The way I see it, you need either the As or the Kd to make 6, and if you have both you can make 7. So why not ask for Aces? In the event of the negative response, play safe and sign off in 5H (OK, it makes the same score as 4H+1 but you haven’t really risked anything). If pard has As, you can ask for Kings - if negative, sign off in 6H (losing just a diamond), if positive then 7H should make (I suppose it could fail if one opponent has 4 clubs to the Jack and pard has 4 small clubs but this is so unlikely that it has to be a risk worth taking).
The other factor is if you pass, 4S might be a worthwhile sacrifice for South to make. Then you probably have to bid 5H anyway. Is 5S a good sacrifice? We don’t know the vulnerability but assuming neither, they’d have to go 3 down (doubled - you’d obviously double for penalties) before it’s worse than you making 5H. I’d say your points are good for at least 4 tricks, but whether you would get them 3 down depends on how much cross-ruffing they can do.
Another problem with 6H is that partner could have four small hearts and opposing trumps could be split 4-0 (especially with the weak 2 opening) in which case entries to partner’s hand for the trump finesse become critical. And then there’s the possibility that it’s the 2S opener that has the 4 hearts (and what about a club void on top?).
I’m currently taking lessons from a player who plays for Scotland and one of the things he mentioned early on is that in a pairs competition you shouldn’t bother trying for the 100% score (though that’s nice) but aim for the 60% score. In pairs, 4H +1 or +2 is - on average - a better score than 6H possibly -1.
Slam with KD no AS is prob as good as slam with AS and no KD. We’ve a small chance of the AS and an even chance of the KD, ISTM.
So I don’t think you should ask for aces IF you’re prepared to stop in 5H after a negative response. It’s either 4 or 6, with the ace-ask catering for 7 if your luck is in.
Opps pre-empting style is important for weighing up the possibility of the AS, of course. Seasoned pairs are quite particular on what they will open wrt vulnerability and position.
If partner has the Ace of Spades, theoretically we can discard our losing diamond on that ace. 6H has significant dangers - trump split, club ruff, Diamond King, Spade Ace. I can just imagine bidding 6H and getting a Lightner double from the 2S bidder hoping for a club ruff and then it’s a 50-50 chance as to whether a club or a diamond is led. A perfect storm will see you three off - club ruff, spade to Spade Ace held by RHO, another club ruff, then Diamond King (or another promoted Diamond).
This could make slam opposite the right zero-point hand: xxx xxxxx xxx xx. However, it would be no play opposite xx xxxx xxxx xxx, which is probably more likely. Slam will have play opposite any hand with 5 hearts and no more than 6 minor suit cards. It will require all the clubs to come in if partner has 6 minors. If partner has 5 hearts and JC, it is huge. Obviously KD makes it a lock.
I have sympathy for just bidding 6H, but I will bid 4S and see if partner can come up with a 5D bid.
What time of day do you play? I looked three times between 9 and 11pm Eastern time and there were never enough players registered to run the game - typically only one.
I normally play in the UK evening - there’s always players about although sometimes it will only be 4 or 5.
I see BBO are promoting it on their front page where the most successful rebate players each half month get the princely sum of ten dollars. Some players absolutely crushing it with 40+ rebates.
I like this. As it is, I optimistically just bid 6 hearts.
Partner had 0 high card points and 4 Hearts. Amazingly enough, North underled his spade Ace on trick 1, and the King on the board held! But alas that was the last break for partner. South held all 4 Hearts. The clubs split poorly. We lost a trump, and a diamond.
I agree with the first part of the above, but my theory was that 5H is pretty much as safe as 4H (apparently not, as it turned out) so asking for Aces gives you a safe chance to explore the slam without the need to go on if the answer is negative. I suppose the fact that 4H turned out to be the best contract is what scuppers this plan. Seems that was as a result of a couple of unlucky breaks, though.
I agree with you that you’d think the 5 level would be OK here on most deals. Easy to fall in love with strong hands, though
I think as a rule, though, that having a nibble at slam based on unlikely holdings is not sound bridge, certainly at matchpoints. So saying ‘I’m only bidding slam if pard has the AS’ when he probably doesn’t, isn’t worth the risk of going up to the 5 level. Too costly in the long run.
Yes, if partner has 5 hearts and no points there are only two ways to NOT make six: an exact mirror distribution or a 4-0 club break.
