[jdonn]

hanp, on May 12 2009, 04:46 PM, said:

The third hand north should show a 1-suiter. Please tell me you were south!

I was! (On all 3 hands, although that's coincidence since I always made declarer south).

awm, on May 12 2009, 05:41 PM, said:

If you have 15+ hcp and four card support and a side void, you can pretty much force to slam opposite a major suit opening right? At least if you're not off two quick tricks.

You're not? Add three jacks to your first example to make it 17...

Btw, you are right about your first example, it's a possible hand and 5 is usually too high. But your 2nd and 4th are ridiculous jump shifts imo, and your third is not a bad slam at all. So given that your examples were designed to show bidding on to be wrong (in other words are supposedly on the bottom of the expected range) I think they do a better job of showing south should try for slam than that he shouldn't.

awm, on May 12 2009, 05:41 PM, said:

The blame shouldn't go to the person who made the first questionable call -- it should go to the person whose questionable call was most responsible for the poor result.

Then on that basis you should blame north, as 4♥ can't make on the actual and not-terribly-unlikely lie (4-1 hearts and 1-4 spades, although 4-1 hearts and spade king on the left would set 4♥ as well) and there is no realistic way to stop in 4♠ after the 4♣ bid.

[kenrexford]

jdonn, on May 12 2009, 05:51 PM, said:

...there is no realistic way to stop in 4♠ after the 4♣ bid.

I could do it.

If North had an emergency and had to leave, and if I was asked to sit in right after North had placed the 4♣ card on the table, I'd wait for partner's bid and then try 4♦ as my next call. This would of course be insufficient and would likely not be accepted, because they'd know that I just screwed up our slam auction. So, partner would be barred. I'd then stop all of this nonsense with a timely 4♠ call.

[Apollo81]

1. No blame

2. North for raising (I'd pass) but clearly raising is reasonable, and it's not a bad game anyway.

3. South for not bidding 4♥ over 4♣.

[whereagles]

1. No blame. 6♥ depends on the magical minor suit holdings. You can't gauge that reliably without relays.

2. Huh?? I guess the ♥Q is offside. But otherwise the contract is nice, wtp?

3. Maybe 5♣ was an overbid (there's a strong suspicion diamonds are wide open). But hey, 5♥ is playable.

Really, no blame in any.

[bhindi]

1&2 No blame

3. For north to suggest playing in anything but spades is paranormal.
However, South must assume that north bid 4Clubs for a reason and he doesn't want to know about eight wasted points in clubs, a void in his first suit, no diamond control and poor(ish) hearts at the five level. Easy 4heart bid (imo obv). 71%N 29%S.