[ahydra]

Look at the nice big hand diagram! Change the numbers at the end of the hv=... code to 399|300 and it makes it much easier to read.

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IMPs - both sides playing weak NT 4cM. North led a club which was ruffed in dummy, then declarer played a spade to the 9 taken by North's Jack. A heart was returned to the Jack and Ace. Declarer ruffed a club, played ♠A and ruffed a spade. He led the ♦Q which was taken by the Ace and a club was returned to declarer's Ace. Another diamond was taken by South's King and the ♠Q returned. Then South was endplayed by being forced to ruff the last club. -730

Who's to blame here? According to the hand record, 3H should be down, but I don't see how (needs a heart lead and then South must jump up with the SQ to play hearts again?).

ahydra

[BunnyGo]

There are three actions this hand I don't like (in order of occurrence):

1) bidding 3♥

2) Doubling 3♥

3) not leading a ♥

Here's why:

1) You've bid your hand, you have long clubs with the A, that's nice, but you're going to have really nice defense against 2NT or 3♣, just sit back and double them if they keep bidding.

2) This is IMPs, you have no quick defensive tricks, your QJx of clubs is worthless since the opps are definitely ruffing the third round of clubs (if not the 1st or 2nd), and you've now told them how to play the trump suit. You've turned your hand from 1-2 likely tricks to 0-1 likely tricks...at best...

3) When partner doubles on an auction like this, it's VERY likely that there's trump to pull and ruffs for the enemy coming. Without a really good reason to do otherwise, lead a trump. You have all other suits partially stopped, so you aren't too worried about club tricks disappearing, and leading a singleton trump isn't bad when partner has doubled this.

[daveharty]

BunnyGo, on 2012-February-11, 10:35, said:

1) You've bid your hand

I don't play 4cM, so I'm not very familiar with the intricacies of the competitive decisions that practitioners face, but I'm not sure you can really say "you've bid your hand" when you have more trumps than you've promised thus far. Yes, it fits within the parameters of a 1H opener; but if East has raised on four hearts (more likely when playing 4cM I think?) it's probably right to compete to 3H, and West is the one that knows about having a fifth trump. I personally wouldn't bid 3H but I don't think it's any worse than overcalling 2C with that moth-eaten suit. I don't think that's terrible either, but it's not up to snuff for me. A double is feasible, or passing and balancing over the likely 2H-p-p continuation.

Agree with points 2. and 3.

[Quartic]

daveharty, on 2012-February-11, 11:56, said:

I don't play 4cM, so I'm not very familiar with the intricacies of the competitive decisions that practitioners face, but I'm not sure you can really say "you've bid your hand" when you have more trumps than you've promised thus far. Yes, it fits within the parameters of a 1H opener; but if East has raised on four hearts (more likely when playing 4cM I think?) it's probably right to compete to 3H, and West is the one that knows about having a fifth trump. I personally wouldn't bid 3H but I don't think it's any worse than overcalling 2C with that moth-eaten suit. I don't think that's terrible either, but it's not up to snuff for me. A double is feasible, or passing and balancing over the likely 2H-p-p continuation.

Agree with points 2. and 3.

I play a 4 card major system with a weak NT (acol), and when competing I always assume partner has 5 of an opening suit (particularly a major). The only time he will only have 4 is if he has a strong balanced hand (or maybe 4441). If I have 4 card support in a contested auction, I will often make a pre-emptive jump to the 3 level. (Cueing their suit to show a sound raise.) Therefore my 2 level competitive raise will often have only 3 card support.