[luis]

Hand #1 a bidding problem:

Scoring: IMP

---

LHO opens 1♦, pd bids 4♠, rho bids 5♦, now what ?

Hand #2 a play problem:

Scoring: IMP

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You get to 3NT after 1c by North 1NT by south (10+GF) 2c relay by north 2d=no majors by you and 3NT by north.
Average opponents.
West leads a spade and east plays the 5 you win the spade ten and now what? You have to decide if you are going to play on hearts hoping for spades 4-4 or a defensive mistake or if you are going to """run""" the diamond jack...

[whereagles]

Bidding: pass. 5D was bid under pressure and quite likely on a wing and a prayer. If pard bid 4S to make, he'll double now. If you're feeling lucky, you can double ahead of him yourself

Play: at 1st glance, I run the heart jack. Can't think of anything better at the moment.

[Walddk]

whereagles, on Mar 11 2005, 11:32 AM, said:

Play: at 1st glance, I run the heart jack. Can't think of anything better at the moment.

What about 2nd glance? It's against the laws of bridge to steal one of the cards the opponents have.

Roland

[inquiry]

whereagles, on Mar 11 2005, 12:32 PM, said:

Bidding: pass. 5D was bid under pressure and quite likely on a wing and a prayer. If pard bid 4S to make, he'll double now. If you're feeling lucky, you can double ahead of him yourself

Play: at 1st glance, I run the heart jack. Can't think of anything better at the moment.

I will do the bidding.

We are vul, they are not. At these colors, partner bid 4♠ to make, so PASS is totally out of the question, especially since I have potentially 8 tricks in my hand and partner promised 10, 9 on a bad day.

No one knows who can make what. With my heart AK, partner will not be biddign grand slam so a couple of ideas occur to me. The first is just blast to 6♠ or 6♥. The idea is that even if it is going down, the oppoenets might take the "cheap" save at 7♦. The second idea is to try to talk them into the save by cue-bidding 6♦. I will not give them two chances. I am going to bid now, and I am going to bid at the six level. I guess I will bid 6♥ but have no qualms against any other six level suit bid except 6♣.

[Walddk]

luis, on Mar 11 2005, 09:58 AM, said:

Hand #2 a play problem:

Scoring: IMP

---

You get to 3NT after 1c by North 1NT by south (10+GF) 2c relay by north 2d=no majors by you and 3NT by north.
Average opponents.
West leads a spade and east plays the 5 you win the spade ten and now what? You have to decide if you are going to play on hearts hoping for spades 4-4 or a defensive mistake or if you are going to """run""" the diamond jack...

Spades are unlikely to be 4-4 when RHO follows with the 5 at trick 1. ♦J might be tempting, but I will go for the legitimate chance: doubleton ♦Q in either hand (most likely 2 with LHO after the lead) - or 6-1 with the singleton queen.

Now let's look at the effect of advancing ♦J. When will West (likely) not cover? Only if he has 4 or more. With Qx or Qxx he will definitely cover, and he might even with Qxxx.

The pseudo finesse is no real chance against even average defenders. I am sure they have heard about "honour on honour".

Roland

[pclayton]

I can't bid over 5♦;5 and 6♥ are fitted.

[whereagles]

Gee Ben.. do you always have 10 tricks for a 4S overcall at 'red'? That's faaaar too rock-solid to me

[inquiry]

whereagles, on Mar 11 2005, 03:02 PM, said:

Gee Ben.. do you always have 10 tricks for a 4S overcall at 'red'? That's faaaar too rock-solid to me

I allow how 9 tricks with "normal breaks" is ok for this bid, 10 with normal breaks maybe better. But this is IMPS and we are RED and they are WHITE... how many tricks do you think it should promise? Down even two is bad and three is a disaster. -500 or -800 versus 400 in game.

So, it is not that I am red that makes it this strong. It is that I am RED, they are WHITE and this is IMPS. A deadly combination for preemptive bids if you are the red guys. If both vul, I am more frisky, if it is MP, I am slighlty more frisky. But at these conditions, I am as you say, rock-solid... opposite an unpassed hand.

[whereagles]

Just out of curiosity then... what is you absolute min for a 1m 4M preempt at 'red' and opposite unpassed pard? Mine would be something like..

KQJxxxxx
xx
xx
x

[inquiry]

whereagles, on Mar 11 2005, 04:39 PM, said:

Just out of curiosity then... what is you absolute min for a 1m 4M preempt at 'red' and opposite unpassed pard? Mine would be something like..

KQJxxxxx
xx
xx
x

This hand will take 7 tricks (that is an 8 card spade suit) opposite normal breaks and a bust. So how would I bid it at imps....

Not vul versus vul, I might try 5♠ but surely 4♠
not vul versus notvul, 4♠ is fine
Vul versus vul, I would still trott out 4♠, although 3♠ has some merit.
Vul versus not vul... you know, there is nothing wrong with bidding less than 4♠, 2♠ is right on streght, but I would go probably with 3♠.



Ben

[luke warm]

on hand 1 i'd double and lead my spade

on hand 2 i admit it would not occur to me to lead the ♦J... but that's why you're luis and i'm not (lucky you heheh)

[cherdano]

I am surprised you didn't tell us the exact lead plus opps' lead and carding agreements for hand 2. Doesn't it matter?

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