[DozyDom]

Alright, you're sitting at the table on a usual club night, and pick up your second 8-card club suit of the night. The last one turned out fine - you were pretty much the only person in the room to stop competing on your 9-trick hand, so you got most of a top when it turned out you could make exactly 9 tricks. This one gets off to a good start when your partner opens, and you woosh off to 5 clubs. But then your opponents double. You pass, but your partner apparently thinks it's a Lightner, and "escapes" to 6NT. RHO doubles even faster this time...

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Sooo... do we switch from 6NT (possibly off the ace of clubs and most of a spade suit) to 7C (hopefully, just off an A)? At the table, I passed, and 6NT goes off 3 while 7C goes off two (it turns out the heart suit and the AS are what you're missing). Should I have done? At pairs, the difference was minimal (0% either way), but at teams also what's your call?

And what do you think about the previous bidding?

[FelicityR]

I feel your partner should never have pulled 6♣ to 6NT. He/she should have trusted your bidding. Even with the opponents having made (supposedly) a Lightner Double.

[steve2005]

FelicityR, on 2018-April-10, 18:08, said:

I feel your partner should never have pulled 6♣ to 6NT. He/she should have trusted your bidding. Even with the opponents having made (supposedly) a Lightner Double.

If he is going to pull maybe 6♦ is right. Do we know partner's hand?

I don't see how you can bid 7♣. Partners might know what they are doing and 6N makes. Trust partner here or you may have to find a new partner. You will have a lot to explain if 6N makes and 7♣ doesn't.

[rmnka447]

You never gave partner any clue that 6 NT is preferable to 6 ♣, so partner owns bidding 6 NT. All you did was show lots of ♣. There were plenty of other actions you could have taken holding ♣ in a better hand. So 5 ♣ is a sign off.

"When partner does something unusual, don't save partner." is an old bridge adage that rings true. You've done your part by showing your hand, but you really don't know much about partner's hand except it was opened 1 ♦. So trust partner's judgment, there may be a very good reason for partner doing what they did.

[gszes]

There are few times when xx is warranted but this is one shining example of a great time to xx 6c. Whatever fears partner might have about playing 6c can be dispatched quickly if you xx. Once in a rare while it will cost a bit but overall this type or reassuring xx will go a long way to keeping partner happy and fearless. Once I get stuck with 6n I have to pass even if I think it is a mistake.

[steve2005]

gszes, on 2018-April-11, 06:01, said:

There are few times when xx is warranted but this is one shining example of a great time to xx 6c.

but we aren't given partner's hand. suggest XX may be right call but shining example no

[ggwhiz]

When faced with impending doom the prime directive is to win the post-mortem (or in this case the autopsy).

Yet another example of the 1st rule of holes. When you are in one, STOP DIGGING!

[pescetom]

DozyDom, on 2018-April-10, 16:48, said:

Sooo... do we switch from 6NT (possibly off the ace of clubs and most of a spade suit) to 7C (hopefully, just off an A)? At the table, I passed, and 6NT goes off 3 while 7C goes off two (it turns out the heart suit and the AS are what you're missing). Should I have done? At pairs, the difference was minimal (0% either way), but at teams also what's your call?

And what do you think about the previous bidding?

I agree with previous comments about trusting your partner and not digging a deeper hole.

As for the previous bidding, I think you could do better, within the limits of your system obviously. The interference still left room to agree or impose trumps in ♣ with a forcing bid below game and if you play control-bids you would discover the lack of control in ♥ before stopping in 5♣.

[cherdano]

So Partner raised to 6C with one keycard and off AK of hearts- and we are even discussing the follow-up auction?
At least we could bury the "trust your partner" arguments for this thread.

[pescetom]

cherdano, on 2018-April-11, 12:39, said:

So Partner raised to 6C with one keycard and off AK of hearts- and we are even discussing the follow-up auction?
At least we could bury the "trust your partner" arguments for this thread.

That's a "change your partner" argument
You should still trust him up to the last hand of the tournament, then decide.

[DozyDom]

pescetom, on 2018-April-12, 12:37, said:

That's a "change your partner" argument
You should still trust him up to the last hand of the tournament, then decide.

This was the last hand

[gszes]

steve2005, on 2018-April-11, 06:27, said:

but we aren't given partner's hand. suggest XX may be right call but shining example no

I have no clue yet what p bid 6c with. I am stating that xx now is telling partner IMHO I think the opps have made a HUGE mistake and my hand strongly suggests that ANY reasonable 6c bid will surely bring this hand home. If I am wrong the cost is probably minimal (ie if p gambled poorly how many others pairs will be in 6c so we are doomed anyway). If p had a decent 6c bid it is virtually impossible to imagine a hand where 6c does not make. Another thing to think about is how many times will an opp use lightner to get a ruff but that is all they are due because our side can make 7 w/o the ruff (the operation was a success but the patient died is far more applicable to bridge defense than medicine).

[neilkaz]

DozyDom, on 2018-April-12, 14:21, said:

This was the last hand

It would be my last hand with any PD who pulled to 7♣X

[rmnka447]

cherdano, on 2018-April-11, 12:39, said:

So Partner raised to 6C with one keycard and off AK of hearts- and we are even discussing the follow-up auction?
At least we could bury the "trust your partner" arguments for this thread.

Partner owns all his actions. If 6 NT goes down, it's either a very painful learning experience for partner or a partner shedding moment for you. But once in a while partner may have the magic hand and 6 NT rolls. Any further action on this hand, means you're going to own the result no matter how egregious partner has been. And the worst is pulling and going down in 7 ♣ when 6 NT makes.

So I'm with ggwhiz on this one. Win the post mortem.

[Winstonm]

Am I on an island thinking that a direct 5C over 1S may be better than 2C?