Had a pretty crazy set (26 boards) with Jeff tonight.  Here are my favorite and least favorite boards:

Let's start with the bad one:

2nd all white

AT95432 / KT9 / 4 / T4

 

Righty opens 1 Diamond.  I bid the normal 3 Spades (7-4 and it might be worth 4, but I don't think it's particularly tempting here.)

Lefty bid 4 Clubs (mission accomplished) and Righty raised to 5.

Jeff led the King of Spades.

876 / QJ8 / KQ96 / AJ8 Dummy (RHO)

AT95432 / KT9 / 4 / T4

Do you encourage or discourage?

Or do you overtake or is this a suit preference situation?

This is a tough hand.

If Declarer has something like:

X / xx / ATx / KQxxxxx

You've got to cash your 3 tricks in the majors before one of them goes away on the Diamonds.

If Declarer has something like:

X / Ax / JTx / KQxxxxx

You've got to score your Diamond ruff before it goes away.

My thought process went something like this:

I don't know if I want a Heart switch or a Diamond switch but if Jeff's Spade King is singleton, I can overtake and give him a ruff with a neutral card (the 5) and then he'll presumably cash his side Ace.  If I don't overtake, I might never get in to cash my Spade Ace.  Since Dummy has AJx of Clubs, this can't cost a trump trick since surely Declarer has at least Kxxxx or Qxxxxx of Clubs for the 4 Club bid.

Not entirely irrational reasoning, but it's better to leave Jeff on lead (he heard the auction and can see dummy too) and let him find the killing switch, if there is one.  I've been unable to construct a hand where the only way to beat it is to overtake and continue Spades (my T9 of Hearts protects me from being endplayed) so it must be superior to play the 5 at trick 1 and hope that pard rises to the occasion.

Can't cost a trump trick?  NOT!  Declarer's 4 Club bid was not exactly textbook:

876 / QJ8 / KQ96 / AJ8

QJ / A76 / AT2 / Q7653

If I duck the Spade, the 2nd Spade loser does indeed go away.  But instead, the trump loser and Heart losers went away.  -400 was 8.60 IMPs away

http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=4954810&when_played=1186410446

My favorite hand was just a nice auction:

K8754 / - / A7 / AKJ973

I opened 1 Club, Lefty bid 3 Hearts and Jeff made a negative double.

I started to bid 6 Spades (6 is enough, boys!) but this hand is too huge for that.  I've got to at least try for 7.

I bid 4 Hearts and Jeff (good partner) bid 4 Spades.

I am NOT a fan of the Grand Slam Force.  It never comes up and I frequently experience situations where I think to myself 'I wish I could bid 5NT 'pick a slam' but pard's probably going to take it as GSF.'  Admittedly I'm the Queen of Clubs shy for a textbook GSF here, but close enough.

I bid 5NT and Jeff bid 7 Clubs.

I corrected to 7 Spades (our 2nd grand of the set) and awaited the unveiling of pard's hand.

I wasn't disappointed.

K8754 / - / A7 / AKJ973

AQT9 / J42 / QT2 / Q42

+2210 was worth 15 IMPs and change

http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=4957002&when_played=1186410446