My transition was weak, but the 3C,4C and 2D was in response to the second question/bid.
Problem set: May 2023
Respondent: Steve White (D4)
Problem 1A
Steve White: Yes. Seems automatic. Too much outside for 3NT. Not enough outside for 2C
Problem 1B
Steve White: Three clubs. If partner wants to bid 3NT, fine with me. If he doesnāt, maybe heāll have enough to beat 4H. Or maybe West will bid 3H and partner bid 4C, so I know to sac. Will be extremely tough to make a disciplined pass of 4H.
Pass won big as expected, unanimous among the 16 panelists and chosen by 30 of 33 solvers. It got 20 points. In keeping with D4ās āAnything anybody chooses has meritā, pass got 10.
Three clubs now was the winner. Much closer. 3C and 3N each got 3 panelist votes. 3C, with 11 of 33 solver votes got the 80 points. 7 different actions got 1 or 2 panelist votes. 2 others chosen by no panelist got 1 solver vote. All those 9 alternatives to 3C got 70 or 60 points.
Interestingly, 3N (tied for most among panelists) and 2D (second most among solvers by a wide margin, and one of the actions chosen by 2 panelists) each got 60. [The rationale seemed to be that the āwalking the dogā 2C and the tries for 3NT (2NT, 2S, 3S) got 70, and others got 60.]
Possibly only 4H, but I do have a fairly good hand for 1H, with really no wastage in diamonds. If I had a side control, even second round, I would gladly bid it. Without one, itās a timid 4H or an aggressive 5H.
I suppose 4N is Blackwood, but even if partner showed 3 keys I wouldnāt be confident we could make a slam, so I think either 4H or 5H is better than that.
I canāt see anything other than 4H here. I just donāt see how we make slam in most scenarios.
Partner has insisted on game and shown at least some slam interest opposite just a 1 heart response to a takeout double, which could be as little as xxx xxxx xxx xxx (or if you really wanted an extreme example xxx xxx xxxx xxx. With the heart king and club queen and a fifth heart, you have a good hand. Certainly not enough to insist on slam, and even 5H may be too encouraging, but you have much more than partner will expect for 4H (but possibly within the range that should bid 4H.)
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5H, gets 100, with a narrow plurality of the panelists (5 of 16, with 4 for 4NT and 3 for 6H each getting 90, and 4 for 4H getting 80). Exactly 50% of the solvers (16 of 32) chose 4H, with 9 choosing 6H.
And on the bright side, Iām in the lead among solvers for the year, on tie break. 3 people have 400, dropping the 2 lowest scores, but Iām the only one with a fifth 100, so Iām the only one guaranteed to have 500 after next month.
I went ahead and answered, since the right calls seem obvious. I could change if you convince me Iāve overlooked something.
My instinct was 3H at both. Perhaps the right answer is one and the other. Iām not good enough to figure out which is which.
1H for me. Not preempting when itās close and I have an ace-high suit and KJx in a major. Too easy for spades to be where this should play.
1H was the clear winner at both, 13 of 14 panelists at both matchpoints and imps.
This one looks really ugly, especially at matchponts. Since 2H is the cheapest forcing call, Iām leaning toward it.
Only a few days left to decide.
What does 2H mean? If it forces to game and implies nothing else, may be ideal, giving CHO a chance to pick 3NT if they have stoppers or bid 3C if they donāt, then we convert to 5C. Otherwise, I may just jump straight to 5C.
The problem is that CHO will expect I surely have hearts stopped, and will bid NT if he has spades stopped. At least if I bid 2H we wonāt get to 3NT with no spade stopper. (equivalently, I could bid 2S and we wouldnāt get to 3NT without hearts stopped). Since itās matchpoints, Iām loathe to pass up 3NT as a possible contract.
Abstain. I strenuously object to the 1D response. If this isnāt a 2D response in the given methods, then surely an immediate 2C response, forcing one round, was appropriate.
I answered yesterday. After the deadline, but expect it will count for scoring, just not included in published report, but maybe will be in those too. I went with 2H, but agree that 2C is better on round 1. Expect regardless of panelist comments and merits that abstain will not score well.
To be clear, by abstaining, I didnāt intend to recommend that you abstain. 
Some panelists commented, and the director agreed, that an initial 2C response would have been better.