[pescetom]

 P_Marlowe, on 2026-May-29, 04:23, said:

we play 3S as forward going, asking for add. description, among others a stopper in their suit,
it does not promise a fit for p, but it will be based on tolerance.

Due to this I am not happy with the 3S bid, ..., either bid 3C or bid 4C / 5C, but opener has to
start telling p, that he has a real suit for his opening, not a bal. hand, which is still the normal
holding in the given auction.

Over 4C you have to bid whatever, ..., I would go with 5C, but 6C is ok as well, I hate to go down
at the 6 level.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: I also prefer the pragmatic 5C bid, because the way the auction went, was predictable.
The only thing we can do as opener is repeating our club suits again and again, unless you have a way
of setting clubs and asking for KCs at the 4C level.
And this way needs to be able to different to the way you handle the same hand with 3 clubs less, distributed
among hearts and diamonds.

Yes I agree that 3S was not a great choice. Unfortunately this was a first time partnership and I was not sure that 4C would be taken as forcing and requesting control bidding. I rejected 3C as being non forcing, but thinking harder it would have served well and is unlikely to be passed out.

[pescetom]

Partner has not given up yet.

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Pass in tempo?

[P_Marlowe]

Sure.

I can construct hands, that make 13, but I want to go plus, and if not, avoid a penalty X.
Let the dogs continue sleeping.

[pescetom]

You didn't avoid the double.

---

"It could be worse. It could be raining"

[jillybean]

Oops, thank heavens you don't have to bring this back to any teammates.

[P_Marlowe]

pescetom, on 2026-May-29, 09:34, said:

You didn't avoid the double.

---

"It could be worse. It could be raining"

Ok: I guess, I now have enough time.

The question is, who has what:
I never promised a 1st / 2nd round control of spades, and they have bid the suit.
This means p has to have the Ace of spades, given that I have the king of spades,
otherwise his bidding is ...
South cannot be looking at AK in spades as well, since I happen to know, where the
King is. As it is, North is on lead, not South, hence South believes, that his
tricks cant go away, regardless, what North attacks, this would mean Aces, at least
one, most likely two,
since we give South at most QJ in spades, this leaves 7-8HCP for distribution.
7C will be at most -3, ..., I bid 7C.

Maybe given that North is on lead, Pass may work out better, lets hope for a spade lead,
I change to Pass.

[pescetom]

I passed, first time partner is already marking me down as 'confusing' but avoiding 'mastermind' is still possible.

Here is what is going on in the eyes of North.

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Your lead?

[P_Marlowe]

Heart is out, ..., Club is out, I dont see, why I should lead a diamond,
i.e. spade.

I also dont think X is asking for a specific lead, it is power, and this
means spade is even more clear cut.

[apollo1201]

 P_Marlowe, on 2026-May-29, 11:32, said:

Heart is out, ..., Club is out, I dont see, why I should lead a diamond,
i.e. spade.

I also dont think X is asking for a specific lead, it is power, and this
means spade is even more clear cut.

Urgh. I was thinking S had a side AK and explicitly ruled out S. D then would have been my lead.

[pescetom]

apollo1201, on 2026-May-30, 04:26, said:

Urgh. I was thinking S had a side AK and explicitly ruled out S. D then would have been my lead.

It's hard for me to be objective, knowing the diagram. Even you may be influenced by the knowledge of East hand. For sure in North I would have been puzzled about 4C and the jump to 6C. West pulling to 6NT could be about lots of things, from "if he is right then I can make 6N" to "I play better than him", but probably involves some tenaces or an honour that needs protection: maybe a single stop of spades K?

I would be surprised again by partner's double. Can it be mere punishment based on two Aces or spades AK? I don't think so, setting the slam is already going to be a top. But if not? I don't think this North has ever heard of a Lightner double. But then neither had Theodore's noble partner either and he still found the right lead.

[pescetom]

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North led a small spade, West took the trick in dummy and claimed 13 tricks, 6NTx+1. South was fuming.
An undeserved national top for us, but that's bridge.

At the beginning of the thread there was discussion about needing perfecto cards. But however optimistic one is about partner receiving Aces and Kings, there is also the problem of ascertaining the right honours in the right places. Slam is doomed on this layout (although likely to make after a nebulous auction) but swap West's diamonds and spades and slam is cold.