[jillybean]

These I find very difficult. Imp

---

[mw64ahw]

Something wrong here

[P_Marlowe]

You bid 5H.

You can either hide behind Bob Hamman (trust your vul. opponents),
or Larry Cohen ( a total tricks analysis will also be pointing towards
5H, you have 10-11 trumps, they have 9-10, this makes it 20-21 total
tricks. Obv. the Queen of spade is a minus, the single is a plus,
otherwise you are pure ).

You could also ask, what defensive tricks you are taking
1H, 1C and partner provides a 3rd, ... 4S=.

If you are wrong, both contracts go down you pay your insurance, if both
make, you go for a big party.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[jillybean]

mw64ahw, on 2026-May-06, 23:28, said:

Something wrong here

Yes , hence the post

[mw64ahw]

jillybean, on 2026-May-07, 00:17, said:

Yes , hence the post

Is South really opening 1♦ with 7♥?

[paulg]

As P_Marlowe implies, this is one of the easier ones whatever the scoring.

It will become more difficult on the next round if they bid 5♠, since now you have to worry whether a heart trick will cash and whether partner could have a slow spade trick. Hopefully partner will get to express an opinion before you have to.

"Avoid the last guess" is a phrase commonly used on bidding panels, but sometimes they seem to be unavoidable.

[P_Marlowe]

mw64ahw, on 2026-May-07, 00:55, said:

Is South really opening 1♦ with 7♥?

Why not?

If you play Namyats, go for it, not sure, if it satisfies the req., but what do I know.
But one thing is obv. for me, this is for sure not a 2C opener.

[Cyberyeti]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-May-07, 02:43, said:

Why not?

If you play Namyats, go for it, not sure, if it satisfies the req., but what do I know.
But one thing is obv. for me, this is for sure not a 2C opener.

Because most of the world opens 1♥ not 1♦. Strong diamond - maybe, some bizarre transfer opening system ?

[P_Marlowe]

Cyberyeti, on 2026-May-07, 02:50, said:

Because most of the world opens 1♥ not 1♦. Strong diamond - maybe, some bizarre transfer opening system ?

Ok, ..., red / yellow blindness, I took the 1D as 1H, ..., I would assume a typo.

[jillybean]

mw64ahw, on 2026-May-07, 00:55, said:

Is South really opening 1♦ with 7♥?

no! thanks

---

I went -1, the OT opened 4♥= !
Could North have helped more?

[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-May-07, 05:52, said:

no! thanks

---

I went -1, the OT opened 4♥= !
Could North have helped more?

As far as I see it, 4S makes?
Wrong I guess, after a club attack, 4S fails.

So both are -1, but it is easy to see 4S=.
Good lead from North, and good defence from N/S, if they found the
defence to beat 4S, next board.

[jillybean]

P_Marlowe, on 2026-May-07, 06:32, said:

As far as I see it, 4S makes?
Wrong I guess, after a club attack, 4S fails.

So both are -1, but it is easy to see 4S=.
Good lead from North, and good defence from N/S, if they found the
defence to beat 4S, next board.

No, the OT opened 4♥ and were allowed to play there.

[P_Marlowe]

jillybean, on 2026-May-07, 06:41, said:

No, the OT opened 4♥ and were allowed to play there.

Over a 4H from South, I would bid 4S with West, I have a 6 carder, shortage,
an opening hand, whatever.

[mike777]

4s looks pretty normal after a 4H opening bid.
Expect North to continue with 5H, now east has a problem...

[mycroft]

This is a hard question, over and above the "what to do".

My agreement is "if we bid game *on power*, we're forced". This - doesn't read like "game on power", with East's 3♥ call and North's only 2♥ (assuming not "constructive raise"); instead it reads like "game on shape, 20-20". But it's definitely a "discuss with partner" question.

So, to me, I'm allowed to pass. I have 2 tricks, and my ♠Q could promote Hxx in partner's hand. I have 5 losers outside trumps; will partner's 6-9 cover 3 of them? And if it does, do we get 4♠ for a reasonable amount?

At MPs, this is an interesting but different question (frankly, "what's our best chance to go plus"). At IMPs, if 4♠ makes and the opponents take the push, you're losing 10; but if 4♠ goes down and opponents take the push, you're losing 4-5 if hearts doesn't make (and 8 if it does) - worst case, they hit 5♥ and it goes -2, 7 or 9 again. In addition, they might bid 5♠, which you're probably happy to pass out, going plus almost always. Similar odds on "if they don't", it looks like? I think that "both make" is a low enough possibility to not consider.

So, passing is laying better-than-even odds that you can set 4♠; but pushing is "playing safe" - conceding IMPs against "both fail" to save against the huge loss of "4♠ makes". Interesting.

Do I hear the ghost of Barry Crane? :-)

Spoiler

"Only Jesus Saves."

[mikeh]

I wonder how many who claim they’d overcall 4S after a 4H opening would do so in real life? Red v white with a weak 2S opening bid? Ask yourself how happy you are if LHO doubles or if partner (with only a slightly better hand) takes you seriously?

Way too many posters find very brave actions here when shown all the hands.

[AL78]

mikeh, on 2026-May-07, 12:55, said:

I wonder how many who claim they’d overcall 4S after a 4H opening would do so in real life? Red v white with a weak 2S opening bid? Ask yourself how happy you are if LHO doubles or if partner (with only a slightly better hand) takes you seriously?

Way too many posters find very brave actions here when shown all the hands.

I'm glad it isn't just me, I was beginning to think I was hopelessly out of touch with modern bidding styles, having said that, I would place a bet that if I opened 4♥ on the South hand at my club, West would overcall 4♠ on that and find the perfect hand opposite as here. It is not easy to get 4♠ down.

[pescetom]

AL78, on 2026-May-07, 14:08, said:

I'm glad it isn't just me, I was beginning to think I was hopelessly out of touch with modern bidding styles, having said that, I would place a bet that if I opened 4♥ on the South hand at my club, West would overcall 4♠ on that and find the perfect hand opposite as here. It is not easy to get 4♠ down.

I'd like to think that on a good day I would have found the switch to a small club after taking the hearts lead, although it's easy to say having seen the diagram.
Certainly not today at the club, although I made up for it later.

[jillybean]

I asked South at the OT about his 4♥ opening bid

“That is a normal 4♥ opener, less than 8.5 tricks when namyats would kick in.”

I don’t have namyats

[akwoo]

My 4♥ favorable openings look like x KQxxxxx xxx xx. That is not a normal 4♥ opener, especially favorable.

As for the original question - you should ask: can I construct a reasonable lie of the cards where both contracts make? Here the answer is yes - give partner xx xxx Axxxxx Kx and one of the opponents a heart void. (At favorable, a slightly outrageous lie is good enough, since down 1 is also quite profitable.)