[Coelacanth]

Scoring: MP

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I decided to open the above hand 1♠. (Is there a case to be made for 4♠ or even 2♣?) The auction proceeded 2♦ on my left, 2♠ from partner, 3♦ and I bid 4♠. It went pass, pass, and RHO tried 5♦.

Considering the vulnerability and form of scoring, do you bid 5♠, double, or pass which is presumably forcing? Or bid something else (5♥ anyone?)

Here's another declare/defend decision around spades.

Scoring: MP

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I haven't encountered this particular sequence before, but my initial assumption that playing a double here as pure penalty is "standard". Anyone play anything different?

Anyway you have lots of options here including a forcing pass, double, 3NT, maybe a cuebid, maybe 4♦ or 4♥. If you pass, it runs around to your partner who doubles. How penaltyish is this double, and now what do you do?

[pooltuna]

The first hand I am not defending anything expect probably 7♦. I mean is too much to expect parter to hold

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My inclination is to check for aces over 2♠ as long as partner has an Ace aren't you always at least 25% to make slam.

On the second hand yeah I hit it and don't consider any other call after hearing partner bid in my void.

[hanp]

Recent fortune cookie advice:

Raise of 8-card suit? Bid one more.

Void in partner's suit? Double.

[jjbrr]

I would have bid 3♦ so that we're in a forcing pass on the first one. Now I'd bid 5♥ in case partner can boost to slam.

Saw off the second one.

[Hanoi5]

4♠ on the first one was too yellow, double on the second one if it will be taken as penalty (if not Pass and Pass partner's double).

[kayin801]

hanp, on Jul 19 2010, 01:12 PM, said:

Recent fortune cookie advice:

Raise of 8-card suit? Bid one more.

Void in partner's suit? Double.

I got the same thing in mine except it told me I was an idiot if I didn't do that.

Pass not forcing on the first one.

[hanp]

I think you're going to the wrong Chinese restaurant.

[JLOGIC]

1S is a fine opening bid. After that, when partner raises you to 2S I would be considering slam. As little as Axx xx xxxx xxxx is a cold slam.

Once you have just bid 4S, you are not in a forcing pass. You might jump to 4S on a distributional hand without many HCP. I would definitely bid though!

On the 2nd hand if you play 2/1 GF then double is penalty as you're in a FP. If you play 2/1 not GF then double is not penalty since you aren't in a forcing pass, and will often need to double when you have GF values.

[Cascade]

We haven't bid enough already on the first one and its too late to catch up. Nevertheless I keep bidding.

On the second one double is not penalties for me. Its not clear what is best though.

Passing hoping for a double from partner risks playing 3♠ undoubled although this might not always be bad. Perhaps a worse risk is when partner bids 4♣ over our pass.

3NT may induce partner to like his clubs as we will often be balanced for this call.

Double obviously risks missing 3NT or a penalty and almost certainly just creates another problem for us on the next round of bidding.

[Coelacanth]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

On the first hand, partner had something like
♠QJT ♥Qxxx ♦Jxx ♣Qxx.

I bid 5♠ and made it exactly, losing only the 2 pointed-suit Aces, for +450.

It looks like we get 3 or 4 tricks against 5♦X, for a likely +500. We get the AKA in my hand, and no spades. It's not clear if partner's ♥Q or ♣Q will make a trick; I think one will but not both. It depends on declarer's line.

On the 2nd hand, I passed 3♠ and passed again when parner reopened with a double. I should have mentioned that we do not play 2/1. Partner had something like
♠x ♥Axx ♦Kxx ♣KQxxxx.

My LHO had ♦Qxxx, so it's not clear if 5♦ will make. 4♥ might make on the 4-3 as LHO has ♥Kxx. 3NT will almost surely make, but neither one of us can bid it after this start. Or can we?