[cherdano]

Partner's hand was ♠QJ ♥Qxx ♦AKQ9xxx ♣x.

(Our hand was ♠Axx ♥xxx ♦J ♣AKQJxx.)

As you can see, 4NT is already too high, while of course we knew from our hand already that one makes 7 of any contract with the right lead. Hence the right contracts at IMPS are either the safe 3NT, or 6m/ 6NT in an unrevealing auction. This may sound unrealistic, but that is exactly what most of the field managed to do!

11 tables played 3NT+4, 3 played in 5m all going down(!), and 8 tables played in a slam, half of them making. At the table I was watching, the South gambled on slam after by raising to 4♦ and 6♦ over partner's 5♣ cue. This was of course not appreciated by the commentators, who instead constructed cue-bidding auctions ending in 4NT or 5m (similar to the ones given here) after having found out about the heart problem.

So it seems like to be an expert commentator, you have to do some cue bidding here, whereas to win, you have to give up after 3NT or blast immediately.

Arend

Btw, if you think they will find a heart lead most of the time, put yourself in East's position: What do you lead from ♠xx ♥KT9xx ♦Txx ♣Txx on the auction 1♦-2♣-3♦-4♦-5♣-6♦?

[mike777]

Thanks for posting hand, I really hate bidding 3d on that hand over 2clubs but I assume they win often with this style.

BTW as for the lead I only hope I BANG down the K of hearts on that auction. Lead aggressive against small suit slams yes? If I do not lead K of hearts on this auction I would really give myself a Big charge! I note leading the K of H seems to have blown a trick btw2, I only pray partner does not over take with the Ace,....then I have a newspaper lead .

[Walddk]

cherdano, on Oct 30 2005, 03:53 AM, said:

Partner's hand was ♠QJ ♥Qxx ♦AKQ9xxx ♣x.

(Our hand was ♠Axx ♥xxx ♦J ♣AKQJxx.)

As you can see, 4NT is already too high

4NT is not too high. As I pointed out earlier, you can make 5NT, because the heart suit is blocked for the opponents.

AJ

K109xx

Heart to the ace and the jack back. You duck and all they can get is 2 heart tricks. Lucky yes, but there is no law against being lucky.

Roland

[cherdano]

Walddk, on Oct 30 2005, 07:55 AM, said:

cherdano, on Oct 30 2005, 03:53 AM, said:

Partner's hand was ♠QJ ♥Qxx ♦AKQ9xxx ♣x.

(Our hand was ♠Axx ♥xxx ♦J ♣AKQJxx.)

As you can see, 4NT is already too high

4NT is not too high. As I pointed out earlier, you can make 5NT, because the heart suit is blocked for the opponents.

AJ

K109xx

Heart to the ace and the jack back. You duck and all they can get is 2 heart tricks. Lucky yes, but there is no law against being lucky.

Roland

I know. However, my comment was meant single-dummy, where you definitely don't want to be in 4Nt.

[cherdano]

Jlall, on Oct 30 2005, 05:51 AM, said:

I think its pretty automatic to lead very agressively against that auction. I'd lead a heart, though not the king.

I think the problem is that if you trust the blaster, then you think he has the ♥A and a spade control. If you think they have 12 top tricks, then the best chance might be to hope for ♠AQ in partner's hand.
Justin (Hackett) led a heart, at the other table against a similar auction (1♦-2♣-3♦-4[DL]-4♦-RKCB and go) a spade was led.

Arend

[FrancesHinden]

Walddk, on Oct 28 2005, 07:05 AM, said:

FrancesHinden, on Oct 28 2005, 12:51 PM, said:

iii) Partner will bid 4NT (non-forcing).  I'd love to be able to say I'd pass this, and I would have MPs

Brilliant; you can make 5NT, but not 5 of either minor. Why not go down like the rest of the world?

Are you saying that you can stop in 4NT when everyone else is in 5 or 6 of a minor? In that case I congratulate you. Gold and Townsend must be seriously bad then, because they ended up in 6♦.

I know that it made. It's a 4 or 7 hand.

Roland

I said I'd pass 4NT at matchpoints. I'd be going off in 5m at IMPs - funnily enough it looks more likely that 4NT is off and 5m making than the other way round from our hand.

I didn't notice that Gold & Townsend were playing matchpoints at the time.

And to answer your question, yes I can indeed stop in 4NT, particularly at matchpoints, when much of 'the field' are in 5 or 6 minor. (Though probably not when the 'field' is the Bermuda Bowl; if they know it's matchpoints as well most of them will be in 4NT. Luckily most of my matchpointed pairs is in a slightly less august environment.)

[han]

FrancesHinden, on Oct 30 2005, 03:59 PM, said:

I didn't notice that Gold & Townsend were playing matchpoints at the time.

:D

[Fluffy]

Doh!, 4NT makes? maybe partner finds it after my 4♦ hehe, but I doubt it.

[Kalvan14]

cherdano, on Oct 27 2005, 06:04 PM, said:

After 1♦-2♣-3♦-3♠-3NT-4♣, partner will bid 4♦. Pick your favorite meaning of 4NT in this auction if you need.

4N is certainly to play (3♠ is a cue-bid, once I refuse to play 3N; now 4♣ is the 2nd cue-bid, and I must have a control problem - otherwise I would have bid 4N over 3♦). So, since it is unreasonable for me to wait 2 bidding turns to check RKC, or A, it must be sign-off by default, evidencing a problem in ♥).

I cannot say I liked 3♦ very much: misfit in ♣, and Quacks outside ♦