Don't you hate it when you make an aggressive bid that keeps the opps out of their cold red game, propels pard into a no-play red game, the opponents misdefend to let it through, your pard butchers it to give it back and you lose a couple of IMPs on the board?  Yeah, Adam probably does too.

So last night on BBO during my practice set with Adam against 2 solid opps, I was in 4th (all red, as implied already) and picked up:

K32 / Q3 / J765 / Q954

Adam opened 1 Diamond in front of me, Righty bid 2 Clubs and I bid 2 Diamonds.  Lefty passed and Adam raised to 3.

What now?

Is it normal to play this sequence '1-2-3 Stop'?  Is it even playable to play this sequence '1-2-3 Stop'?  I was quite happy to bid 3 No Trump and quite disappointed when then ten of clubs hit the table and this dummy tracked:

AT75 / 95 / AKQ93 / 76

The good news is that we have 7 top tricks and it looks like we can generate an 8th in Clubs.  Only a trick short!  The bad news, of course, is that in the meantime the opps will have cashed about 8 top tricks of their own in the round suits.

The next bit of good news came when Righty, after much thought, ducked the opening lead.  We now have a legitimate shot at this contract.

I won the club, cashed 5 rounds of diamonds (Righty pitched, in order, a spade, a club, a heart, and a 2nd club.  Lefty pitched a heart and a club) and led a club off the board.  If righty started with both AK's and the spade guard, I'm gonna make this!

Righty won, cashed his last club (setting up my 9th trick,) and made the horrible play of the Jack of hearts.  I made the equally horrible play of ducking, and the suit that he had just blocked was unblocked again.  He was holding KJ of hearts and QJ8 of spades at that point and if I cover, the hearts block.  I had been hoping for AJ of hearts, but it doesn't matter what I do against that holding.

Adam's bid wouldn't have been my choice, but gave us a chance at a big pickup and kept the opps out of 4 Hearts, which can be made with careful play. 

Lefty held:

94 / AT8742 / T42 / T3

Righty held:

QJ86 / KJ6 / 8 / AKJ82