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[Event "##IMP Pairs, March 20, 2012 -- Singleton Ace"]
[Site "##MIT/DL Bridge Club"]
[Date "2012.03.20"]
[Board "4"]
[West "Rishabh"]
[North ""]
[East "Pete"]
[South ""]
[Dealer "W"]
[Vulnerable "All"]
[Deal "W:87652.A.KT9.Q982 K.Q7432.J8654.T5 J94.K.AQ732.AJ73 AQT3.JT9865..K64"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer ""]
[Contract ""]
[Result ""]
{\n

In standard bidding, after North's 2\H overcall, East has these choices:

Pass -- all the weak hands\n
2\S -- non-forcing (competitive)\n
2NT -- invitational\n
3\C/3\D/3\S -- natural, and forcing\n
3\H -- Stayman\n
3NT -- to play

None of these actions says anything about hearts - a heart stopper is assumed,
a defect in standard methods.  However, we were playing Lebensohl, where a
direct 3\H or 3NT denies a heart stopper, and:

2NT -- requires opener to bid 3\C, whereupon...\n
     Pass/3\D -- to play (competitive)\n
     3\H -- Stayman, holding a heart stopper\n
     3\S -- natural, invitational\n
     3NT -- to play, holding a heart stopper

What would you bid?






At IMPs, you should try to bid vulnerable games at 40% or better.  The one
action I was not going to take was to bid 2NT and then invite game at 3\S. 
Why risk going down at the 3-level in a bad suit, without being in game?  

I hate a singleton ace.  Unless a huge trump fit is disclosed, I generally
find a singleton ace to be worth about three points, including any shortness
value.  Nevertheless, I decided to drive to game, but not show the fifth
spade: 2NT followed by 3\H, Stayman with a stopper.  I counted on Rishabh to
bring the game home, if it could be done.}
[Auction "W"]
Pass Pass 1NT 2H
+
[Generator "BridgeComposer Version 5.29.1"]
[Hidden "NES"]
[BCFlags "1f"]

[Event ""]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "4"]
[West "Pete"]
[North ""]
[East "Rishabh"]
[South ""]
[Dealer "W"]
[Vulnerable "All"]
[Deal "W:87652.A.KT9.Q982 K.Q7432.J8654.T5 J94.K.AQ732.AJ73 AQT3.JT9865..K64"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer ""]
[Contract ""]
[Result ""]
{2\S was our last chance for a positive score.  I forgot that Rishabh is one of
the more aggressive bidders at the club, and should taken the low road with my
flawed hand.

While I would have opened Rishabh's  hand 1\D, with a fine 2\C rebid in
reserve, I never worry about partner's judgement calls.  Change the \SJ to the
\SQ, and I would likely have tried 1NT myself.  A singleton king often has
more value at no trump than in a suit contract.

Our combined aggressive actions landed us in a poor game.  Rishabh could have
cashed out for down two.  However, he took the play to make, hoping for a
doubleton \CK in the North hand,finessing the \CJ at trick two (swap the \CK
and \C10, and he makes).  South proceeded to cash five hearts, and after dummy
parted with those junky spades, four spades.  When the carnage ended, we were
-600, down six!

The opponents had their own vulnerable game to bid, 4\H making five, -650. 
That happened at two tables.  At another, our side was doubled for -1400. 
There were also two -200s and a -100.  Cashing out would have been a big win
for us.  Would you have done that?  As it was, rather than being a disaster,
we only lost a little on the board.

 }
[Auction "W"]
Pass Pass 1NT 2H
2NT Pass 3C Pass
3H Pass 3NT AP
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[DoubleDummyTricks "55b5555b556818768187"]
[OptimumResultTable "Declarer;Denomination\2R;Result\2R"]
N  S  5
N  H 11
N  D  5
N  C  5
N NT  5
E  S  8
E  H  1
E  D  8
E  C  7
E NT  6
S  S  5
S  H 11
S  D  5
S  C  5
S NT  5
W  S  8
W  H  1
W  D  8
W  C  7
W NT  6
[BCFlags "1f"]