[whereagles]

Scoring: IMP

LHO pard RHO you
1NT....X....XX..pass
2♣....pass..2♥.....X
pass..3♠..pass..3NT

1NT = 12-14
XX = 1-suiter escape
Your dbl = take-out

West leads heart ace, East playing a midly encouraging 7. West switches to a spade.

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[Fluffy]

I totally dislike the bidding

I´d play hoping West to have ♣KQx.

play ♠AK, then ♠J and lead a ♣ to dummy

If east plays small hop with the ace and endplay him in ♣, ig plays a top ♣ play small and endplay him with third one.

Even if he has a 4th ♠ to exit he can become strip squeezed.

[Chamaco]

low club from hand, if RHO hops with K/Q, I duck, else put 9 from dummy.

[Fluffy]

you are ducking in both cases chamaco?

[inquiry]

whereagles, on Nov 25 2004, 05:39 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

LHO pard RHO you
1NT....X....XX..pass
2♣....pass..2♥.....X
pass..3♠..pass..3NT

1NT = 12-14
XX = 1-suiter escape
Your dbl = take-out

West leads heart ace, East playing a midly encouraging 7. West switches to a spade.

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You need EAST to have the diamond queen, or we are wasting out time. With your 24 hcp easts presumed diamond queen is 26, and the minimimum hcp WEST can hold is 12. 26+12 = 38, so there is not enough room for EAST to have the king of hearts. In addition to the diamond queen, east can have club Queen, with or without either minor jack, or can have both minor jacks.

There was no alert on 2♣, but we presume this is to give EAST space to show his single suit, not showing clubs.

The theory of leading low towards the club ACE is very sound. If West plays the king or queen of clubs, you duck. The problem becomes if he plays low or the jack (since his partner can overtake if he has a club honor). You are going to have to guess how clubs are split. Seems the best play win spade in hand and lead a low club. If West plays low, go up with ace, and hook diamond, and then lead a low club.

[whereagles]

Scoring: IMP

South to play 3NT after a weak NT from West, on the lead heart ace and spade shift.

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Fluffy got it right
1. Win spade shift in hand and lead a club, playing West for KQx (or a failure to unblock from other holdings).
2. In practice West ducks and you win the ace and play back a club. West takes his two clubs and continues spades.
3. You cash the last club and 3 spades, discarding a heart from hand.
4. On the last spade West can now leave his diamond queen doubleton (you have to guess to finesse East or play for the drop), or let go his small heart upon which you put him in hand to open diamonds (and then you don't have to guess ).

Oh and by the way, the diamond king and ace were interchanged. Does the bidding please you more now, Fluffy?

[Fluffy]

its not any of the bids, its just the system, I play very few penalty doubles but some of them are when we are into a power double situation like this one. This is not a pure power double situation since south´s pass is not clearly strong, but still I would consider it that way.