7=3=0=3

[hrothgar]

Here's a couple interesting hands from Saturday Afternoons Flight A pairs event which contributed to a less than stellar showing by your's truly.

 

Hand 1

 

Its pairs, red v red.

 

Partner opens 1♥ in first seat and RHO passes

 

You hold

 

[hv=s=skq98543haq9dcq83]133|100|[/hv]

 

and decide to start with a strong jump shift. Partner raises to 3♠.

What's your plan?

 

Hand 2

 

You hold

 

[hv=s=skq98543haq9dcq83]133|100|[/hv]

 

The auction starts

 

1♠ - 1NT (forcing)

3♦ - 4♦

4♥ - 5♣

 

What now?

[Guest Jlall]

1) I would cuebid 4D and if partner bid 4H (showing a club control presumably) I would cuebid 5H and plan on passing a 5S signoff from pard. If partner bid 4S over 4D I would pass obviously.

 

2) I would definitely drive to slam on this auction and cooperate in case we have 7. I would cue 5S and if partner bid 5N I would bid 7D since he must have the HA for that bid given that we have everything else.

[gnasher]

On the 7303, I'd like to be able to bid 3NT, asking partner to cue bid. Then over 4♣ I would bid 5♦, exclusion, driving a slam opposite one key card and checking for ♥K opposite two.

 

There isn't much need for 3NT as anything else. Using it as serious or non-serious isn't very useful when both players already know that we're in the slam zone.

[xcurt]

On the 7303 it's between bashing 6♠ and exploring. Exploring will help them with the lead but I think given they may find the club lead anyway, and we are might make anywhere from 10 to 13 tricks in spades, exploring should be the percentage action.

 

On the other hand, I'll cue 5♠. I don't really see another choice or how this is any worse than bidding 6♦ directly. If partner makes a greedy matchpoint pass I'll discuss it with him later.

[effervesce]

I'm tempted to fake a club cue on the first hand, though 4♦ is the normal bid. The second one I'll just bid 6♦.

[hrothgar]

Here's what actually ended up happening on the first hand

 

I was torn between a couple different plans:

 

Option 1: Take the slow road and cue bid 4♦

Option 2: Bash immediately into 6♠

 

Being a basher at Heart, I chose the 6♠ bid.

 

Regretfully, while there are 13 tricks available, we were off two cashing clubs and LHO chose to lead the Ace and continue a club.

 

Partner (TimG) suggested a third option that I hadn't originally considered: Jump to 5♣ as Exclusion Keycard for Clubs. It might have deterred the Club lead.

 

I was a little annoyed about the zero we got. (Whenever I lead an Ace against that sort of auction they ruff and then score the King of Clubs in dummy)