[Apollo81]

1. ♠654 ♥82 ♦K92 ♣J9872

all red, MPs
1♦-(p)-p-(1♠)
p-(1N)-p-(2♥)
p-(2N)-p-(3N)

Your lead.


2. ♠J7 ♥872 ♦AQ853 ♣A42

favorable, MPs
(2♥)-p-(3♥)-4♠
(p)-?

Your call.

[kenrexford]

I don't like either problem.

On hand #1, I am having a difficult time assessing likely patterns. I have too many clubs. Partner may have something like 3442, Declarer 2344, and Dummy 5422. I'm afraid to lead anything. However, I'm having trouble believing that a club, the passive choice, can hurt. Even if the opponents have the AK10, the 10 may be doubleton on dummy or with Declarer. If partner has the stiff Queen, and dummy A10x or K10x (unlikely, IMO), then I'm still OK, because Declarer will get this right anyway. So, I'll go passive and lead a club.

On hand #2, I really like my AQ-A with a trick source in diamonds. However, I'm not convinced that the five-level is safe. But, at matchpoints I'll risk 4NT.

[ralph23]

Hand 1 is interesting because I really don't feel like leading partner's suit. I'm going to hope that p has something good in ♣ (he won't have length when he opens 1♦), but maybe he has AQx♣, and two entries in the majors, and he'll help me set my ♣ up so I can eventually get in with the king of ♦. I'm going with the 7♣ and am prepared to apologize if this goes south. And I don't see that a ♣ is very likely to hurt p, whereas a ♦ may....

Hand 2, I'm confident my p has a singleton ♥. The ♦ Queen has to be a great card (ha! ) but we may have a ♦ fit too. If p has ♠AKQxxx, six looks good so I'm rolling out RKCB. If p only has AK of ♠ without the Queen, we'll just play 5♠. (I just can't believe he has the Ace of ♥.)

[jdonn]

Hand one I lead a diamond. Since they didn't play in either major partner seems to have length in both, so he is probably short in clubs. A club could still be right if he had a doubleton (or 3+, only possible if the opponents ignored a major suit fit) but I think I'm playing the odds.

Hand two I'll bid 5♠ as a general invitation. I think it's important to consult partner since he might be under some pressure to stretch on an auction like this, but might have full values also. On top of that we have no reason to believe he doesn't have a doubleton heart. Though this bid does not (contrary to some forumers opinions) require partner bid slam with heart control, I'm certainly confident he won't be bidding slam with xx of hearts and lacking both minor suit aces.

[ArtK78]

I have seen hands like #1 before, and it is almost always right to lead a club. If partner had very good diamonds he could have bid 2D over 1S. But he doesn't need great clubs for a club lead to be right. KQx may be enough. QTxx is probably more than enough.

Hand #2 is a problem because the standard meaning of 5S is asking for a heart control. You are reasonably sure that he has a singleton or void in hearts on the auction, so that is not a problem. And 4NT will not tell you much that you don't already know - partner probably has AKQxxxx of spades and he may or may not have the HA. 4NT will not get you the information that you need most - does partner have fitting cards in the minors?

Therefore, I bid 5C. I am cuebidding, looking for partner to try to evaluate his hand for slam purposes. I can't afford to bid 5D, as he may assume that I don't have the CA. But I am clearly moving towards slam (I would never introduce a new suit naturally at this point in the auction). Hopefully, he will be able to figure out whether his hand is good for slam purposes.

[jtfanclub]

Huh. I pass hand 2. I think you guys have much saner partners than I tend to have.

[Apollo81]

I assure all respondents that partner has his 4♠ bid on #2.

[mike777]

jdonn, on Jul 27 2007, 10:41 AM, said:

Hand one I lead a diamond. Since they didn't play in either major partner seems to have length in both, so he is probably short in clubs. A club could still be right if he had a doubleton (or 3+, only possible if the opponents ignored a major suit fit) but I think I'm playing the odds.

Hand two I'll bid 5♠ as a general invitation. I think it's important to consult partner since he might be under some pressure to stretch on an auction like this, but might have full values also. On top of that we have no reason to believe he doesn't have a doubleton heart. Though this bid does not (contrary to some forumers opinions) require partner bid slam with heart control, I'm certainly confident he won't be bidding slam with xx of hearts and lacking both minor suit aces.

ditto

[pbleighton]

1. A club.
2. 4NT.

Peter

[cherdano]

jdonn, on Jul 27 2007, 09:41 AM, said:

Hand two I'll bid 5♠ as a general invitation. I think it's important to consult partner since he might be under some pressure to stretch on an auction like this, but might have full values also. On top of that we have no reason to believe he doesn't have a doubleton heart. Though this bid does not (contrary to some forumers opinions) require partner bid slam with heart control, I'm certainly confident he won't be bidding slam with xx of hearts and lacking both minor suit aces.

I disagree with this mostly, I think every bid by me is a try for slam on this auction, so the raise to 5 asks partner to bid 6 with a heart control. The only question is whether it is a command to do so or just a slam invitation denying a heart control.

