[FrancesHinden]

The Crockfords Cup is the English teams championship (the Gold Cup is the British championship). There are 5 KO rounds then an 8-team final. These hands come from the last KO round before the final.

48 boards, IMPs

Scoring: IMP

Uncontested auction

1NT 2♠
2NT 3♠
3NT 4♣

---

1NT = 15-17 (this is in our style for a 1NT opening - we don't like 5-card majors, but we like long minors)

2♠ = clubs (any strength)
2NT = denies the A or K to 3 or more clubs
3♠ = natural, might only be 4-5
3NT = no slam interest
4♣ = 4-6 (or 4-7) slam interest even opposite no fit (with 4(30)6 partner might choose to pattern out, it would depend on the honour structure)

Now what?
4D, 4H, 4S would be cue bids (first round control in a red suit, A or K in partner's suit spades)
4NT would be discouraging
5C would systemically be 'encouraging' but may just suggest this is the better game as it should deny a cue bid.

[whereagles]

Now 5♦. Hopefully, pard will the message, which is "I don't give a damn about your suits, my hand lacks controls and I'm jumping around so that you pass now."

[Codo]

I denied spades, clubs and slam interest allready, so pd cannot expect much more then I have. I cooperate with 4 Diamonds.

[the hog]

5D. If you open on this sort of hand, (and I am not suggestiong you shouldn't), 5D now should be to play.

[TimG]

Pass, if I didn't think I was good enough to come in over 2♠, I'll go quietly now. Seriously, I figured that was the opponents' bidding until I got to your description of "Now What".

[helene_t]

5♦ looks good but I have two concerns.

First, does partner understand that I have this hand? Of course it should show a diamond suit playable opposite a void, I am just afraid that p will get completely perplexed by such a non-existent bid. Obviously depends on who partner is.

Second, 4NT could be the last making spot.

OTOH if partner does interpret 5♦ as this hand, it may help him deciding on the which slam to play. After all my diamonds will be useful in 6N or 7N as well.

[whereagles]

4NT last making spot? I can hardly believe that. Pard has a monster. Or at least he should have one!

[cherdano]

Odds are that partner has diamond shortness. If so, we need about a perfect 17 count, or a 19 count from him to make slam. I.e. pretty much a slam force. I think 5♦ is good if partner understands it as non-forcing, natural. Otherwise, both 4N (may go down) or 5♣ (may lead to the wrong slam) sucks, I think 5♣ sucks less.

[han]

Certainly prefer 5C over 4NT but maybe we should bid 5D.

[mikeh]

5♦ is wonderful if understood, and maybe it will/should be understood. I gather that this hand, although presumably at the far end of the forseeable spectrum, is systemically permitted.. if so, then I should be allowed to show it at some point.

So 5♦ it is: and I don't think I can have the heart Ace for this bid... that hand would be too slammish for 5♦.

If I felt that partner would not understand 5♦ (but what else could he think it was?), I'd bid 5♣... 4N may be down 2 on a good heart split AKJx xx x AKQxxx

[Apollo81]

5♦, we could have cued 4♦ so this is to play

[Fluffy]

I don't know if partner would understand 5♦, and I am not so sure it would had ocurred to me at the table anyway, my bid would be 5♣ showing a crap hand for clubs.

[Edmunte1]

5♦. I don't like your methods on this sequence

[pclayton]

5♦. Pard might even be able to bid an inspired 6♦ on AKxx x xx AKxxxx.

[andy_h]

mikeh, on Mar 31 2008, 12:31 PM, said:

5♦ is wonderful if understood, and maybe it will/should be understood. I gather that this hand, although presumably at the far end of the forseeable spectrum, is systemically permitted.. if so, then I should be allowed to show it at some point.

So 5♦ it is: and I don't think I can have the heart Ace for this bid... that hand would be too slammish for 5♦.

If I felt that partner would not understand 5♦ (but what else could he think it was?), I'd bid 5♣... 4N may be down 2 on a good heart split AKJx xx x AKQxxx

agree

[FrancesHinden]

My partner held this hand - I was the black-suited hand opposite. He bid 5C at the table on the basis that
- 4NT was probably systemic but might be off the entire heart suit
- he didn't want to encourage me to bid slam
5C ended the auction.

He said afterwards that he wanted to bid 5D to show this hand, and we've agreed now that it probably is the right call. However one of our meta-partnership-agreements is that we don't invent partnership agreements at the table, and he was worried that something might go wrong. In particular, although it obviously shows long diamonds, he was worried I might think it was forcing and there was then a good chance we'd play slam off the AK of the unbid suit which would look very silly indeed.

As it happens, a correctly-interpreted 5D will be a storming success, because partner will either pass or raise to 6D which is both with the odds and makes. 5C is off on a diamond lead, however it made on the selected heart lead (LHO is 2-2 in the minors).

Partner has

♠A10xx
♥AK
♦x
♣AJ109xx

At the other table responder drove to 6C opposite the same strong 1NT opening and went off.

[whereagles]

A sane partner, for a change.. lol.

[nige1]

FrancesHinden, on Mar 31 2008, 04:26 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

Uncontested auction
1NT 2♠
2NT 3♠
3NT 4♣

---

1NT = 15-17 (this is in our style for a 1NT opening - we don't like 5-card majors, but we like long minors)

2♠ = clubs (any strength)
2NT = denies the A or K to 3 or more clubs
3♠ = natural, might only be 4-5
3NT = no slam interest
4♣ = 4-6 (or 4-7) slam interest even opposite no fit (with 4(30)6 partner might choose to pattern out, it would depend on the honour structure)

Now what?
4D, 4H, 4S would be cue bids (first round control in a red suit, A or K in partner's suit spades)
4NT would be discouraging
5C would systemically be 'encouraging' but may just suggest this is the better game as it should deny a cue bid.

IMO 5♦ = 10, 5♣ = 8, 4♦ = 4
But Frances' partner makes a good point about not inventing system at the table