This doesn't necessarily follow, the way most people use the term "help suit". (It may be 4+ to you, and that's fine, but that's really a long suit try afaic; to me, any suit with unsupported middle honors qualifies for a help suit try, and Qxx is pretty much the middle of the range; I believe, but am not certain, that among US experts that's what it would tend to mean.)

I would pull also, as the 4–4 fit is quite likely to be worth a trick. As DW pointed out, this auction doesn't guarantee four-card support (at least not the way many play), and if opener had something like QJx QJ9x x AQxxxx (which IMO is possible), 3NT would be a better contract. With the actual hand, a suit contract looks much better.

Edit to add: If opener's response guarantees four — if he can never have anything like the example hand I give above — then I'm with DW in eschewing the 3NT bid. In fact, I think I'm not even making a game try, but instead jumping to game. (Pard should not have a subminimum third seat opener for this sequence, and my extra shape and fitting club honors make game a good prospect opposite most hands opener can have. Granted it's not guaranteed, and this all depends on the partnership's tendency to open trash. But the way I play, if opener has a dead minimum with four spades, then in third seat he opens 1S if the spades are good, and passes a 1S response if they're bad. If he's 4–4 in the majors, make appropriate allowances, but it's still similar.)

Yeah you are right about help-suit tries with 3 being normal. We haven't really discussed more than them being natural, so help-suit was perhaps misleading.

Opener could support with 3 spades, textbook hand would be something like:

Axx QJxx x AQxxx

i'd just bid 4S over 3D

also i don't really like 3D but it's not obvious what's better. I think 2NT if it's natural and invitational is good or 3S just a general strength game try is a candidate as well.

i think one of the primary problems with 3D is that you're requesting for partner to look at his diamond holding to make a decision when, as is the case here, his club holding could be much more important.

I would bid 4S with this north hand over any game try. You have 13 working HCP in trumps, aces and your long suit. You are worth 2.5S over 1S, but being matchpoints, 2S is good.

The gametry is fine, of course.

3H is horrible as countersuit try. Axx does not need any support, you don't want partner to upgrade his Jxx or Qxx.

I think the 3NT after the 3H is fine. You have very bad trumps, so I like it. North must pull to 4S ldo, because his hand screams for a trump contract.

Responder bid his hand well, opener did not.

MP All White

6
K875
KT
KQ9852

Dealer opens 2S

Your bid?

This is somewhere between a pass and 3C overcall. I don't really mind either.

Pretty much this. I'm a bidder though. Bidding is fun, we have goodish playing strength, and most importantly we're the ones with shortness in their suit and should be the ones to stretch. I don't want my partners getting ideas of reopening with their 3343 10 counts; the way to get them to not think about that is to not put them in a spot where we go -110 when we could have been +130 after I've passed.

With my regular partner, I could even double with this and yolo-pass the 3C response (transfer to 3D) in an effort to find hearts... but that's probably dangerous thinking.

I think I score it 3C=100, pass=80, double=50 or so.

I'd give 20 points to dbl, 30 on a good day
I really dislike that option. It always goes 4S-5D-dbl

My problem with double is when it continues (4S) X. I think 20 is a bit harsh, but unless I have an agreement to double light, I wouldn't do it on this hand. I'm with DW that 3C is probably better, but with gabe that I don't mind pass all that much — again, it depends on how you and partner play.

It is possible to play a top-and-bottom cuebid (wherein 3S would show hearts and clubs, typically with longer clubs), but over a weak two this is probably better used in the normal way. (Over one-of-a-suit openings it's a pretty good treatment, much better imo than the standard michaels meaning.) Fwiw with my most regular partner I played Roman jumps over weak twos, wherein we jumped to the "lower" of our two touching suits, so in this case a 4H bid would show hearts and clubs. But that would still have been wrong here, as it took more strength (typically four or five losers) and two good (5+ card) suits. I mention it only for it's interest value, if any; it's not relevant here. But with, say, 6 AQT85 K4 KQ985 it would be a nice way to get across the two places we can play as well as our mostly-offensive character, before what feels like the inevitable 4S response. If you're using that treatment and the auction begins (2S) 4H!; (4S) X, you won't be tempted to pull; you've already described your hand to partner (who could have Jx 9xx QJ98xx AJ, meaning no one is making anything).

Regional handicap KO (single bracket)

Tied match after 12 (before handicap)

We are getting ~22 imps cap and there has been a game swing each way most likely... you may have lost a partial or 2, so at this point I have the match as us by about 8 or so.

Board 23/24

W vs R 2nd seat, Demuy passes to you

Jx
x
KJ9xxx
AKxx

you open a diamond and Kranyak blasts 3H. 2 passes to you...

do you have another call?

not really, no

where are all the spades?

Kranyak is a mad man though...

sure, but that can go both ways -- plus I doubt he ratchets up the insanity red on white

like, what am I supposed to do here, double and hope partner passes? Because if I double he's either passing or bidding spades, and, well, where are all the spades?

We don't have a slam, if we're supposed to get 400 or 420 and we get 200 instead, oh well

Is true. I've watched him play and he is crazy. But he probably does ratchet it down for a team he expects to beat (no offense dcohio).

pass, not close imo

none taken...

however, entering the last 12 boards he is down 22 imps (all handicap...tied 1st half 11-11).

this is the 11th board and the first 10 feel like he is still down 8-10 here.

It is actually pretty close between dbl and pass imo

Partner did not dbl for spades, while he probably has the values for a neg dbl
That means he either is not having spades or he prefers to defend

Partners hand:

ATx
AQ9x
Axx
Qxx

He was trap passing, and I failed to give him a reopening X... RHO came down with the stiff Qd so slam is cold...

luckily the auction at the other table was copied, and we pushed the board. Ended up losing the 2nd half 36-18, but barely winning the match by 4 with our handicap.

As an aside, Kranyak and Demuy were two of the nicest guys I have ever played against at the table.

3H is 4 down I think? That is better than slam

lol you played against vinny yesterday? he was our teammate on monday

and obv you gotta reopen something there. welcome to the game

Yeah, Demuy/Kranyak were playing with Ken Gee, Mary Chilcote, and Hao Ge was the 5th hand I think.

You should have come up to dayton too Jeremy ;-)

I asked John why he wasn't playing the cavendish and his response was "Why go to Monaco when you can come to Dayton Ohio?"

Gee/Ge missed it too ;-)

Small world, Kran told me about this hand last night and now I read about it on 2+2.

It can be dangerous to have wood for doubling kran though when he preempts, a few days ago playing with jeremy it went 3D p p to me, I was r/w with AQ9x Txxx x JTxx. I was like oh good we're getting a telephone number (previous instances in this tournament of kran w/r preempts were 2H on x Q9xxx xxxx Jxx for instance, and they don't play a weak 2D opener.)

Brrr bid 3N, ugh, that means his diamonds aren't good enough to pass. RHO doubled and we ended up going for a number. Kran's preempt was QJxxxx and out 6322, unfortunately Vince smooth passed the 3D opener with xxx AKQx KT AKxx! He knew I would reopen really aggressively and 3N might be down anyways (either on a spade lead or kran not having the DA).

Ofc this spot is different since it is a r/w 3H overcall so it's unlikely RHO is passing with a 2N opener haha.