[quiddity]

Scoring: MP

1♠ 3♠ X 4♣
4♥ P 4♠ 4NT
5♠ ?

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Also, do you agree with south's pass after 4H?

[andy_h]

Disagree with 3♠ and the pass over 4♥.

[Jlall]

3S is horrrrrrrrrrrrible.

[mikeh]

weird position: we may be cold for slam....and they may be cold for 5♠.

The problem is that our hand doesn't resemble the one we showed in the bidding.

3♠ was insane, and that's me being polite about it.

If there is one thing I have learned in 30+ years of bridge is that it helps the partnership if I avoid distorting my hand any more than I have to. What is there about this hand that suggests playing 3N from partner's side if he has a spade stopper? Maybe RHO, on lead and listening to the auction, will lead a club?

On a good day, they run 6 clubs then lead through partner's Kx in spades and run 6 spades, and partner, understandably frazzled, pitches the wrong red A on trick 12.

We could easily be going down in 3N cold for 6 of either red suit, not to mention games.

If we belong in 3N we will usually get there after 2♦...not always, but usually, and when we do get there, we will make it.

[jdonn]

Well if you bid 3♠ no one says you have to pass partner's 3NT bid anyway, sometimes people start with 3♠ intending to pull 3NT all along to show a better hand with a solid suit. But 3♠ is still bad because it kills your chances of finding hearts. I think horrrrrrible is an overbid though, sometimes you belong in 3NT and it gets you there, and it shows your solid suit and is preemptive. I would give it like 3 out of 10.

[quiddity]

:-( And I was pleased with myself for finding this sequence at the table. Anyway, yes, the plan was to bid 4H over anything (including 3NT) from partner, showing running diamonds and four good hearts. I thought that showing these precise features was worth the overbid, but I guess I was just being too clever by half.

The other thought was that 3S gets my minor suit quality across quickly before LHO can jam the auction.

[mikeh]

quiddity, on Apr 9 2010, 04:33 PM, said:

:-(  And I was pleased with myself for finding this sequence at the table.  Anyway, yes, the plan was to bid 4H over anything (including 3NT) from partner, showing running diamonds and four good hearts.  I thought that showing these precise features was worth the overbid, but I guess I was just being too clever by half. 

The other thought was that 3S gets my minor suit quality across quickly before LHO can jam the auction.

But this plan may really, really backfire...especially if partner has weak, short hearts. If my partner sprang this on me, I would assume that he has HEARTS and an enormous hand, that he didn't think he could adequately or safely describe by doubling and then bidding or by just showing hearts directly.

Now, if I had an honour in hearts, I might work it out...but why risk it? It would be ironic if this approach got you past the last making game in 3N.

[Jlall]

Yeah 3S-3N-4H shows hearts imo.

[quiddity]

Hearts?! Well I guess *that* was never going to work. Doh.