[mw64ahw]

Despite being the only pair to find the optimal contract we only managed 50%

Thoughts as to bidding in whatever system you play and how to play?

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Spoiler

My 22+ auction would normally go
2♦ - 2♥
3♦ (5♦4M usually unbalanced) - 3♥ denies ♥s
3NT denies ♠ - (P/5♦)
On this occasion playing an Unbalanced♦ I wanted to emphasise the ♥ so opened 1♦

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The top scores were 3NT+2 despite ♠ leads and I miserably failed to make the extra ♥ trick

[mikeh]

I appreciate that you can hardly post this as a bidding problem without showing both hands but, imo, this combination would be difficult to reliably bid to 5D, if each player were ignorant of partner’s hand, while there are several plausible routes to 5D given that we see both hands.

Personally, I’d expect a lot of pairs to reach a poor 3N instead of the good but far from cold 5D.

As for what that auction would be: that depends on methods as well as some degree of guesswork. For example, I’d begin with 1D 1N 2H, but thereafter it depends on what methods are in play after a reverse….I usually play a form of ingberman,failing which I’d play lebensohl, but others might have neither available.

Even if we agreed on some artificial advance by responder, it’s far from obvious what opener should bid.

For example, a 2N lebensohl bid over 2H asks opener to bid 3C unless he feels that he doesn’t want to risk that ending the auction opposite a weak hand with 6+ clubs. Imo, opener shouldn’t bid 3C…if responder were intending to pass, we’ve almost certainly missed game and may have missed slam! Picture Jxx xx xx KJxxxx,and he won’t have much worse than that. So opener might bid 4C or 3N.

Things get messy, so I won’t go further other than to say that I’d take any one’s claim to have a standard or 2/1 sequence to 5D with at least a grain of salt…I’m not saying they’d not bid it, but I’m also not saying that I think they’d surely bid it as they now, knowing both hands, assert.

As for the play, I’d tackle trump by leading low towards the queen and, if that lost to the king, use the club entry to hook against the Jack.

[Gilithin]

Some potential auctions:-

2♣ - 2♦ -- 2NT - 3NT (Opener treats the hand as 23 bal)
2♣ - 2♦ -- 3♦ - 3NT (2♣ is Benji/semiforcing)
1♦ - 1NT -- 2♥ - 2♠ -- 3♣ - 3NT (2♠ is negative, Opener bids 2NT unless max)
1♦ - 1NT -- 2♥ - 2♠ -- 3♣ - 3♦ -- 3♠ - 3NT (2♠ is negative; 3♠ asks for help)
1♦ - 1NT -- 2♥ - 2♠ -- 3♣ - 3♦ -- 3♠ - 4♣ -- 4♦ - 5♦ (2♠ is negative; 3♠ asks for stop; 4♦ is a slam try)
1♦ - 1NT -- 2♥ - 2♠ -- 3♣ - 3♦ -- 3♠ - 4♣ -- (keycard ask) - (1 + ♦Q) -- 6♦ (2♠ is negative; 3♠ asks for stop)

Like Mike, I am expecting most pairs in the field to finish in 3NT. In a Pairs field, I would expect many of those that do bypass 3NT to continue to slam under the expectation that 5♦ very often does not give a good MP score even when it is theoretically best.

[bluenikki]

Gilithin, on 2023-October-14, 15:48, said:

Opener bids 2NT unless max

What is max on this auction? Considering that opening 2♣ when the main suit is diamonds has a very high floor.

Bernie Chazen used to say you had to be prepared for partner to declare 3NT with a Yarborough.

[Gilithin]

bluenikki, on 2023-October-14, 20:30, said:

What is max on this auction?

Max means you want to play in game opposite a normal response. This is not an uncommon method for reverse auctions.