[Julian Pottage]

Yes what David describes is the traditional approach but I would not want to have to jump to 3H on a 3-card suit!

[Julian Pottage]

In theory you need odds of 50% or better to warrant contracting for a small slam – but because there is usually someone somewhere in a silly contract (stopping in a partscore, collecting a small penalty or maybe going down in a grand slam) you want better odds than that.

 

Even if you had the J and 10 if hearts, 6H would need the heart finesse and, unless partner has the 9 of hearts, a 3-2 heart break – so 6H would still be less than a 50% shot.

[Julian Pottage]

If you are not playing anything artificial after the 1NT rebid, you need to play bids at the three level as forcing. If a jump to 3C would not be forcing in your methods then you just have to guess what to do with the South hand. As the spades are very good and the singleton diamond will be a worry, i would guess to bid 4S – but I would prefer not to have to guess!

As it happens, the fall of the singleton Ck means you can make 12 tricks in no-trumps, so the pairs who miss their spade fit get an undeserved good score.

[Julian Pottage]

Although both bids involving bidding a suit bid by an opponent, the meanings are different. An unassuming cue bid shows support for the suit in which partner has made an overcall whereas a directional asking bid (perhaps better know these days as a stopper ask) is looking for a no-trump contract. If the auction starts 1D(1S)2H(P)2S opener is showing a strong hand, typically without a spade stopper, but certainly is not promising heart support

[Julian Pottage]

I would overcall 1NT too. You could X 2H for takeout

[Julian Pottage]

In the pass out seat, partner does not have a forcing pass available, so double from partner in that situation should be takeout.

After a second seat overcall partner does have a forcing pass available and so yes double should be penalty.

[Julian Pottage]

If you play 2NT as a forcing heart raise then that is what you start with. You expect to reach 6H and if partner has extra values you might belong in 7H. You can check on key cards later.

While it is true that you could bid 4Nt with  the plan to bid 7H if partner shows two aces and two kings, sometimes you can make 7H facing two aces and one king (if partner has a singleton in one of the pointed suits for example).

[Julian Pottage]

Since a pass from you over 3C would be forcing, double sounds like a penalty double. You do not want to be making a lowish level penalty double without much in the way of trump length or strength. Pass would be my first choice on your hand but i do not mind 3H. If you bid 3H, partner will cue bid 4C; if you pass and partner bids 3H then you can cue bid 4C. Either way you find the heart and identify the slam potential.

[Julian Pottage]

With a strong hand but no long suit, the normal thing to do is to double again. It does not always work but then nothing does.

[Julian Pottage]

North is not expecting 2D x to get passed out so passes even with a shortage, though I agree that could be wrong if the doubler has the strong hand – most of the time the doubler will have diamonds, especially when North is short in diamonds.  East then either redoubles (so that West would declare a heart contract) or bids 2H. Either way South bids 2S. With a weaker hand and diamonds, South would pass (rather than bidding 2S or anything else).

[Julian Pottage]

Yes the clubs are quite good so 3C is a valid alternative.

[Julian Pottage]

You do not have enough to double 1NT very often but you need to have a way of showing it in fourth seat as otherwise responder makes a transfer or uses stayman on a very weak hand and gets away with it.

[Julian Pottage]

You have a diamond stopper and nothing to be ashamed about with your hand, so you should rebid 2NT.  Since you have specified matchpoint pairs scoring, I do have some sympathy for your pass because the odds are you do not have game on and partner might have opened a fraction light holding spade length.

[Julian Pottage]

Against a weak no-trump opening, I play that a double of a transfer either shows the suit or a hand that would have doubled the 1NT opening. So with the South hand I would double 2D and then bid spades on the next round.

[Julian Pottage]

West has a six spades – more than promised – and an ideal club holding facing a shortage. West was guilty of counting points rather than thinking how the play might go. The king of spades and the ace of hearts are all the high cards East needs to offer fair play for a slam facing this West hand.

Assuming in the EW methods East might have a void in clubs, West should pass over 4C X to to express some slam interes and to give East the chance to redouble to show a void.

With two aces and a fifth trump, East has rather a good hand for the splinter and should take the auction slamward once West shows some interest. If East cue bids 4D (after West passes 4C x) and West cue bids 4H, East should not sign off.

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