[gwnn]

MP session, no Evil Adverse Field effect. Just plain bad bridge. 47%.

1. Pd deals and passes, favorable at MP.

Ax
Kx
ATxx
AJTxx

You open 1♣, promising 15 or more hcp.
          p-p
1♣-3♥-3♠-p
???

Very liberal openers both at the 1 and 2 levels.

2. Rightie deals and opens 1♣, promising 10-15 hcp and at least 2 clubs (1♦=16+), and it goes (we kept our mouth shut):

1♣-2NT-3NT (2NT=invitational, normally no 4cM)

Pd leads the 9 of spades, typically from T9xx... (or H9x)

Scoring: MP

9♠-x-A-x

---

3. all vulnerable, pd deals and passes

QJ9xx
Kxx
K
ATxx

            p
1♦-1♠-p-p
2♦-p-p-2♥
p-p-3♦-p
p-??

If you double or pass, what do you lead?

[pclayton]

1. Everyone will bid 3N but I think pass has to be right. LHO is going to run his suit sooner or later. I think we have a slight system advantage here. I think you are playing pard for semi solid spades or club fillers if you stab 3N and there's no promise of those.

2. I lay down the AH and follow with a small one. 12 tricks is a big worry here.

3. 3H. Woolsey would probably say you have to double here to protect 2H.

[jtfanclub]

gwnn, on Feb 14 2008, 04:37 PM, said:

MP session, no Evil Adverse Field effect. Just plain bad bridge. 47%.

1. Pd deals and passes, favorable at MP.

Ax
Kx
ATxx
AJTxx

You open 1♣, promising 15 or more hcp.
          p-p
1♣-3♥-3♠-p
???

Very liberal openers both at the 1 and 2 levels.

3NT, which I'm used to as implying at least a half stop in hearts and 2 spades. If partner's bidding on 6 spades, he should pull. If he has 5, well, I hope he's got an entry and a club honor.

[han]

1. 3NT, pass is too deep for me. 3NT could be laydown, have good play, or could even be down less than 3S. Hoping for a club honor is not wishful thinking, but Qxx of hearts would also be welcome. JT is in dreamland when thinking that 3NT shows spade tolerance. 3NT is bid on many many hands and partner will virtually never correct in this auction.

2. Would partner really lead the 9 from J98x against notrump? Anyway, partner is marked with about 1 HCP, I agree with Phil.

3. All red, partner was not good enough to open 2H or bid 2H over 1S. Also, partner likely has spade shortness.

I'd pass and lead a heart.

[jdonn]

1. 3NT. I have a feeling it didn't work in real life, but it could easily be making and correct me if I'm wrong but pass is anti-system. At least we know LHO can't lead something to RHO's ace for a heart through. JT are you allowed to be 1444 here? Or dare I say 0544?

2. Agree with obvious cashout situation.

3. Pass and lead heart if 2♥ a round earlier by partner would have been non-forcing. Bid 3♥ if 2♥ a round earlier by partner would have been forcing.

Edit: Didn't notice partner was passed hand on 3. Mark me down for pass regardless.

[gwnn]

Yep Josh, theoretically 3♠ forces us to game.

Partner could have bid 2♦, transfer to hearts, with constructiveish values (9 hcp or so)

[Apollo81]

1. 3NT, pass is also too deep for me and I like my hand better as declarer than being led through in 4♠

2. agree with Phil

3. Pass and lead the ♠Q. I have a feeling pard's hearts are crap and I'm not brave enough for a club lead. I think this is close and I'd bid 3♥ if white.

[Codo]

Hand 1: Pass, 3 NT is to deep for me. Pd had no "Very liberal openers both at the 1 and 2 levels." So which hand do I hope for?
Kxxxx,x,xxx,Kxxx? Looks like a liberal 2 Spade opening to me. If 2 Spade rates to be stronger, 3 NT is a goal. But opposite these romanian juniors, 3 Spade is fewer down then 3 NT.

2: Ace of Hearts.

