[G_R__E_G]

Scoring: MP

---

You're east, auction has gone P-1D. What's you call?

[Walddk]

4♠. I have around 8 tricks (on normal layouts I have 7 spade tricks) and I haven't promised anything on defence. If partner doubles 5♥ or whatever, he shouldn't blame it on me if it makes. I have one more defensive trick that I might have had.

Roland

[whereagles]

4♠. 5 comes to mind, though. It's anybody's guess which is best.

[mikeh]

4♠: looks normal to me: I echo Roland's post.

[Echognome]

4♠. Another echo from Echo.

[G_R__E_G]

I figured that would be pretty much the universal reply and that's what I did. The fun that ensued was what I thought qualified the hand as interesting. Wouldn't you know it, the 4 missing spades were all with my RHO (who was the one who doubled me), so I actually had 4 spade losers. My partner didn't have much but she did have the ace of clubs, so until I played a ♠ at trick two (♦ lead) I thought I'd only be down 2. So I was going to be down one too many, but when I played a club to the ace and came back with a club my RHO was kind enough to decide to ruff it so I was only down 2 after all. Unfortunately, as it turns out we could have put 4♥ down one.

[Free]

5♠ also comes to my mind, but 4♠ will probably enough since partner may have a ♠ ruff and I have ♦A as entry.

4♠

[Gerben42]

4♠ because it's Spades. Now if they were hearts, 5♥ sounds right.

[Miron]

4♠, but after partner's pass I like 5♠ as well.

[sfbp]

I'm gonna buck the trend and bid 2♠

Why? Because it least it tells pard some of my cards (I can always amaze everyone and bid again) but I have soooo few points and/or cards in the other suits, that the bidding is going to tell me more than I tell them. For sure an opponent with 3 spades is going to place partner with about the same number. Mind you, the spades are AKQ8 so it depends which one is singleton

Who knows, maybe I will even buy it in 3!S doubled when someone has a spade stack?

Too bad the solution was already posted.

This hand reminds me of the player who passed a 10-card spade suit. His logic, which was impeccable, was that someone was bound to bid again (i know, you can label me with the dunce hat because in that case it went All Pass) but here it seems rather unlikely that with around 25 HCP unaccounted for, that noone will bid. And this is the boss suit.

Stephen