You are South,  Matchpoints, N-S Vulnerable

(The hand was misprinted in the Post Mortem - this is the hand which was given to the panel)

Here is your hand:

S - A 10 8 3

H -  9 4

D - A K 8 3

C - K J 7

 

The Bidding is:

* 15-17 hcp

** Transfer to Clubs (Strength Ambiguious)

What do you bid?

Asim Ulke: 4S I don't think 3NT is the right place to play this contract. Partner has a right to expect some help to stop the heart suit which I do not have. Also, partner should take the lead in case he/she holds H king. I bid 4S

Mary Carns: 4C  Might be wrong-siding the contract but that's the case for NT, too.  Partner's whole auction is a slam try in clubs.  My high cards are minimum but my distribution, aces, kings, and concentration in clubs makes my hand worth a move forward.  If pard bids 4 NT, I pass.

Florine Walters: 4C It is possible we have a slam, if not 5 clubs should be a better contract than 3 NT

Bruce Keidan: Pass.  Shame on North if he lacks a hearty stopper. I certainly didn't promise one. (With general strength and no heart stopper, North should double, requesting south to do something intelligent.)

Gail Carns: 4C Partner would double if they had hearts and a slam try.

PJ Prabu: Pass.  We may be fixed by partner's chosen auction. But at matchpoints I choose to stay fixed, since I don't know that I can improve the contract. After all, I have good fillers in Cs. For all I know, we may take the same number of tricks in C and NT

Bill Holt: Pass.  Tempting to bid 4c in case partner has slammish ambitions but he has heard the auction and knows the lead is coming through him.  I expect to take 6 Club tricks, my AK - A and the Heart trick that he is showing me.

Ernie Retetagos: 4C.  Partner's sequence implies a mild slam try, but I don't think that it guarentees a full heart stopper.   If they bid 4NT, I'll pass, and over 4 hearts, I'll bid 6 clubs.

Herb Sachs: Pass. Since I didn’t show a heart stopper, partner should have one and enough to bid.

Richard Finberg: Pass.  Lacking the CK, partner should have a suit headed by the A plus a H stopper, or Heats could be blocked.  While pulling may well be right, we have no way of knowing, and we do have a surprisingly good club fit.

Jim Bossert: 4D. There may be slam and in any case pard should play it from his side

Jim Bachelder: 4C. Partner says he has values for game and if that's all he's interested in, he'll raise to game.  Bidding 5C crowds the auction, who knows, he might want to bid 4H next.
 

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