lmilne

[hv=pc=n&s=s8542h73dq83cakq7&w=sahakq54d97654c82&n=s9763h8daktct9654&e=skqjthjt962dj2cj3&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=pp1c1hd4hppp]399|300[/hv] North led the Ace of diamonds, cashed the King, then switched to clubs. South won the Queen and switched to trumps, declarer subsequently taking discards on dummy's spades to make 10 tricks: EW +420. Dummy's 3 of clubs was mixed in with the spades, so the "spades" showing on dummy were KQJT3. Based on this, South believed the second club wouldn't cash (as dummy had played the singleton jack). The environment was a low-skill club game. What do you rule?

I think if dummy had ♥KTx rather than KJx, and the honours were divided, it would be a guard squeeze (some of the time) when East has to discard down to singleton honour, exposing his partner to a finesse.

I gave this hand to Andy Hung (master of squeezes) and he replied: "Ok let's give it a go. I win the ♠Q, then cash the ♦K. I plan to next play ♣A and play a small club to dummy's 9. [They return a spade and we cash a top club.] Here are the subsequent scenarios: If diamonds break 3-2 or 4-1 either way: - If clubs 3-3, or East has five clubs, we're good [club finesse] - If East has 4 clubs, and assuming a spade return to our SA, we then squeeze East out of his heart cards and presumably take a heart finesse when East comes down to 1-1-0-1. - If East has less than 3 clubs, then there's a double sqz with hearts as the suit that will be unguarded. [note: one of gnasher's endings. We never regret cashing the top club, sacrificing a black suit squeeze, as we get to take a heart hook when East keeps all the black cards at the end.] If diamonds break 5=0: - Same as 3-2 diamond break with the finesse If diamonds break 0=5: - If East is 5053 then I have 2+3+4+3=12 - If East is 5152 same as previous - If East is 5251 or 5350, then the 3 rounds of clubs will sqz East out of his hearts, and 3 rounds of hearts will simple sqz him. If in any above scenarios where West wins the 2nd round of clubs and switches to a heart, I will win the HA and play as planned similar to above with my SA as entry back to my hand to play heart to the king when East has to have a top spade and West a top club as part of the 2-card ending. Or something like that." I can't see anything wrong with this.

When I played this hand at the table, I thought I had come up with a 100% strip-squeeze line. Because of the spade pips, if we can come down to ♠A8x in hand opposite a small spade in dummy, no tricks lost, and the lead in dummy with East having ♠KJx, we can play spade and duck when they split. And in the process of running our winners, if East ever comes down to 2 spades (hoping to have a winner to cash at the end) we can duck a spade, establishing our long spade. So, my line of play: unblock the 9 of spades and run 5 rounds of diamonds pitching clubs from hand. At the table, East had a singleton diamond and had to make 4 pitches. In the ending, we have: [hv=pc=n&s=sa84ha8dcak&n=s3hkj9dc963]133|200[/hv] Now we cash the ♥A and the ♣A: if East shows out on either we are 100% (heart finesse or strip-squeeze), while if East follows to both we will cash the ♣K. If East was 2=2 in the rounded suits we play a heart to the dummy and do the spade endplay, if East was 3=1 he has to discard on the top club for the same strip squeeze. The only problem is that we might not know in the ending whether East is 2=2 or 1=3, and if we play a heart to dummy's King and East pitches a spade (holding onto a top club) I think we can go down. We will be 100% double-dummy (we can take the heart finesse when East holds on to 3 clubs) and will usually make it from the discards but it's not completely guaranteed as there will be a guess to East's shape in the ending. But, there is a 100% line I think...

[hv=pc=n&s=saq84ha8dkj3cakt4&n=s93hkj9daq972c963]133|200[/hv] After you open a strong club and partner responds 2♦, RHO overcalled 2♠ (us vulnerable). West leads the ♠10 against your 6NT. There are a few ways to make this - see if you can find a 100% one!

[hv=pc=n&s=skt63hjt87d5cat96&n=s87haq42daj43cj42&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=2c(5+C%2C%20no%204M%2C%2010-15)ppdp3cp3hp4hdppp]266|200[/hv] West leads the king of clubs and East ruffs with the 3♥. East returns the Q♠ and you play the K♠ which wins. Your play!

