[ArtK78]

Scoring: IMP

2♣ - (P) - 2♦* - (x)
3♣ - (3♦) - 4♣ - (4♦)
4♥ - (5♦) - ?

* - shows values (2♥ would have been negative)

---

(1) Do you agree with 4♣?
(2) What now?

[jdonn]

I pass, intending to pull a double to 5♠.

Perhaps 4♦ instead of 4♣ would have been better but whatever, the important point is to raise partner which some people never seem to do on this auction.

[Jlall]

Hate 4C, would strongly prefer a 4D bid. This makes our intentions clear: we have a great hand for clubs and are interested in a slam. We also have a diamond control.


Partner is undoubtedly void in diamonds, and 3 small hearts is terrible. I would have been close to saying this hand is a slam force after 3C but the auction isn't going well for us.

After constructing some hands for partner I think we are still a slam force. The question is how to get to 7 while staying out of 7 when it's wrong (usually meaning a third round heart loser).

The other question is what is 4H. Natural and forcing? Natural and non forcing? Cuebid? If partner can have 4306 our hand becomes much better.

I'm really worried that bidding 5S at some point will get us to 7 with a third round heart control missing... At the same time I'm scared of missing 7 if partner has a major suit queen and the HK. I think if I bid 5S partner will not drive with Axx AKxx --- AKQxxx but he will bid 5N. So if I trust partner I will just bid 5S but my first instinct was just 6C tbh.

[pooltuna]

ArtK78, on Oct 15 2009, 12:04 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

2♣ - (P) - 2♦* - (x)
3♣ - (3♦) - 4♣ - (4♦)
4♥ - (5♦) - ?

* - shows values (2♥ would have been negative)

---

(1) Do you agree with 4♣?
(2) What now?

I prefer 4♣ to 5♣ (only to be considered because the ♦A looks wasted). Nevertheless I would bid 6♣ mainly because I have fairly stringent requirements for 2♣ with a minor suit. Consequently I think partner has 10 tricks and I have 2.

[jdonn]

I don't get it, what do your stringent requirements tell partner to open if he has 11 tricks?

Or if he counts Axx of spades as a trick, you count Kx as a trick, and no one counts the ruff?

Or if his count of 10 tricks included counting AKxxxx of clubs as 5 but he doesn't know (or is he allowed to change his mind?) that when you raised him it became 6?

[pooltuna]

jdonn, on Oct 15 2009, 01:05 PM, said:

I don't get it, what do your stringent requirements tell partner to open if he has 11 tricks?

Or if he counts Axx of spades as a trick, you count Kx as a trick, and no one counts the ruff?

Or if his count of 10 tricks included counting AKxxxx of clubs as 5 but he doesn't know (or is he allowed to change his mind?) that when you raised him it became 6?

10 tricks is the minimum partner could hold. As Justin has noted the ♥ suit is ugly and we are not going to get sufficient information to resolve it to a point where 7 is odds on. Also I think bidding 6 implies some kind of ♠ control

[Jlall]

I'm not a huge fan of pass then 5S rather than 5S direct because sometimes partner just bids 6C. Or sometimes partner bids 5H and they bid 6D.

In general I don't think when there's room like this that pass then 5S should exist. Does anyone really know what the line is between their hoped for pass and 5S rather than 5S direct anyways? What is a hand you would bid 5S with vs passing and bidding 5S (rhetorical, but you get my point, everyone might have a different cutoff). I think it's just splitting hairs way too finely, I prefer to clarify my intentions immediately while I still can.

[jdonn]

If partner bids 6♣ I think I have an auto pass, that doesn't seem like a problem to me. But yes of course it's trying to draw a line that partner may think is in a different place, but the differences are slight so we might go right anyway. I don't see that as a reason not to bid what I think is correct, bidding 6 (or 7) myself is pretty much a guess anyway so even increasing the odds like 5% is worthwhile.

You are right I was probably too nice to the 4♣ bid. I can't think of a single reason not to bid 4♦ instead.

[ArtK78]

Thanks for the comments.

In retrospect, I think that 4♦ would have been better than the 4♣ bid that I made, as the failure to bid 4♦ should deny a diamond control. It seems paradoxical that partner could be more excited by a 4♣ bid than a 4♦ bid, but that is exactly what happened.

I bid 5♠ over 5♦ in the auction presented, and partner bid 7♣ holding these cards:

Scoring: IMP

---

Not a desirable contract. However, all was well when the QJ of hearts were onside!

The result at the other table was 6♦x -800.

You might think that the 7♣ bid might provoke the opponents to sacrifice in 7♦, but they did not do so.

[jdonn]

Partner clearly made a really bad bid IMO, but it does reinforce the point about possibly not being on the same page.

[Jlall]

As I said earlier I think that hand should bid 5N over 5S.