[Cyberyeti]

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Any suggestions where the auction should go from here ?

You are playing 3N from the South seat, a small heart is led, how do you tackle it ?

[ggwhiz]

Cyberyeti, on 2017-March-18, 10:52, said:

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Any suggestions where the auction should go from here ?

You are playing 3N from the South seat, a small heart is led, how do you tackle it ?

On a VERY good day I might get to 3nt by north but most likely to some number of doomed spades.

In 3nt by south I would hopefully win in dummy and play a spade to the 8 and await developments that maintain entries to the south hand (spade to the 9 later) and endplay east for profitable minor suit lead(s) if they slip up even a bit.

[Jinksy]

At these colours I think I'd just pass the north hand. If P has 4 spades, and/or heart shortage, he should be able to reopen, and if not I doubt game will be that much better than collecting a few hundreds (and I would pass with the south hand for much the same reason).

[Cyberyeti]

Jinksy, on 2017-March-19, 06:27, said:

At these colours I think I'd just pass the north hand. If P has 4 spades, and/or heart shortage, he should be able to reopen, and if not I doubt game will be that much better than collecting a few hundreds (and I would pass with the south hand for much the same reason).

Apologies, I have the vul wrong it's NS vul, I've rotated the hands and dealer but not the vul.

[nige1]

Cyberyeti, on 2017-March-18, 10:52, said:

Any suggestions where the auction should go from here ?

You are playing 3N from the South seat, a small heart is led, how do you tackle it ?

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I rank North's options over 2♥ as

• 2N = NAT. A distortion but might be the least evil.
• 2♠ = NAT. OK but the you might run into ♥ ruffs.
• Pass = NAT. Timid.

In 3N, you can win ♥J, cash ♣K and finesse ♠9. You hope ♠s break 3-2 or that RHO has both ♠QJ.
Suppose that LHO beats ♠9 with a ♠ quack and exits in ♥s. You can win ♥Q in hand and finesse ♦J. trusting that West won't open 2♥ with a poor suit and 2 aces. On a good day, you might struggle home with 4 x ♠s, 2 x ♥s, 1 x ♦s, and 2 x ♣s.

I hope somebody comes up with a more convincing line

[Cyberyeti]

nige1, on 2017-March-20, 01:40, said:

I hope somebody comes up with a more convincing line

There is a winning line, but I don't think you should find it as the actual layout is not one of the more probable ones, I gained IMPs for -1, I was just interested in how people tackled it.

Our auction for the record, partner overcalled 2♠, I bid 2N, he after a lot of thought bid 3N, if he passes we at least go plus.

[rmnka447]

I'd bid 2 NT with the North hand. 2 ♠ is an underbid and not so attractive with such scrawny cards.

Not sure how I'd play 3 NT, nige1's line sounds very good to me.

[Cyberyeti]

The opposing hands are something like:

Jxx, Axxxxx, 10x, xx

Qx, x, AQ98, Qxxxxx

so diamonds are doomed, the winning line is K♣, spade towards the K and duck a spade back.

[Cyberyeti]

They were in 4♠ at the other table -3 after heart to A and 10♦ switch, 2 ruffs and a trump promotion.