I would be much happier if it was a command, if partner has AKQxxxx x xx Kxx, he is subminimum for his bid, has the wrong minor king, and I still want to be in slam.

[han]

Agree with Arend, on this auction 5S does deny a heart control.

[jtfanclub]

cherdano, on Jul 27 2007, 05:01 PM, said:

I would be much happier if it was a command, if partner has AKQxxxx x xx Kxx, he is subminimum for his bid, has the wrong minor king, and I still want to be in slam.

Huh.

You're missing 17 hcp between the two hands...all the heart honors, KJ of diamonds, QJ of clubs. Points should be somewhere around equally divided- both hands should be in the 7-10 range. RHO has 6 hearts, LHO 3, so RHO is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-1 favorite for holding any given heart honor. Which would mean, I would think, that LHO is 2-1 favorite for holding a minor suit honor. Like, say, the diamond king. Is my logic flawed?

If it's subminimum, then I certainly understand why you'd want to go on. But if you could somehow know that partner had this hand, why would you want to be in slam?

[mikeh]

hand 1 I lead a diamond, for the reasons set forth by jdonn.

hand 2.. I am certainly moving towards slam, as are most of the posters.

I don't expect keycard to help, but I can't see any downside. I'm going to slam opposite a 5♠ response, and if they cash 2 hearts... me bad If they cash only one and we lose a diamond trick.. me unlucky

Meanwhile, and the reason for keycard: if he shows me 3 keycards, I will ask for the Queen, and if he has the miracle hand of AKQxxxx A Kx xxx I will get to the grand.

Incidentally, it is common practice to show the Queen of trump, when you don't have it, if you have unexpected length. I don't think that AKxxxxx is unexpected length in this auction, so he shouldn't show it unless he has it. AKxxxxxx, otoh, is unexpected.

I can't see how 5♠ gets me to grand... when it makes.

BTW, I don't understand the fuss about the meaning of 5♠: inferentially it asks for heart control NOT because it is a bid of 5 of our major, but because it inferentially shows both minor Aces. Surely, if we had slam interest and only one minor Ace, we'd either keycard (if our hand was such that the answer meant something to us) or we'd cue the Ace we held. So when we bypass both minors, we MUST hold first round control in each suit.. and therefore opener should be assuming that we lack 2nd round ♥ control.

This inferential showing of intervening controls is a rare situation, and in my experience often not well understood, even by some pretty fair experts, but I think it is logical.. ie it something that can be deduced from basic principles at the table even absent prior discussion. Maybe I'm raving

[jdonn]

Hannie, on Jul 27 2007, 05:06 PM, said:

Agree with Arend, on this auction 5S does deny a heart control.

I agree, but that doesn't dispute what I said. It is not equivalent to say 5♠ denies a heart control, and 5♠ requires partner to bid slam with a heart control.

[cherdano]

jdonn, on Jul 27 2007, 06:26 PM, said:

Hannie, on Jul 27 2007, 05:06 PM, said:

Agree with Arend, on this auction 5S does deny a heart control.

I agree, but that doesn't dispute what I said. It is not equivalent to say 5♠ denies a heart control, and 5♠ requires partner to bid slam with a heart control.

Your post above invited misunderstanding then, you said 5S is just a general invitation.

[cherdano]

jtfanclub, on Jul 27 2007, 05:23 PM, said:

cherdano, on Jul 27 2007, 05:01 PM, said:

I would be much happier if it was a command, if partner has AKQxxxx x xx Kxx, he is subminimum for his bid, has the wrong minor king, and I still want to be in slam.

Huh.

You're missing 17 hcp between the two hands...all the heart honors, KJ of diamonds, QJ of clubs. Points should be somewhere around equally divided- both hands should be in the 7-10 range. RHO has 6 hearts, LHO 3, so RHO is somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-1 favorite for holding any given heart honor. Which would mean, I would think, that LHO is 2-1 favorite for holding a minor suit honor. Like, say, the diamond king. Is my logic flawed?

If it's subminimum, then I certainly understand why you'd want to go on. But if you could somehow know that partner had this hand, why would you want to be in slam?

I was just directionally challenged, I thought the preemptor was on my left...

[han]

Mike, I can see us getting to grand after 5S. With AKQxxxx A Kxx xx partner could bid 6D and I'd kick it in.

[Apollo81]

On hand 1, you have to lead a major to beat 3NT. Partner has KQJx Axxx Qxxx x.

If you lead a club they probably take 9 tricks. If you lead a diamond, partner will have to duck. Declarer has x QJx AJ1087 K10xx.


On hand 2, partner has AKQxxxxx x xx xx, a minimum, but he certainly has his bid. Slam is not very good. As long as you invite and don't bid RKC you will stay out of it. (unfortunately, 5s isn't making either on the actual deal, but thats a bit unlucky)

[jtfanclub]

Apollo81, on Jul 28 2007, 05:20 PM, said:

On hand 2, partner has AKQxxxxx x xx xx, a minimum, but he certainly has his bid.

That's what my partner always has for their 4♠ bid, more or less...

[Hanoi5]

I lead ♣9 and I bid 5♠.