Julian Pottage
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Your partner showed extra values with the jump rebid of 3S, 15+ points rather than 12-15. Partner is also going to have some distributional points to go with the basic 15+. So the combined strength should be plenty for a slam. Once in a blue moon partner could have the values for a 3S rebid with Q-x of diamonds but the vast majority of the time you will not have two certain diamond losers. If you had bid as you did but not lost your courage at the end you would have reached the right spot.
I would not have started with 2D but having done so I would have cue bid 4C over 3S. Then if partner made a return cue bid of 4D I would be sure the opponents could not cash the DA-K.
For me the hand is too strong for a Splinter and the right start is 2NT, which shows 12+ HCP and 4+ spades and creates a game force. I am sure Bernard has covered the Jacoby 2NT raise and somewhere on this site you should be able to find an explanation.
As Brian Davies has said, there are a variety of different ways of playing Lebensohl, so if you agree to play this convention you need to agree on how you are doing so.
In a tournament almost everyone plays Roman KeyCard Blackwood, which is better but more complicated. Keycard Blackwood has the advantage of simplicity and is a clear improvement on ordinary Blackwood (and Gerber) as many club and home players use.
With only 9 HCP you are not strong enough to show both your suits. For anyone pairs who play 5-card majors or who play with 4/4 major/minor you open the minor, a 1S response is automatic. Playing 4-card majors and opening 4-card majors when you can, it is less likely that you will miss a spade fit if you respond 2C – though it is still possible that opener has 5 or 6 diamonds and 4 spades in a hand too weak for reverse. If I had four poor spades and six good clubs then I would respond 2C but assuming a more typical location of honours I would respond 1S.
Yes Jeff Rubens’ article is quite difficult to follow but you should find Bernard’s article (see reply by Brian Davies) easier to understand.
If 1C is natural, I would play the jump as fit. It is different if the 1C opening is usually a weak no-trump hand.
I can see two posts from you entitled ‘Missed Slam Number Two’ but not one entitled ‘Missed Slam Number One’. Was the earlier one a long time ago?
It certainly seems reasonable to hope that partner has the DK. If I had to guess the contract, I would guess 6H rather than 4H. Quite often the opponents will lead the SA after an auction like that. Even if the SA is offside and the lead is an unhelpful club, partner might have the DQ as well as the DK or sufficient length in diamonds for the suit to run.
That is a good question. I would say normally about 18 points but it depends a bit upon whether they are aces and kings or lesser honours – if you have seven solid in one suit and A-K-x in another suit, that is only 16 or 17 points but would be enough. You want a hand that is only an ace or a king short of a game force.
Bear in mind that a hand with eight playing tricks will usually not produce game facing a hand that would pass a one-level opening – a hand worth two tricks would not normally pass partner’s one level opening. You really want 8 and a half tricks rather than 8.
The ‘borrow a king’ rule does not apply after the opponents open 1NT. If the opponents open a weak 1NT, overcalls need to be constructive. If you have already limited your hand by passing, a 2S overcall is fine. If not, you need to pass or partner will get excited.
I would have doubled with the South hand. A hand with 15 points, is stronger than the 1NT opener – and with the five-card spade suit South has a decent lead.
Third in hand at favourable vulnerability and holding 10 cards in the minors, West’s 3C opening would be my choice too. I would open it in first seat too or with neither side vulnerable.
The North hand is rather flat for the takeout double of 3C. The general rule when the opponents pre-empt is for the player short in their suit to stretch to enter the bidding.
With the sight of all the hands I think West could make 3C but going one down seems more likely.
At matchpoints if you are in a common contract you cannot afford to think only of safety. If you have a signficantly better than 50% chance of making an overtrick, you should generally go for it even at the risk of going down.
Jumping all the way to 3NT to show 19 points makes it difficult to investigate alternative games. Responder can make a firm decision to pass or to take it out but cannot consult opener.
With 7 points facing opener’s 18-19 responder would not pass 2NT. That gives the partnership 25-26 points.
If you bid 2H after the double, you would have shown six hearts, so your pass was correct. Because you are too weak to reverse you would have had to rebid the hearts without double but the double relieved you of the obligation to bid. Your partner should not have assumed you had club support.
With only 13 high card points I would start with 1D. Partner would expect transferable values if you open with a strong bid, although I agree that in terms of playing strength it will be hard to catch up. Without knowing partner’s hand, it is impossible to comment on subsequent bidding.
