[jvage]

Neither side vulnerable, first hand
AK7
-
AKJT43
T985

1♦ - (3♠) - 4♥ - (P)
?

Agreements are relatively standard (if you don't put a green card on the tray together with 4NT partner will take it as RKCB ). If it matters, partner is very good and the 3♠-bidder is Geir Helgemo.

[MrAce]

Pd's 4♥ can be made by wide range of hands. 5♦ and pass will be our main focus imo.

I'd pass and tell pd that I am sorry if it is wrong.

[Cyberyeti]

 jvage, on 2015-February-10, 06:50, said:

Agreements are relatively standard (if you don't put a green card on the tray together with 4NT partner will take it as RKCB ). If it matters, partner is very good and the 3♠-bidder is Geir Helgemo.

So If I put 4N and 5♣ on the tray will he get the idea I'm 6-4 ?

Horrible problem, don't know what I'd do, and I certainly wouldn't do it in tempo.

[PhilKing]

I'm going for a slow pass.

[mikeh]

A slow pass is clearly the most accurate description of how we feel about the hand, but has the unfortunate effect of ending the auction in a spot where, in all likelihood, we don't want to play. I'd guess partner will on average hold about 6.5 hearts, which means that on average, we aren't in actual violation of Burn's Law of Total Trump, but on some hands we definitely will be. Indeed, I would think that his most common holding is 6 hearts.

Otoh, it would be very rare for him to be really short in diamonds, given his likely spade shortness. Indeed he may have as many as 4 diamonds, whereas I know I am void in his suit.

I am bidding 5♦ and will strive to be in tempo, almost certainly failing However, in these auctions, in a serious match, everyone at the table will expect me to take a little time no matter what.

How confident am I? Not very. Pass could easily be right on any given hand. FWIW, I don't think a sim helps, because how could one constrain partner's hand?

I am not showing my 2-suiter

[aguahombre]

4♠ means exactly what I want it to mean, this time...pick one of the other three strains. Unfortunately, NOT -- so, I will try the 5♦ disaster; at least it probably won't be misunderstood. I am a big fan of delay-unusual, but 2-things wrong with it -- I will get a RKC response, and I don't have a Club suit.

[gszes]

5d

Willing to expend an extra level in order to keep strain and slam
alive. P range for 4h is so huge that 4h can be anything from last
makeable spot to really ick with diamonds making slam. I feel the
% chance of it being the last makeable spot are so low that pass looks
like a poor choice. Dia suit is pretty darn good so no strong concern
about opps deciding to x.

[Dinarius]

 gszes, on 2015-February-10, 12:09, said:

5d

Willing to expend an extra level in order to keep strain and slam
alive. P range for 4h is so huge that 4h can be anything from last
makeable spot to really ick with diamonds making slam. I feel the
% chance of it being the last makeable spot are so low that pass looks
like a poor choice. Dia suit is pretty darn good so no strong concern
about opps deciding to x.

I'm bidding 5D. If the diamonds are wrong, they're almost certainly under me with South, not over me with the 3S bidder.

On the probable (assuming I'm left in 5D) lead of the Spade queen, I may concede a spade ruff to South and a couple of clubs for one or two off.

But, still worth being in 5D rather than 4H, IMHO.

D.

[Fluffy]

If they asked me what a 5♦ bid looked like it would be very close to this one.

[dave_beer]

Pass.

If partner has a good hand that could tolerate alternative contracts he could have made an imperfect negative double. On the other hand if just has lots and lots of ♥ he had no choice. I have 4 tricks for him; he may have none for me.

[Free]

5NT pick a slam anyone?

[mikeh]

 Free, on 2015-February-11, 09:57, said:

5NT pick a slam anyone?

I would truly hope not

[zillahandp]

Pass first choice , five ds secon , five clubs third

[Dinarius]

 zillahandp, on 2015-February-11, 10:36, said:

Pass first choice , five ds secon , five clubs third

You know with reasonable certainty that partner has 7+ Hearts.

All he knows is that you have 4+ Diamonds.

To give him the choice of Diamonds or Clubs (by bidding 5C) when he may have the gold that is Q,x in diamonds and only x,x,x in Clubs, and thereby leaving you in 5 Clubs, would never occur to me.

I stand by 5 Diamonds, then Pass by some margin.

I wouldn't dream of bidding 5 Clubs.

I hope I'm right!

D.

[jvage]

I definitely made bigger mistakes during the weekend, but this was one of the most costly. My choice also cost the match, although that is not so important with the actual series-format. We came 5 out of 12, our opponents in this match won the event, congratulations to Geir Helgemo, Christer Kristoffersen, Espen Lindqvist, Boye Brogeland, Erik Sælensminde and Rune Hauge!

At the table I bid 5♦, at the other table they passed after the same bidding. Partner had x, AKQ9x, Qxx, KJxx and 5♦ was 1 down after a singleton clublead (3 clublosers), hearts were 4-4 and in 4♥ there was 11 tricks. RHO had to lead the ♣A and another to hold it to 10. At the table I thought it was close, but was afraid of too many heartlosers (4 or more in hearts and the minors combined) and was dreaming about slam if parter got the perfect hand. He would for example probably raise to slam with the same hand with the A instead of KJ in clubs, which would be excellent, normally making 13 tricks, while 4♥ could go down after a clublead.

