This week's deal

♠	Q 5 3
♥	10 8
♦	A J 8 6 5 2
♣	K 2
♠	K J 7 6 4
♥	J 3 2
♦	K 7
♣	A 10 4

West	North	East	South
			1♠
Pass	1N	3♥	Pass
Pass	3♠	All Pass

Is North worth an upgrade to 4♠?

♣Q led, what's your plan? More below...

Say you win in hand and play ♠K and it holds while RHO throws a heart. Now what?
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Update

I can't keep up the "daily" any more, so I've renamed the blog.


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A common bidding problem

Sorry for the light posting this week.

♠	8
♥	K 7 5
♦	A K Q 5
♣	K 9 6 4 3

Your call. What's your plan after a 1♠ response? What about 1♥? Anyone have a sense for the chances of each?

A followup below the fold...


Opponents passing, say the auction goes:

1♣ - 1♠; 1NT - 3♠ (good suit, slammish). Now what?

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Advancing problem -- result

From last Thursday:

IMP Pairs
Both Vul

You, South, hold:

♠	K 10 9 6 5
♥	K J 6 3
♦	Q 10
♣	K J

West	North	East	South
1♦	1♠	Pass	2♦
3♣	Pass	Pass	?

Would you bid something else the first time? What do you do now?



The consensus of the comments, and the person who held the South hand, and me, is that this hand should not drive to game. I could live with another try, but would settle for 3♠ myself. Partner held 5=3=3=2 with AQ/A and happened to make.

I play it as a "mixed raise", but think there's a lot of merit to THG's suggestion of using a jump-Q as a 4 card raise with more ambiguous strength (making the jump raise a bit wider-ranging too to take off some of the pressure). I'd have been happier to do that then bid 2♦ the first time around. Or, if it's available, 2NT as a 4+ trump limit raise.

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