nigel_k

Assuming LHO is sound I am going to guess 5♣ but it could easily be wrong.

With a 3 card limit raise I would nearly always just bid game if partner rebids their suit. A raise to 3 would be more likely based on doubleton support and a hand where NT doesn't look right. Anyway I would pass the given hand based on valuation, not because I don't have a limit raise. Also, I think a range of 8-10 for a constructive raise is too narrow and like to widen it a bit at the bottom hand so many 7 HCP hands qualify. This is probably not one of them but it is close.

It's between 3NT and 4NT. 6NT or Gerber are clearly wrong. At matchpoints I would probably bid 4NT to stay with the field but at IMPs against good opponents I might just bid 3NT. If I have a range enquiry so can invite with 4NT only when partner has a maximum I would do that.

I don't want to play 3NT at matchpoints but it isn't terrible as long as you have an uninformative auction. Anyway if there is blame it must lie with East. If he wanted to investigate and avoid the bad 3NT he could have done so. Instead he decided to risk reaching a poor 3NT in order to keep opponents in the dark as to what to lead. That could have been right but not on this hand.

Raise to 5♠ down one for me too.

I don't know if there is any standard treatment. If 2♣ (or 2♠) created a game force then I think North should rebid 3♣ next to show the fifth club. If North had to bid 3♦ to show extras then I agree with the bidding up to 4NT. At that point North needs to consider the worst case scenario for South, e.g. KQJx Axx KQx QJx. Even that is ok if the ♥K is well placed or they don't lead one. I don't know what South would bid with KQJx AKx KQx xxx but 3♥ doesn't look right as it endplays partner out of 3NT. My feeling is that 6♣ at the end is a better guess than pass.

I think this system is ok. Probably 1♣ 16+ if unbalanced would be better and I would like flexibility to choose not open 1NT with a five card major, especially a weak NT. And you will have to work out the continuations after 1♥/♠ which will not be easy. I would ditch flannery and accept the rebid problem with 4513 - either passing or bidding a 3 card minor. The majors first approach means all of these sequences will be an adventure as responder will be guessing whether to pass or give preference. As long as you're playing a 4-2 sometimes, a 3-3 with a ruffing value won't be much worse. It's definitely more preemptive than 2/1. What about all the hands where you open 1♠ while 2/1 opens 1♣/♦ and the next hand has enough for 1♥ but not 2♥?

This is not a limit raise for me. Opposite an unpassed partner and opponents not having bid my long suit it would be a minimum limit raise. But I have to allow for partner opening light and, though my AQ of spades are two tricks, they won't fit with anything partner has and we won't be able to establish a long spade. If the hand is too good for a jump to 3♥ in our methods and we don't have any other way to show a distributional raise I would just bid 2♥.

North's bidding was ok. It's an overbid to reverse with that hand but not by a lot. If North had ♦J instead of a small one his sequence would be perfect. South's 2NT and especially 3NT were horrible with his weak black suit holdings and partner having 11 red cards. How did he think 3NT would play compared to 4♥, 5♦ or 6♦? The given North hand should not be a surprise. North should definitely pass 3NT playing with any normal South. He has nothing more to say.

A more charitable person would regard North's bidding as a sign of great faith in partner's declarer play. But I'd rather say that if North plays like he bids then it is just as well he is dummy. Eliminating diamonds and exiting with a club (having discarded one) requires trumps 2-2 since you need to ruff two diamonds and still retain a trump for the endplay. Obviously you can change plan if trumps don't break and still try to find the ♥J but the elimination requires diamonds to be played at trick two so you'll be down whenever the ♦K is on the left which is certainly possible. Call this line A and line B is just guessing the location of the ♥J. Let's disregard 4-0 trump breaks because they might have bid and it makes the analysis easier. Also assume you will find the ♥J exactly half the time. If p is the probability that the ♦K is on your right then line A is about 13p/18 because you make on all the 2-2 breaks and half the 3-1 breaks. Line B is 0.5. So you should choose line A if you think p > 0.69.

Agree with mikeh. The main problem is just that South bid too much, starting with 2♠. Even if you routinely open with a balanced 11, that doesn't mean a balanced 9 is a maximum in support of hearts. South could have a shortage or a decent side suit for example so North was entitled to think South might have a suitable hand for slam. South should just bid 2♥ over 2♦ and could then happily and blamelessly cooperate fully if North had a better hand and still wanted to try for slam.

