What should I Bid? - Best enquiry for September/October 2010

Maura Rhodes made the best submission for September and October.

Hand: Dealer West, with EW vulnerable, Matchpoint Pairs:

spades KQJ87
hearts 86
diamonds 964
clubs K43
spades 64
hearts KQJ10743
diamonds Q
clubs 962
  spades 932
hearts A
diamonds J1052
clubs Q10875
  spades A105
hearts 952
diamonds AK873
clubs AJ
 
Bidding: West  North East South
  3hearts Pass Pass  Pass

Maura: Two questions, please, Kieran.
What would you have opened as West?

Kieran: I confess I would have opened 4hearts . 3hearts is plenty, vulnerable. Non-vul, 4hearts for me, 3hearts for old-school folks.

Maura: What would you do as South in 4th seat after 3hearts, P, P?

Kieran: Double and pass are both OK. At the vulnerability, I prefer pass. 3hearts will almost always go down thanks to these fast winners, game is very uncertain (and the game that we bid might not be the game that we can make), and (importantly) their contract is going down at 100/trick while our game only scores about 400. If it makes.

At equal vulnerability, I'm more attracted to double.

Vul v not, double is mandatory. Collecting in 50s against a vulnerable game is inadequate. The only possible alternative bid is 3NT, but sometimes when that's the right spot partner will be able to bid it. It would be more appealing with Axx,xxx,AKQJx,Ax since at least the tricks are there. Most 3NT bids are a gamble here - balanced 16 counts routinely bid 3NT here without the faintest idea of where the tricks are coming from...lacking a stopper is just a different gamble.

Maura:Partner passed, saying she didn't double as she didn't have 4spades.

Kieran: The doubleton club and lack of short hearts bother me more than than the lack of a fourth spade. Lots of commendable takeout doubles have only three cards in the other major. But this hand has abnormally long hearts, generally flawed shape and excellent prospects on defense.

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