[Fluffy]

playing against Bulgarain Mihov& Karakolev, you get this:

♠K84
♥963
♦AJ62
♣KJ8

at unfavourable (they are non vul, we are vul)

The bidding starts with a precision 2♣ in your left, and partner overcalls 3♠, we had agreed that 2♠ is strong, but 3♠ is preemptive (feel free to say if this agreement is good or bad).

RHO hestitaes a lot, and while you are thinking about the merits of 3NT to protect the lead and hopefully roll 9 tricks home you see RHO pulls 5♣ from the bidding box, wait, is it 5♣? no it is 5♠!


(2♣)-3♠-(5♠)-???

now wtf do you do, what is your plan if they bid 6♣/6♥ next?

[Hanoi5]

I'd pass. Trying to look like a guy who doesn't want to double. Maybe I should double 5 spades for the lead.

[wank]

defend and hope whatever they bid goes off - to think of doubling slam after opps make a grand slam try is just insulting.

[Phil]

I play 3♠ as intermediate. Its something I always discuss but I'm not sure its ever come up.

If it is preemptive we are probably beating 6♣ and double would suggest sacrificing which partner will do with a void club.

[Phil]

By the way considering 3N is terrible.

[gszes]

x for the spade lead alone---we do not mind giving the opps the
opportunity to show first round spade contol (which one of them
hopefully has) because we want to encourage them to bid
seven of something. A spade lead against 7 should be safe and
the road on how to defend should soon become clear.

[the hog]

X for the S lead. Passing suggests no S honour the way I play.
By the way, I agree that even thinking about 3NT is poor.

[Fluffy]

I though that any lead but a heart gave me a very good chance of making 3NT, and its not like 3♠ is going to be super fantastic contract so it was worth the risk. partner having ♠A+ a heart card is not unthinkable at this vul either.

[Fluffy]

the hog, on 2012-June-16, 00:02, said:

X for the S lead.

I will help you a bit:
RHO has spade void, with less than opening strenght RHO in milton work points he is trying for grand slam, so he must have long solid hearts where you have to dully assist first 3 rounds, LHO has at most 3 diamonds where you hold the ace, make your own conclusions about the lead.

[jallerton]

I think double of 5♠ here shows spade support, suggesting that partner compete to 6♠ over 6♣.

Presumably 5♠ shows a spade void, so why would you want to play double as asking for a spade lead? If you must agree to use double as lead directing, it should ask for a specified unbid suit. Then, if partner remembers this, when you pass he will often lead the suit double didn't ask for.

Although I play WJOs over 1-level openers, I prefer to play (2♣Precision)-3♠ as constructive because:
(i) (2♣)-2♠ cannot be as wide a range as (1♣)-1♠; partner will often pass 2♠ on hands where he would have kept the bidding open over 1♠.
(ii) having to double 2♣ on a decent single-suiter in undesirable.
(iii)the 2♣ opening is quite well defined in strength and shape and pre-empting is less likely to give the opponents a problem.

[gnasher]

I don't see anything wrong with considering 3NT. If partner has AQxxxx AKx xx xx or AQJxx KQx Qx xxx, 3NT is a good game and 4♠ is awful. Presumably partner can have less than that, though, so we're probably only worth an invitation. I'd bid a natural 2NT if it was available.

[gwnn]

gnasher, on 2012-June-16, 02:16, said:

I don't see anything wrong with considering 3NT. If partner has AQxxxx AKx xx xx or AQJxx KQx Qx xxx, 3NT is a good game and 4♠ is awful. Presumably partner can have less than that, though, so we're probably only worth an invitation. I'd bid a natural 2NT if it was available.

It's not available.

[the hog]

gnasher, on 2012-June-16, 02:16, said:

I don't see anything wrong with considering 3NT. If partner has AQxxxx AKx xx xx or AQJxx KQx Qx xxx, 3NT is a good game and 4♠ is awful. Presumably partner can have less than that, though, so we're probably only worth an invitation. I'd bid a natural 2NT if it was available.

I assume you are being sarcastic.

[Nabooba]

3NT is clearly off the planet. Based on a previous post of yours you presumably bid 6♦. I don't know whether I agree with this. If they double, 6♠ may well prove to be expensive.

[gordontd]

Fluffy, on 2012-June-15, 16:52, said:

we had agreed that 2♠ is strong, but 3♠ is preemptive

(2♣)-3♠-(5♠)-???

gnasher, on 2012-June-16, 02:16, said:

If partner has AQxxxx AKx xx xx or AQJxx KQx Qx xxx, 3NT is a good game and 4♠ is awful.

They don't look pre-emptive.

[gnasher]

Sorry, I thought partner had bid 2♠. Suddenly it all makes sense.

[rmnka447]

While quite a few posters are drooling over defending a ♣ slam, defensive prospects may not be as bright as you think.

If the 2 ♣ opener holds something like ♣ AQ10xx, you may not have a ♣ trick.

The hand ought to be pretty clear to you once the 5 ♠ bid is made. It forces to at least 6, so responder must have a ♠ void, a big club fit and a source of a lot of tricks. From your hand, you can see that must be solid ♥s.

Unfortunately, you don't have a clue exactly what the ♣ situation is, so you've got to pass.

[ggwhiz]

5♠ is either a general grand slam try that has to have a ♦ void in it or if it's an exclusion key card bid it's gambling in nature and likely about to come to grief.

That is especially provided you just pass and let pard lead a stiff ♦.

Why not just ask what 5♠ means? If it's door number 2 I'll smash 6♣ when they get there and if it's door #1 a ♦ lead is still best for our side.

[Fluffy]

it is exclusion blackwood

[Fluffy]

---

Partner made the normal lead of ♥J and declarer simply cashed ♣A from hand and proceed to run hearts from dummy to claim his slam.

6♠ would be 500 only, but another interesting point is..... do opponents play DEPO over 6 something?, if they do they might easilly end up in 7♣!