Is there any way playing 2/1 to avoid landing up in the slam? The spade lead is dead-obvious on the auction too ... Playing precision, of course, it is quite easy to stop in 5C:
West
East
1♣1
1♥2
2♦3
2NT
3♣
3NT
5♣4
Pass5
—
—
(1) 16+
(2) 8+
(3) 5+ diamonds 16-21
(4) 6-5 or 5-5 in minors, 16-18
(5) no extras
The last board was a doozy of a fix:
Who bids 3nt instead of 4H with a soft stopper in spades and 5 hearts? Our opponents, that's who! My duck of the spade was right (click Next to see the play) -- I was hoping to set the contract if partner has one more entry. However, that was not to be, and 3NT+3 was a near-bottom. Turns out that 3NT+2 would have gotten us only 5% more matchpoints.
On the first one, why the jump to 5C? Just bid 4C, natural and forcing. Then East will bid 4D or 4H, and West can then bid 5C, and East will know that spades are not controlled, and pass 5C or bid 5D -- either makes.
ReplyDelete(I note that on the obvious spade lead, 3NT will not make.)
I thought (I may be wrong) that 4C shows extras and 5C was fast-arrival.
DeleteOn Board 7, if I were East, I would choose a rebid of 3D, and not 3NT.
ReplyDeleteMight be difficult to project what happens thereafter, but it seems possible that the auction might peter out at 5 minor.
On the actual auction, I would pass 3NT if I were West. Certainly possible that diamonds will run, bringing us to at least nine winners, and why should West guess that his partner cannot stop the run of five tricks in the majors when he volunteered 3NT? Why can't East have, for example, QJxx, Axxxx, Kx, xx?
Nos. 7 and 8 were the last two boards? An 8-board tournament?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeff. As East, I would rebid 3D as a false preference and a mark-time bid.