[sathyab]

---

N-S Vul, W dealer

W N E S
p 1d X 1s
p 1nt p 2h
p 3h 3nt p
?

Opponents play Precision

[Lord Molyb]

I'll pass and run to 4♦ if doubled.

[PhilKing]

This auction may never happen again.

I'm guessing partner has 8 playing trick in a 4216 hand (Axxx Ax x AKQJxx). He was taking the money (200) against 1NT and is now sacrificing! If you drop the ball here, partner will not criticise you. Much worse, he will look sad, shake his head and say something like "it wasn't easy for you."

Stand your ground. Pass if doubled. Even if you don't understand what is going on, you just have to trust your partner. Sure, 4♣ is also one down, but maybe they make 4♥.

[Codo]

At the table I had been shocked, but I hope I had been able to come to the same conclusion as Phil. Hey, I have a diamond stop, we can make it... No not at the Reisinger, but... one down, good bridge...

[sathyab]

Most people got this one right by passing 3nt. At the table, the Precision 1♦ opening kept bothering me. What if partner had the minors, how would he bid ?, I kept thinking. Torn between the possibility of six solid ♣s on the one hand and a minor two-suiter on the other, I did the wrong thing. I should have reflected that he could have bid 2nt over opener's 1nt rebid with minors (or perhaps even 2nt over 1♦ as we don't consider it a real suit), so this 3nt had to be different. Partner had ♠AQ8 ♥A94 ♦3 ♣AKQJ73. 3nt makes as !s finesse works. Curiously opponents could have passed 1nt and won the board as the best E-W can do is beat it 3 tricks double-dummy

[Phil]

Good problem.

Partner doesn't have both minors - that hand either passes or overcalls 2♣. Partner clearly has solid clubs, which is the motivation for passing 1N.

What would a direct 3♦ had been over 1♦?

[Antig2]

pass, 4♦ is hopeless after after take-out dbl.(W should know that the double is take-out)

[Rossoneri]

Interesting point about the precision 1♦. Last weekend I had an auction where I opened a natural 1♦ promising at least 4, and LHO bid 2NT explained as the minors. He really did have it, and it made sense since our opps originated from a country where precision is the default system rather than a natural system...

[rmnka447]

Pass, no matter what.

If partner goes for a ton in 3 NT, then next time partner might not be bid 3 NT with a similar hand.

But there might be some method to partner's madness. Give partner ♠ A ♥ Kx ♦ Jxx ♣ AKQJxxx and 3 NT may be a maker with an expected ♥ lead.

Anything you do other than pass is likely to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.

[cloa513]

I am surprised- noone has pointed the obvious- North has a diamonds suit otherwise he would have raised spades. East is counting on West to cover the diamonds suit which he has so its pass.

Count on South to lead diamonds if he has any so the real hand is doomed.

[PhilKing]

cloa513, on 2012-December-14, 07:58, said:

I am surprised- noone has pointed the obvious- North has a diamonds suit otherwise he would have raised spades. East is counting on West to cover the diamonds suit which he has so its pass.

Count on South to lead diamonds if he has any so the real hand is doomed.

I may be being a bit thick, but isn't Q98xxx a stopper?

[jota981]

sathyab, on 2012-December-07, 12:21, said:

Most people got this one right by passing 3nt. At the table, the Precision 1♦ opening kept bothering me. What if partner had the minors, how would he bid ?, I kept thinking. Torn between the possibility of six solid ♣s on the one hand and a minor two-suiter on the other, I did the wrong thing. I should have reflected that he could have bid 2nt over opener's 1nt rebid with minors (or perhaps even 2nt over 1♦ as we don't consider it a real suit), so this 3nt had to be different. Partner had ♠AQ8 ♥A94 ♦3 ♣AKQJ73. 3nt makes as !s finesse works. Curiously opponents could have passed 1nt and won the board as the best E-W can do is beat it 3 tricks double-dummy

Hard to see how 3NT can legitimately make, except if they lead spades for you. All they need to do is (keep) stick(ing) you in your hand using non-spades.

[PhilKing]

jota981, on 2012-December-15, 10:36, said:

Hard to see how 3NT can legitimately make, except if they lead spades for you. All they need to do is (keep) stick(ing) you in your hand using non-spades.

I may be being a bit thick, but isn't the ♣T an entry?

[Zelandakh]

cloa513, on 2012-December-14, 07:58, said:

I am surprised- noone has pointed the obvious- North has a diamonds suit otherwise he would have raised spades.

Any reason North cannot be 2434?