Whose hand is this?

[Fluffy]

♠J10xxxx

♥AQJ9xx

♦J

♣-

 

All vul, MPs.

 

 

(pass)-1♠-(double)-2♠

( 3 ♣ )-4♠-( 4 NT )-pass

(pass)-??

[helene_t]

I would pass. Opps can do better than 4NT.

[Cyberyeti]

IDK, but I sure wish I'd bid some hearts instead of 4♠ so partner would lead something sensible if he ended up on lead.

[Fluffy]

IDK, but I sure wish I'd bid some hearts instead of 4♠ so partner would lead something sensible if he ended up on lead.

I hope you forgive me when I wasn't expecting partner to be on lead :(

[Cyberyeti]

I hope you forgive me when I wasn't expecting partner to be on lead :(

Yeah, but it would also help him judge if you were ever going to ask his opinion.

[Fluffy]

I decided to pass, partner had the nuts ♠AQx, ♥Kx, with ♠Kx on my left.

We even managed to score -690 after ♠A+Q lead and bad discarding, but no need to drop overtricks, -630 was a cold bottom already.

[gnasher]

I decided to pass, partner had the nuts ♠AQx, ♥Kx, with ♠Kx on my left.

I think he should take some further action with that. Because he had only one way to raise to 2♠ his bid has a very wide range. With a complete maximum and two trump honours, after he hears you bid 4♠ he should be thinking of 5♠ himself.

 

I think that a double of 4NT shows something like this - a hand that wants to bid 5♠, but giving you a chance to overrule him. The double is usually safe, because it's almost impossible for the opponents to play in 4NTx. On this hand, of course, you'd bid 5♠ opposite his double, to cater for the "almost".

[rmnka447]

Sorry, but with a 6-6 hand, I can't ever envision letting the opponents play 4 NT, especially when partner shows a fit in one of my suits. With only a stiff in the minors and a huge ♥ holding, it seems like the NT bid has to be based on long running minors with a ♠ stop.

 

At this point, I think a 5 ♥ bid stands out. We've already agreed on ♠s, so it must be showing some ♥ holding and a willingness to play 5 ♠. It may also be some help to partner in figuring out what to do if the opponent's carry on to the 6 level

 

Given a choice, I would have started bidding ♥s directly over the 3 ♣ bid, probably with a 4 ♥ choose a major call. (I don't think that a 4 ♥ call could ever be a self splinter in a competitive auction where advancer has made some positive noise. But if I was worried about partner's interpretation of the call, then I'd simply bid 3 ♥ followed later by 4 ♠.)

 

I can appreciate that maybe tactically 4 ♠ was chosen to try to shut out the auction without revealing much.

[MrAce]

IDK, but I sure wish I'd bid some hearts instead of 4♠ so partner would lead something sensible if he ended up on lead, so pd can decide what to do over a very likely 5m or even a 6m bid when we hold 6-6 majors with 1 defensive trick

 

I decided to pass, partner had the nuts ♠AQx, ♥Kx, with ♠Kx on my left.

[Cyberyeti]

IDK, but I sure wish I'd bid some hearts instead of 4♠ so partner would lead something sensible if he ended up on lead, so pd can decide what to do over a very likely 5m or even a 6m bid when we hold 6-6 majors with 1 defensive trick

 

That too of course, but it's really embarrassing when partner leads a spade from Kxx(x), dummy's stiff queen scores and the second heart winner goes away under the ♠ace in 6m.

[jdeegan]

:P 5♠ seems clear, imo, just based on experience. To me, a voluntarily bid 4NT, assuming good players, has an unfortunate history of making or, at least, being a good save for them. If I can safely bid on, it seems right to do so. Also, we must consider can they make 6♣? Let us analyze.

 

The opponents have more high cards than we do. We have a 9+ card ♠ fit. The opponents must have a similar fit in clubs or a double fit in the minors. LOTT analysis suggests lotsa tricks, at least 20 with 21 or 22 more likely. I can count, at a very minimum, 18 trumps plus my void. Given my shortness in the minors, partner may well have a defensive trick in one of the minors which could reduce the count by one (maybe even two).

 

IFL analysis finds our side should have at least 13 working points with an SST factor of one. This suggests 10 tricks for the good guys, at a minimum. If partner has the ♥ king or a stiff ♥ or ♠ AQ, we probably make 5♠. All this is a pretty self-evident result. You really don't need IFL to figure it out.

 

Can the opponents make 6♣? Well, it is surely possible. If we have 10 tricks in spades, and there are 22 total tricks, there it is. 22 total tricks requires either no 'impurities' like a ♣ king offside or some nasty ♦ or ♣ holding in partners hand, OR some extra shortness (like a heart void) in their holding. Against 6♣, I plan to lead the ♥ ace. I think fear of 6♣ has two issues to consider:

1. will they bid it?

2. can they make it?

 

Nothing is sure but death and taxes. It's a bidders game. Faint heart ne'er won fair maid. Egad, I am not even close to running out of aphorisms, so I'm just going to bid 5♠ and have done with it.

[ArtK78]

I am not passing 4NT with 6-6.

 

I would have bid 4♥ at my last opportunity to bid, in case there was any more bidding and also for the lead. I am bidding 5♥ now for the same reasons.

[mikeh]

I wonder whether it is worth worrying about partner being on lead against a diamond contract when RHO bid clubs, LHO hasn't yet bid diamonds, we're void in clubs and we have just bid 4♠?

 

I think Tino nailed it: the reason we (clearly, imo) bid some number of hearts earlier (my vote is a natural 4♥, showing huge shape....he won't assume 6-6 of course, but he will assume 10 and often 11 cards in the majors) is to allow partner some ability to that which we wish all partners to do...something intelligent should the opps compete.

 

And the opps WILL compete if they have a pulse: we opened on our 9 count (a clear opening, don't get me wrong) and partner make a weak raise.

 

Bidding 4♠ was very short-sighted.

[gszes]

do I expect to set 4n on a spade lead (no)

do the opps have slam (very unlikely looking at AQ of hearts plus a bidding partner)

how many do we expect to lose in 5s (after our 5h lead director bid) (I agree with 4s preemptive)

surely -500 at worst. it would seem reasonable that risk vs reward means we bid on so on we go

 

 

 

5h:))))

[jdeegan]

:P Aw c'mon guys. Our poster didn't bid 4♥ earlier because HE was on lead against a club contract. Same would be true against 6♣, unless they have changed the rules. His hand is so unusual, he really can't figure to get partner's help in this auction very often. Bidding hearts, before and now, just helps the opponents by a factor of, maybe, 10 to 1. When you have a 6-6 surprise (with all the interior spots), you SHOULD be alert to mastermind the hand as soon as you have gathered enough information.

 

The opponents? Stick it to 'em.