[Gerben42]

First a little bidding problem:

Scoring: IMP

---

RHO opens an unfavorable 3♠, two passes to partner who doubles, pass to you?

And an opening lead:

Scoring: IMP

---

Opponents bid uncontested
LHO - RHO
1♦ - 1♠
1NT - 3♠
4♠

Edit:
1NT rebid shows 12 - 14
3♠ is invitational, turns out this wasn't obvious.

Your lead?

This post has been edited by Gerben42: 2005-November-09, 05:55

[P_Marlowe]

1) 3NT, planning to bid 4C,
if 3NT gets doubled
Pass may work out better,
but currently I feel, I select
only, how do I wanna die.

2) a Trump, going passive

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Chamaco]

Gerben42, on Nov 9 2005, 10:33 AM, said:

 
RHO opens an unfavorable 3♠, two passes to partner who doubles, pass to you? 

Ugh....
At this vulnrability I pass and pray.
Even in the balancing seat pard is supposed to have substantial values and not just an 11/12 hcp with the right shape.
When they do make 3S X NV, it's likely they set us 2/3 tricks in 4C doubled Vuln.
At a different vuln, my choice would be even tougher though...
I just hpe they do not redouble.

Quote

And an opening lead:


Opponents bid uncontested
LHO - RHO
1♦ - 1♠
1NT - 3♠
4♠

Your lead?

Either heart or a trump.
If 3S is invitational only, I lead a trump (they might be stretching, a passive lead is likely to work- any stiff/dblton trump honor held by pard is likely to be picked anyways), if they play 3S as GF, I lead a heart.

[Gerben42]

Mauro: From your comments it seems you have the vuln. backwards? 3♠ opener is vulnerable, you are not. I agree with others that this is the only nice thing about this problem

[joker_gib]

1)As I don't want to pass to give them game if they make, I will also try 3NT (4!c has probably less chance to make so I go for the game and I tell partner I have a stopper)

2) close between ♥ and trump and I'll finally go for a ............. trump !

Alain

[Chamaco]

Gerben42, on Nov 9 2005, 11:57 AM, said:

Mauro: From your comments it seems you have the vuln. backwards? 3♠ opener is vulnerable, you are not. I agree with others that this is the only nice thing about this problem

Ugh, I thought we were vuln and opps not...

If the vuln is reversed, I'll try 4C

[Trpltrbl]

1) 3NT

2) ♥

GBB

[Al_U_Card]

With this dreck, I tentatively bid 4C and hope that LHO gets creative and bids 4S....

I will lead a H as a "field" lead...no point in helping the S position analysis.

[mike777]

1) 4c
2) lowest h

[awm]

1) Pass. I believe that most people preempt too aggressively at unfavorable. Partner must have a good hand on this auction -- if partner has a "light" balancing double then he has only one spade, in which case why did LHO holding two spades and good cards not raise to game? I like my chances at five tricks on defense a lot better than my chances of ten tricks in clubs or nine in notrumps. Certainly it is possible that 3♠X will make, in which case I have probably turned -500 into -730, but down one seems like a quite likely result here whereas a 4♣ call could still be going for 300. I'm also not convinced that if I bid, partner (who is pretty much marked with a good hand) will pass, so even if 4♣ is making or one off, we will end up in 5♣...

2) Small heart, not giving anything away. The strong hearts, if any, are likely to be in dummy.

[Al_U_Card]

awm, on Nov 9 2005, 02:56 PM, said:

1) Pass. Certainly it is possible that 3♠X will make, in which case I have probably turned -500 into -730, but down one seems like a quite likely result here whereas a 4♣ call could still be going for 300.

Usually, when my partner indicates a course of action (knowing my hand types) unless I have something more or less unexpected, I will do as asked. He would pass if he wanted to defend 3S, so passing seems pretty anti-partnership to me.

[luis]

1. 3NT in 5 seconds with a happy expresion :-) If 3NT is doubled I stand for it.
2. Diamond automatic, trying to ruin the communications in the critical suit inmediately.

[mikeh]

1. 4♣. Takeout takeout doubles unless the decision is clear. Here, it is far from clear. Plus the vulnerability is the best possible for this action: if it were reversed, I'd pass.

3N, as Justin commented, is asking for trouble. It is an outright lie: and in the worst possible way. It greatly overstates one's values opposite an unlimited partner. If you knew that 3N would be doubled and that partner had a bad hand, then 3N followed by 4♣ might work: it would still be wrong, but it might work.

But what if partner is sitting there with a flat 20 or so? Is there anything about the auction that says he is not?

2. ♥: I would like to play top of nothing here, but I never play that. So the small ♥ (3rd and 5th or 3rd and lowest) even tho it may mislead partner.

I almost never lead trump: the old saying 'when in doubt lead trump' is a misprint. The correct saying is 'when in doubt don't lead trump'. When you are in doubt as often as I am, it is important to get these rules right

[Al_U_Card]

mikeh, on Nov 9 2005, 03:53 PM, said:

I almost never lead trump: the old saying 'when in doubt lead trump' is a misprint. The correct saying is 'when in doubt don't lead trump'. When you are in doubt as often as I am, it is important to get these rules right

I seem to recall it as "Only lead trump when it is right!"

[Kalvan14]

1. there is something funny here: it looks like a deck without aces . RHO opened pre-emptive. Shall we say he might have 8 to 10 HCP?. I have 4, flat. LHO passed, so I doubt he has fast tricks (or, at least, enough fast tricks to help his pard to land a vuln game - at IMPs!!). as a consequence, pard should be quite rich While the first reaction would be to bid, i believe i will keep the double.
2. 6♥, playing MUD. there should not be too many ruffs to prevent in LHO hand; a trump lead would be certainly neutral, but i think i might see if i can lead through LHO hearts holding

[luke warm]

1. i'd pass and lead the ♥9

2. trump leads usually are better if you think declarer might need to ruff his 2nd suit.. here i don't think he has a 2nd suit... also, lho bid the nt so i'm leading the ♥9

[Gerben42]

Hand 1:
Partner had a 14-count for his double with two small Spades, and 2443 distribution.

At my table I bid a confident 3NT for a happy 3 down and -150. They forgot to double, after which I would have bid SOS redouble and partner 4♦.

Passing 3♠X would have given us -730.

At the other table they tried 4♣ and LHO thought it was his birthday and it was. 1100.

Hand 2:

Any ♥ is best as this beats the contract against most declarers.

A trump is 2nd best as this beats the contract against most declarers as long as partner finds the correct switch after winning the trump.

A minor suit lead makes things easy for declarer.