Defending against 3C.

Partner's free bid is based upon some hcp, and partner likely has less than 4 spades for lack of responsive double. Likewise, it is fair to say that partner probably lacks five hearts, because Cohen's Law of Total Tricks might have pushed him to bid 3H in balancing seat over 3C.

Neither of these are locked in stone, but opener will lack five spades, and if he has four hearts to go with his expected three or spades, opener is 3-4-2-4, and didn't open 1NT. IF they play 15-17 1NT (need to know), there is not enough hcp for opener to have 18 hcp, so opener has some 14 hcp hand, and partner has 10. Also, if partner has 11 hcp, he would probably try harder. As it is, with 10 it is hard to believe after my double, he didn't take the push to 3H even with four.. with five, impossible.

This seems fairly clear if the first two assumptions are correct (of course some who drops Queen from QT, who knows)?

North might potentially having four spades, if my partner has five hearts, and my hand might be squeezed in diamonds and spades, but I don't think I can blot out the diamond threat in that case anyway, so I am not gong to worry about the squeeze, besides, I play partner and opener to be 3-4-2-4 so no squeeze.

This means that you have to hope that partners fourth trump is a problem for declearer. Whatever partner has in the majors, it is porrly placed. It is not possible for him to have AK, AK. There is just enough room for him to have AKQ of hearts, but then declearer will win 5C, 3S, and 1D ruff, or 4C, 3S, 2D ruffs (if partner has club jack). He can also have AK of hearts, but then only a king for his 10 hcp. If king of spades, declearer wins 5C, 3S, and 1diamond ruff. Argghhhh...

So AK in either major is not of use. Partner could have KQJx of clubs, and an ACE, anything we return is ok, but partner would have doubled. Partner can have KQxx of clubs and an ACE, in which pick a card, it works. Partner coudl have KJxx of clubs and an ACE, in which case we get 2D, 1C and his ACE, that is all. Those major jacks in dummy are killers.

So that leaves double dummy. Partners 10 hcp include KQxx of clubs. Now, declerer must lose 2C and 2D, and he has four hearts to deal with. If parnter has a king and a queen in the majors (both in spades, both in hearts, or both split), declearer can play three round of spades, pitching heart or three round of hearts, pitching spade. The best chance (if it is not sure down) is for partner to have KQTx of hearts. In which case dpades will provide a discard for south. But, if you lead diamond JACK, he can not take advantage of it. Partner will let go one of his spades, if we get in again before trumps are pulled, we cash heart. And if declarere tries to cash three spades, partner ruffs third and eventually gets his two club tricks.

It would take 15 minutes to work this out at the table. The distribution part is fairly quick, but the hcp take a while to rationalize. So I return diamond JACK.

BTW, I don't care for the double at all. I would bid 1NT (MishoVnBg raptor).

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