[pescetom]

This board caused a few swings in our teams tournament on Sunday.


IMP

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I was North and got away with 5♥X-2 while my companions in closed were in 5♦+1.

Your thoughts on the auction here?
Would it have gone differently with you on either or both sides?

[mike777]

Opening 5h by North looks automatic. 4h very conservative

Now will South take out insurance??

[P_Marlowe]

Auction looks ok, except that I would have hit 5H with the West hand.

And I would not open 5H.
Sometimes 4H buys the contract, and I am making =, assuming I am playing 4H.

[pescetom]

mike777, on 2025-November-17, 12:27, said:

Opening 5h by North looks automatic. 4h very conservative

I would save 5♥ for something more dramatic, but interested in your and others' thoughts, thanks.

Pushing EW to 6♦ would not have been a great success as it happens, for what that matters.
I imagine the PAR is 6♥X-4, but almost no EW are going to be in slam so that is a phantom.
At least at club level, maybe somebody can see how it might be different elsewhere.
My curiosity was particularly whether an expert EW might push to slam after 4♥ and if so how and why.

[pescetom]

P_Marlowe, on 2025-November-17, 13:03, said:

Auction looks ok, except that I would have hit 5H with the West hand.

One of my doubts too.
We do not have enough screens for ten tables so there may have been a little UI, without accusing anyone.

[mikeh]

Opening 4H is obvious. Fwiw in classical bridge theory 5M asks partner to raise with either the A or King or to bid 7 with both. I’ve seen it once in 50 years, lol. Typical (if typical is the right word for such a rare bid) void QJ109xxxx AKQ AK or equivalent

I doubt I’ll live long enough to see it again

As for what happens, east has an obvious 5D and south an equally obvious 5H

[mike777]

Since in first seat at favorable I would open 4H with 7 weak hearts, this hand is a rock crusher for me. However I could understand at the local club or wishing to mix up your options a bit...

[P_Marlowe]

mike777, on 2025-November-17, 14:48, said:

Since in first seat at favorable I would open 4H with 7 weak hearts, this hand is a rock crusher for me. However I could understand at the local club or wishing to mix up your options a bit...

A gamelevel preempt can have some hidden strength.
A possible option is, if the bidding comes back to you, you can use double to show the willingess to sac.
but you are asking p, if he thinks defending is better.

[apollo1201]

 pescetom, on 2025-November-17, 12:22, said:

Would it have gone differently with you on either or both sides?

Yeah, would be 5HX -3 and not -2. And probably X by W rather than E. The 1st 3.calls are no brainers.

[Huibertus]

I'm very aggressive but not with 5 of a major preempts. I'd hate to see 5♥-pass-pass-pass going 1 down after it turns out the 3 others don't have suits to bid over 4♥ and share their HCP more or less evenly so they don't have a double either.

So, yes 4♥ for me.

5♦ looks fine to me. 5♥ too. I'd have doubled as West, the opps don't have a stack of tricks apart from trumps, so they're not going to make it. The double of east after west passed is fine with me, it is quite aggressive though, I can see the point for a pass (if there is was a slow pass by West then the double of East should be reversed by the director).

I realize 6♦ makes on an ♠/♣ endplay. And holding ♠King almost certainly over the Ace if partner doesn't have it, and ♥A West could find the inspiration to bid it. The fact 6♦ makes is still lucky, give North ♠ JX and it fails. I feel that'd be ill advised, over preempts be conservative, don't hang partner for finding an inspired good 5♦ that just makes by parking him in an ambitious 6♦ one down.

[mike777]

I am a very conservative bidder but there are times when you need to be aggressive. When you are at favorable, take some aggressive action. Likewise don't let the opponents walk all over you when you can punish them.
This is one of them.

[akwoo]

Yes I think West should be the one hitting 5♥.

I don't think I would make 6♦ on the normal heart lead, nor would anyone I could get to partner me (without paying them).

[pescetom]

apollo1201, on 2025-November-17, 16:19, said:

Yeah, would be 5HX -3 and not -2.

You acknowledge that I am a better Declarer, or you feel you would have defended better than EW ?
Just kidding.