[dkharty]

1. Matchpoints, favorable. ♠AQ9 ♥x ♦J9xx ♣KQJTx. Opps silent, you open 1C:
1C 1D
2D 2H
?
Please rate the following bids: 2S, 2NT, 3C, and anything else reasonable that you can think of.

2. Matchpoints, both vul. Opps were silent during the auction, you are playing 3H:

♠AQJxxx
♥x
♦AT8x
♣Jx

♠x
♥AQT97xx
♦QJx
♣xx

LHO cashes ONE high club and switches to the spade 9. What do you make of this and how do you continue?

[Hanoi5]

1. 2NT>2♠>>>>3♣

2. Is it the ♣K or ♣A? Some people play that leading a King and changing suits shows singleton in the second suit...

I think I win and play a heart to the Q.

[gwnn]

2S 10
2N 8
3C 4

I don't know about the play problem, but I think I'd play the Ace and then Q of spades, sluffing a club unless covered.

[dkharty]

Hanoi5, on Jun 25 2010, 11:28 AM, said:

2. Is it the ♣K or ♣A? Some people play that leading a King and changing suits shows singleton in the second suit...

It was the ♣K, and the opps' convention card says they play K from AK. It's extremely doubtful that they have more involved lead agreements than this.

[dake50]

Didn't 2D deny 4xM?
Now 2NT shows S-stop in a minimum.
Seems OK.

[gszeszycki]

1. Matchpoints, favorable. ♠AQ9 ♥x ♦J9xx ♣KQJTx. Opps silent, you open 1C:
1C 1D
2D 2H
?
Please rate the following bids: 2S, 2NT, 3C, and anything else reasonable that you can think of.

on a scale of 1-10
2s = 3 showing something in spades at least so p might not go totally nuts if they
------are void in spades.
2n = 2 gets idea you have good spade stuff but gives totally wrong impression of
------your hand's playing strength at 3n clubs a superb source of tricks in a hand
------already limited by a 2d bid.
3c = 1 completely misguided attempt at humor. When you are not searching for
------majors NT is the next target and 3c shows good clubs and nothing to speak of
------in spades--if p is short in spades their next guess will be wayyy off base.

3N = 10 P is making at least a game try after we tried to sign off with 3d. We are
-------not looking for a major so 3n is next target and not only do we have spades
-------well covered but our club suit is a superb source of tricks at nt.

2. Matchpoints, both vul. Opps were silent during the auction, you are playing 3H:
-------------AQJxxx
-------------x
-------------AT8x
-------------xx
x---------------------------Kxxxx
Jx--------------------------Kxx
xxxx-----------------------Kx
AKxxxx--------------------Qxx
-------------♠x
-------------♥AQT97xx
-------------♦QJx
-------------♣xx

LHO cashes ONE high club and switches to the spade 9. What do you make of this and how do you continue? The hand shown is a typical hand where I am slated to
lose 2C 1H and 1D. So any LOP I choose should not jeopardize that result.

With this thought in mind taking the spade finesse (hoping to pitch club loser) is
probably a huge mistake since we might easily be creating a 2nd heart loser and a
spade loser.

At MP (where overtricks are a huge thing) LHO is taking a huge gamble switching to spades at tricks 2 if they have the K. My tendency is to play the A and continue with spade Q on which I will pitch my club no matter if covered or not.

If rho wins the K and continues spades I ruff with the T (even if this creates a 2nd heart loser I have lost only 1c in compensation so I have broken even)
A.--if lho overruffs with J no matter the return I play dia to T (unless dia K pops)
----if this loses to K and another spade comes back I ruff with the 9 play dia to ace
----and lead heart to Q.
B.--if LHO overruffs with K win next return (unless dia then play T) and if able finesse to heart 9 else take 2 top hearts (limiting heart losers to 1 or none whenever suit breaks 3/2).
C.--If LHO fails to overruff I would lead dia toward T then A (if needed) and lead
heart to 9 if able else Q.

If RHO wins spade K and returns a heart make the normal play of the Q do not let
RHO talk you into making an inferior play of the T (creating 2 heart losers when there was only one)

the recommended LOP will win under normal circumstances as well as allowing you to make 4 when rho has KJx hearts. It will also allow you to make if RHO has Jxx
where you would normally lose 2 heart tricks 2 clubs and 1 dia.

[pooltuna]

1] 2♠>2NT>>3♣

2] I am inclined to win the A and lead the Q for a ♣ pitch