South should basically "bid as if partner had properly alerted her bid", i.e. assume partner knows what he's doing. So if you think an alert partner would bid 3♦ as "pick a major" you should pick a major, and if you think partner could be bidding 4♦ as natural you should pass that. And if the only possible reason partner would bid 4♦ is because they've forgotten the system (and I'd say that is the case here), then you are ethically allowed to try 4♥, but this probably won't help anyway as he might then just bid 5♦ over you. Incidentally 4♦x went seven off for 1700. But for mild compensation, the opponents did have their 3NT game.

Thanks for the replies so far. To give a bit more information, this was in Scotland (where alerting Michaels is required), and the South hand that bid Michaels did not have extreme shape, it was something like: [hv=pc=n&s=sa8652hkj765d93c6]133|100[/hv] (weak, but this was favourable vulnerability).

This is about a bidding disaster, where South bid a 2♦ Michaels, and North didn't didn't realise it was Michaels and kept on bidding Diamonds. None of the players involved was me. [hv=d=e&v=e&b=6&a=1d2d2n3dp3h3n4dppdppp]133|100[/hv] Explanations: 2♦ - meant as Michaels as per partnership agreement, but not alerted. 3♦ - clearly he's got the wrong idea 3♥ - attempt to rescue into Hearts 4♦ - still got wrong idea. South passed out 4♦x, believing it to be the ethical thing to do. So, questions: 1) Is South allowed to realise partner has forgotten Michaels, based on him not alerting 2♦? 2) Is South allowed to realise partner has forgotten Michaels, based on him bidding 3♦ then 4♦, or should she assume he's making some sort of clever forcing bids? 3) In the auction above, is South allowed to correct the contract of 4♦ (and 4♦x)? As you could perhaps guess, 4♦x was not a good contract (and it was aggregate scoring).

Thanks for the votes. Here's what actually happened, comments welcome. [hv=pc=n&s=s7654hdaj53ckjt74&w=sq32hqt54dt94caq5&n=sakha98763dk76c92&e=sjt98hkj2dq82c863&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1hp1sp2hp2np3dppp&p=c6]399|300[/hv] South did reply 1♠, but then couldn't face passing 2♥ so tried 2NT. I was sitting North, and took this as invitational. I accepted the invite, but since we play four card majors I wanted to show my sixth heart and give partner a choice of 3NT and 4♥. Thus I improvised a 3♦ bid, which to my surprise partner passed. 3♦ made exactly, which felt like we'd done well, but was it actually a good result? I should have made ten or even eleven tricks in diamonds. Also I think 2♥ does make, losing just two clubs and three hearts (though other tables showed 2♥-1, so maybe I'm wrong?) Finally 2NT makes easily, and in fact unless the defence lead hearts you'll make at least nine tricks.

Here's what actually happened on the hand. It's a disaster for EW, as North get's away with some very dubious bidding: [hv=pc=n&s=sqj9632hqj7dj2c74&w=sak85h2dqt843ct63&n=shk98654dk97cakq9&e=st74hat3da65cj852&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=2sp3nppp&p=ht]399|300[/hv] I was sitting East, and faced the opening lead problem. I reasoned that North must have a long running minor, so went for a heart lead. I selected the ten for some reason. Declarer won and continued hearts. When I won the A♥ I then switched to diamonds, giving declarer his ninth trick. For further embarrassment (and a top for NS) declarer got a tenth trick at the end too, in clubs or diamonds can't remember which. To beat it I think I need to lead a diamond (four off) or never touch diamonds (one off).

Here's what actually happened on the hand: [hv=pc=n&s=skt84h5dj98743ca8&w=sj7632h7dackj9654&n=s5hkj9842dk62cq73&e=saq9haqt63dqt5ct2&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=1h2ddp2hppp]399|300[/hv] West did choose to double. I was East, and replied to the double with 2♥ (didn't occur to me to bid 2♠). 2♥ played quite well, going just one off despite the bad break. 4♠ looks good on the EW cards but on this layout also goes one off, according to the hand records.

I'm delighted to double. We've an agreement that doubling then bidding a new suit shows about 16-18, and I'm happy enough with the quality of the spades to rebid them next time, even at the three level.

Thanks also MrAce for your comment, but sorry I've shot myself in the foot by posting the wrong hand first time which you've commented on. In the actual hand you don't have those big clubs but just four to the Jack.

Thanks for spotting that gordontd, I'd somehow become distracted while filling in the hand and got the cards wrong - the correct hand is as above! You don't actually have AKQ9 of clubs, but the less inviting J852.