kennye

For those who play 3C as puppet stayman, and 3D as both majors(5-5) GI+, along with 2S as both minors weak or strong, the natural outcrop is for 3H to show a single suited club slam try(7+ winners) and 3S as the same in diamonds. Various responses may ensue, but strength and fit are easily found, and the NT opener gets to play the hand, protecting the strong hand.

Clearly you double and hope partner can bid 4S. If he passes you are probably beating the hand. Now for a serious comment; bid 4S like every other human; you are not on "The Planet of the Apes."

Opening 4S on an 8-5 hand with good spaes and diamnd ac is insanity You can always outbid everybody and you shut out partner on many hnds tht produce sla. I would open a strong 2C before I ould open 4S!

its a blind lead, but i tend to lead short suits because there is more chance to take tricks. Partner could have (H) KQ,AQ,K10,Q10 for it to be right. Diamond lead tends to give up nothing but is not attacking.

If I double now, I can easily lose the heart suit. Majors are almost always the focused suit if possible. 4H makes LHO guess, and I can follow up with double if necessary to show defense also.

Since everybody seems to think 4NT or 5C is right, i will play devil's advocate and make a case for DOUBLE. Just because the opposition has bid 4S does not mean they have judged right. Partner could easily have something like Q10xx- Jxx- Qxxx-xx and 4S will be down two, whicle 5D or 5C might be down one. Partner should realize you are minor suit oriented as he knows as well as you that pased hands do not jmp to game with at least four-card trump holding.

Play LHO for all thre spades and RHO for the club ace. Three rounds trunp, pitch heart on DI king and play club toward king. 7 spades,two diamonds, one club.

Allthough aprtner's 4S was an attempt as ownership, it is not clear who's hand it might be. Partner could easily hold x-A??-KQ????-A? and slam would be laydown. I will bid 4NT as a "last train" hedge to try and describe a short heart, good clubs and 4-card diamonds. Let partner make the last decision.

1) this should deny three spades if playing support rdbl 2) this shows a strong hand but may be "phony" with good long diamonds 3) this COULD be four-card spade raise, bidding around the short club, not conducive to "splinter"; perhaps Kxxx - AQx - AQxxx- x.

If I don't double, I am basically out of the auction. If I overcall 2D I may very well lose the spade suit which is the master suit. If partner bids 2C I can over-rule with 2D. the only thing that really hurts is a jump to 3C in which case I try to smile unconvincingly.