[Little Kid]

Scoring: IMP

---

The auction was:

2♠-(2NT)-4♠-(5♣)
P - ( P ) - X - (5♦)
P - ( P ) -5♥ -(P )
?

1) Do you agree with opening 2♠?
2) Do you agree with pass over 5♣?
3) Do you agree with pass over 5♦?
4) What do you bid now?

[ArtK78]

1) Yes.
2) Yes. You have no idea what partner has for his 4♠ call.
3) Yes. I suppose an argument could be made for a double, but pass seems right.
4) Uh, 5♠.

Partner is not looking for another place to play the hand. But he does want a heart lead if the opponents bid one more time.

[kenrexford]

This is damn weird.

OK. For this to make sense, partner seems to have a diamond void, long hearts, and something interesting in diamonds. He seems to have made a practical call of 4♠ with hope that the diamond fit would never be found. But, Advancer picked a suit anyway, and he picked clubs. That's really weird.

I mean, I suppose that my LHO may have a wildly unbalanced hand with both minors. Maybe 7-5? Advancer would then have 4-4 in the minors and just tried clubs, pulling after the double.

Or, maybe 5♣ was funny, planning all along to pull to 5♦, but desiring a club lead? I mean, that's the kind of sexy thing I'd try, but who else does that? And at these colors and this level?

I'm still not sure what is going on here. I'll bid 5♠ out of fear.

EDIT: After just seeing Art's explanation, I think he's right. This is just a 5♠ call with a heart lead-director, probably.

[pooltuna]

Little Kid, on Nov 25 2009, 05:53 PM, said:

Dealer: South Vul: Both Scoring: IMP

♠ KQJ764 ♥ T63 ♦ J9 ♣ 82

The auction was:

2♠-(2NT)-4♠-(5♣)
P  - ( P ) - X - (5♦)
P - ( P ) -5♥  -(P )
?

1) Do you agree with opening 2♠?
2) Do you agree with pass over 5♣?
3) Do you agree with pass over 5♦?
4) What do you bid now?

1) yes
2) pass is mandatory
3) see 2)
4) you don't have whatever it is that he needs so 5♠

[helene_t]

He is probably asking for a heart lead against 6♦. In the meantime, bid 5♠.

Edit: oops Art said this already.

[Bridge_Bain]

I am probably too old fashion, both conservative and pessimistic. I would not open 2S vulnerable. It is way too easy to go for 800 on this hand. I don't have an offensive hand. I am flat. I can hope for at most 4-5 spade tricks. If partner contributes 2-3 tricks in 2S doubled, that decreases the chance they actually had a game, and -200 is a huge lose in MP and some lose in IMPs. If partner is going to be the one bidding, partner has a right to expect a better hand from me at this vulnerability. Besides, I know what to lead if we are defending.

I pass over 5C. This is not even a forcing pass.

I pass over 5D. I stated my hand with my first bid and nothing has changed.

5H is not remotely any type of slam try. There are lots of ways partner could have shown a great hand with slam interest, and 4S over 2N is not one of them. 5H is a lead direct against 6D? Which opponent will be bidding 6D do you think? The only other bid I would expect from the opponents at this vulnerability is DOUBLE.

5H is surely an alternate contract based on a Good Suit. Great hearts, club values, and diamond shortness sounds like partner's hand. With such a hand, partner might no even have 3-card support for spades with the minors stopped [Club values & diamond shortness] plus a source of tricks in hearts. I have Txx in hearts. I have zero reason to believe 5S is any better then 5H. And, as a bonus, we are not doubled YET in 5H!

I pass 5H.

[peachy]

Yes, a normal 2S opener.
Yes, partner is boss of our side auction after I open a weak two.
Yes, ditto.
5S, I see no reason to Pass 5H and don't see any oter possible action than 5S.

This all seems pretty straightforward.

[Jlall]

Agree that this is just a lead director on the way to 5S.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 yes
#2 yes
#3 No, I would say the X by partner basically creates a FP, and
given my flat shape, I dont want to play 5S.
#4 5S

With kind regards
Marlowe