Bridge in Oz

Good suggestions, except when trumps are 3-1 and RHO exits with a club at trick 5 neither the squeeze nor end play will work. Details are left as an exercise.

There's one other important point to consider here. If LHO has only 3 hearts they can beat you by discarding them all. While you know RHO has only 5 spades, LHO thinks they probably have 6 and likely won't defend that way. However you are marked with the ♠10 (because RHO won with the J), and if you ...

It's clear that RHO has opened 2♠ with AKQJ8. She cannot have as much as a queen extra and probably not even a singleton, otherwise would not have a reasonable 2-bid. So LHO has ♥ Q, ♦ Q and ♣A and Q. It's also clear that RHO is going to rattle off four rounds of spades. On the fourth spade you must...

Here's another declarer situation that I actually faced. 7654,AK76,K94,K6 1092,J83,AJ8762,9 The auction has gone 2♠ by RHO, pass, pass, double, pass, 3 ♦ , all pass. LHO leads the ♠3. What's cool about this hand is you can see how it will go before playing a card! Take a minute to look it over.

Your odds look pretty good. What you want to avoid is losing two finesses and two additional hearts. I think the best start is leading a heart to the Queen. RHO is unlikely to guess that you are interested in a heart ruff, and if he/she wins then will probably return a minor suit. In that case you'l...

IMPS, white vs. red, you deal yourself this:

♠ AQ109543
♥ 9854
♦ A
♣ A

I suppose you might open 2♣ with this 4-loser hand, but I chose 1♠. It went pass, 1NT, pass and I closed the auction with 4♠.

The ♣2 was led and partner put down this:

♠ J2
♥ AQ3
♦ J54
♣ J10875

It goes 7, Q, A. What's your plan?

Here's an everyday kind of deal with multiple points of interest. Vulnerable against not, opponents passing. You K4,J87,KQ875,KQ6 1 ♦ 1NT 3NT Partner AJ1072,K10953,A2,9 1♠ 3 ♥ Pass 3NT is OK but usually you want to be in 4 of a major when there is an 8-card fit. This is why New Minor Forcing and Che...

OK I'll agree that partner's 4-minor over 3♠ should be natural. But just for fun let's run with your example where you hold:

♠ 543
♥ A9
♦ AQJ9
♣ AK52

Suppose partner has:

♠ 876
♥ KQJ10
♦ K432
♣ 43

Now 4♥ on the 4-2 fit is the only game that has a chance.

My thinking is that 4-3 fits are playable, and without a spade stop 4♥ on a 4-3 could easily be the only making game.

But yes, it's asking a lot to think partner will play 4 of a minor as a slam try without prior agreement!

The question becomes, what does 3♠ mean here? You haven't discussed it with your partner. What should it mean? My general philosophy is that bids should mean whatever is most helpful on balance for the given bidding sequence, while not being weird. In this sequence you will probably want to end in 3...