[el mister]

Comments on this auction please:

Scoring: IMP

p 4♥ 5♣ 5♥
p p 5♠ X
All pass

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Pard lead a club and 5SX made for a poor score (for us, we can make 6♥).
Was I right to open 4♥ directly?

[Gerben42]

The standard rule for preemptive openings is that you should bid expecting to go for -500 if doubled, i.e. 2 down vulnerable, 3 down not vulnerable.

With this hand you expect to lose 1♥ only some of the time (0.5 losers), 2♣ and 2♦, for a total of 4.5 losers i.e. 1.5 down. This is too strong for a not vulnerable 4♥ opening bid.

In addition, it was not good from North to double 5♠: You only have 1 trick in defense (♦A) and with this length in ♥, you cannot expect two from partner either. In fact as North I would expect 5♠ to make more often +1 than -1.

Finally, bidding on high level decisions often causes large swings in expert matches too, don't be put down that it didn't work out this time, happens to all!

Hope this helps!

[helene_t]

Agree that South is too strong for 4♥ and that the double was not good. But you were also a little unlucky that South's diamond honours fit so well with North's diamond suit. Reverse South's minors and defending 5♠x could be par.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

the hand is too strong for a 4H opening bid, but that does not mean,
that 4H was wrong, but if you decide to make the bid, you give up on
slam. Your plan was to shut out the opponents, the plan did not work.

I dont think your partner should make the pen. X, he cant expect a
defensive trick from you.
This wont have safed a lot, but if 5S reaches you, you have at least the
chance to bid on, I am not saying that you should.

All in all, they got it right, your side got it wrong, bad luck.

With kind regards
Marlowe