I would ask for aces (why not?) and then bid 6 or 7 appropriately. If partner has only 4 hearts there might be some drama, but there will always be some kind of play for it.
First you should ask about styles of of the 2S opener. Some are serious about not opening such bids without 2 of the top three honors. If your opponents are like this, opener must have AQ of spades. This makes slam much less likely.
E: I wanted to bid 4♡. I really did. But I didn’t push it. I bid only 3♡.
All pass. The opening lead came and 4♡ made 10 tricks for me easily. I was kicking myself for cowardice, but after checking the round afterwards I saw only 1 pair bid the 4♡. AND THEY WENT DOWN 1!
So here’s the puzzle. I don’t know whether the other team got pushed to 4 Hearts or not. Maybe East just took the gamble. Maybe North bid 3♤ after the East’s bid of 3:heart:. But whatever. That’s not the point. 4 was reached. And here is the **South **hand against 4:heart: in the East:
The obvious lead to me seems to be Q♤, hoping K♤ is in dummy and A in your partner’s hand. But it’s unlikely that’s the answer as that lead seems so obviously right without knowing there’s a “killing lead.” It seems unlikely partner is short in ♧ given his double so one of opponents probably is, so I don’t see a lot of hope there, and it’s hard to imagine the 9♡ helps at all. So I’d guess it’s K♢, then 8♢ to partner’s A followed by a rough and a later setting trick.
The surprising thing to me is that the South involved against the only actual heart game contract found the correct lead. Kudos to them! The bidding up until East’s bid of either 3 hearts or 4 hearts seems fairly standard.
This South was not the only one, by the way, to start out with the killer lead. One other team held East to only the 3 heart contract with no overtrick. But the South that leads right against the game gets top score for his/her team. Lead wrong and it is a bottom.
I’ll let a few other people guess before revealing the correct answer and the full deal.
Not much to add to OldGuy’s analysis. I suspect at the table I would have led Qs. But I once read in a bridge book that if you treat every hand like a ‘puzzle’ such as this, you might find the (surprising) correct play. So on that basis, I might go along the lines of given partner has supported spades, it’s very likely one of the opposition has a shortage and we only make one or two tricks in spades (which we will probably make anyway). I can’t see any value in the clubs (even if partner’s clubs are strong) and leading a trump will probably be safe but unlikely to trouble declarer too much, I would have thought. Whereas if partner has Axx in diamonds, leading the K followed by the 8 (which partner wins with his A, then leads another diamond back for a ruff) could give us three quick tricks, then partner has the setting trick in either clubs or spades.
The one thing that would lead me away from this conclusion is that in the bidding system I play, partner’s double indicates he is short in diamonds with the other suits about even and enough points to open. So it would be unlikely for him to hold 3 or more diamonds. However, I assume from OldGuy’s comments that that isn’t the case here.
Was North’s initial double for take-out or showing strength? Because I’m wondering why South didn’t show that six-card club suit. On a take-out double North should be showing 4 Spades and 4 or 5 clubs, which means NS have 10+ between them. Plus NS have shortages in the opponents’ suits. So I’d be bidding 4C on that hand.
I don’t agree with this. Finding a major suit fit is top priority. I would double with a 4-4-3-2 distribution and expect partner to bid a 4-card major before a 5 or 6 card club suit. 4C has to play two tricks better than spades to be worth playing in. 3S making outscores 4C making. If partner does bid 2C, that will usually be at least a 5-2 fit, which is fine. Occasionally it will be a 4-2 fit, but the risk is worth it because of the opportunity to find a major fit.
On the lead, like others I would lead QS at the table but suspect KD is right when presented as a problem.
On a balanced hand I’d be bidding 1NT with sufficient points or passing otherwise. But then I’d be taking the double as a take-out double and expecting partner to have at least 4 clubs (but maybe 3). It looks like the opponents have a double fit in Hearts and Diamonds.
With your style of bidding, I think South should double, this time showing Spades and Clubs and leaving the choice to partner and it would not surprise me if NS could make 3NT if North has stoppers in Diamonds and Hearts.
As for the 4C bid, I am bidding to the level of the presumed fit. I am assuming you have 4 clubs and with 6 of my own, can bid at the 4 level.
was reached. And here is the **South **hand against 4:heart: in the East: