[Mbodell]

Scoring: IMP

S   W   N    E
-     -   1♥* P
1♠* 6♣ All Pass

1♥ is 10-15 5+♥
1♠ is non-forcing constructive

---

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

you forgot to add one important
information:
How good are my opponents
and how serious is the match?

I guess against a guy, who knows
what he is doing, I have to bid 6S,
6C may be -1 and 6S may be -2,
but I was certainly willing to play 4S.

If I cant trust the guy I double.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Mbodell]

The match is a fun atmosphered club championship game, and everyone at the table is certainly taking the bridge seriously. The opponents are as reasonable and skilled as any in the event, but are non-expert int+ type players.

[ArtK78]

I can't see bidding or doubling over 6♣. I have an ace, so I have a reasonable expectation of beating 6♣. But one never knows on freak hands.

Bidding 6♠ could result in a large negative number. Or it could be the winning call. I suspect that it is not right.

[Apollo81]

I think I'd double. Partner has an opening bid over there, and we have an Ace in a short suit. I would probably bid 6♥ if my ace was in hearts and I had two small diamonds.

[pclayton]

Apollo81, on Dec 17 2007, 09:34 AM, said:

I think I'd double. Partner has an opening bid over there, and we have an Ace in a short suit. I would probably bid 6♥ if my ace was in hearts and I had two small diamonds.

Same here. The bidding diagram says "all pass" by the way.

[Halo]

I would have doubled. There has to be a line oppos can't cross undoubled, otherwise you just lose.

[whereagles]

I don't think I'll have a good score if I don't act. So I must act. Well... dbl!

[Mbodell]

Well here's the results from what was going on at the table:

Scoring: IMP

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Opening lead Q♦ - K♦ - A♦ - ♣.
My opponent was good enough to hook spades twice (using the trump spots as transportation for T♠ - J♠ - Q♠ and then back to finesse to the 9♠) and only lost 1 ♥. Unfortunately on the other two table the opponents were in 5♣ making 5 and in 6♣* -1.

The dummy double payoffs on this particular layout are:

6♥* -3: -500
6♣ =: -980
6♠* -5: -1100
6♣* =: -1150

I think it is clear to me that 6♥, in general, seems a safer call than 6♠, but I'm not sure it is a better call than dbl or pass. After the fact I realized that given the IMP scoring that pass means I'm assuming it will go down most of the time (otherwise I'd sac) that if pass is right then dbl is probably better.

[whereagles]

Mbodell, on Dec 17 2007, 10:29 PM, said:

I think it is clear to me that 6♥, in general, seems a safer call than 6♠

6♥ is called "take insurance", but I think we can just blame this one on pard, for having made a ZAR opening

[Fluffy]

why double finese spades when you can discard a heart&spade on diamonds?

[Edmunte1]

You were lucky, 13 tricks were possible after diamond lead

[ArtK78]

Edmunte1, on Dec 19 2007, 05:24 PM, said:

You were lucky, 13 tricks were possible after diamond lead

Please explain.

[jdonn]

ArtK78, on Dec 19 2007, 05:36 PM, said:

Edmunte1, on Dec 19 2007, 05:24 PM, said:

You were lucky, 13 tricks were possible after diamond lead 

Please explain.

May I? Play low on the lead and ruff. Then use your three club entries as follows

1 - Ruff another diamond (setting up the king)
2 - Pitch a heart on the king of diamonds, finesse the spade
3 - Finesse the spade again

Of course it does seem like a better line to just cover the lead, then throw your heart loser on ten of diamonds (as they win), and one spade on the nine of diamonds, then you only require one spade finesse to make.

[ArtK78]

I see.

It never occurred to me to not cover the diamond, since I only need the ♠K onside if I use the diamond honors to pitch a heart and a spade.

How silly of me.