[Cyberyeti]

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Vul EW pairs dealer S who opens a natural weak (potentially very weak and shorter than normal) 2♠. You overcall 2N unusual as is your method with no particular agreements as to what strength this shows (yes I know you don't but this pair did), N passes, E bids 4♥, S passes, your bid ?

[Fluffy]

An overcall versus a weak opening is always strong for me. So my extras are not enough to drive to slam, I would just bid 4♠ adn accept partner's sing off

[gszes]

Fluffy, on 2013-January-04, 17:07, said:

An overcall versus a weak opening is always strong for me. So my extras are not enough to drive to slam, I would just bid 4♠ adn accept partner's sing off

Thats my route definitely worth a slam try. Chalk up at least this one for 2n showing the minors

[Cyberyeti]

Fluffy, on 2013-January-04, 17:07, said:

An overcall versus a weak opening is always strong for me. So my extras are not enough to drive to slam, I would just bid 4♠ adn accept partner's sing off

???

RHO has spades, you've shown both minors which is described as "unusual as if 1♠ had been opened" (it's not an uncommon arrangement locally to just treat 2s as ones, but this doesn't usually extend to the 2N overcall, so this is not necessarily strong, but won't be terribly stupid at this vul), partner has bid 4♥ natural to play opposite this R/W, what is 4♠ supposed to mean ? (It won't be any form of ace ask for this pair)

Is partner supposed to accept off xx, AKxxxxxx, xx, x which I would have thought was about par at this vul, ace 8th and a minor suit K is a 50% grand.

[Fluffy]

yes, obviously partner has 8 hearts and opponents w/r with 11 spades don't go beyond the 2 level

[Antrax]

What if he's 5=8=0=0?

[Cyberyeti]

Fluffy, on 2013-January-05, 02:34, said:

yes, obviously partner has 8 hearts and opponents w/r with 11 spades don't go beyond the 2 level

Well he's bid 4♥ and also knows opps haven't raised spades, so will be assuming you have 0-1 hearts

[Free]

I'll raise to 5♥. The hand has become much better. Partner probably has some ♠s we can ruff, and our 2 Aces give us control and communication (because partner probably has at least 1 singleton/void in a minor).

[Fluffy]

Cyberyeti, on 2013-January-05, 03:43, said:

Well he's bid 4♥ and also knows opps haven't raised spades, so will be assuming you have 0-1 hearts

I haven't thought very deep of the problem, because if I did I knew that I might come that the onl LA is to pass 4♥ as partner must have forgoten our agreement.

[gnasher]

I'd bid 6♥. Partner has bid 4♥ missing QJ, so he must have a lot of them. The fact that LHO hasn't raised spades is excellent news, because it increases the chance that partner can crossruff. For example, xxx AK109xxx xx x is a great slam: almost cold on a spade lead, and still decent even if they lead a trump.

[Cyberyeti]

gnasher, on 2013-January-05, 12:38, said:

I'd bid 6♥. Partner has bid 4♥ missing QJ, so he must have a lot of them. The fact that LHO hasn't raised spades is excellent news, because it increases the chance that partner can crossruff. For example, xxx AK109xxx xx x is a great slam: almost cold on a spade lead, and still decent even if they lead a trump.

This was pretty much exactly my thought process at the table.

Of course they didn't alert 2N so the hand opposite didn't have anything like 7 or 8 hearts. Fortunately they butchered the play as well so we still got 2/3 of the matchpoints.

Partner's hand is AKx, AK10xx, xx, Qxx (why he bid 4♥ rather than 4N/transfer then 4N is unclear to me).

Plan the play in 6♥ on 10♠ lead. Decide what you're going to for the first 2 or 3 tricks before reading the spoiler. 2♠ was 0-10 points, 4+ spades, presumably he actually had 6 and this style of weak 2 is why his partner hasn't raised with 4.

Spoiler

The 2S bidder (S) will show out on the first round of hearts.

The bit that I really didn't believe (this is a husband/wife pair who've played together for at least the 25 years I've been in Norwich and I know for some time before that) "This sequence has never come up before".

[PhilKing]

Obvious raise to at least six, but there is no point looking for seven at matchpoints if I am playing in Norwich.

Can any of the five-level brigade come up with a hand where slam is not on? Can partner really have less than the hand Gnasher gave?

[gnasher]

Cyberyeti, on 2013-January-06, 07:55, said:

Partner's hand is AKx, AK10xx, xx, Qxx

Plan the play in 6♥ on 10♠ lead.

I ruff and start drawing trumps, planning to take a club finesse for an overtrick.

Quote

Decide what you're going to for the first 2 or 3 tricks before reading the spoiler. 2♠ was 0-10 points, 4+ spades, presumably he actually had 6 and this style of weak 2 is why his partner hasn't raised with 4.

After LHO shows out on the first heart, I switch tacks and lead ♣J from dummy. If they win that and I don't immediately suffer a club ruff, I'm home. If ♣J holds, presumably RHO has it, so I play another low club towards the queen. If LHO defeats me by ducking with ♣Kxx and then giving his partner a ruff, I buy him a drink.

[Cyberyeti]

gnasher, on 2013-January-06, 10:41, said:

After LHO shows out on the first heart, I switch tacks and lead ♣J from dummy. If they win that and I don't immediately suffer a club ruff, I'm home. If ♣J holds, presumably RHO has it, so I play another low club towards the queen. If LHO defeats me by ducking with ♣Kxx and then giving his partner a ruff, I buy him a drink.

I don't think it's that good in theory. Can't RHO defeat you with ♣Kx by winning the second one and returning a diamond while you don't have the trumps unblocked (it works just as well if you have cashed the second trump).

I think opener is more likely to have 3 clubs (Q109xxx/QJxxx I might well open 3/4♠ W/R and partner with 4 spades and a stiff diamond is more likely to raise, so 6043/4522 looks likely), but it's anybody's guess who has the K.

LHO is not only going to have to duck J♣ from Kxx, but do it smoothly as you can always overtake the second trump, cash 2 more and play on clubs if you detect something.

I think if J♣ holds, you should play the A next unblocking the Q, and if the K drops you're home, if it doesn't you were unlikely to be making it anyway as RHO is unlikely to have 3, and as you said if LHO had Kxx and ducked smoothly, buy him a pint. If the K drops, overtake Q♥, cash 2 more hearts (and one spade if you feel like it) then play a club, E is welcome to his trump whenever.