[Quartic]

I had a disagreement with a pick-up partner on this hand:

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We were playing a simple form of 2/1. North said South's hand wasn't good enough to open and that South shouldn't lead the ♥6. South said North shouldn't have doubled 3♥, and could have passed or bid clubs or diamonds.

[steve2005]

its a pickup partner what do you expect - goren

[quiddity]

Doubling with 3 small hearts is terrible.

[SteveMoe]

(following Quiddity).....and North's double seems premature too. If we allow EW a 9 card fit, then South has a singleton ♥. add 5♠s then partner must have a 4-card minor. 4♣ seems a standout bid and might find a slam.

1♠ is fine in an intermediate+ game, but an average club player would probably see South as holding a Weak 2 bid.

I would offer a 60% North, 40% South split. Many will find 40% for South severe, but playing with an unknown pick up partner they will expect more defense. Now if partner is a BBOer then North gets 100% - for the critique of the opening bid, of course!

Finally I agree with the ♥ lead on this auction - reducing their likely trump tricks might be essential to our success. True, the ♠A or ♦K is a winner on the actual layout, but there are many constructions where a ♥ switch would be one trick too late.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Have "all elevens" now changed to "all tens" ?

Vul.... I'd be more inclined to open a weak-2S

[PhilKing]

North 253%.

I just kept adding to his tally with each comment he made.

[nigel_k]

I would say North 65%.

North's double is a bit of a view but not as bad as people are suggesting. The hand appears to be a misfit and there could easily be no game. A 500 penalty seems likely and 800 may be possible. South should definitely have led ♠A as partner will have a spade shortage very often, and need not have a trump stack.

[the hog]

North's x is ridiculous. Yes I would not open the Sth hand, however this does not excuse an appalling x.

[Codo]

I agree with Nigel that the double was not as terrible as other said. 3 Nt will not make, partner did never show a fit, 5 ♣ is far away.

But the lead was so terrrible that I would give south 95 %. This lead was made with a brain chicane.

And for Steve: No, this is no layout for a trump lead. Partner has a spade shortage and trumps. No need to lead anything but a high spade.

[rmnka447]

Lots of charges to hand out on this one for egregious bids or plays.

South gets one for opening 1 ♠ with this hand. Yep, it has 2 QTs, but only has 10 HCP. There is a continuum for hands that runs between a 1 bid and a weak 2. Even with the 2 quicks this one looks to me to be on the weak 2 side of the boundary between them.

North gets a charge for the double of 3 ♥. If you are in a 2/1 game force situation, you side either bids game or RARELY can stop in 3 of a major or 4 of a minor. 3 ♠ is obviously a no go. So North needs to bid a minor.

South gets a charge for the lead of a trump. The opponents have not shown any indication that the hand involves a cross ruff. They have shown at least 8 trump between them. Partner therefore looks to have 4 trump at most. A trump lead may help declarer pick up all partner's trumps something that he/she couldn't do by himself/herself. Codo suggests a ♠ lead. That's what the auction suggests. South has freely bid 2 ♠ over 2 ♥ which shows 6+ ♠s, yet North didn't support ♠ with game going values. It strongly implies that North doesn't have 2 or more ♠s. ♠ A, ♠ Q/ruff, low ♦/♦ K, ♠/ruff, ♦ A, ♣ A will yield +300.

The alternative lead of the ♦ K will still beat 3 ♥ one. ♦ K/♦ Q, ♠ A, ♠/ruff, ♦ A, ♣ A for +100. Since North is marked with ♦, the ♦ Q was a suit preference signal for ♠s.

[rhm]

The blame should go to both.
Pass is a much better bid than DBL and an easy one in a 2/1 partnership.
South did nothing wrong in the bidding, but not leading the ace of spades is a big error in judgment.
From the bidding the actual spade layout was the one to be expected.
+300 for minus two should give a reasonable score.
A high level contract makes only in clubs.

Rainer Herrmann