I like the idea of two-suiters... would that imply that we open a normal 3-bid at the 2-level though? How about 1NT to show a strong balanced hand, something like 16+?

So, I'm on a team going to this crazy goulash tournament in Russia (http://www.nncup.org/page_04_e.htm). I can play cards, but I've never played goulash. I get the feeling that 2/1 with relays isn't gonna cut it with 9-card suits and whatnot. I know there are goulash tournaments on BBO, has anyone come up with a sweet goulash system that we could play over in Moscow?

[hv=pc=n&s=skj9543h84daq5ca6&w=st7hjt765dj832c43&n=sq2hq92dkt64ct985&e=sa86hak3d97ckqj72&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=pp1n(15-17)2d(6+%20major%20suit)2h(**)p2sp2nppp]399|300[/hv] At the table, after the 2♥ bid, East said something like "should I alert that?" to the table (not directed at her partner so much). East also made a comment about 2♥ possibly being a transfer. West didn't say anything. Players of a poor standard all round - the usual club duplicate stuff. As far as can be ascertained, EW do not have an agreement about the 2♥ bid. Can West bid 2NT? What of East's pass of 2NT? Edit: table result was -2 (I believe on a heart lead) for NS +100, beating all the +140s from spade partscores.

...Well, it might get some people thinking about whether we are going to make slam enough of the time to bid it, especially if we chose to jump in our worse-quality suit when we have a bid which rates to get us to the best fit much more of the time (5NT). To make myself clear, I really don't understand 6♦. If you are bidding it to protect your king of hearts, assuming partner has two low hearts, slam doesn't that great regardless... edit: to echo and agree with other posters, even if your partner isn't supposed to be weaker than Kxxx x AKxx KQxx (which I specifically said I was happy to go +620 with), he can have similar strength hands with honors in the wrong location where slam is bad or no play. +620 can win on this board, -100 isn't going to win very often at all.

Yeah, once you realise that the double hook is zero percent it limits your options... I still hadn't decided whether I was going to play simple or try for the trump endplay. Ruffing a club and cashing a top heart then deciding seems to leave your options open unless the club ruff gets knocked off from Hx. What was the layout on the hand? H/Hxxx? edit: if nothing dropped I'd probably just play for the split, going down on trumps 3-2 is way too embarassing, seems like fancy play syndrome

Ah, yeah. Suddenly makes sense now. That would sick to go off when trumps are 3-2...

We can pick up H/Hxxx (2 cases) by playing hearts from the top, and we can pick up x/QJxx (3 cases) by leading low from dummy now and taking the double hook. Both of these simple lines also pick up Hxxx/H. If West has QJxx (3 cases) and a 3433 shape , we can pick up his trumps via a different line that also picks up all the stiff honors but seems to lose to QJxx on our right, and also loses to some 3-2 breaks with split honors. I don't think I can see a line that is definitely better than the double hook (but might be equal).

Pretty gross. I guess the only alternatives are 4NT and 5NT, barring some hero 5/6m bid to protect the Kx of hearts. If we assume we're off the ace of hearts, we need a fairly suitable hand opposite to make slam, and this is ignoring any possibly bad breaks. I wish partner would be able to bid 5NT over our 4NT sometimes, but with him having at most two aces, I don't think this is all that likely. Anyway, I'm just bidding 4NT - I really don't like to guess to bid slam in these situations unless I think it's a fairly decent favourite. I'm obviously paying off to Kxxx x AKxx KQxx and other such completely normal hands for partner to have.

You're right, I forgot to mention it was IMPs. My mistake. I still don't think flying with the ace of clubs is automatic or possibly even correct. Of course, it works on this layout, I understand that.