3: Queen of spades

[jtfanclub]

jdonn, on Feb 14 2008, 06:17 PM, said:

JT are you allowed to be 1444 here? Or dare I say 0544?

I bid 4 clubs.

If partner has KQJT9 of spades I probably can't get to them, and if partner has T9876 I'm probably down in NT. Sometimes we miss a perfectly good 3NT, sometimes we find game in a minor when we couldn't have made 3NT, and sometimes we find slam in a minor that we'd never find if I'd bid 3NT.

I don't know what the loss is for bidding 4♣ with a misfit, it doesn't come up often enough for me to know. But I feel that the loss from bidding 4♣ instead of 3NT with misfit hands is more than made up for by having 3NT promise tolerence, since that hand is far more likely to come up.

Admittedly, this is third hand, so the loss is probably higher (less likely to have slam), but I'm not smart enough to vary this based on seat. EDIT- I actually can't remember a single case where a guy passed in first position and then jumped to the 3 level over my 1 club opening, so I guess I'm not too worried about that seat.

[helene_t]

Agree on 3N and A♥.

The third one I found close but I suppose ♦K makes me pass. In 3♦ declarer will probably try to finese so the card is more likely to be useful in defense.

[han]

If partner can bid 3S on the 6-count that Codo gave then I would change my mind. But I assume that partner at least intends the 3S as forcing to game opposite a 15+ opener.

[cherdano]

han, on Feb 15 2008, 09:16 AM, said:

If partner can bid 3S on the 6-count that Codo gave then I would change my mind. But I assume that partner at least intends the 3S as forcing to game opposite a 15+ opener.

Yes I see really no reason to overrule partner just because the ♥K might have become worthless.

[dake50]

1. 3N? ? Partner bids 3S saying 'on unclear hand, try 4S' 6S is closer than 3N. Bid 4C. See what next: 4S or 5S if C-raise.

2. Partner has HJxxx and C-4th stop? Guess that's what I play for HA, HQ.

3. Opponents no NT try is telling. I try HK to get partner's H-tricks set up.

[han]

I can't believe this thread. Partner's doesn't say "blahblahblah", it says "gameforcing hand with 5+ spades". Nothing more, nothing less.

[jtfanclub]

dake50, on Feb 15 2008, 10:48 AM, said:

1. 3N? ? Partner bids 3S saying 'on unclear hand, try 4S' 6S is closer than 3N. Bid 4C. See what next: 4S or 5S if C-raise.

Um, did you catch that this is a strong club system? This hand is only a hair higher than a minimum in no-trump, and now a subminimum in spades (since even if the K of hearts ends up developing a trick you'd rather have it anywhere else). A hand like:

KQxxx
xx
Kxx
xxx

would be an automatic 3♠ for me, and I'd have to catch some luck to make it.

[han]

Yes, that would be a minimum. Change the minors and you have good play for 3NT.

[gwnn]

1.

pd has

Q9xxxx
xx
KQx
98

there are 8 tricks in spades, and down 5 in 3NT (leftie led a spade, then after his ♣ honor won, led another, they took 7 hearts, a club and a spade). -50 is a near top, -250 is an absolute zero, -100 is okayish.

2.

the ♠ lead already destined us for a bad result, but my club switch (??????) got us to an even worse one. -660 instead of -630. ♥ lead keeps them to =

3.

pd has

Ax
JT9xx
xxx
Qxx

3♦ is very cold on a heart lead even if we take our king of d. declarer has aqx), in hearts we take 8 or 9 tricks I think.

[jtfanclub]

han, on Feb 15 2008, 11:57 AM, said:

Yes, that would be a minimum. Change the minors and you have good play for 3NT.

I like 3NT myself....my point was that I think looking for slam seems a bit extreme.

[jdonn]

jtfanclub, on Feb 15 2008, 07:18 PM, said:

han, on Feb 15 2008, 11:57 AM, said:

Yes, that would be a minimum. Change the minors and you have good play for 3NT.

I like 3NT myself....my point was that I think looking for slam seems a bit extreme.

Especially opposite a passed hand?