[mikeh]

Bd 1, Sectional Single session stratified pairs, weak opposition.

You pick up red 4th chair AJ10xx AKQJx xx A

Partner opens a weak 2♠ after dealer passes.

RHO passes and you appear to have the auction to yourself.

Your methods are Ogust and RONF

What are your thoughts and action?

Bd 2 arrives the very next board, same round and this time partner deals and opens 1♥, catching you with Jx AKQx void AQJ109xx

Your methods include a simple version of J2N and 2/1 gf.

You may have exclusion available....you are playing with your spouse and have agreed to play the card she usually plays with her regular partner, and you think they play exclusion but didn't check that part of the card...you got there late, having decided to play only at the last minute.

what is your plan?

[Fluffy]

Some sort of sting cuebids on the first before going to 6, perhaps bid 3♦ now, if it gets raised I doubt east will lead the suit, sadly at this level an old lady on my left is likelly to stop after 3♦ look at my partner and ask: don't you have to alert this?

3♣ might also work. Then 4♦ cuebid and it looks like hearts is our weak suit.


On the second one, there is no way to get colaboration from partner unless with a cuebid perhaps. Start with 2NT.

[JLOGIC]

I would just bid 4N asking for regular aces on the first (4C would be keycard) and sign off in 6 opp no DA since it's a weak field MP. In imps I would jump to 7S.

[billw55]

JLOGIC, on 2011-September-20, 00:34, said:

In imps I would jump to 7S.

Wow that's really high variance

OK sure, to beat it they must both have the ♦A and lead one. The EV may be positive but you need reallllly understanding partner and teammates when it goes down. We should all be so lucky.

[aguahombre]

I assume the whole purpose is to avoid finding out what we want to know, because if pard doesn't have the thing we are looking for, the defense will know what to do.

If in a reasonable field, I wonder what the practical estimates are on this strategy at matchpoints and at IMPS. In the weak matchpoint field of the OP they always bang Aces and lead from Kings

We blast and partner has the appropriate control; our blast was to 6 or seven.
We blast and he doesn't have it, but the opponents misguess the opening lead.
We blast and he doesn't have it, and they cash.
We find out, and break even with the blasters who chose the right blast.
We find out, and gain because they blasted too high or too low.

Are the ploys, like Exclusion in these situations too old to work anymore?

BTW, let us assume we have the ability to legitimately ask about diamond control and are merely deciding whether to use the tool; however, it might matter whether the tool is a 2NT feature inquiry or whether it is a specific ask in diamonds drawing attention to the responder's flaw.

This post has been edited by aguahombre: 2011-September-20, 09:18

[wyman]

If my opps were droolers, I don't think it's worth 3D on the first one. It's not clear some people listen to the auction at all. 4th best always. I'd probably just bid 6S in this case. If RHO has the ace he's not leading it, and if he doesn't, he still has to guess to lead diamonds. In a weak single-session sectional field, 6S+1 should be good for most of the MPs anyway if I'm missing the grand.

If they were conscious, I think I'd sting (i know, how level 2 of me), intending to get somehow to 6S.

On 2, I want to J2N to get the fit out there, but I am really fearing a 4D call by P. She can hold xx/J10xxx/AKQxx/x or --/J10xxx/AKQxx/K and I won't be able to tell. I'm captaining this hand, so I'm going to go with 2C and try to keep it low.