Afterwards partner regretted not doubling, allowing me to bid 3NT, but I find his 4♥ OK and would probably bid the same (this is partly a matter of style). The reason I afterwards thought bidding 5♦ was a mistake is that the 4 relatively small clubs may too often give you problems in 5♦ and your third spade may also be a problem, RHO wil often be able to overruff partner. Even if they have no clubruff you will often need good hearts by partner to get rid of enough losers. And if his hearts are good 4♥ is normally a good contract.

[masonbarge]

Have we not all been there/done that?

You bid 5♦. Partner now bids 5♥ and you can just feel the glassy-eyed "if I am down one there will be hell to pay" glare.

If you need to shoot, 4♠. Otherwise, pass.

[mikeh]

 jvage, on 2015-February-11, 12:03, said:

I definitely made bigger mistakes during the weekend, but this was one of the most costly. My choice also cost the match, although that is not so important with the actual series-format. We came 5 out of 12, our opponents in this match won the event, congratulations to Geir Helgemo, Christer Kristoffersen, Espen Lindqvist, Boye Brogeland, Erik Sælensminde and Rune Hauge!

At the table I bid 5♦, at the other table they passed after the same bidding. Partner had x, AKQ9x, Qxx, KJxx and 5♦ was 1 down after a singleton clublead (3 clublosers), hearts were 4-4 and in 4♥ there was 11 tricks. RHO had to lead the ♣A and another to hold it to 10. At the table I thought it was close, but was afraid of too many heartlosers (4 or more in hearts and the minors combined) and was dreaming about slam if parter got the perfect hand. He would for example probably raise to slam with the same hand with the A instead of KJ in clubs, which would be excellent, normally making 13 tricks, while 4♥ could go down after a clublead.

Afterwards partner regretted not doubling, allowing me to bid 3NT, but I find his 4♥ OK and would probably bid the same (this is partly a matter of style). The reason I afterwards thought bidding 5♦ was a mistake is that the 4 relatively small clubs may too often give you problems in 5♦ and your third spade may also be a problem, RHO wil often be able to overruff partner. Even if they have no clubruff you will often need good hearts by partner to get rid of enough losers. And if his hearts are good 4♥ is normally a good contract.

The opps pre-empt with 3♠ and you are beating up on yourself on a hand where hearts were 4-4? Even with an aggressive, imaginative preemptor, the odds of hearts being 4-4 must be miniscule.

Meanwhile, you went down in an excellent contract. You lose only when LHO has a club ruff coming. Now, admittedly he may often find a club from xx, but why can't he have a stiff honour (cold) or Qx or Ax (cold) or find a non-club....or you find partner with x AKJxx Qxx KQxx? Or x AKQxx Qxx Axxx?

I think you are being too hard on yourself. Of course, I bid 5♦ as well, so maybe I am just trying to avoid admitting I made an error

[jvage]

 masonbarge, on 2015-February-11, 13:39, said:

Have we not all been there/done that?

You bid 5♦. Partner now bids 5♥ and you can just feel the glassy-eyed "if I am down one there will be hell to pay" glare.

If you need to shoot, 4♠. Otherwise, pass.

If you play with a trustable partner you have no reason to fear 5♥. If he bids it (he should do it rarely even with a void in diamonds) his hearts are solid, something close to KQJTxxx minimum and the contract will have play. He knows my diamonds are very good and probably 6+ long with a likely void in hearts.

[jvage]

 mikeh, on 2015-February-11, 14:00, said:

The opps pre-empt with 3♠ and you are beating up on yourself on a hand where hearts were 4-4? Even with an aggressive, imaginative preemptor, the odds of hearts being 4-4 must be miniscule.

Meanwhile, you went down in an excellent contract. You lose only when LHO has a club ruff coming. Now, admittedly he may often find a club from xx, but why can't he have a stiff honour (cold) or Qx or Ax (cold) or find a non-club....or you find partner with x AKJxx Qxx KQxx? Or x AKQxx Qxx Axxx?

I think you are being too hard on yourself. Of course, I bid 5♦ as well, so maybe I am just trying to avoid admitting I made an error

Maybe you are right, but 4♥ is a better contract than 5♦ even now when partner got only 5. It will make without a clubruff when hearts are 5-3, the clubruff is more likely in 5♦ were Geir as opening leader may well have led a club from a doubleton instead of a weak (QJTxxxx) 7-card spadesuit with no entries. Leading the ace of clubs from something like AQxx when you have a singelton in the suit partner preempted seems much more unlikely.

[dave_beer]

 jvage, on 2015-February-11, 12:03, said:

Partner had x, AKQ9x, Qxx, KJxx

This is precisely the kind of hand on which I think partner should have made an imperfect negative double.

The hand is playable in 3 suits and may even belong in NT but you are committing to ♥. You could have reasonable play for slam on hands where partner has to pass.

The disadvantage is that we will not find ♥ if opener has only 3 of them and may not find ♥ if he has a minimum balanced hand with 4 of them.