[pescetom]

MP

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Our jump to 2M is defined as 5+ cards 0-5 HCP drop dead, so it is already rare that partner has game interest let alone more. Anyone willing to criticize fast arrival here?
This was the first board of the evening after focaccia and beer and I did not do it justice. Heartened by the fine dummy after the ♠J lead I started to play without much thought.

How many tricks are you aiming for and what is your plan?

[mike777]

Dummy reversal setting up the Diamond suit?

However much more important tell this Irish fellow about Focaccia and Italian Beer?

[jillybean]

I can't do these...
I have 5, can I get 6 ? tell me trump dont split 3-0

♣A

Pull 2 rounds trump

♠K

ruff diamond

ruff spade

ruff diamond

ruff spade
?

[pescetom]

mike777, on 2026-August-13, 09:23, said:

Dummy reversal setting up the Diamond suit?

However much more important tell this Irish fellow about Focaccia and Italian Beer?

Focaccia is an oily bread at it's best in Liguria (where it is thin and covered with molten sheep's cheese) and at the opposite end of the country in Puglia (where it is more substantial and laden with tomatoes and olives). Italian beer is not dissimilar to US beer, all right if cold enough, we played outside under the olive trees with 33C.

[mikeh]

jillybean, on 2026-August-13, 09:25, said:

I can't do these...
I have 5, can I get 6 ? tell me trump dont split 3-0

♣A

Pull 2 rounds trump

♠K

ruff diamond

ruff spade

ruff diamond

ruff spade
?

Much better is to ruff a diamond at trick 2, cross in trump (use your top trump as entries…I promise you nobody is overruffing the first diamond trick😀 assuming trump are 2-1, ruff another diamond, pull the last trump, ruff another diamond, cross back by ruffing a club, ruff a diamond with dummy’s last trump. Youve ruffed 4 diamonds so if the suit broke 4=3 (which is slightly better than 50%), you claim 13 tricks. If trump are 3-0, you play the same way but you’re making at most 12 tricks.

This technique of using high trump not only to pull trump but as communication arises fairly often I see a lot of club players whose first instinct is to pull trump before ‘going about their business’ only to find out that they end up in the wrong hand or, worse, they lose control.

[jillybean]

pescetom, on 2026-August-13, 09:36, said:

Focaccia is an oily bread at it's best in Liguria (where it is thin and covered with molten sheep's cheese) and at the opposite end of the country in Puglia (where it is more substantial and laden with tomatoes and olives). Italian beer is not dissimilar to US beer, all right if cold enough, we played outside under the olive trees with 33C.

This is how the game should be played.

[jillybean]

mikeh, on 2026-August-13, 10:43, said:

Much better is to ruff a diamond at trick 2, cross in trump (use your top trump as entries…I promise you nobody is overruffing the first diamond trick�� assuming trump are 2-1, ruff another diamond, pull the last trump, ruff another diamond, cross back by ruffing a club, ruff a diamond with dummy’s last trump. Youve ruffed 4 diamonds so if the suit broke 4=3 (which is slightly better than 50%), you claim 13 tricks. If trump are 3-0, you play the same way but you’re making at most 12 tricks.

This technique of using high trump not only to pull trump but as communication arises fairly often I see a lot of club players whose first instinct is to pull trump before ‘going about their business’ only to find out that they end up in the wrong hand or, worse, they lose control.

Ha, I started off cross ruffing and then changed my response to "take the kiddies off the street". Aidan B also mentioned this at the club the other day.
thanks

[pescetom]

Mikeh has it right obviously, even if the 4-3 split at 62% (as I planned for) turned out not to be the limit (and maybe he revoked to ruff club )

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I got the plan and the start right (spade, diamonds ruff, trumps, diamond ruff, trumps, clubs Ace, diamonds ruff) but then went in panic when North showed out on the third diamond and at a certain point (IIRC) pitched a spade rather than just ruffing again anyway.

4H+1 was a merited disaster at local level, with even one 6H making (no trace of f2f auction).
At national level I was in more numerous company, in part I imagine because NS were less cautious in bidding than here.

[pescetom]

I was wondering if anyone would not have settled for fast arrival in West?
The 2♥response promises almost nothing and it would usually be foolhardy not to pass, let alone think about slam, but here we do have few losers and a known 9-10 card major fit.
I guess we could start with 4♣ as a splinter, which is about the only forcing fit bid here in our system (3♠ is undefined), splintering with an Ace is not taboo.
Now East would reward us with 4♦, but we're not out of the woods yet.
1♦ - 2♥
4♣ (spl) - 4♦
4♠ - 4N (even)
5♣ - 5♦
6♥ - P

5♦ has to be a void given the keycards, bingo. Had it been 5♥ instead then I think I would pass at MP but it's close (we cannot distinguish between the K which is doomed and a singleton which should make, but the singleton looks a bit more likely even if it needs some HCP to justify showing it).

Isn't resulting fun