Jinksy

[hv=pc=n&s=sqjt9863h5dk6ck98&w=saha83dqj2caqj532&n=s742h9762dt43ct74&e=sk5hkqjt4da9875c6&d=w&v=b&b=4&a=1c(4%2B)p1h2sdp3d(Stop!%203%5Bdi%5D)p4np5dp6hppp]399|300[/hv] There was quite a bit of context to this hand, but I'll save it til after the initial ruling. E produced the stop card before the 3♦ bid. When W then drove to slam, N/S reserved their rights, and called the director when it made, complaining that the Stop card gave UI suggesting extra strength, and sought an adjustment. How would you have ruled?

Luckily I play EKCB as 15-17 unbalanced.

Because partner might think your 4♣ bid was showing 4 clubs? ;)

Speaking as yet another doubler, I doubt that the thought of playing 4m is much of the draw for many of the doublers here. I'm happy to play in 3♠ doubled if P has a penalty pass, maybe 3N, and come to that, P might have a 5m bid. Playing in 4m (and it being right) is an upside, but I'd still X even if for some reason 4m wasn't a legal call for him.

The opps' passing seems like a tainted gift - it suggests P has some values in clubs. Still, I think I'll KI(relatively)SS, and opt for 5♣ EKCB, planning to bid to the level indicated by our missing keycards, and apologise to P if she turns up with QJxx xxxx Qxx KJx and things go badly in trumps. I don't like it much, but absent developed agreements (and I'm not really sure what those would be), I don't feel like dragging the auction out will tell me much of use. It's going to be very hard to tell P below the five level that I'm interested in her having the QJT of trumps and anything but xxx in diamonds. Wouldn't dream of opening 2♣ on this.

Double for me. I've been repeatedly burned at MPs for undercompeting at the two level.

I'd prob have led a heart on the first hand, though been tempted by a small club. Diamond obv on the second.

I want to vote for 'pass is slightly clearcut'. I'd think about acting, but for all the reasons Mike gave, game is a long way off (and getting doubled in 2N isn't).

You can do better than this.

What is it (1S 3H) normally played as?

Does this mean you don't think much of Swedish responses (or whatever they're called) - 3C as 'any min', where 3HSN show shortage and nonmin?

I think the hand in question (assuming it's the same one I remember) was something along the lines of KQx AKx A QJ9xxx (I'm making up the honours, but roughly that strength and shape), where the bidding began 1♣ 1♠ / ? Rebidding 2♣ has a good chance of getting you passed out, playing in the wrong strain at the wrong level. Even rebidding 3♣ feels too weak, and also wrong on such a suit. Hence 2♥, planning to continue correcting to partner's suit if he keeps trying to raise your suit (since we know if he has 4 hearts, he must have 5 spades)

I have seen the auction 1♦ 2♣ / P from GiB, so I don't put much weight in what it thinks is forcing :P That said, I think there's virtually no such thing as a 100% forcing bid by a limited hand.

The players responding to that poll include Mike Lawrence, so unless he's slumming it this week (admittedly I don't recognise the other names) I would guess they're not club level.

I feel like saccing at NV IMPs is probably more desirable than at MPs. If you're 1 too far off it's usually not a disaster, ditto if both of you were going one down, whereas at MPs either of those could net you a near bottom on pushy sacs. I will probably pass now, but would definitely have bid 5♥ on the round before.

Would you still play 4♠ in such as a sequence as an offer to play at IMPs, or would you treat it as a slam try then?

Small heart stands out to me. P didn't X for a spade, it sounds like they have enough trumps that leading my stiff won't prevent much, and it definitely doesn't sound like a club lead will embarrass them.

'Because I had the false impression that you held a weak 2'?

Fixed :)

Not time to think about the first hand, but on the second I like the A♥ lead. I'm not sure if P's X shows a) a useful void or b) peevishness, but this gives me the chance to find out. He might also have a stiff H on the auction I think, so if he remembers to signal to that effect maybe I can give him a second round ruff, in which case the club Q might be the entry for a second undertrick.

At IMPs I'll bid 5♦ (assuming P could have rebid 3N to show such as AKTxxx KQ QJx Ax). At MPs I'll go with Hamman.

Yeah, I hadn't even noticed the D problem. At the table, W wasn't above cashing his three aces and exiting to start off with, so I didn't have much thinking to do in the play.

I meant looking at the NS hands together.

I would have agreed thoroughly with this until recently, but I've seen some threads where eg Justin advocated making neg X's after 2/1 overcalls on (IIRC, don't remember exact details unfortunately) what looked to me like unremarkable 5 counts. Maybe those were emphasising an unbid major?

MPs, scratch partnership: [hv=pc=n&s=saqj6532h2dqj5ckq&w=sk4hat7653da8cat6&n=s8hk4dkt964c98542&e=st97hqj98d732cj73&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=p1s2hdp4sdppp]399|300[/hv] An ok game at IMPs I suppose, but at MPs we don't want to be in it, esp after W's overcall.