[mich-b]

Scoring: IMP

1♣ 4♠ P P
?

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You opened 1♣ favourable , LHO overcalled 4♠

What would you do now?
Would different vulnerability affect your decision?

[whereagles]

It's one of those hard decisions. The only hint here is pard, who is marked with spade shortness, would have doubled for take out if he had some hcps.

Pass, but 5♣ could easily be a good sacrifice or even a make!

[mtvesuvius]

I don't like any of my options here, but I think I'll pass. 5♣ is off too many pretty much any time that 4♠ is making. My nice ♠ holding points to pass, and if I X partner will surely bid 5♥.

[andy_h]

I think this is an easy pass. X by partner over 4S or X by me now would both be takeout/value orientated but not pure penalties. Partner didn't voice anything and it feels to me as if 5C would go down quite a bit of the time so I will happily take my plus vs. 4S.

[Apollo81]

Since partner has short spades and passed, he doesn't have a good hand. Pass, as 4♠ and any higher contract rate to go down.

[Phil]

Pass, but its easy to see how 5♣ could be the winner when pard turns up with a stiff spade and two important cards.

[mikeh]

Pass

Anything else is masterminding: playing partner for cards he has not been able to show or deny. We have what looks like a plus coming our way (not for sure) and no reason to think that we can make 11 tricks. Put it another way: every hand you conjure for partner, where it is right to bid, could be held by rho, making your bid disastrous.

masterminding works on occasion, which is why the urge remains strong.

3=0=3=7 shape, as an example, the odds shift significantly... we have more offensive winners and need fewer cards from partner for bidding to work, and the loss when it is wrong is less.

[hanp]

Obvious pass at any colors and any vulnerability.