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[Event "Threading a Major Nightmare"]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "2"]
[West "Pete"]
[North ""]
[East "Andrew"]
[South ""]
[Dealer "E"]
[Vulnerable "NS"]
[Deal "E:842.AKJ863.K54.K K96.Q754.Q92.862 AT753.T9.A3.T954 QJ.2.JT876.AQJ73"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "W"]
[Contract "4S"]
[Result "10"]
{A nightmare hand is holding six cards in your own suit, and three cards in the
suit of partner's one-level response.  Opener usually has to guess the best
rebid, which could end the auction.  Since both majors are involved on this
deal, it's a major nightmare.  

East's support double resolves the issue here:  West would usually rebid 2\S
only when holding five spades.  \n
West has no trouble accepting East's game try with two aces, planning to
establish East's hearts.  East laid out the plan to everybody; North's heart
lead was basically giving up. West still had to make 4\S, holding the losers to
two trumps and one club.  4\H cannot be made, because those three tricks must
be lost, plus a heart.  

Declarer won the lead on dummy and ducked a trump into North, who was
powerless.  He cashed the \CA and exited in diamonds (\CQ would have been
stronger).  Declarer won in hand with the \DK, cashed the \SA, and set up the
hearts, using the marked ruffing finesse.  While it does not matter on the
actual layout, declarer is careful to reenter dummy with the \DA.  Ruffing a
club to dummy might permit North to ruff with the high defensive trump and cash
one or more clubs.  Since South has the high trump and four hearts, nothing the
defense can do will prevent declarer from losing one club, pitching two, and
either pitching or ruffing the last.

A diamond lead does not expose the singleton, and prepares to attack dummy's
\DA entry, all to no avail.  Declarer can even make the contract on this
specific layout, playing wide open:  win the \DK in hand, cash the \SA, and
duck a spade.  When North cannot cash the last trump (to be followed by three
clubs), the defense is finished.  This is an incredibly fortunate layout for
declarer.

3\H is a great partscore, virtually unbeatable when spades split 4-1.  That's
why many Easts would rebid 2\H, eschewing the support double on three small. 
At the table, East was swinging for the fences, with his game try on a minimum
hand (3+1+2+1 = 7 losers, and 11 working HCP, the \CK being paste).  

<i>     (continues)</i>}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[DoubleDummyTricks "53488534887a9557a955"]
[OptimumScore "EW 420"]
[Score "EW +420"]
[Auction "E"]
1H Pass 1S 2D
X =1= Pass 2S Pass
3H Pass 4S AP
[Note "1:Support double: exactly 3\S, may have extra values"]
[Play "N"]
H2
[OptimumResultTable "Declarer;Denomination\2R;Result\2R"]
N NT  5
N  S  3
N  H  4
N  D  8
N  C  8
S NT  5
S  S  3
S  H  4
S  D  8
S  C  8
E NT  7
E  S 10
E  H  9
E  D  5
E  C  5
W NT  7
W  S 10
W  H  9
W  D  5
W  C  5

[Event "Major Nightmare Deal Revised"]
[Site ""]
[Date ""]
[Board "2"]
[West "Pete"]
[North ""]
[East "Andrew"]
[South ""]
[Dealer "E"]
[Vulnerable "NS"]
[Deal "E:K42.AKJ863.K54.8 986.Q754.Q92.K62 AT753.T9.A3.T954 QJ.2.JT876.AQJ73"]
[Scoring ""]
[Declarer "W"]
[Contract "4S"]
[Result ""]
{

An appropriate 6-loser hand for East would relocate the \CK and \SK, as shown
above.  Now a lucky <i>six</i> spades can be made!

At the table, North's overcall provided the support double to East, which is
clearly correct on the revised deal.  What if North were not so helpful, and
decided to pass?  Andrew and I play Tucker, so we have that covered. 

My analysis shows Tucker provides about twice the overall advantage of the
Flannery 2\D opening, which is a little harder to play.  About half that
benefit is from the Tucker 1NT rebid, and about half from the 5+ card
game-forcing 2\S response, which the Tucker system requires.  These methods are
described in "Flannery and Major Nightmare Solutions at Bridge" at
<u>https://3nt.xyz/bridge.htm#Articles</u>.

You can get about half the benefit of Flannery with a simple adjustment:  a
response of 1\S to 1\H may be made on any five cards, but a four card suit must
be at least \S Q 10 x x.  This permits opener to raise or even jump raise on
good 3-card support.

1\H - 1\S game/slam auctions don't bid well.  Do not respond 1\S on a
game-forcing hand unless you have at least a 5-card suit.  With only four
cards, respond two of a minor; opener must reverse to 2\S on any four cards;
this does not show extra strength, just shape.  I like to respond 2 of a minor
with a game-forcing 5-5 spades and the minor, especially clubs.  I set the game
force, and sort trumps later.



(2018-11-21 Westwood) https://3nt.xyz  (c) Pete Matthews Jr}
[BCFlags "1f"]
[DoubleDummyTricks "41276412768cb678cb67"]
[OptimumScore "EW 980"]
[Score ""]
[Auction "E"]
1H Pass 1S =1= Pass
1NT =2= Pass 2S =3= Pass
3H Pass 4S AP
[Note "1:4+ \S, seldom stronger than invitational."]
[Note "2:Tucker: exactly 3\S, may have extra values."]
[Note "3:Usually five spades."]
[OptimumResultTable "Declarer;Denomination\2R;Result\2R"]
N NT  4
N  S  1
N  H  2
N  D  7
N  C  6
S NT  4
S  S  1
S  H  2
S  D  7
S  C  6
E NT  8
E  S 12
E  H 11
E  D  6
E  C  7
W NT  8
W  S 12
W  H 11
W  D  6
W  C  7
