A few bidding problems for you all to mull over from the sectional this weekend:
1. MP’s, all white ♠ — ♥ K9652 ♦ Q6 ♣ KJ8654
| Opp | Partner | Opp | You |
| 2♠ | 3♥ | 4♠ | ? |
2. MP’s, unfav. ♠ 8 ♥ A6 ♦ AK10965 ♣ AKQ7
| Partner | Opp | You | Opp |
| P | P | 1♦ | 1♠ |
| P | P | ? |
3. IMP’s, all red ♠ 10xx ♥ — ♦ KQJ109 ♣ QJ8xx
| You | Opp | Partner | Opp |
| P | P | 1N* | 2♦** |
| X^ | 2♠ | 3♣ | P |
| ? |
* 12-14
** Majors
^ Cards
4. IMP’s, all red ♠ AK10xx ♥ — ♦ AJxx ♣ KJxx
| Partner | Opp | You | Opp |
| P | P | 1♠ | 3♥ |
| 4♠ | 5♥ | ? |
5. IMP’s, all white ♠ — ♥ QJ10 ♦ AKQJxx ♣ Axxx
| Opp | You | Opp | Partner |
| P | 1♦ | P | 1♥ |
| P | 3♣ | P | 3♠ |
| P | ? |
Sectional was moderately successful for me. 3rd in Thursday night pairs, 52% in Friday night pairs, tie for 5th in Saturday Swiss, and just out of the overalls in the Sunday Swiss.
Apropos of Mark 
1) Holding no aces I’ll take the low road and bid 6H
2) To me, 3C is NF, so I’ll start the ball rolling with 2S. Since it’s MPs, I’ll let partner off the hook in 4D, but I’ll be in a club game if she decides to bid that suit.
3) No comment, saw the hand. But I think you were too soft.
4) Not in a forcing pass. I would just double.
5) Already on record for 3NT.
1. 5-only-hearts.
2. 2S as well. Sympathetic to 3C, but I think you have too much.
3. 5C, but I bid too much sometimes.
4. Smash
5. 4-forcing-diamonds I think. Too much chance of 6D to bid 4H. 3N is not on my radar.
1. 5H. Will take the push to 6H over 5S unless partner doubles in front of me. Really no way to know how many tricks you (or they) will take. 6H right away might function as a “transfer” to 6S.
2. Double. I have plenty of quck tricks if partner has the spades. If partner can’t at least bid 1NT in response to my double (showing about 5-6 HCPs and stopper) or maybe 2C, we have no game.
3. 3H. If partner next bids or 3NT, I will bid 4H, then respect his decision. Probably he’ll be able to figure out that I have a heart void with slam interest in clubs.
4. Double. Partner has either a stretched raise to game or a pure preempt. Either way, we will usually beat them and there is no guarantee we can make 11 tricks. Partner may still pull with extreme shape.
5. 4H. Partner doesn’t have enough in spades to bid 3NT himself, and my void is not going to be any help there. Meanwhile I get to show a key element of my hand: 3-card heart support plus spade shortness. Perfect. Well, semi-perfect, anyway.
1. 6H can be defeated on a diamond lead. My partner bid 6 and I got to play it on the SA lead holding 8 AJ1084 A10953 Q9. The clubs broke so I had time to make 6. However holding 12 spades, several pairs bid 6S over 6H.
2. I held the partner hand to this: AQ1072 832 Q2 542. 6D and 6N are both cold with the spade finesse. 1SX can be held to 2 tricks. My partner did not consider the possibility of a penalty pass by me, rebidding 2D where he played it.
3. As Kevin noted, I was soft on this hand. Did not try for game. Partner had DA along with 5 clubs to the A. The club finesse worked for making 5.
4. Partner has magic: xxxxx xxxx xx AQ. 7S is cold on the 2-1 spade break. I do not know how many you set 5HX as I claimed shortly after drawing trump, somewhere between 500 and 1100.
5. I was confused by partner’s bidding holding: Jxxxx AKxxx xx x. 7H or 7D are both cold. Partner will probably pass 4H. Not sure how to get to slam confidently if partner starts with either 1S or reverse Flannery.