[han]

Scoring: IMP

(3D)-3NT-4D
4H-6H

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I played this hand with MickyB. We have rarely played together, but often played against eachother so we had some idea of what we were doing.

The auction raises some questions..

1) Is south good enough for 3NT?
2) How would you play 4D in your partnership? Clearly we had no agreement, South thought it might be a transfer, North thought it might be both majors.
3) What would your auction have been.

The play is also somewhat interesting. What contract would you like to be in? How would you play 6H after a diamond to the ace and a club back? (if it matters, the opponents are good)


I don't remember the vulnerability.. does anybody? My guess is nobody vul, so assume that.

[mike777]

1) agree with 3nt
2) I would just bid 4s giving up on slam as is per my style but not MIckyB's or yours .
3) Would expect you guys to try for grand before passing at game level with these cards

[temp3600]

1. 3NT is tempting, but I think it's too much of a gamble. The hand is missing a little something everywhere : skinny club suit, poor diamond stopper, and the major honors' usefulness might be lessened by the doubletons. Also, partner hasn't spoken yet, and there is some space available beneath 3NT.

2. ambiguous : pick a major first, but could be a strong hand with any shape.

3. We probably wouldn't have gone beyond the 4 level.

[000002]

with flat 15hcps to overcall a strong NT in this case ?
oh no,i will bid it only on 1 level.

[MickyB]

It didn't occur to me at the time that 4D could be anything other than both majors. That may have been related to playing at 6am! Fairly sure that 6H isn't the right follow-up.

4C Stayman or a shape/strength enquiry, 4D Flint (usually a sign-off in a major), 4M NF slam-try sounds pretty good to me.

[FrancesHinden]

1. Marginal
2. Flint (sign off somewhere) with 4M as a non-forcing slam try. But I would probably expect a 2-suiter without discussion.
3. I'd bid 4S on the North hand.

As for the play problem: I assume it looks as if LHO has Kxx diamonds? Surely I can tell the diamond lie from the opening lead. The club switch doesn't mean much, we could easily be off 2 aces on this auction.

So rise ace of clubs.

Line 1: Draw trumps in 3-4 rounds and play someone for SQxx, probably LHO. This needs spades 3-2 with the Queen onside.

Line 2: Ace of clubs, AK of spades, 3rd spade, ruffing high if RHO follows. Needs hearts 3-3 or RHO to have the doubleton spade and 3 or 4 trumps. If the heart x's really are heart x's then I think this is probably worse than the first line, but if we had e.g. Q9 in hand, or the 9 in dummy, or even the 8 in hand and the 7 in dummy, it is getting much much closer. I bet you didn't take this line because you haven't given the heart pips....

Line 3: Ace of clubs, club ruff, two rounds of hearts, club ruff, SK, HA, SA, clubs. Needs clubs 3-3 and hearts 3-3 (i.e. RHO to be 1363). While this is possible, it's surely much worse than the other lines.

[mikeh]

3N: I don't have any strong feelings: it is ok with me.

As for the auction, there is a good treatment available that uses 4♣ as asking.

The 3N overcall is usually based on one of three hand types: moderate balanced (16-19 hcp), good hand with a long, strong suit, or big hand 20+).

This example hand doesn't quite fit: I would treat it as 16 balanced.

The idea is that after 4♣, overcaller shows his suit, if he has one, or shows the two different balanced ranges.

Thus (3♠) 3N (P) 4♣:

4♦ one suiter with ♦
4♥ one suiter with ♥
4♠ one suiter with ♣
4N minimum balanced
5N maximum balanced

Bids other than 4♣ are transfers: a transfer into their suit shows a 3-suiter

We give up on stayman, since on these auctions, 4-4 fits are not that desirable.

Absent agreement, the ppship is engaged in a guessing game re the meaning of 4♦, so the resulting uncertainty is predictable, and thus advancer ought not to have embarked upon the sequence.... but at 6 am, it may be asking too much to avoid it

[hatchett]

(1) 3NT worth it with the 6 card suit
(2) Transfer, 2 suiter or sign off depending on who is opposite
(3) 5♦ might be more obviously a slam try with both majors.