Since the OP referred to LHO as declarer it sounds like the misexplanation happened after the final pass and dummy had been tabled. Probably declarer or dummy should still correct the misexplanation immediately but the law is maybe not 100% clear.

I would probably open 2♣ but I think it's close. After opening 1♦, definitely rebid 3♣ followed by diamonds. Partner should understand you will often not have real clubs when you rebid your original suit next but will know that club honours are useful and major suit honours below the ace are not.

Agree with 4♥ then X. The play problem is hard. Obviously you'll be ok if clubs break, otherwise you can lead spades up twice which is eight tricks and it seems like RHO will be under pressure if only you had a card to throw him in with. If LHO has the club length it would pay to duck a heart before his long club is established. But either way you could go down if LHO has the ♦J. Are you sure we don't have a diamond spot that would help if we end up playing them from hand needing RHO to win?

Either treat it as balanced or just open 1♦. I would never open 2♣ with a 4441 and treat it as unbalanced. With a singleton king, 2♣ then 2NT is fine. With a small singleton I'd open one of a suit even with as much as 23 or 24 HCP.

I might have bid 1NT the first time with South but that is pretty aggressive and pass is fine. I would have raised 2NT to 3 with North and would not normally have a solid suit to bid 3♦. South still has a clear 3NT at the end though as North has shown a very good hand and 3♦ will often fail if 3NT does.

You have my sympathy but not a solution as you have no forcing bids up to and including 4♣. I suppose I would guess 5♣. You could (probably should) play Bart but the same problem would still exist with diamonds instead of clubs.

Agree with gnasher. 2♥ the first time then 3♦, unless the ? is an ace or king, then I cue bid the first time.

4♥ for me too. Surely this is the percentage action even if the worst case scenario is unpleasant.

4♣ on the first. I think there are many normal layouts where we make and they are down only one. Second one 3♠ is plenty as I like partner to bid 2♠ quite aggressively in this situation and I have soft values but still clearly too much to pass. I would seriously consider passing if partner had bid 2♠ non vul.

If playing 2/1 you don't have much extra and the hands fit badly so you should have bid 3NT last time and definitely should not bid on now If playing standard you haven't shown as much and partner has shown a bit more so there is some temptation to move towards slam. The alternative to 3NT should be 3♠ not 3♥ but I still prefer 3NT. As it went you are going to need partner to have quite a lot for his 4♠ bid - something like AKQxxx x Axxx Ax. If partner is void in hearts you might be ok with less, e.g. KQJxxx - Axxx Axx. However the five level is not remotely safe so I would just pass.

You need to be able to overcall 2♦ natural. If you mean that you are hamstrung when the diamonds are too weak to overcall 2♦ and the hand is too weak to overcall 1NT then, yes, I am definitely willing to live with it. If you want to change something, allow a 1NT overcall a point or so lighter. But don't double offshape.

Excellent problem and I bet on the defence. Declarer has to lose the lead twice before drawing trumps, once in clubs and once in diamonds. So the defence will be on play three times. The first two times they should force declarer in hearts. If declarer doesn't retain the ♠5 then a third heart force will leave him unable to reach dummy to draw trumps. If declarer does ruff high twice he will be left with AK5 opposite Q82 in trumps. A trump return now will be fatal because declarer cannot win, ruff something, and still draw trumps. Also the defence must hold up once in clubs, otherwise there will be a high club entry to North.

You can also win the trump return in dummy and ruff four clubs using three diamond ruffs as entries, taking care to cash ♥A before West gets all his hearts away. This requires West to have only three clubs, because he gets to pitch just one club on a diamond before you ruff two clubs with low trumps. After that you are ruffing high. If you discard a heart on a diamond, while West discards a club, then East plays another diamond and West discards another club, you will eventually have to lose a trick to the ♠10 if West started with three clubs only.

You can also play that 2♦ is artifical and game forcing after both 1♣-1♦-1♥ and 1♣-1♥-1♠. Obviously this creates some awkward problems on hands with diamonds, but it is a simple way to deal with all the GF hands and still be able to play 2♣.