[ahydra]

IMPs, weak NT and 4cM. (These hands are actually from the Computer Bridge championship final 2012 between Wbridge5 and Jack, boards 7 and 9 of the 3rd quarter - duplimated for our club night)

1) both vulnerable, South deals

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4S didn't play well, going two off. Apparently you can make 5C and 5D despite North having five diamonds to the jack. How to better bid this? (From the hand record it looks like if W passes on the first round, N will bid 1NT)

2) EW vulnerable, North deals

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It takes an unlikely spade lead to defeat this slam. How can we get there?

Thanks,

ahydra

[Cyberyeti]

Second is very difficult with the interference, I don't think E can be sure W doesn't have the same hand with 2 hearts and one club, and don't think W can do more.

1. Isn't 3♠ nat F over 2N ? so 3♥ then 4♠ is more of a suggestion to play spades with somewhere else to go, I'd bid 4N as equal length and E should bid 5♣.

[Winstonm]

Hand 1 won't make on a club lead and continuations when in with hearts.
I would never want to try to bid a slam that required a 3/3 trump break.

[aguahombre]

East has a nice hand for Clubs opposite a minor 2-suiter. How can anyone except East be to blame when he screws around for notrump or spades? Talking about hand 1, of course...and slam has nothing to do with it.

[P_Marlowe]

#1 East knowes, that he has 11HCP in partners long suits, and he bids a broken suit on his
own, and wants to share the blame, for reaching the wrong contract?

#2 I dont understand "game going", does this already create a gf? But whatever, the bidding
was fine.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Zelandakh]

Clearly East on #1. Even if West's suits are not your idea of a vulnerable 2NT overcall, that is not what caused the bad result. On #2, did 3♦ not already create a GF? In any case, you certainly cannot blame West who seems to have represented something like 7 diamonds and 12 points. East could speculate on heart shortage after 5♦ but it is probably better just to take the plus and hope the other table gets to a no-play 3NT given the lack of bidding space.

[Cyberyeti]

Winstonm, on 2013-July-03, 17:19, said:

I would never want to try to bid a slam that required a 3/3 trump break.

You can play in spades if you want, I'll play 6♦ which requires a spade lead and 5-1 break to beat.

[rmnka447]

Hand #1 - East should see that his minor cards fill in partner's suits probably insuring at least 10 minor suit tricks in a 5 m contract. Also, partner shouldn't hold any more than 3 M cards. Bidding 4 ♠ on a broken 6 card suit is betting partner has at least ♠ tolerance, something you just can't know.

Hand #2 - The interference has made it difficult to identify all the features needed for slam to be right. Not sure you can bid it. No blame to anyone on this one.