In response to your edited post: Firstly, ruffing spades in hand doesn't cost against hearts 4-1 - assuming there is no singleton Q or 10, and I don't think many Easts are doubling with xxxx Qxxx QTxx Q, but maybe you have a different opinion. And it is the only play for to get out for -1 after the West ducks the ace of clubs. If West has AKJx x Jxxx Axxx it doesn't really matter how you play, you pretty much always go one off. The way I see it, you can choose to try and establish clubs, and hope that East has doubled on three low hearts and a balanced 4 count, or try and save a trick against the much more likely 5-0 break by reversing the dummy. I actually think our guy played very well up until trick 7. Secondly, I'm not sure ducking the ace of clubs was a clear error by my partner - she couldn't be sure declarer had 6 clubs on this auction, and playing the ace could cost when declarer has JT8xx.

OK, the exercise was in both card-reading and then working out to play a low club rather than the instinctive jack my opponent played. Perhaps it's too easy for people who wandered in from 'Expert-Class Bridge' which is way I posted it to this section. If you can construct an East hand which even remotely resembles a double (and where you can make 4♥) given that West has ♠AK ♦J ♣A minimum I would be interested! edit: oh, and playing for -1 instead of making on non-existent layouts (versus -2) is a pretty common way to win 7 imps

1. Declarer has played perfectly up to this point 2. If you think hearts are 3-2 or 4-1 with a conveniently stiff honour, when you've been doubled by a hand that has no aces or kings, you must play in different company to me! 3. Bringing back -500 will not win the board. Any takers? edit: I wouldn't be posting a play problem where you have to work out what to do having already messed up the hand!

This hand came up at the club today. My client and I were defending, see if you can play it better than our declarer did. [hv=pc=n&s=sthk974da4cjt8754&n=sq865haj62dk98ck3&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1cp1hd2hp3cp4hdppp]266|200[/hv] 1. West leads the ♠A, showing the king, and East plays the ♠2, discouraging. 2. West switches to the ♦3 (attitude), and you win East's queen with the ace. 3. You play a low club to king, and East drops the Queen. 4. You play a spade from dummy, ruffing low. 5. You play a diamond to the king... 6... and ruff another spade low. What now?

[hv=pc=n&s=sak964hkj987dj8ca&n=sj5haq3dkt73ckq84&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1sp2cp2hp2np3hp4cp4s(RKCB)p4np5cp5dp6hppp]266|200[/hv] They lead A♦ after a fairly long pause for thought, you play low from dummy after roughly 10 seconds, RHO plays the 9 in tempo and you (mistakenly?) play the 8. They continue a low diamond at trick 2. On the lead of an ace they play reverse attitude and they rarely play count signals. If it makes much difference, your opponents are reasonably experienced players but not top level.

I would bid 3♥, expecting partner to know roughly what my hand is - agree with PhilKing. By the way, I'm hoping partner bids 3NT which I will pass, but almost all of the time I have seen people bid this way they have turned up with a solid suit that they were going to cash against 3NT. Hopefully they have AKQTxx and partner has Jxxx. Edit: and to all the 4♠ bidders - why? We have playability for every strain except diamonds, and instead we are choosing to bid game in a 4-3 fit that partner will think is a 4-4 fit! We could have a 10-card club fit and end up playing in our 4-3 spade fit. I just don't get it, why not describe our hand now and offer a choice by bidding 4♠ next?

Favourable I usually end up bidding. I'm not sure how good this is opposite a passed hand, but I want partner to lead clubs and possibly interfere with their auction. I would probably pass at nil matchpoints opposite a passed hand but bid otherwise. I think at IMPs I would pass at nil in 2nd seat but it would depend on momentum factors etc.

The danger is that someone will bid 3♥, back to you. This is where I've seen psyches succeed, when one partner thinks that 3♠ must be artificial (as it is the only cue-bid available at the 3-level) and the other one think it's natural, presumably because they're staring at six spades in their hand. As you say, 3♠ must be natural, and the hands that would cue-bid 3♥ simply double again.

I (along with many other top 2/1 pairs) play 2♦ shows 5+ initially and that 3343/2344 with 4♦ responds 2♣. I think that's fairly standard, at least from my experience in my part of the world and a few years of international experience.

Does anyone have experience with 2♠ showing 6 and 2NT/3♣ being transfers? Would this structure work?