Lots can happened in a quiet afternoon bridge game

There were some really nice boards in my practice set with Sylvia today and I will show you one of them but I have an interesting auction with a question first.    You are West and here is your hand:

You open 1NT with nobody vulnerable and I double (showing a major and a longer minor).  Your partner bids 2♥ (transfer) and you bid 2♠.  Your partner bids 4◊.  What do you do and what does it mean?

I think it means pick a game I am 5-5 but East who made this bid claimed it meant something more than that.  Does it?  I would like to know if I am the only other person not to know this convention because West definitely didn’t.  Anyway I think West has two choice now 4♥ presumably a cuebid or 4♠.  You have great cards in partner’s suits and the ♥A is nice.  Maybe you should bid 4♥.  Anyway our West bid 4♠ which seems reasonable enough.  Now partner bid 5♠.  What do you do?  Can partner expect more than this?  What is he looking for?   What would you do?  I really can’t fault West for bidding 6♠ but he was down off the top when I cashed the first two clubs.  Partner held

This started a bit of a war but fortunately it was the last deal.  Does anyone know what East was talking about when he described his 4◊ bid as some kind of convention?

Anyway now to the good stuff.  Sylvia played this 3NT contract very well.   It was made at the other table but a bit differently.  Here is the hand at our table.

Dummy

Sylvia opened 1♠ third in hand and when I bid 2◊  she bid 3NT.  The opening lead was the ♥8 to the ♥10 and her ♥Q.   If spades break you have nine tricks so you start by playing a high spade.  East wins the first spade and leads by the ♥7 North following with the ♥4.  Sylvia crossed to her hand on a diamond to play spades.  On the second spade North threw a diamond.  And on the third spade North threw a club.  On the fourth spade North threw the ◊Q.  This is now the position.

Dummy

You cash the ♣K with both following.  I was watching this from dummy and since it was a team game I was following along only seeing two hands.  From the play in the heart suit is appeared the North had started with five hearts and still had three left.   North had two more cards.   For you to make it they need to be the ♣Qx or ♣xx of clubs so that you can make two club tricks.  (or four hearts and a club).  You lead a club and you have arrived at the moment of truth.  Do you finesse or play for the drop?  Sylvia played for the drop.  I didn’t ask her but my thinking was that North had given up a club too easily and too early.  Well done.