Jennbridge: Handling Difficult Auctions

Here is the first of two hands from the final qualifying session of the World Mixed Pairs where we had to deal with unusual bids:

Board 4, All vul.

♠ A10763
♥ A
♦ AJ3
♣ AQ83

I was rather enamored with this hand, especially when partner opened 1 diamond, but then RHO overcalled 1NT, alerted as unusual, for the two lower unbid suits!

Well, this throws a wrench in the bidding.  My only forcing call is double, so that's what I do. 

LHO bid 2 hearts, partner passed and RHO bid 3 clubs.  These bids were alerted and complex explanations were forthcoming, but I wasn't really very interested as I was busy thinking about what slam to bid.  At this point we were in undiscussed territory and I wasn't about to make a bid I thought was forcing only to have a bidding accident.  I couldn't really show my spades and so I just bid what I thought I could make...

Six notrump!

A heart was led and Bob put down this dummy:

 ♠ K9
♥ Q73
♦ KQ87652
♣ 6

♠ A10763
♥ A
♦ AJ3
♣ AQ83

That 7 card diamond suit was a beautiful sight, and a quick count of my tricks revealed that I had 11.  A successful club finesse would land the contract, but as this was a qualifier for a world championship matchpoint game, I studied the hand for overtrick possibilities. 

After the run of the diamonds these cards were left, RHO having discarded the queen of spades along with 2 hearts and 3 clubs.

 ♠ K9
♥ Q7
♦
♣ 6

♠ A107
♥
♦
♣ AQ

I took the club finesse, lost a spade at the end and claimed my 1440 for 82% of the matchpoints.   Before I learned of the good score, however, I worried a little about not taking a club finesse, then leading a spade to the 9, and claiming all 13 of the tricks.  This would have been a disaster, however, if RHO started with the unlikely holding of QJ of spades.

LHO (South) held:  J8542/6542/109/52
RHO (North) held: Q/KJ1098/4/KJ10974

See you at the table!