[ahydra]

---

IMPs, nobody vul. Expert opps.

At our table they opened 4H, got to play it, and it's cold. At the other table: (p)-3H-(3S)-p; (4H good raise)-p-(4S)-all p, and a heart was led, so that was a double game swing.

Anyone to blame or is it just luck to do with the style of pre-empt?

All's well that's ends well, as we beat this team of internationals by a single IMP

ahydra

[DavidKok]

At this vulnerability I would always bid 4♠ holding that South hand. You have no defence to 4♥, so it's unlikely that you will be missing out on a juicy double by partner (especially since he has a passed hand). Even if 4♥ goes down 1 and 4♠ goes down 1-2, you're still only losing 3 or 4 IMPs, whereas if it makes (or if both games make) the swing will be much larger.
As an extra incentive for bidding: with spades this solid, it is next to impossible for west to double. Give him a hand like Txxx, xx, AKxx, AQx (close to a maximum, and a disaster for South) and it is still risky to double, 4♠ is likely to be off only one and at IMP scoring it doesn't pay to gamble on that.

[shyams]

I dislike the 2nd seat 4♥ preempt by East after the 1st seat had passed. I believe that such bids are likely to cost the E/W side more in the long run.

[Tramticket]

It seems like two pretty marginal games.

ahydra, on 2020-June-03, 03:34, said:

At our table they opened 4H, got to play it, and it's cold.

Well there is a certain trump loser and the ace of clubs to lose. So east will need to play diamonds for one loser - easy double dummy (low to the queen and duck a diamond), but if N/S don't open the suit you are just as likely to start with a diamond from hand and go down when south splits his honours.

4♠ by N/S would not be so good on a club lead.

[P_Marlowe]

3H made it easier to enter, ...
I had a similar seq., same position, playing weak NT (11-14) meant, I would face a bal. 10 count at best,
I blinked, 4H made, 4S was down at most 1.
The king of heart is a reason not to do it, so is the fact, that partner is a passed hand.

It was a can do situation.

With kind regards
Marlowe

PS: If the preempt had occurred in 1st seat, in 2nd seat 4S, without much thinking, also green vs. red,
I would say clear 4S.

[ahydra]

Tramticket, on 2020-June-03, 08:19, said:

Well there is a certain trump loser and the ace of clubs to lose. So east will need to play diamonds for one loser - easy double dummy (low to the queen and duck a diamond), but if N/S don't open the suit you are just as likely to start with a diamond from hand and go down when south splits his honours.

Declarer played for an elimination: ruffed the SK lead, club to K and A, spade returned and ruffed, HA, club, spade ruff, club, and a heart to North's Q. North then had to lead away from Ax of diamonds or concede a ruff-sluff. He played the DA which makes it rather too easy, but declarer can't really go wrong as the cards lie - he can duck a small diamond return to dummy and then play another and the A pops up.

ahydra

[johnu]

ahydra, on 2020-June-03, 23:21, said:

Declarer played for an elimination: ruffed the SK lead, club to K and A, spade returned and ruffed, HA, club, spade ruff, club, and a heart to North's Q. North then had to lead away from Ax of diamonds or concede a ruff-sluff. He played the DA which makes it rather too easy, but declarer can't really go wrong as the cards lie - he can duck a small diamond return to dummy and then play another and the A pops up.

Strictly speaking, North played for an elimination by wasting an exit card after winning ♣A. Why not return a club which is very safe?