3 spades say (9)10-11(12) - too much for a simple raise which is likewise 95% exactly 3 card support - nearly always balanced the only real exception being when partner has what I call an impossible splinter like stiff A or K

if your choice is 4C over 3H I am interested in your further choice after partner bids either 4H or 4S ?

we can haggle about the system if you want to - I don't like the idea that after describing his hand very precisely partner then gets to express a view about whether he likes it or not for slam in preference to cue-bidding when he is asked to cue-bid - I have agreements that in some sequences partner will proffer such a view rather than cue but not in this sequence and I don't think it helps much if at all with this auction - I think the obvious way to hate the system here is to hate first or second round cues but that is what we play

As I said, I'm signing off over 4H. It's a shame that we miss it when he has KQ A, but it's too easy for there to be two minor suit losers so it's not so much that five isn't safe (it probably is) as that I can never find out what I want to know.

Over 4S I can afford to keycard. Worst case partner has Qxx QJxx QJx Jxx, but even then five has chances and if trumps are solid we're odds-on for six.

4C seems the obvious bid. 5S is too jumpỳ imo. I would keep such a bid if no good alternative is available.

pretty much everything Shrike and Wetzel said went through my head before I took a bid over 3H although pard won't have a stiff diamond - certainly seems crazy to bid 5S but I thought about it at the time and I think it has merit - also seems a tad crazy to think that hearing that pard doesn't have a cue is a good thing but I thought that too

I have little inhibition about taking a punt and after being dissatisfied by all the options forward and seeing enough concern about 5S going off I took the negative punt and just bid 4S

the guy on lead tried the 9 of clubs from 9x and dummy tracked

K10x
Ax
Q9xx
J842

J,Q,A - I took the approved line in trumps and RHO held Qxx, then the approved line in clubs - +510 and 8 imps out against the butler datum

stupid f***ing trump layout - stupid f***ing club pips

I think I knew enough to suggest that slam was going to be slightly above par and should of found one of those inadequate looking auctions and got there

You got what you deserved for thinking too deep instead of playing simple bridge. "I have 19 HCP and they are all in trumps and aces and kings, I try for slam"

The secret to good bridge is to do normal things.

Even if you do 4C and bid passively 4S over 4H, partner will have to go on with his two keycards. You really only need to give a little push in this hand.

yeah - except 1S-3H-4C-4H-4S sounds a lot like 2 diamond losers to me unless you have some agreements to the contrary

I'm not saying you should bid 4S

I'm saying partner will need to go on with this hand with two keycards, because if you have a slamtry lacking two keycards, the rest should be good (you will never ever also have two diamond losers, what kind of slamtry would that be?)

Cincy regional started today. Playing in the M-Th eve KO. Only one bracket.

12 Teams, first match all 3 ways. Ended up with W/W. No real interesting hands tonight.

One interesting question though...

In a trump contract, you are holding QJ tight of trump behind dummy's AT. Declarer cashes the K.

Which do you throw and why?

My thought is that against bad players, you play the Q, and against stronger players the J. Is this correct? Should you just randomize as best as possible?

Against stronger players you must surely randomize

Another weird spot last night. Defending 3NT, dummy on the left has AKTx of diamonds, you hold QJ9xx. Declarer leads the 8...

What is the best sequence of plays assuming declarer has enough transportation (and diamonds) to return to hand to lead towards dummy again. You can also assume partner follows suit to the first diamond.

The other spots matter.

AKT5

876

Is not the same as

AKT2

843

Dummy had AKT2. You hold QJ973. Declared leads 8. Partner follows with 5

If I have QJ973 I play low.

Leader can easily decide to cash AK, which wins if diamonds are 3-3 or Q/J/Jx/Qx behind the AK.

I played low in tempo. Declarer ran the 8, then picked up the suit for no losers.

I'm thinking if I play the Q on the first round, and then drop the 9 on the second round it may have been better?

Playing against Eddie Wold's team tonight... Should be fun

Don't forget to cough.

the 9 is right

you know the 8 is probably the wrong card for declarer to play but it makes sense to me in that context that declarer might run it so protect the 4th round

one of the juniors I coach had A1084 opposite Q53 for trumps last monday and with no information about the layout at trick 2 started by leading the 10 - I asked him why later and he said he was finessing the jack - sigh - it got particularly hard to explain this to him when the next person to play actually held J76...

that bad players do illogical things is no excuse to give up on doing the best thing - I probably play low in tempo a lot too

Well, we lost. Kind of salty as there were a couple hands that were massive swings that should have been pushes.

KQ9x
AKTx
x
Txxx

opposite

AJTx
Jx
AKQJ98
x

Auction at our table (North deals R/R):

1C-1D
1H-1S! (game force 5+/4+)
2S-4C (agreeing spades, short clubs)
4H-4N
5S-6S - (X)

Down one with 5-0 spade break. Other table stops in 4S making 5.

AKTx
Qx
xxx
AK9x

opposite

J9xxx
KJ
xx
JTxx

Auction at our table (east dealer, R/W)

(2H)-P-(P)-X
(P)-2S!-end (<8HCP)

Auction at their table:

(P)-P-(P)-1NT (15-17)
(2H)-2S-(P)-3S
(P)-4S

Of course, both black queens are in the slot tripleton, so you only lose 2 diamonds and a heart.

The NE is almost certainly to randomize 50/50 right? Against bad players, Q more often seems better.

Looks ******ed to run the 8, are you sure you played in tempo?

100%

Her reasoning is that she wanted to play for 3-3 diamonds, and wanted partner on lead anyway.

Ok so that is relevant information and the reason why this question cannot be answered in a vacuum. You need to provide the entire position. Running the 8 and then cashing AK is normally suboptimal

How did you play 6S with 5-0 spades? You have a lot of play to make it even with trumps split badly.

Yeah, I figured trumps would split poorly with the double, so I went for the cross ruff line of 8 trumps, 2 hearts, and 2 diamonds. Unfortunately, diamonds are 4-2 as well. They led AK clubs, ruffed in hand, I played AK hearts, AK diamonds, then tried to ruff a diamond low and got over-ruffed.

6D is probably the best contract (goes down double dummy) as the only way for it to go down is for LHO to underlead AK clubs to his partner's Q and get a spade ruff back.