[Cyberyeti]

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Your call.

[trevahound]

I think both 4♥ (transfer) and pass have upside and are not silly. My style is that there is only one way to get to 3nt, but multiple ways to get to 4♠. I'd pass, and I've been wrong before.

[TMorris]

I use whatever partnership methods to play in 4 ♠.

[kenrexford]

I think I use the partnership method to play in 3NT, which is usually a pass.

[PhilKing]

Your opinion has not been asked for. Partner can double and then bid 3NT to show a flexible hand.

[trevahound]

BTW, at these colors it's even possible the 3nt bidder is preempting with a more deceptive 4m call (or taking out insurance against 4m being perceived as leaping michaels), happy to be -400/-450 if not doubled. If he's an imaginative sort.

[MrAce]

Easy pass

[Cyberyeti]

I was the 3N bidder, and this was my hand: (I'm with Phil, Ken and Mr Ace on this one, if I bid 3N I'm not asking your opinion, X then 3N does that)

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Partner didn't recover his error in the bidding by making the contract.

The defence was friendly, W cashed ♣ AK then switched to a diamond. Take it from there.

Spoiler

if you cash a top trump at any time W plays the Q

[mcphee]

Not sure what responder was thinking if they bid, no one invited them to the party. Many times 3N is based on a running suit, assume it isn't spades and pass.

[Cyberyeti]

mcphee, on 2014-August-21, 09:34, said:

Not sure what responder was thinking if they bid, no one invited them to the party. Many times 3N is based on a running suit, assume it isn't spades and pass.

I completely agree, I might well have had the K♠ less and another diamond.

[trevahound]

Take two high trump, assuming both follow ruff a winning club back to hand to play another trump and claim. Beating the pairs in 3nt, btw, unless they get unusually friendly defense. If both don't follow, cash the Q of clubs, and if that lives continue diamonds until someone ruffs; you won't be down more than one unless the 2h bidder had 4-6-1-2, and I don't see what you can do about that.

[trevahound]

Cyberyeti, on 2014-August-21, 07:31, said:

I was the 3N bidder, and this was my hand: (I'm with Phil, Ken and Mr Ace on this one, if I bid 3N I'm not asking your opinion, X then 3N does that)

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Partner didn't recover his error in the bidding by making the contract.

The defence was friendly, W cashed ♣ AK then switched to a diamond. Take it from there.

Spoiler

if you cash a top trump at any time W plays the Q

Trying again after the spoiler. If I believe the Q from W, I don't cash the other high trump. I can cash the Q of clubs, pitching my diamond, and play diamonds from the top, sort of trump coup'ing E. I need the 2nd (trump) entry to the board. If E ruffs the 2nd diamond high (I pitch a heart), win the presumed heart return (or trump return) on the board, and can start diamonds again with a reentry available. Of course, if I take this line and W played the Q from Qx, I'm going to want a sympathetic CHO.

[Cyberyeti]

trevahound, on 2014-August-21, 11:48, said:

Trying again after the spoiler. If I believe the Q from W, I don't cash the other high trump. I can cash the Q of clubs, pitching my diamond, and play diamonds from the top, sort of trump coup'ing E. I need the 2nd (trump) entry to the board. If E ruffs the 2nd diamond high (I pitch a heart), win the presumed heart return (or trump return) on the board, and can start diamonds again with a reentry available. Of course, if I take this line and W played the Q from Qx, I'm going to want a sympathetic CHO.

What are you going to do if RHO keeps pitching ?

[monikrazy]

I bid 4S and its not close. Just because we haven't bid doesn't mean partner bid 3N on the assumption we are broke. On average we should have 2-4 points, and probably not 6 spades.

But I would would also double or bid 3H (Western Cue) with such a powerful hand.

[gszes]

3n can be anything from a wild side interference bid to a monstrous trick taking
machine. What the hand is NOT is a hand that wants to know your opinion about the
final contract unless you happen to hold a huge surprise (you do not) however
QJTxxx xxx xx xx would qualify as a surprise. Note that with the surprise spade
suit we should have a max of 1 loser and our trickless hand is worth 5 tricks.
With the hand given in the problem it would have been far too easy for partner
to hold the stiff spade ace and we would be at the mercy of the distribution masters
in order to void more than 2 spade losers. AK is quite a nice holding and 4s still
looks grim:)

[Zelandakh]

trevahound, on 2014-August-21, 11:43, said:

you won't be down more than one unless the 2h bidder had 4-6-1-2, and I don't see what you can do about that.

They will not be 6412 - CY would have told us if they lead the ace from AK bare.

[Cyberyeti]

Zelandakh, on 2014-August-22, 03:29, said:

They will not be 6412 - CY would have told us if they lead the ace from AK bare.

Not sure Fantunes opens the intermediate 2 with both majors.

There appears to me to be 2 lines:

1: cash 1 high trump, cash Q♣ discarding a diamond, play 3 diamonds discarding hearts, ruff a diamond, A♥/♥ ruff, spade to dummy.

2: cash both high trumps, if W shows out, ruff Q♣ and play on diamonds, if E keeps pitching, ruff the 5th one and hope A♥ stands up.

The first fails to make the overtrick if W has ♠QJ and 2 diamonds and goes down if W has ♠Qx and 2 diamonds, but can cope with E holding 4 spades and 4 clubs, the second line fails to that because the A♥ gets ruffed.

At the table, E was 4333 so either would work.

[nige1]

Cyberyeti, on 2014-August-20, 16:08, said:

Your call.

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IMO Pass = 10, 4♥ (transfer) = 7. Partner's bid is usually based on a good long suit. If he wanted to consult you, then he'd double first.
In 4♠, after ♣AK, ♦A, ♠A, I like cyberyeti's line 2.

[SteveMoe]

Pass:
1) what your hand is worth,
2) trust partner
3) preserves the partnership, and
4) a responsibility transfer.
In no particular order...

[whereagles]

Depends. If 3NT is based on a running suit, you can venture a pass.

If you have 3NT defined as balanced/semibalanced, then you got an easy pull to 4S.

Easy, but not riskless. RHO might be lurking with KJTx...