An interesting play hand and an interesting bidding hand

Here are a couple of hands that we got a bit wrong in our session last night.  I like this play problem because it contains an interesting position which is easy to miss.

Partner passed and you (South) open 1S in third chair. Partner bid 2H and you rebid 2S which was passed out.

The opening lead was the C9 and you won the club ace in dummy and played the club king throwing a heart.  You now played a spade to the queen, cashed the spade ace and played another spade finding that West had started with four spades KJ10x.  West cashes his last spade and plays a club which you ruff.  East threw two clubs under the spades and on the club discards the D5

At this point you are certainly happy you didn’t get too high.  How do you continue?

From the play so far you know that East started with S KJ10x and C QJ10x.  He also is very likely to have one of the diamond ace or king (since West did not lead a diamond.)  West is know to have S XX C XXXX, a diamond honour and almost certainly the heart king.  West will not have pitched down to a stiff diamond honour so he started with at least three diamonds, but more likely four.

East therefore doesn’t have more than three diamonds.  If the diamonds were three-three you have no legitimate way to make the hand at this point unless West does have both diamond honours.   But if the diamonds were four-two or five-one you can still succeed, even with split honours.

The best play now is to lead the diamond queen from hand (and one we missed).  If  East wins and returns a heart or a club, you win and play another diamonds.  Now West has to win the DA and your DJ is the game going trick.  If West wins and returns a heart you win and play a diamond up.  Your plan is to duck the diamond to East’s now doubleton honour.

You will pay off to East holding the diamond AKXX and not leading one.

Here is my bidding problem.  I held S void H A532 D AQ54 C QJ1085.  All white, partner in second chair opened a 10-12 notrump.  We are playing forcing and nonforcing Stayman.  If you bid 3C immediately it is invitational (generally looking for notrump).  I decided I wasn’t good enough to force to game opposite a possible ten count and no certain fit.  Do you agree?  So I started with 2C.  Colin bid 2D no major.  Now I was even more confused.  I suppose notrump could be right if Colin had a lot of spade points.  Four hearts could be right too if Colin has three good hearts and 5 of a minor is definitely a possibility.  What to do?  At the table I bid 3C (for play).  One other choice is 4C.  I think it has to be invitational in clubs since I didn’t start with 4D.  I didn’t want to spring this on his at the table.  This has the advantage that Colin can bid 4H with three good hearts, on the way to five clubs.  If I want to just play five of a minor I think 4NT should ask Colin to bid game in a minor.  As it turns out 4H and 6D makes and 6C makes if you guess hearts.  Colin held S 964 H KJ10 D K1-83 C A92.  I wonder what Colin would have thought if I bid 4NT at the table!